Fall Is Here

I love this time of year.   The leaves are just turning colors and the air is crisp.  It reminds me of one of the books the kids had when they were little and there was a picture of leaves being burnt.  I love the smell of that and the hopes of Thanksgiving right around the corner with family getting together.

We are having church with social distancing.  We still do not have choir or nursery or Sunday School classes for children.  We started the bus route back several weeks ago.  The most I have had was 7.  Last Sunday we had four.  We are sitting in the balcony away from the other people to help with social distancing.   Jaxyn has come every Sunday and I love seeing him.   He is very interested in learning memory verses and likes being faithful.   He is in the fourth grade this year.  I can't help but wonder what the Lord will do with him.    Jaxyn says he is saved but I don't remember a public confession so I'm not sure if he understands yet.

Jayden is coming a little now.  He's a sweetheart and is  open to trying to learn the verses.  I am teaching them Romans 10:9-10.  I wanted to teach that one really well because it has the plan of salvation within it.  I sure miss Jayden's big brother Isaiah and continue to pray for him to come back to church.  Satan likes to make us think that's impossible but we know better.

Reba has been very faithful but missed last week.  She has been faithful since she started several years ago.   Her two brothers were both faithful for several years but then grew disinterested.  I pray that Reba continues with us a long time. 

Darian and his little sister Aubrey are not from my route.  They live in Crystal City but since our route is so small we are picking them up too.  Last week he sat on the bench right by the sound booth and was very interested in what he was seeing so Bro. Keith Brown took him under his wing and showed him how to work the board.  Darian was so excited about it.  

You know if you look at how few we are bringing in, you might begin to think that we are wasting our time but if they want to come I am convinced we ought to bring them in!   What a blessing to get to be a part of this ministry in these dark days!!! 

New Adventures

Today we are having church online!  The buses are not running and no Sunday School.  I never thought I would see this happen.

Of course, we all know why this is coming about but for the future I remind myself that we are being asked to avoid gatherings of more than 10 people as a result of the Covid-19 epidemic.  The last thing I heard, there were no cases of it in Jefferson County.  I heard from Ryan yesterday that Bro. Kenny Baldwin has been diagnosed with the virus.  This is the first person that I have recognized  that is affected.  My prayers are with he and his family.  

Looks like we will all be staying home quite a bit in this crisis.  I am not going to the clock shop until I hear from Mike.   I still have my work from Signature that I do from home.   I am blessed.

I have my keyboard and lots of music, lots of books to read and Audible to listen to.  I also have my Firestick so I have lots of available entertainment.   I ordered several used books back a few months ago.  Most of them were on different Bible studies by Bro. Theodore Epp.  I look forward to having some extra time to read.  I also enjoy Bible studies with questions to make me think harder so I have found http://www.kjvhearthelps.com/.  This is a wonderful site for free studies.  I enjoy listening to Russel Kelfer and he has many broadcasts you can listen to for free at
https://www.dtm.org/.

I have enough food to feed Miss Kitty for a month and I am pretty well supplied.

Update

I see I have left a lot of things hanging...not that anyone cares!!! LOL  No one reads this but it is a good diary for me.

I had a hysterectomy on Feb. 19 of last year and it was successful with no complications and no need for chemo.  Praise the Lord!!!

At the time of surgery my blood sugar was tested and found to be over 200.  I was told to alert my PCP which I did and he immediately told me I was diabetic and put me on Metformin with warnings of all its complication.  After 8 days of that I decided that there had to be a better way.  I went to my knees first and asked the Lord for guidance about how I could treat this situation naturally and I quit the medicine.  The doctor had prescribed a kit for testing my blood sugar each morning so I knew what was going on there.

With a little research I came across the Keto diet and intermittent fasting.  Fasting has always been something that I didn't think I could ever do, hating the nausea that come with hunger.  I really believe this was elevated with pregnancy and I continued to eat to keep from getting hungry from then on.  Of course, menopause and the slowing of my metabolism did not help my situation and I piled on the pounds.  When I went into the hospital I weighed 193.  I had been horrified that I would go over 200.

