A very full holiday season…

All the wayyyyy back in November, I wrote a post (in my head) about all my preparations for Thanksgiving…. now that the train has traveled all the way down the tracks to May, I think it is high time I posted something here.  In the interest of wanting this to sort of be as much of a journal as a blog, I am going to fill in with some posts about what has gone on since.

November started out with me trying a new project.  I am not much of a decorator, but I love TRYING to do things myself.  I have a set of antique cherry Chippendale dining room chairs that were given to me, along with a dining table, when we moved into our current house thirteen years ago.  The fabric on them, while a lovely color and not terribly worn, was stained in several places where I could not get the stains out.  They were desperately in need of new fabric. I knew this would require disassembling the chair bottoms and completely redoing even the spring coils on the underside of the chairs, as they had slid out of place.  In case you’ve never seen this, the above pic is what it looks like underneath a spring coiled dining room chair seat.

All of the fabric underneath the springs had dry-rotted, so it was no longer supporting the weight of a person, and badly needed to be replaced.  This required removing the old – which had been tightly stapled together and then nailed to the chairs with about 40 gazillion nails – and adding the new.  Removing the old was quite the task, and adding the new took nearly every bit of strength this old woman had.  After crawling around on the floor, pulling, then stapling, then pulling, then stapling, and repeating that until all strips were tightly criss-crossed underneath and the springs firmly in place, it was time to put the padding over the top and to staple the fabric on. 

I purchased a lovely damask fabric in golds and greens which I had kept for about 6 months with no “round tuits.” After cutting the fabric to fit the chair, I took staple gun in hand and went at it with just about all the strength I could muster.  Once I had the fabric securely on, I then stapled a layer of dark cover fabric on the underside to cover the unfinished places.  Lastly, I glued on the trim.  And the above photo is the result.

I absolutely love the fabric on these chairs;

I really enjoyed doing this myself, but I have to admit that I really overdid it trying to get this done in two days and injured my back in the process. They were, however, all ready for Thanksgiving which I held at my home for both sides of the family, including my brother- and sister-in-law and their family.

Of course, I got busy and forgot to get photos once the guests arrived.  But, at least I remember how I decorated the tables.  I was lucky enough to find these lovely cloth napkins in fall colors from Christmas Tree Shoppes four for $2!  What a steal.  The tablecloth was $3.  So, for under $10 I had cloth napkins for everyone. Not only did I feel like my house looked so lovely, but the fellowship was just wonderful…  so much so that I am still looking back fondly on the day and being thankful! 

Home with the Father and His Dad

Riley is healed and whole, safe in the arms of Jesus and greeted by his earthly father and a grandmother he never met.  Just five days ago we celebrated Riley's life with a beautiful memorial service. Those of you who have prayed for our family may wish to view the short video his mom made with pictures and hear the message given by his dad's brother.

Here: http://reconcilercec.org/Sermons/riley-granberry/

We are just beginning to fully realize all that has happened, and yet the peace of God truly does pass all understanding. We have not "lost" Riley, for we know exactly where he is! For Riley's mom, the days ahead will be difficult. . .  no husband, no eldest son. Thankfully, she is surrounded by loved ones and an amazing community of faith.  Their church has gathered around them like nothing I have ever seen.  Though they don't have their dad, the little brothers have men who really, really love them.  For me. . .  I have to think that the boys may be wondering, "First my dad, then my brother. . .  am I next?"  They will really need those in the family and the faith community to come around them and hold them up.  God has a much bigger plan than we can possibly know.  As incredibly hard as this road has been, it has not been without purpose.  Thousands have been touched by Jonathan's and Riley's testimonies of faith and assurance that the Lord of all the universe had them in the palm of His hand.

While giong through this devastation/rejoicing, we are of course witnessing the devastation in our country from hurricane Harvey.  It is almost impossible to get my mind around that much water... it is utterly heartbreaking.  It is also heartening to see people working and helping and loving their neighbors.  God has a plan even in those situations.  We may not know what it is until we see Jesus face to face... but then we will know fully.

