My Beacon of Light

Today is my friend's memorial service. Bill Stephens passed away at 1:10 am on Sunday, September 15th, 2013.  The service honoring him will be held at 7 pm at League City United Methodist Church. 

 

William Robert Stephens

10/22/55 ~ 09/15/13

He leaves behind his beautiful wife, Donna, his precious daughter, Hailey, and his faithful K9 Carli.  I know he will be with them every step and breath they take.

He recently wrote this note to me via his wife's facebook.

6/9/13
Donna and I cannot thank you and Bryan for all the incredible things you do for us. You taxied Donna to and from the various hospitals when I was ill, cooked many meals for Donna, cleaned our pool 50 times, mowed our yard, shoveled mulch to our flower beds, fed watered and babysat our dog and was a great listener for Donna through all of her and my sickness. Some people volunteer to help others, hoping that they do not call them in for help.  You and Bryan show up to work and do not accept no as an answer. All of this help and you still go home and raise two incredible boys and tend to your household needs.  If there is ever a place to enter you on a list to become a saint, you and Bryan would be a shoe-in. God has blessed us with your friendship and we will be forever grateful.  Bill

The things I do for them are nothing compared to the things he has brought to my life.  He gave me strength when he really had none to give.  He has given me hope, humility, and perspective.  Hope for all things wrong to be all right.  The humility I needed to remember that I am small and God is big!  Perspective more than anything.  His life really helped me keep my life in perspective.  On the days I was dealing with my own heath issues, I thought of him, and how he would be happy to have my health issues.  On the days I was having a bad day, he would have traded one of my bad days for one of his good days.  On the days I didn’t feel like doing my chores, I knew how he wished he could mow his own lawn or clean his pool.  On the days I complained about eating “healthy food” opposed to junk, I thought of him wishing he could eat a salad and carrot sticks!  On the days I felt life was too busy to do what I enjoyed, I thought of him and knew he couldn’t do anything he loved such as golfing, hunting, and fishing.  He kept me going.  His love for his family and his daily fight was my beacon of light.

He taught me the true meaning of faith, love and hope.

Soar high in Heaven Bill.  I will look

to the stars for my beacon of light!

 

 

 

I love you and will miss you!

Hey, I can do that (maybe?)!!

Ever see stuff and think "I can do that"?  I see stuff all the time and think, and I say THINK, I can do it!  Sometimes I can, sometimes I can't.  But you never know until you try!  I like being crafty!  Makes me feel accomplished!  A few things I worked on this week!

I saw these at a boutique this week. 

$25 and up!  I can do that! 

Came out cute, made for about $14, but I have

plenty of chalk board paint to make more!

Made this one for a dear friend's daughter

who is a first year teacher!

Saw this on Pinterest, but with Mason jars.

Clear wine bottle, a little Elmer's glue and

yellow food coloring!  Pretty cool!

Flower pens!  I've seen these many places!

Keeps people from running off with your pens!

I have to admit, I tried these once before

with no success, but this time I used floral tape

and it was easy and they came out great!

 

What will I do next?  Who knows?  I don't!! 

Being crafty is much more fun than cleaning house!

Happy Birthday in Heaven, Mom!

Today would have been my Mom's 71st birthday.  She's spending yet another birthday in Heaven, just like the last 11 years. 

Of all the special gifts in life, however great or small,

To have you as my Mom was the greatest gift of all. 

May the winds of love blow softly and whisper in your ear

“I love and miss you Mom and I wish that you were here”. 

Deep in my heart your life is kept,

To love and cherish and never forget. 

No more tomorrows do we have to share,

But yesterdays are always there. 

A silent thought, a secret tear,

Keeps your memory always near.

 

Happy Birthday Mom!  I wish you were here so I could tell you that I love you!  We miss you!

The Faith of a Family

Faith.  Complete trust or confidence in someone or something.  Faith, Love & Hope, The Stephens Family.  This family is very dear to my heart.  I met Donna 22 years ago when we first moved to Texas.  She worked out at the facility where I was employed.  Her daughter and Tyler were the same age.  They went to elementary school together, junior high, and high school.  We lived just a few blocks from each other.  We really became closer when we both worked at our Church's school program. 