I started, with the Lord's help my fast and fasted for 24 hours straight.  I didn't know I could do that but I learned that a drink of water will calm the nausea and that has helped tremendously.  I then began a regimen of eating my breakfast meal of 2 eggs and 2 pieces of bacon and water at noon.  I then have another meal before 5 PM and eat nothing else until the next day at noon.  I quit sugar, carbs which include potatoes, peas, carrots, pastas, bread. I drink only water.  I rarely ever eat out for fast food.

Since February, I am down to 145 pounds and 2 dress sizes. I was doing exercise on a treadmill conveniently located right down the hall from my apartment but the last couple of months I have had an increase in my home work with the doctors office and just haven't had that much extra time.  I really need to get back to that.

I just want to praise the Lord for guiding me this way.  I am maintaining my blood sugar which is usually around 100, with diet,  I would like to lose another 10 pounds at least though my goal was to be at a healthy weight and my doctor says this is a healthy weight for my age.

Miss Kitty is still with me!  I didn't have to take any treatments so all that worry was for naught.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ng9HR4ft6BE&feature=youtu.be&fbclid=IwAR1OnNkTyVeaFTJOnhnSEcwvmi4wZJ2Z33URXs4MSwG-H7jV4jgrOQNu3m4

Last Sunday was a blessing as I was able to sing with two of my children.  How I miss singing in a trio!  Ryan preached both services and was a blessing.  We miss them being in Mississippi but they are in a sweet church that treats them well.

God is good!!!

Music

What a wonderful creation music was!!  I can not wait to hear the music of heaven.  As much joy as I have gotten from the music here on this earth leaves me wondering how it could be perfected!

I was born in Fort Worth, Texas and lived next door to my paternal grandparents for the first 4 years of my life.   Grandma had a little spinet piano that I really don't remember much about until  years later but it was surely one of my first exposures to music.  I also remember my mother standing me up on the kitchen table and teaching me to sing "Jesus Wants Me For A Sunbeam".  I must have been about 3 at the time.  Mom was not a christian at the time but she had been raised in church.  

My parents were saved in that little house next door to Grandma and Grandaddy Bowden.  Within a year my dad had surrendered to the ministry and we moved to Springfield. Missouri for dad to go to Baptist Bible College. 

I started to 1st grade there and I can remember after going to High Street Baptist Church for a few months how I had grown to love hearing the choir sing and listening to the piano player who was so talented.  I can remember laying in my bed at night and wondering if I put my fingers down like I thought if that would be a song.  Little did I realize that Mom was praying for a piano since she had taken lessons as a child and thought that perfecting her skills might be a good thing to do since she was going to be a preachers wife.  I might add that my mother played the piano or organ in every church my dad pastored until he was  unable to continue due to his health.  Back to the story...I remember coming home from school around Easter and we had a boys choir that came to school and put on an Easter program.  One of the songs they sang was "Were You There?" When I got home that day, someone had given my mother an old upright piano.  I sat down and quickly picked out the song I had just heard.  Thus began my love for the piano and an increased desire to be musical.

To be continued!

A Mountain to Climb

I have been down on myself for a long time about inconsistency.  I am a great starter but a poor finisher on most things.  Blogging is a good example.   Although, there was a time when I faithfully blogged most every morning.  I am so glad I did.  It has given me more insight into my frame of mind the couple of years before my husband's death.  Hopefully, I can use this blog to help me voice my feelings during this next chapter of my life.

This past Friday (1-18-19)  I was given some news I was not expecting.  To back up, on November 30th of 2018 I had some indication that things may not be right with me from a health standpoint.   I immediately made arrangements to go to an OB-GYN doctor to have things checked out.  Last Tuesday I had a Hysteroscopy and D&C with Myosure procedure done.  The doctor
removed a polyp and cyst and took  a biopsy of some problematic places in my uterus. 

I have always been healthy and I don't sit around thinking that something is wrong with me all the time.   So, my expectation was that Dr. Green would call me the end of the week and tell me everything was okay.   Instead, she informed me that I have endometrial cancer and that the next step is to do a hysterectomy.  After that, determination would be made towards further care if needed. 

To say I was blindsided would be correct BUT I am not depressed or distraught about this.  I am quite aware that my time here on earth is in His hands and I trust my Heavenly Father with my care. 