"For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known." 1 Corinthians 13:12

Clinging to hope...

So sorry for the lack of communication about Riley... several of you have asked about him privately. (You know who you are and that means the world to me!)  Really, there is nothing new to report.  After two weeks in the hospital where his condition did not improve, his mom chose to take him home to die unless the Lord answers our prayers for a miracle of healing.  My step-father spent a good deal of time with him yesterday and said that his communication was at a minimum, with "yes" "no" and "I don't know."  When he asked him what his name was, he said, "I don't know." It is heartbreaking and yet the family still continues to be so thankful that there is a sense of the nearness of the Lord's presence as they walk this difficult valley.  Clinging to these words and taking hold of the sure and steadfast hope, "In the same way God, desiring even more to show to the heirs of the promise the unchangeableness of His purpose, interposed with an oath, so that by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have taken refuge would have strong encouragement to take hold of the hope set before us. This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, a hope both sure and steadfast and one which enters within the veil..."

Psalm 23

(beautiful words of truth for dark times)

The Lord is my shepherd,
I shall not want. 

He makes me lie down in green pastures;
He leads me beside quiet waters. 

He restores my soul;
He guides me in the paths of righteousness
For His name’s sake.

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I fear no evil, for You are with me;
Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.
You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;
You have anointed my head with oil;
My cup overflows.
Surely goodness and lovingkindness will follow me all the days of my life,
And I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

Trust His Heart

These are lyrics to a song that has been playing in my head today...

Trust His Heart

by Babbie Mason

All things work for our good

Though sometimes we don't see 

How they could

Struggles that break our hearts in two

Sometimes blind us to the truth

Our Father knows what's best for us

His ways are not our own

So when your pathway grows dim

And you just don't see Him,

Remember you're never alone

He sees the master plan

And he holds our future in His hand,

So don't live as those who have no hope,

All our hope is found in Him

God is too wise to be mistaken

God is too good to be unkind

So when you don't understand

When don't see His plan

When you can't trace His hand

Trust His Heart

(Apparently the lyrics above are based on a C.H. Spurgeon quote.)

I got news this morning that breaks my heart. . .  the heartbreak in my step-father's family is overwhelming.  My step nephew (whose father passed away last July) has been bravely battling brain tumors for 18 months. This week he has been experiencing headaches, disorientation, forgetfulness, lack of motor control. . .  and now his mom has been told by doctors that she should call hospice.  She has looked at her son fighting this dreadful disease, and she knows just how tired of fighting he is. . .  she has walked with him (as she did with her husband) every step of the way.  I don't know how she is holding it together (she is, at least for now).  I don't know how my stepfather is holding it together (he's not.)  His wife also passed away from cancer at 36.  Then his son at 43.  Now he sees his grandson slipping away at 13. . .  and then there are the 3 younger brothers who lost their dad last year and now face losing their brother.  

So, I just have to say. . .  I DON'T understand how this family can be asked endure so much suffering. I don't understand God's purpose in this.  But, I have to continue to place my trust and faith in Him. He is too wise to be mistaken.  He is too good to be unkind. I must continue to trust His heart. Even when it is hard and doesn't make sense. . .  trust.  Even when we walk through the valley of the shadow of death. . .  more than once. . .  we continue to trust. He is with us. He will never leave nor forsake us.  

This is one of my favorite pics of the six of them, as it perfectly captures their family pre-cancer... happy and so creative... the Waldos.  Two artist/graphic designer parents and four high-energy boys! (The dad who passed away last summer is the big guy in the back, the 13 y-o is right beside him to the right.)

Would you lift up this precious family in the coming days?  

This little fellow and his mama and family are on my heart....

