No Empty Arms

A truly rich man is one whose children
run into his arms when his hands are empty.
~Author Unknown

(Brian pulling double duty with Chris and Lydia... Jan 2010)

(Granddaddy holding Nate... March 2011)

(Pey holding a little Lydia.... Jan 2009)

(My Dad Kevin holding me.... 1980???)

Happy Father's Day!!

We are thankful to the Lord for the dads (and now grand dads)
that have loved and carried us (all of us) at one point.

We love you and look forward to the times we get to spend with you.
And the sweet memories we have together;)

Making Sugar Cookies will Never Be the Same....

This weekend we were back in the kitchen making treats from this food allergy mama's Cookbook:) We had some frosting calling our names and so we made some allergy-friendly(at least for our house) Sugar Cookies;)

But whenever I make sugar cookies, I always get very reminiscent...

Baking sugar cookies with my Mom (or once in a seminary kitchen) preparing for Christmas:)

See....

They were for someone very special.... no NOT Santa... LOL!!

They were for my Dad...

someone I wanted to please soo badly...

he didn't live with us and we visited with him a couple weekends a month. And he was the type that already had EVERY trinket and toy a guy could want. So what could a little girl do at Christmas???


Bake cookies:) And oh, I DID bake... I loved to see them all over the counters... cooling off or waiting for sprinkles or for the icing to dry enough to pack!

I just LOVED to give them to him. Have him open them and taste his first cookie! And I fussed at my brother for trying to eat all Dad's cookies... so when my brother moved in with my Dad I started to make him his own couple of batches;)

Day is Jan 10th... and 8 years ago my Dad passed away totally unexpectedly... he was almost 48 years old. Because this day is soo filled with mixed feelings.... sadness and gratefulness to that God heals broken hearts... I've blog about everything before... here 1st and then here.

It's funny though how simple things in my life now with my kids still remind me of my Dad... like making sugar cookies:) It's bittersweet!

I have to finish this post with the other side of my "sugar cookies for Dad" story....

After my Dad's funeral, a lot of the family got together at my uncle's house and somehow we ended up around a table telling stories about my Dad with my mom and her 4 sisters (a great bunch!!)! And someone mentioned about me making sugar cookies for him each year for Christmas...

I don't remember word-for-word how the conversation went, but I jokingly fussed at my brother for eating all Dad's cookies all the time...

and that's when they TOLD ME...

My Dad loved sugar cookies, but he hated the store bought icing I had been using when making his:) He really liked the confectioners sugar and milk/water mixture that my mom had helped me make those first few years...

he'd tried to get rid of the cookies after eating a few... maybe to please me!!!! And that's when my brother came in handy:)

I have to admit I was disappointed that after YEARS of making cookies that I thought he liked, that he really didn't like them. And that it was such an easy change to make.... really easy change!!

Looking back though, I laugh and think it's sweet! He was trying to make me happy, by showing me that he was pleased with them :) Even when he didn't really like them.

And I recognize how my desire to please my Dad was faulty because I really didn't know him as well as I thought.... what a challenge for me in "pleasing" my Heavenly Father!! For me to study God's Word for HIS wisdom and truth and apply to my life in every way possible!

I'm so thankful for the memories, special dates and even bittersweet times with the kids that act as reminders of my Dad. And even thankful for the sweet tears shed over how much he has missed as a grandfather and father of a "grown" girl;)

Because You Do Not Know... and Conversations with Dad

"Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour... [ of His comng or our departing]" Matthew 25:13

January 10th is my Day of Memory..... when January rolls around I immediately remember the events of this month years ago. The sudden, unexpected passing of my dad.

But I praise God for His grace, love and peace during the loss of my dad 6 years ago and DAILY!

His grace that covers our faults and failures both publically and in private. Through His Son we can recieve His grace!

His love. That He reaches to us, all of us. To recieve us! And then keeps us close (even when we don't feel it).

And His peace. “I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid."
John 14:27

Even in some of the most difficult and easiest days, I praise God for His grace, His love and His peace!

Let me also share a Daddy Kevin story because we are left with memories, sweet memories! I remember when him and I sat down to discuss where I would be attending college. I had been living about 5 hours away from him at that time. I was considering a public college about 6 hours away from him or a private Christian college 2 states and about 8+ hours away. He and I were very different in our religious beliefs but he insisted that since this Christian college had the exact program I wanted (at the time) that should be my choice. I always thought it was funny that my non-practicing Dad was encouraging me to attend a religious school... maybe he thought I would be safer:)

I know many times in the conversation (and plenty of conversations following) when ever I had a hard decision to make, Dad would say, "Choose whatever will make you the happiest!"

So there will always be a piece of that misses my earthly father as I eagerly seek my Heavenly Father!

In Memory

It's January 10th....already and again. In so many ways this is a "normal" (I'm not sure if anything is normal in my kid-world) day, but in other ways it's a hard day.


Five years ago, I went to work like any other day with no worries. When I returned home my sweet husband was waiting with a phone for me to return a call to my Mom that he thought sounded urgent....it was! She informed me that my Dad had passed away. Completely unexpectedly, no real warnings...he had a family history of young heart problems and had been dealing with a cold and some chills.

Five years....a lot has changed. My brother has served in Iraq in three different deployments. My family has grown from 2 to 5! I feel like I've really grown-up (sort of) especially since I meet the daily needs of three little people who are so dependent on me. We're serving in a small community church.

I'm thankful for the memories of Dad....watching football, pizza and soda, boating trips, all his high-tech gadgets, fishing, him visiting me in college, having lunch with him at work, baking cookies for him at Christmas, him worried about me getting married so young and to a preacher!!!! And I'm a little saddened by what he has missed....his three darling, energetic grandchildren and my brother working hard with his uncles (at least that is the story he tells me...love you)!

We Miss You, Daddy Kevin!

I always love to leave a verse that corresponds and encourages. My father never made any clear declaration of what he believed although he grew up in the Caltholic church, was generous to those he saw had needs, helped neighbors and proudly showed me where he had given to a Christian cause since he said it reminded him of something I would have been a part of. I'm reminded that our next moment or day is not guaranteed for anyone, therefore we must be ready.....

"Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour... [ of His comng or our departing]" Matthew 25:13

*Sorry about the quality of the pictures, we had to pull them off an old Power Point Slideshow....shown at our wedding!