The first thing that comes to my mind is Miss Kitty...I feel like I need to find her a happy home because of the possibility of being away for surgery and recovery.  Every time I have gone to Mississippi for a visit she has been cared for in my apartment.  I did that, hoping that it would be less stress on her.  When I come home she will hardly let me out of her sight for a few days.  She is such a sweet girl.  She will lay beside my head and rub her paw on my face over and over!

She has been with me since she was 13 weeks old.  She will be 12 years old in May.  She is used to having the run of the house so probably wouldn't do well with children or other pets.  Her one big difficulty is shedding!!  MY, My....that girl is like a black cloud of cat hair!!! Brushing does not help.  I have often wondered how long I would have to brush before she quit shedding.  I am convinced it would never happen. 

I am aware that God cares as much about that cat as I do.  I pray that someone will come along that will love her and care for her well.

The next thing that comes to mind is my bus route.  I love those bus children and want to know that someone else will care for them too.  I fear that with doctors appointments and surgery and recovery I will be out of commission for a while.  Praying for : Vicki, Gary, Logan, Lily, Astaria, Kyrin, Reba, Addyson, Isaiah, Jayden, Michael, Myles, Marya, Omauri, Jakayla, Devario, Leondre, Joshua, Tristen, Jaxyn, Rylin, Samantha, Aubrey, Ava, Mimi, Jnaiah, Ava, Kiki, Kayden, Alex, Erica, Mariah and Mackenzie!!  I love these sweet children and adults!  I pray that Gary and Ben and Whitney will continue to work!

I pray that the next few months will find me continuing to praise the Lord for all He has done and is doing!!

I Had A Dream!