Take one look at these precious faces (right).  They have been through some of the hardest things this past year and a half.  On the left is Riley, the oldest of four brothers, who was diagnosed with brain cancer two Christmases ago... unbelievably, (unless you lived it) on that same day his dad found out his colon cancer which had been "successfully" surgically removed twelve months before was not only back, but stage 4.

This past July, Riley lost his dad after a short and miserable fight of 6 months.  He watched him suffer but believe until the very end that God would heal him.  His dad IS healed and whole now, but not the way he believed.  Over this past year Riley has been bravely receiving various treatments for his own cancer. The past two MRIs showed a slight reduction in the size of the tumors.  Yet, after he had been experiencing numbness in his legs and pain in his tailbone recently, this week they have discovered tumors in his brain on the other side and a new one on his spine. He is my step-nephew.  His mom is in the middle and next-oldest brother Ethan on the right. His mom is the picture of grace under fire. I cannot imagine how she continues to put one foot in front of the other, except that you have to when it's your child and your husband.

Riley will start his radiation treatments today.

Riley's grandfather married my mom 15 years ago, after being a widower for 20 years following his wife's (Riley's dad's mom) death at age 36 when his boys were still in elementary and jr. high school.  So, my stepfather has lost his wife at 36 and his son at 43 to cancer and is now watching his grandson of 13 years battle it.  It is completely heartbreaking... really too much for one person to bear.  My mother is the only grandmother (on their dad's side) that these boys have known, and believe me -- she has been "all in" as their step-grandmother.  The four boys have spent numerous nights and weekends at Papa and Nonnie's house since they were babies.  And their dad really considered and even called my mother "Mom" up until his death last July.

Because of the busy nature of both our families, as a step-sister who doesn't live close and given the busyness of caring for my own family, I have not personally spent a lot of time with these precious ones.  But I keep up through my mom, and as a way to help people know how to pray and support them, I created a website chronicling their journeys: www.gberryjourney.com. I would really appreciate it if you would lift them all in prayer as the Lord leads you to.  It is a heavy burden, too much to bear alone... but the prayers and support of the family of God have at times literally and figuratively carried this family over the past 15 months.  We are grateful.

New Year, Same Old World

The New Year looms ahead like a shiny new journal with all empty pages. Yet, even yesterday as I sat on my sofa enjoying time with my family, contemplating the peace and quiet of the next few days, planning a 21 day prayer journey for my business, and generally looking ahead to the coming year... there was a phone call from friends that their 38 year-old son/brother had passed away suddenly and tragically yesterday afternoon.

We quickly made our way to their home, and we tried to give as much comfort and encouragement as you can in a time like this.  This is a fallen, fallen place in which we reside.  The great, true joy of Christmas is balanced by the devastation of separation and death.

What comfort can we give in a time like this? The only real comfort is to be the hands and feet of Jesus. He knows the situation, He loves them all, He loved the one who died, He cares deeply for His children and offers to carry our burdens -- even the heaviest ones -- for us. So, we embrace them as He would, love them as He loves, bear this burden with them. He is Emmanuel even in this, guiding through the darkest night with His light and His hand.

(As always, you are free to use this graphic.)

There is so much I do not understand about this world.  But, I am just simple enough to trust God's promise that He will never leave or forsake me and His promise that HE is our refuge and strength, a very present help in time of trouble.  Whatever this world sends my way, I am thankful for what I have today, now.  I choose to not live in the past (while being thankful for it) and not live in the future (while looking forward to eternity with the Lord and its reuniting with those I love). I am thankful for my family, for my friends -- even ones I have never met. I am thankful for home, for safety, for life, for love, for enough -- you know, the "this day our daily bread."  I know that we are not even promised one more breath, so I am choosing to thank God for now. 

All is calm, all is bright...