The perfect family.  Beautiful, kind, giving, and obviously in love!  Bill, Donna's husband, became very ill about 16 years ago, throat cancer.  He wasn't suppose to live.  HE DID!  He beat all odds.  The faith of their family was too strong.  Donna has endured many battles with her health over the years, RA and Lupus, among other things.  2008 Bill was diagnosed with a serious lung infection and almost died, again.  HE DIDN'T.  Shortly after, he was diagnosed with cancer again, lung cancer.  HE BEAT IT AGAIN!  The Faith of their family was too strong.  He now lives in daily pain.  He can't work, has a hard time breathing, will never be able to eat/drink again, gets nourishment from a feeding tube.  Donna was recently diagnosed with Melanoma and had surgery.  We're waiting for pathology results on lymph nodes.  Donna's RA and Lupus has caused her not to be able to do many things she once was able to do.  Her fingers are stiff and won't bend, but she never complains.  How can this beautiful family have endured so much pain and suffering?  The Faith of their family is the only answer I have.  Their beautiful daughter, Hailey, who was a gift from God, keeps them going! 

I help them as much as I can with whatever they need.  They're always thanking me.  But they don't realize that they are a blessing to me.  They keep me going.  If they can fight for their lives over and over and still have faith, my problems often seem trivial.  When I'm not feeling well, I think of their daily struggle.  When I'm in a bad mood, I think of their positive outlook.  When I'm over whelmed, I think of their patience and their endurance.  I may do things for them, but they truly do more for my heart & soul.  God commands that we help others in need.  He truly has blessed me with having this family in my life, a true family of faith.

I love you Bill, Donna & Hailey!

Sweet Childhood Memories

It's funny, the older we get, the more we think about things from our past.  I have many childhood memories that I think about often.

Playing in the "hole".  The "hole" was exactly that, a hole made by a breach in the bank of the pond at my Grandparent's home.  We would play for hours, days on end, in the "hole".  On the rare occasion we had enough rain, the hole would fill up with water, clear water, unlike the pond, and we would wade in it, make mudpies, and I'm sure things I don't remember.

Rolling out dough for chicken and dumplings with my Grandmother.  She would let me eat the raw dough!

Picking blackberries!  We would spend hours in the woods picking blackberries.  They were so yummy, but the inevitable "red bugs" afterwards was not so much fun.

Family lunch at my Grandparents home.  Their house was tiny, but some how, we all managed to find a spot and enjoy family time. 

Dinner on the ground after church.  Oh, my, the good home country cooking!

Making ice cream with an old fashioned ice cream maker, the kind you cranked by hand.  When the electric ones came out, we thought we were high class!

Making fudge with my Mom at Christmas time.

Rolling down the hill in an old tractor tire and the home made slip 'n slides!

Sitting on the porch either making butter or shelling beans!  I'm sure when I was a child I hated it, but now looking back, those were precious times.

The all day shopping excursions with my Mom and my aunts.

Playing on the roots and limbs of the old Oak Trees!

These were just a few of my favorite memories.  I often wonder what my boys will one day say are their favorite memories!

"Childhood isn't given a thought, that is until adulthood!"

Back in my day

"Back in my day", we've all heard it from our elders.  We even laughed at the things they told us, and even found some of them hard to believe.  It's now my turn to tell my kids "back in my day".

Back in my day we didn't have cable television.
Back in my day we only had one TV.
Back in my day we only had a corded house phone, and we were on a "party" line at that.
Back in my day we didn't have cell phones.
Back in my day we didn't have computers, (Skype, facebook, games).
Back in my day we didn't have video games.
Back in my day we didn't have Ipods, Ipads, or Iphones.
Back in my day we didn't have digital cameras.
Back in my day we didn't have a swimming pool.
Back in my day we didn't eat out.
Back in my day we didn't have water bottles.

Back in my day the only TV in the house was in the living room, and we only had 3 channels.
Back in my day, the phone was in the kitchen, if it rang once it was for us, twice for the neighbor down the road.
Back in my day, we actually talked with our friends, face to face.
Back in my day we listened to the radio or 8 track tapes.
Back in my day we played board games or played outside.
Back in my day the cameras came with film, which had to be developed.
Back in my day we swam in the creek or river.
Back in my day we ate from the garden and/or the freezer.
Back in my day we drank from the water hose.

This was our photos, on film "back in my day"!

The telephone "back in my day"

I laugh as I write these, wondering what my kids will one day say about their "back in my day"!

48 years young!

Happy Birthday to the best husband a girl could ask for, and the best father my kids could have!  48 years old today!

 

 

We love you Brian and I hope your birthday

was as special to you as you are to us!