Karen remembers Grandma Hampton

Grandma Hampton was famous as a cook and gardener and quilter and sewer. She was also a good housekeeper. She wrote a letter to her children and grandchildren every Sunday for years and years. She missed Aunt Robin who was a missionary in Africa and once she got to go to Ivory Coast with grandpa to visit her. That was the thrill of her life. She made me laugh a lot and she tried to make me eat lima beans. Of course, I didn’t like them. She made me a rag doll with long floppy legs that I still have. I will never sell it. She made me several quilts, including a baby quilt. I keep one of them in my room at the group home. Even though Grandma was a good Baptist who went to church every Sunday and Wednesday, she could surprise us. Once when she took us to the mountains in North Carolina for a hike and picnic, she hiked up the mountain faster than everyone else. Then when we stopped by a river, she decided to jump in and swim because it was so hot that day. She didn’t have her swimsuit, so she stripped down to her underwear and jumped in the cold water anyhow. You see what I mean about making me laugh.

Remembering Grandpa Hampton

What I remember is having a good time with him, having a good time picking blueberries when Grandma made blueberry pancakes. He helped me with my homework and he read me stories. My dad tells his dad’s story about playing with boys who were bigger than he was. He wasn’t a big boy. They jumped across the creek and he tried to do the same thing. When he realized he couldn’t do that, he turned around and jumped back. Do you think this could be true? Another story he liked to tell was about why he had such thick toenails…ewww. He said he got them because he kicked a lot of rocks in his bare feet. He grew up in Etowah, Tennessee, a very small town. He taught my dad how to do the taxes when he was very young and he taught my dad how to play golf. Dad still has Grandpa’s old trophy. He was a kind and loving person. He took care of my dad, my aunt and my uncle really well. He died just before Sheri was born. Grandma knew how sad Sheri was to have missed her grandfather so she told Sheri all about him.

Gifts of Love

Today we read the story, The Gift of the Magi. The story was about a husband and wife who both sold their most valuable items to get a gift for the other. Only, the wife sold her long hair to buy a band for her husband’s watch. And the husband sold his watch to buy beautiful combs, for his wife’s hair. While both funny, and a bit sad, this sweet story tells of a selfless love that seeks to bring joy to the hearts of those you love. As we enter this season of giving, I wonder how we will express and show our love to those we love. I give hugs, cards, and gifts as I celebrate Jesus’ birthday with them. I spend time talking with them and listening to their stories of what has been going on in their life and with their families. These are ways I try to show my love to them. How do you express your love?

                                           

Loves Greater Than Fears

This past weekend I went to go see the movie The Book Thief, with my mom and sister, Jenny. I laughed, I cried, I was happy, I was sad, it got me all emotional inside. One of my favorite scenes was when she took the book from the fire. She loved to read so much that she didn’t even let the fear of getting burned stop her. I wonder what I things I love more than the things I fear? What things I would risk getting burned for. I am afraid for alligators, sharks, and crocodiles, because they have so many, and such sharp teeth. But there are also many things I love. I love animals, children, babies, parents, grandparents, and helping people. I also love when I am brave, and so I wonder if my love for these things are greater than my fears. If I would take the kind of risks Liesel did for them? But hopefully I will never have to test this out, because I really don’t like crocodiles, alligators, and sharks!!

                                       

All of Me

All My Love

You made a way for me

To come to your mercy seat

Your death has opened up the door

Now that the veil has been torn

My broken life is restored

Your precious blood has washed me clean

            All my love is yours, all of my affection

            All my heart belongs to the lord most high

One thing I ask and seek

To gaze upon your beauty

To dwell in your house forever more

For my body longs for you

More than for drink or food

My soul thirsts for the living God

All of my heart and my soul

All of my strength is yours

All of my hopes and my dreams

I give to you my king

 All of my plans and my ways

I lay them down and say

All of my love is yours

Today we looked at the song All My Love which talked about giving all of my love to Him. In the first few lines it talked of how He showed us mercy and made a way for us to be made clean and restored by what He did on the cross. It talked of how because of that we want to give Him all our love. The chorus sang of this saying, “All my love is yours, all of my affection. All my heart belongs to the lord most high.” Maybe it is because these lines reminded me of two of my favorite songs, Lord I Lift Your Name on High and All in All, but it reminded me of how He is my everything, and my need to give Him my everything as I live to love and glorify Him. The closing verse talked about giving Him all of my hopes, dreams, and plans. Dreams of getting married and raising children of my own. Plans of maybe adopting children from around the world, if I couldn’t have kids of my own. And Hopes of one day being free from all my injuries, and being able to think more clearly. I have so many hopes, dreams and plans for my future, but as the song says, I need to say, “I lay them down and say, all my love is yours.” I trust that God knows who I am and what I love, and that He will meet my desires whether it is the way I hope He fulfills them, or not. This life is not about me, it’s about Him, and I want to give Him all my love.

Later we talked about the story of Jesus feeding the 5000. The boy made a huge gesture in that he gave all he could, but in regards to what was needed, it would be considered meager. And yet because he put it into God’s hands, it was used to accomplish amazing things! This gives me great hope, because I see how it can be true of my life. I have a very willing heart to give God all that I can, but often it still would be considered meager to this world. But the hope I find in this story, is that it’s not about what I can give, but what God can give, with what I have to offer. This is where my hope lies. That the amazing God I love and serve will use my life and all that I give to Him, to accomplish great things.

Becoming of Light

My Pastor has been preaching from Isaiah, and this past week he asked us to read from Isaiah 58, and so I did! Some verses that I really liked started at verse 7. They talked about us sharing our bread with the hungry and bringing the homeless into our house. It shared how by us extending kindness to others we let God shine his light through us. It used descriptions like, “then shall your light break forth like the dawn,” “then shall your light rise in the darkness and your gloom be as the noonday.” I like these verses because it shows how God can work into our lives and then use that to work into other’s lives.

                        

Seeing for God

Today we learned about Australia and got to see some of the beautiful nature that is there. There was warm sand, clear water, and even some beautiful waterfalls flowing off of the rocks. So much of what we saw was breathtaking. We then read a short excerpt about living with your eyes wide open.  After seeing glimpses of Australia, I can see how that would be important, physically speaking, but reading this passage also showed me its importance spiritually speaking. God wants us to see it that way. He made this earth special to everyone, and we will all see different things in it. I see the sick, homeless, and those without jobs. I see how they need help, and because I can see that, I can go help them. And maybe by seeing that, I can wonder if that’s what God is telling me to do, and I am willing to serve or support them in any way I can.

But I also see trees, and flowers; clouds and colorful leaves falling to the ground. I part of God’s masterpiece that we call nature, and it makes me very happy. Because God is giving me eyes to see, I can see pain, beauty, and also hope!