After a very busy month with the art show (which I will post more about in a later post), emergency wisdom tooth removal after the discovery of a 5th wisdom tooth (yes, this really is possible, and yes, you can still have to have your wisdom teeth out at 50+), and this week a lovely stomach bug (NOT!)...

today was such a WONDERFUL day beginning with celebrating our Lord at church this morning, then lunch with my mom and step-dad, then opening gifts with our children, and then more gifts with my mother- and father-in-law... then playing with gifts and enjoying one another's company.  And now we're sitting -- feet propped up -- watching Little Women.  All is calm and all is bright... peaceful and joyful deep down. 

Thankful for what Christmas really means... 

it means in spite of my nerves in a dentist's chair about wisdom teeth removal, 

or my nerves about painting live in a mall window with people watching me the entire time (for the first time), 

or my heart's ache for my step-father who lost his 43 year-old son this summer

(who left four beautiful boys 13 and under and a beautiful wife behind),

or the fact that the eldest of those four beautiful boys is battling cancer himself,

or the fact that my bout with a four day stomach virus or food poisoning fog these last five days has derailed my best laid plans for Christmas...

Jesus has me right where He wants me.  He knows His plans for me, and He knows His plans for my step-father's family, and He knows His plans for my children, and He knows His plans for you, too.  I don't have to know HIS plan, I just have to trust HIS hand.

I wrote this in 2012 and it still applies even more today.  

Hail the heaven-born Prince of Peace! Hail the Sun of Righteousness! Hail the incarnate Deity! Jesus, our Emmanuel... Hark! The herald angels sing, "Glory to the King of kings!" (This last line is how Wesley wrote it originally; it was later revised by George Whitfield.) As I look at the many blessings of life, including my precious family, I am struck that even as precious and wonderful as our family times are, and as much as I treasure EACH and EVERY memory we make… even family is not what Christmas is all about. It is about One thing and One thing only: Jesus desired so much to bring my sinful self back into relationship with Himself that He was willing to lay aside the glory of heaven and His right to stay there, to put on the flesh of a helpless babe and later walk as a man, and then to be the sacrifice necessary to pay the penalty for my sin. It is with wonder that I think about this and all it means. And because of His sacrifice, I receive all the benefits: peace that passes understanding in a world riddled with anxiety and fear, contentment in a world that would sell me dissatisfaction, joy in a world that offers great sadness, love in a world filled with hate… and on top of all that the promise of eternity with Him. Christmas is not feelings or faith or even family … Christmas is Emmanuel, the God Who is with us… and that is Everything.

'Tis the (busy) season...

Well, Thanksgiving has come and gone, and we have rapidly moved into busy season!  I have finally gotten all my inside decor up and am very thankful to have all the boxes back in the attic.  I have also been working on a two week art show for the association of which I am serving as president and have several commissioned pieces lined up.  So, I am really thankful to have the decorations up.  Although we have two trees, here is a peek at "my tree" as my children like to refer to it.  I am sharing this first photo because I loved the effect that the lights made. 

 

However, as I continued taking photos I realized after three or four tries with this same result that my lens was smudged. 😉 So, here is the entire tree without a smudged lens...

This is "my tree" for many reasons... one reason is that it was inspired by my grandmother ~ a beautiful gracious southern belle of a lady ~ who always had a special way of decorating her own tree by using only white, silver, crystal, and gold ornaments.  I have taken this tradition as my own and used only those items (with a couple of exceptions for ornaments with burgundy and red ribbon hangers) on it.  While I have used only those colors, the ornaments are not "designer ornaments" purchased from a store just for the purpose of decorating.  Rather, they are primarily either heirlooms or gifts from family and friends... like the beautiful Gorham angel on top of the tree that was a wedding gift.

The above photo captures several ornaments from my grandmother. The white fireplace and stockings at the bottom was a gift to hubby and me from her early in our marriage, the blown glass ornament top right, the small glass frosted pine cone at top left, and the crystal icicles are heirlooms from her very own tree after she passed on.

