Silly thoughts before I leave England!

Well, this is my first blog on England.....I shouldn't really be sitting here because there is still so much to do! I have been so busy that I haven't had time to process it or PACK!!! I still have a few hours tomorrow!!

I have already been blessed! A couple of friends gave me a wonderful gift to take with me to England...I am most blessed....thank you, God, for the caring people of Denbigh Baptist...they are the best!!

I have spent this evening reading the US Air website and making sure that all my bottles and liquids are regulation. I have to admit that I am nervous to fly across all that water...I mean, if you crash..it doesn't matter if you are crashing into land or water, really...but I keep thinking of all those hungry sea creatures.....

Seriously, I have never done anything like this but here I go. Rebecca has a friend named Kristin who lived in England and sent us a little care package with English snacks...I loved it....my favorite was the "Hob Nobs"...the package said they were "nobbly oaty biscuits"...don't you love that!!! I do! There was more and I have included a picture of the candy by a decorative flower...thank you! :)

Liz, if you are reading this, thank you for studying at Oxford for you have made this day possible and my friend, Rebecca, who believed that I could go and is allowing me to tag along..and my husband, who, without his support and extra care, this wouldn't be possible (this is like an acceptance speech) and last of all, for Korie's grandparents who will pick her up from school every day for me....I now hear music playing so I will stop!

It is approaching 11 pm and I still am not ready....I know I won't sleep....but I will be ready in 12 hours...when to the airport I go.....whoever my pilot is, I hope you are getting lots of rest tonight!! And maybe by some miracle, the rain won't fall in Philly so we can get out and walk...and maybe we won't get stuck with someone who snores on our flight (although it could be ME, my allergies are acting up!!) and we will land safely at Heathrow Airport and then Rebecca will quickly learn to drive on the left side of the road!!!!

More tomorrow...probably as I wait in the airport through the 8 hour layover!! Yipee!! At least I will have times to turn my dollars into pounds! The adventure continues tomorrow..........

"I WILL"

So, yesterday, Steve and I had to stand in a courthouse and raise our hands and solemnly swear that we would look after the best interests of and always take care of our own daughter! Wow. The irony of that just....got to me. When the time came for me to answer, I wanted soooo badly to say, "I've done that for 18 years already, why would I stop now??" But I refrained and said "I will."

That whole experience kind of made me sad. I know Korie has serious medical conditions that come up and there are many decisions have to be made that impact her life. I know it is best that we make those decisions and not Korie herself, who may not understand, or a medical professional who doesn't know her whole story. But shouldn't the parents who have raised her from an infant and have all these experiences be considered the "experts" and not have to go through these hoops they have in place? Yes, I know some kids are alone, or have bad parents, there are so many sad situations. And because of those things and because sin is in this world and has messed everything up, children have to be protected. But it still really bothered me that we had to go through this process. It was costly, long, complicated and stressful. I am however, thankful that it went smoothly, thanks to a WONDERFUL lawyer and friends, and it was not contested and that it is behind us.

But, I will forever remember that I had to stand in a courthouse and swear to take care of my own child. And I wonder what this world has come to. And I look forward to the day everything is made right. Not only, will all people be protected and loved as they should, but all will be whole and healthy. What a day that will be! Come, Lord Jesus! Until then...."I WILL!"

The Beginning of my Trip of a Liftime

I was about 12 years old the first time I went to the Grove City Library and came upon an author named Jean Plaidy. She also wrote books under the name Eleanor Hibbert (and I guess she did romance stories under Victoria Holt but I didn't read those). The ones I read were historical novels on the kings and queens of England, Scotland, and France, mostly. They fascinated me. Whether they did this by the sometimes gruesome but royal stories or because I realized that these were real people and these books were mostly accurate accounts, I am not sure. All I knew, is that when I read one, I was taken to a world of castles, towers, riches, war, danger and intrigue. They tickled my imagination. I felt like I knew the likes of King Henry VIII with his 6 wives, whom I always remember by....Divorced, Beheaded, Died, Divorced, Beheaded, Survived! I could see the beautiful Anne Boelyn and the young and foolish Catherine Howard as they were locked in the Tower awaiting their deaths, after being the darling of the king and having everything they ever wanted. I felt like I knew Eleanor of Aquitaine, who married two kings in her lifetime, and who traveled on Crusades (quite a big deal in those days) and lost the love of her husband, King Henry and ended up captive until her son Richard freed her at Henry's death.

