Israel Bound!!!

Well, the bags are packed, sitting at the door. Everything I could do for the wedding ahead of time is done. Food is prepared and in the freezer for family when we get home. Spike got a bath. Instructions are written for the girls. Medical releases ready and notarized. House cleaned, laundry done. The only problem is emotional. I'm leaving my boy and his girl and going to the ends of the earth and their wedding is just a few days away! This whole journey has been so sweet, I just hate to miss the last few days of it all. I had only one stressful weekend, and other than that, things went very smoothly! Jen's motto has been "NO STRESS" and she has done a great job of reminding me of that! I think she did better than I did! As always, God saw the whole picture and guided us through. Kaylee and Carissa will be at the house with the two dogs and holding down the fort! I'll check in when I get home, but it will be a crazy time, so hang on and give me a minute to catch my breath! Pray for all my little chicks while I'm away.

Goodbye, Daniel

I told you we had two Red Sox players in our lives. Well, yesterday, Daniel got word that he was being sent to Lancaster, CA today. It was what he had hoped for, but it was a sad day for us around here. Daniel came into the Robinson family only a month ago. When he found out he was coming to Ft Myers, his dad sent out two emails, asking for a place for Daniel to stay. Somehow, we ended up hearing from someone we didn't know, and Daniel's dad didn't even know, and we ended up with Daniel. It just was a God thing. He wanted our lives to cross and He made it happen. When I picked Daniel up at the airport, I had talked to him twice on the phone, and knew pretty much nothing about him. I asked what he was wearing so I would have some way to possibly identify this stranger I was letting into my car, home, and very shortly, my heart. Daniel has simply been a blessing to our family. We LOVED having him around, and probably laughed more than we have in years! He has got a good dose of personality! Mostly, he is a Godly young man, seeking God's best for his life. Our prayer is that he stays with the team and comes back to us next year. But for right now, God has sent him to Lancaster. You probably don't remember, but Lancaster is where I grew up, my home. We wish him all of God's greatest blessings, and look forward to his return!

My Son

Today I had lunch with Joshua. I have marked two big things off my list of things to do before Israel. I needed to have lunch with Jen, and with Joshua. I know, it's not like we'll never have lunch again! It was just important to me, I wanted that alone time with each of them. I have to say that in the business of my schedule right now, somehow, my mother's heart is at peace. All is well, and in those moments when I allow myself to not think about the to do list, I am in constant praise. God has been so good. He's made a way where there seemed there was none. Faithful. He has been faithful. The journey has brought us to the place where we will have the honor of seeing these two lives become one, and watching the two go on from here. Wow. I could never have dreamed the thoughts and feelings that I would have at this point. In a few short days we will be sitting at a wedding! Amazing thought! God. Simply God. I just know that when I looked into those beautiful blue eyes today, I saw a young man that I cannot take any credit for. We gave Him to Jesus 22 years ago, and we have depended on Him through it all. He has created a masterpiece.

Believe

Several years ago, Cary and I did a Beth Moore Bible study together. It was called "Believing God" and I'm pretty sure that nothing has changed my life as drastically as that one Bible study. I've done it twice since then, and I will probably do it again someday. It rocked my world and brought about permanent change in my life. The basis of the study was that God has made promises to us, but unless we take them, claim them as our own, we don't reap the benefits of them. We were encouraged to wear a blue cord around our wrist, to remind us of His promises to us. I did that, and it soon became something bigger than I could ever have imagined. During that time we were going through a really rough time with Joshua and it just seemed that everything I was learning became a promise I started to claim for his life. The cord became a reminder to abide in prayer for Joshua. Before long I added a green cord for Carissa, and a purple for Kaylee. I wore the cords for over two years before I found a way that I could give them up. They were pretty nasty. Even had paint on them from where I had painted the house. I knew they had to go, but they meant so much to me! Because they were different weights, I could tell by feeling each one which child it represented. I cut them off, then cut the knot off each of them and put them in prayer boxes that I now wear as a bracelet. Over that period of time I had learned to stay in constant prayer for my kids. It was a lesson that had really sunk in, become a way of life for me. Things changed, Joshua came out of the difficult time and all for the better, but I will always give God the praise and thanks for the young man my son has become. God looked out for him, never took His eyes off him, and He heard ALL the prayers I prayed. Today was a HUGE day for me. I did probably the most emotional thing I have ever done. Jen and I had lunch-probably the last time before the wedding, and probably one of the most important things that has been on my "to do" list before leaving for Israel. I had the bracelet framed with the simple word "believe" written under it and I gave it to Jen. To most, it would seem like trash, but to me, I felt like I was giving away a limb. I am pretty sure Jen got it, and it will probably mean more as the years pass and the children come. We exchanged a few tears, and she heard my heart. There will always be difficult times in our lives, but through this I learned that I could believe what God has said. It represents a time in my life that I would never choose to relive, but also, a time that made me who I am today. Moses told his people to tell their descendants of the great things their God had done, Joshua told the Israelites to make memorials that would cause their children to ask and give them the opportunity to tell what the Lord had done. I asked Jen to hang it in their home and I pray that it is passed down through the generations to come with the story of our God that heard and answered. Believe. One small word that has come to mean so much to me.

Happy Easter!

We had a great day on Easter. We had a packed out service at church, then I came home to get lunch ready. We had about 20 people here for lunch, and many stayed through the whole day! I have not shown you the grandpuppy in a while, so I will add a picture so you can see how big he has gotten! Carissa and Kaylee still got Easter baskets-Josh and Jen did not. Joshua was fishing in the Keys, and Jen went to see Mel for the weekend. Daniel's parents were in town this weekend, so we got to meet them and spend some time together. Daniel decided to try to teach me a "secret" handshake, and Cary thought that was picture worthy! We had a wonderful day!

Stress

All I can say is that we are totally into the wedding mode and Israel preparations too. We are very busy, somewhat stressed, and yes, I know we will make it and all will be well! Thanks for checking in.

We're Back!

We had a wonderful time with 13 of our college and career kids. Only one of those 13 did we give birth to, and it was her first cruise! It was fun having Carissa along and getting to experience the cruise with her. We were in the Bahamas, Key West, and a private island. We took a tour of Atlantis while we were in the Bahamas, and of course, visited the straw market and bought purses! We had instructions to bring Kaylee a purse! The private island was a lot of fun. The kids found plenty to do, and I think all of us could have stayed even longer there. They had a huge slide, para sailing, snorkeling, FOOD, and shops. We stayed together for the most part, and did a lot of playing games and cards. We had our time in the sun, but also spent a lot of time in the pizza area, just playing. Since it was spring break, security was around a lot, always passing through to check on things, and pretty well knew us by the end of the week. The last night I was very proud of our group when the officers passed through and commented on how they wished other kids could have as much fun playing together as we did...instead of getting drunk and causing trouble. I don't know how we could have had any more fun than we did, and we also left a great impression without trying to impress anyone. We saw a bird at the feeder as soon as we got home, and there was a lot of food gone, so I think we are in the bird business! We are home again, for a few days, just in time to get ready for the Holy Land and the wedding!

Cruising Again

Tomorrow morning Cary and I will leave for a four day cruise with 13 of our college kids. It's spring break and we got a great deal and a good group of kids to go. While we are gone, we are all going to work through the book "In A Pit With A Lion On A Snowy Day". We are looking forward to a good time together! I'll be checking in next weekend!

Red Cardinal Alert!

I woke up this morning to find a red Cardinal in my bird feeder!!! Yes, that little sparrow did his job! I ran for the camera, but I wasn't quick enough, so there is no proof. Well, there are eye witnesses! Cary and Spike saw it too!