 The bottom left gold glass ball wishing us a frosted "Merry Christmas" was my husband's as a child.  The two Lenox snowflakes at the top, one crystal and one white, were gifts from precious friends.

The brass bear with a photo of my oldest son was a gift from my aunt when my son was a baby, and it sits beside a white glass ball with a Currier and Ives scene that was also an heirloom from my grandmother.

The two Precious Moments ornaments, the Little Drummer Boy and the bell, in the photo above were baby gifts from friends when my now adult sons were born.  There is another white glass ball with gold stars and the small frosted pine cone in the photo that were heirlooms from my grandmother's tree.

 

These two twin brass ornaments are also heirlooms... the one on the left belonged to my grandparents long before I ever thought of marrying and the one on the right belonged to my husband when he was a child.  I just love that.

You couldn't have looked at all these photos without noticing the round cross-stitched, gold and white Chrismon ornaments. (If you're not sure what a Chrismon is, it is an ornament that is a Christ Monogram... a symbol of Christ: https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/chrismon and a little more info here: http://www.blcelgin.org/chrismons) 

These Chrismons were lovingly made by my mother-in-law's mother.  She was a precious woman who was severely handicapped by rheumatoid arthritis. Rather than sulk in her suffering, she chose to be joyful and to be as productive as she could.  Though her hands were so bent by the disease that her fingers were permanently curled so that she could hardly hold a needle, she insisted that we should all have a set of these beautiful ornaments.  She tried her best to get a set for each grandchild and even great grandchild before she died.  She was a treasure, and I am so thankful for these ornaments but even more thankful that our children got to spend a great amount of time with her when they were small.   

  

I am thankful for all the ways these ornaments remind me of those who have loved me and my family well... so many have gone on to be with the Lord, and what a glorious reunion we'll have someday!

Thankful...

We had both sets of parents along with my brother, his wife and new baby with us for Thanksgiving.  Here are a few photos.  I have been too busy to craft a really thoughtful post about Thanksgiving, as we are planning for a two week art show opening this Friday.  Here are a few photos from Thanksgiving...

The table...

 

The food (this is what comes from having four families making food for the day!) ... oven roasted turkey, smoked pork loin, smoked Boston butt, smoked turkey, cornbread dressing, gravy, squash casserole, creamed corn, collard greens, gourmet potatoes, green beans, purple hull peas, sweet potato casserole...

...lime jello salad, deviled eggs, Greek salad of broccoli & cauliflower with feta cheese, homemade cranberry relish, canned cranberry relish, pickled and olive assortments, French silk pies, pecan pie, and a homemade carrot cake. Abundance would be an understatement... but everyone had their favorite things!  And leftovers to go for one and all!

I am exceedingly thankful for all the wonderful blessings God has given me and at the top of the list is my family. Praying your Thanksgiving was warm, wonderful, and filled with loved ones.

Comfort and Joy! ...artwork complete and delivered, let the celebration begin!

Well, I delivered the last of my commissions last Friday. After a very full and wonderful weekend, I am so happy to feel Christmas cheer rising up within my soul. I don't know whether it's the relief of having all the artwork I promised to deliver done as promised, or whether it's being with my family and enjoying all the Christmas things we do together, or if it is just the beauty of the season... (probably all three) ... but I feel almost giddy, like I did as a very young child. Can you recall the excitement welling up, the sparkle in the eyes, the spring in the step that you felt as a child waiting for that special day to come? I don't always remember it, but this year it has risen in me like that.


Tonight was a special night with just the five of us. Each year we choose a restaurant to go to and then go out together to a local live nativity, or to the mall, or doing last minute things here and there. It is such a blessing to just be able to meld our busy schedules to have this special time together. I notice as the children get older, this becomes harder. But it is a priority and sets the tone for the rest of our week. I am so blessed with such loving and giving children and a very loving husband with whom I celebrated 23 years of marriage this past Sunday. I couldn't want for more. I pray for each of you that you are surrounded by loved ones this season, and that you will know deep in your heart the significance of Christ's birth, death, and resurrection.
Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas!