England seemed so far away from my little world in Ohio. It seemed farther away still as I moved to Virginia and life continued on....England a distant thought, though occassionally, I pick up a history book now and then and read more. I actually one time asked the Lord if He would just let me take a fly down and look around before He destroyed it someday! :) I also kept notebooks, writing down things to remember if I ever got to go.

Then one day last year, my friend Rebecca asked if I would like to go with her to England in the spring. My first thought was "no way"...I am in no position in life for a trip like that. I have responsibilites, a few bills that need to be paid, trips like that are for the other people...not me. Why, I am lucky if I get to go someplace besides Ohio to visit family! Rebecca told me we should just pray. I wanted to laugh...I may have actually laughed aloud!

But as time passed, and the opportunity to stay on the Air Force base there became available and my wonderful husband kept saying...."this could happen"..."this could be your last chance!" I actually allowed myself to think maybe I could do this!! I took the plunge and we bought plane tickets!! I was going to ENGLAND!!!! I still can't believe it! I still wonder if at the last minute, SOMETHING will keep me from going. As usual, my life took it's turns with my mom's death and Korie having a medical condition...I honestly didn't believe I was going until last week. So, right now...it looks like I am taking an adventure! A trip that I have only taken in my dreams! I think I am going to England....I don't know if I will believe it until I am in the air.

I am behind now....I only started seriously getting ready this week...I have so much to do....A widow's luncheon to plan, a women's retreat to get ready for, packing to do...and I have to plan for the three days in London...which I thought I had done but had to start over today....BUT, that's okay.

As the plane flies away from the States, I hope to leave my worries behind and concentrate on taking in everything I can. I am going to stand on the very spot where Anne and Catherine "lost their heads"....I am going to go to the Palace where King Henry VIII lived, to where every king and Queen since William the Conqueror has had their coronation....I am going to take in every sight, drive Rebecca crazy taking pictures and make memories that will last a lifetime...yes, mother!!.....if you can read this, you will be thrilled with me...thanks for making it happen and yes, I will make memories...just like you always told me to.

So, I leave later this week, but once I get there, I hope to blog and share what I saw and how I felt.....unless I am exhausted!! :) We will see. London, England....here I come!

A Beautiful Day

I need to blog more...I intend to blog more when Korie has her surgery. Today is supposed to be sunny and 65 degrees!! Yay! It has been a long, "colder than usual" winter for Virginia...a SOUTHERN state!

I thought that today perhaps, I would write on the beauty of the birds gathering at my feeder, or maybe the feel of the warmeth on my face, or perhaps even the daffodils that are peeking up in my front yard. I changed my desktop from the Ohio State snowman to a spring picture that I took last spring in my neighborhood...I will enclose that picture just because it is SO beautiful.

But, as I did my reading this morning, I studied about the purpose of my life ....which turned my thoughts a little deeper this morning.....why did God create me and what does He have planned for me? One of His plans is for me to be like HIM. And Matthew, the tax collecter (of all people) lol, said that when Jesus saw a large crowd gathered, He had compassion on them. (Matt. 14:14). This Greek word used for compassion, is splanchnizomai which means "study of the....gut" (in our terms). So, when Jesus saw this crowd, His compassion wasn't just a little pity party, where one feels sorry for another in passing, but Jesus felt their hurt right in His gut! He felt the loss of the grieving, He felt the limp of the crippled, He felt the loneliness of the town leper, He felt the confusion of the teenager....you get the idea. He was so into their hurt, that His own needs or desires were put on the backburner. How often do I do that myself??

That gave me pause to think. What hurting people are in my small world? Who do I see in my church that is struggling, in my neighborhood, in my circle of people I see daily...or weekly or monthly? Do I take time to notice them? I am a busy person...we all are busy these days. TOO busy! If I am to be like Him, I need to take time out of my wants and needs and look to others. It was Christ's prayer request at the end of Matthew 9 for people to go out and find the hurting. Whether that is to a hurt believer or to someone who doesn't know Him yet....am I on the lookout for those He puts in my path? My "mission" for this day? His purpose for me?

Yes, it is beautiful out today....Kristin comes home in 2 days, this is my first day at home in 2 weeks, there are many things to write about....but instead...I think I will just ponder for awhile and pray that my eyes are open to what's in front of me....so that I won't miss it!!!