Give Thanks

Thanksgiving...it's another one of those conundrums.  I have so much to be thankful for.  And I am.  And I also miss my boy...

I'll admit...sometimes this is easier than other times...but I am reminded...we give thanks because of His righteousness, because of Who He is.

So today, and every day, I will give thanks to the Lord who gives and takes away for His goodness, for His mercy, for His tender love, for His patience, and for His mighty power.  Have a blessed and beautiful day!

Psalm 136:1-9, 23-26
"Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good!  For His mercy endures forever.  
Oh, give thanks to the God of gods!  For His mercy endures forever.  
Oh, give thanks to the Lord of lords!  For His mercy endures forever; 
To Him who alone does great wonders, for His mercy endures forever; 
To Him who by wisdom made the heavens, for His mercy endures forever; 
To Him who laid out the earth above the waters, for His mercy endures forever; 
To Him who made great lights, for His mercy endures forever--The sun to rule by day, for His mercy endures forever; 
The moon and stars to rule by night, for His mercy endures forever...
...Who remembered us in our lowly state, for His mercy endures forever; 
And rescued us from our enemies, for His mercy endures forever; 
Who gives food to all flesh, for His mercy endures forever.  
Oh, give thanks to the God of heaven!  For His mercy endures forever."

Repost

I recently watched William’s memorial video again for the first time in 4 years. While the tears flowed freely, I was overwhelmed with thankfulness for the many people who invested so much love into his life, and who have loved us so well through these hard years. For those who are new to our journey, one of William’s friends wrote a special, sweet song about him after he had the scare in 2014, and ended up on life support. He sang it at a party that was held for William when he was better. It so beautifully describes William and his precious little life. It is the middle song in this video:

Feeling more than a little nostalgic and holding those Hulk hands, I remembered this post from earlier this year.  It's still just as true...

https://causeme2hear.blogspot.com/2019/02/looking-for-echoes.html

I miss him desperately. I try so hard to rest in God’s sovereignty, but oh, how I wish he was here.

The Date Book

Michael recently got the opportunity to introduce the boys to REAL football!  They all had a blast!  (Adelina ended up bringing toys in to play but really enjoyed the popcorn!😂😂😂)

Such fun!

And we've been working on the date book I got him for his birthday.  It's quite interesting.  Our first date from the book was a double with dear friends...

Recently, our scratch off date was to stay home and bake a pie together...with him blindfolded!

I could only use 3 sentences through the process but could help by touch.  Hahaha!  We had a great time!  And we baked a sugar-free pecan pie!  YUM!

While we were having a great time on our date, the children had a blast bowling!  Andrew got a strike on his first "roll"!

Happy Birthday, Abby!

Happy birthday to Abby!

We so enjoy this lady!

With siblings...

Hmmm....There was something good in that notebook....😜

Here's the only semi-serious picture I got of the older girls...

What would an Ocker birthday be without the typical craziness?  I love how these pictures so exemplify each of their personalities!

 Sarah - always the life of the party

 Abby - stoic with a bit of mischief that she just can't hide from her face

 Sydnee - trying to be chill but can't hide the joy

 Sherrod - always the same, you don't see it unless she wants you to

Birthday pie...

AND lemon bars!

Birthday prayer...

The Clan

Grace and beauty...

There are many things I appreciate about Abby.  But perhaps the most consistent is her loyalty.  There aren't very many things she gets fierce about, but that is one of them.  I love how she keeps a very small, tight circle that it's really hard to get into, but even more difficult to get kicked out of.  I love how she doesn't do anything halfway but it's all or nothing.  I love how her mind works and how she sees the world.  I love that she doesn't need the affirmation of others but finds her significance in the Lord alone.  I love the strong side of her that everyone sees and I love the fragile side that very few have the privilege of seeing.  I love how similar we are and how I can usually tell what she's going to say or do or what she's thinking without a word spoken between us.

I have been missing her and Sherrod terribly.  The house is odd without them here.  It is a strange, new season that brings both a sense of joy and a bizarre feeling that I don't know how to to describe.  It isn't really a sadness or a sense of dread...it is just weird not having them around all the time.  But I'm so thankful that they have the opportunity to pursue their dreams and talents.  And it brings great pleasure to watch them grow.  And soar...💜