A beautiful day was spent here in our cozy cottage... it began with reading the story of the nativity together in the children's upstairs bedrooms before coming downstairs to see their gifts. After exchanging gifts with each other, we cleaned up a little... just in time for two sets of grandparents to arrive. We enjoyed a lovely lunch of smoked turkey, smashed sour cream potatoes, traditional green bean casserole, boiled shrimp, salmon dip, and hot spiced apple cider. Dessert was a Cranberry Swirl Coffee Cake topped with icing and pecans. Then, of course, there were all the baked goodies to snack on all afternoon. We had the movie Holiday Inn playing in the background. Once the grandparents left, the five of us played games and then watched White Christmas, probably our favorite Christmas movie. It's time for bed... we're exhausted... but surrounded with love and very, very blessed.

Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good night!

From Charm & Grace Cottage

Fruitful Fridays... update on my dad

This week has been an unusual week, and I have not really gotten all that much artwork done, even though I needed to. So goes the ebb and flow of life. There have been more pressing family issues that I have had the privilege of dealing with.

So many of you have prayed for and asked about my dad. Four years ago he had a very mild heart attack. They put in a stint then and he recovered quickly and quite well. After doing a stress test a couple of weeks ago, they found he had major blockage again in one of his arteries... after looking at the pictures from the surgery I could see that it was almost completely blocked. And it was right at the site where they had put in the stint previously. Weird. He also has 50% blockage in another artery. They dissolved the major blockage and put in a new stint inside the old one. Again, he seems to be recovering well... I am happy to report that I spoke with him just a few hours prior to writing this (around 10 pm Thursday night), and he was doing very well. He had even made a small trip to Wal*Mart. He is being well taken care of, and I am very thankful about that as I am 2 1/2 hours away. I am thankful for all that the doctors can do and what God does through them. I am also very thankful for all of you for your prayers and e-mails. You are the best!

I will try to have more fruits of my "artwork" labor next week. Since this is a new blog which was started in June, I wanted to post here what I shared on my old blog about my theme for this year:

[Originally posted January 2008] We have officially turned the page on 2008, and I wanted to share my theme for the year: Fruit of Thankfulness. (I like a “theme” so much better than making resolutions.) There’s a reason for this theme, and I thought I’d share that with you dear friends who come here to read my thoughts and look at my photos.

I began 2007 with learning a higher level of web design through Macromedia Dreamweaver and then in February launching the Charm & Grace website. I ended 2007 fully into web design and also sharing with you the drawings I had done for family. In the midst of it all I was encouraged by family and friends in both these artistic endeavors, as well as others I have been involved in (painting, calligraphy, writing, even silk flower design.) Back at the beginning of 2007, I realized that I would need to incorporate my business if I were going to be paid to do web design. So, I began to think and pray about what name to give my business. As I looked for names, I discovered the Greek word for fruit, “karpos.” When I think of creativity and the source of it, I know that my gifts have been given to me by God. I am thankful that 2007 was a fruitful one, and my goal for 2008 is that my creative pursuits will yield fruit inspired by my thankfulness for all God’s many blessings. I hope to share some “fruit” with you throughout the year, and soon I will be launching my Karpos website (now launched) which will showcase the different facets of my business. (And now I also have a website showcasing my artwork here.)

Not only am I thankful for all that has happened in 2007, in my creative endeavors, but I am also thankful for all the friends I have made through this amazing technological world. You have enriched my life and encouraged my pursuits. You have shared a bit of yourself with me, and for this I am truly grateful. May each of you have a richly blessed 2008.

I am truly thankful for and inspired by each one of you who take time to stop by my blog, to read my posts, to look at the photos, and to leave comments. I really don't understand why you would, but you do. Each one of you is dear to me and cherished.