I DID have a dream!!  This morning I awoke after having dreamed about my grandmother Bowden's house.
I was born in Fort Worth, Texas and lived next door to my grandparents until my family moved to Springfield, Missouri for my dad to go to Baptist Bible College. I began first grade in September of 1951 at Pepperdine Elementary in Springfield.
Wait......I am jumping ahead of myself!!!
When I awoke, I had been dreaming about grandma's house.  I dreamed about her living room with the little spinet piano, tv, two couches, recliner and rocking chair.  Grandma's desk was in the corner with Uncle RM's picture hanging over a shelf.  Uncle RM died in World War II as a gunner in the "Wongo Wongo".  His plane went down close to Cyprus, never being recovered from the Mediterranean.   He had sent grandma a scorpion in a bottle of alcohol which sat on those shelves over the desk.  It was a big old thing.  I can't even imagine living where those things exist!!!
I saw the french doors that opened up from the living room into Grandaddy and Grandma's bedroom where Grandaddy always swallowed a big wad of Vick's salve before going to bed.  Don't ask me why!!!  That bedroom held some memories of playing with grandma's button box while she sewed.
I went back to the back bedroom where my whole family (5 children and Mom and Dad) lived between churches.
I woke up filled with pleasant memories and wondered how things looked now.  I imagined where 5512 Calmont was situated, across the street from a feed barn where Grandma and Grandaddy got us colored chickens and ducks for Easter several times.  Oh how I loved that place!! Grandaddy had a workshop way in the back of his property with a big garden separating it from the house.  In that workshop you could have found most any nut or bolt or screw or nail you needed.
The front yard had a big evergreen bush that was made into an archway over the sidewalk leading to the front porch.  There was a vacant lot between our house and grandma's house, with a circular drive way and a beautiful rose garden that grandma tended to lovingly.  
As I was thinking about it all I became more curious.  I went into my Gmail account and accessed Google Maps.  OH MY...........................................Do you know all the wonderful things you can see on Google maps???? WELL, I found 5512 Calmont Avenue in Fort Worth......its a 24 hour Fitness!!!!There is not a Feed Barn across the street anymore.  It looks nothing like I remembered.  I looked up First Baptist Church where Grandma had taken me as an infant when she worked faithfully in the nursery for many years.  Evidently it has moved to another location.   I went to Castleberry Baptist where I remembered so vividly one Sunday in the original building where so many people had been saved that they lined the walls.  I remembered the excitement of seeing Bro. Cavin coming through the side door.   I remembered after they built a new building and we came back home for a few months between churches.  I remembered being in the teen class and going skating!  I remembered when Uncle Scotty Alexander was the pastor and he had our trio "The Rejoicers" come and sing on Easter Sunday morning in probably 1967 or 68.  Mike and I had not been married too long and we had Phyllis O'Dell and Judy Garrison and I singing while Mike played the piano and did all the arranging.  What a special time that was..........................okay...back to Google maps.....Castleberry Baptist Church isn't located in the same place anymore.  I SAW the new location!
I quickly reminisced about leaving Fort Worth and moving to Springfield.  I looked for High Street Baptist Church where I had been saved as a young 5 year old!  I could have taken you to the exact place BUT .....it's not High Street any longer.  High Street has moved to a better location but I SAW the old place and remembered so many good sermons heard there from Bro. Bill Dowell, and Bro. Cavin.
I found the house we lived in on Rogers street and walked the streets just like I did as a little girl walking to Pepperdine Elementary.  The school looks just the same though the note attached was that it was permanently closed.  :(  So many times I listened as Bill Dowell Jr.  would come down the steps with his trumpet and play taps beginning our morning.
It was amazing!!!!!...walking down those streets and seeing all those things again.
My mind raced back to when we left Springfield, headed for Columbia, Tennessee and dad's first church, Calvary Baptist Church on School St.  Yep.....I searched and right there it was....just as I remembered it only a little better.  While there, Dad had gone through a building program and built a basement so that eventually they could build a large auditorium on top.  The little church is still intact and the basement has a front on it.  I walked down those streets.  I found the little house behind the church where we lived for a while.  I walked down School street  remembering walking through all those beautiful fall leaves one time as I walked to the church to play the piano.  I found the large house we lived in for a while that was across the street from a little grocery store.  That's the first time I remember Bobby Wolfe.  I think my Mom pointed him out because she saw him at the store and probably reminded me that he went to our church.  We had not been there long.   I had my one and only birthday party there---8 years old!!
I found Highland Park Elementary School where I went from the third grade to the sixth.....oh so many memories!!!!
I didn't have time to go Henderson, Texas where Dad was the pastor at West Main Baptist Church.  Nor did I go to Bible Baptist Church in Port Arthur where Mike and I were married.
I did go to 2310 S. Tyler in Little Rock, Arkansas where Mike and I lived for a couple of years after we got married......
THEN....I happened to look out the window.....I had to open blinds because it was still 6:30 in the morning.  To my surprise there was snow all over!!!It was beautiful and I just had to thank the Lord that I was inside but could see such a beautiful sight and had traveled so far and to so many places this morning without even a coat!!!!!!!!Yep, I had a dream.....I would never have guessed so long ago that I would be a 72 year old woman, widowed with three wonderful children and five fantastic grandchildren, still blessed by our Lord on this beautiful, snowy day!!!

New Blessing!

Looks like I choose to post only the special times anymore!! This is just to announce that we have a new granddaughter!!!  Her name is Kaelyn Elise.  She was born on April 13, 2017.   The last two grandchildren get to share the same birthday!  She is a precious, little blondie!

I'm praying for Shawn and Jen as they raise their little ones!!  Shawn is especially like his Dad and worries about many things.  I'm glad I can assure him that God hears prayers and knows the answers.  He will guide!

Fifty Years Ago

Fifty years ago today, I said "I do" and accepted  the last name of my very best friend.   I wish he was still around to celebrate with me but his place of abode is far better than mine.  I love to try to think about what is going on in heaven.  I know my finite mind can not even begin to imagine the things that are there but I love to try.

I look around and see young people just starting their lives together and I remember it so well---the excitement, the wonder of trusting one human with all of you, the many talks, walks, and shared memories.
It goes so fast!!  One day you are young and vibrant and the next day you don't recognize who you are in the mirror.

At this age, you suddenly become invisible.  I can not tell you how many times I have been in conversation with someone only to have them totally ignore me and turn to someone else.  I never remember that happening when I was younger.

It is great to know that God never ignores you.  He asks for you to converse with Him.  We know that and yet we don't even try!!!  God, the God Who created this universe will listen to us!!  Isn't that amazing when you think about it.

I am thankful that I have had fifty years of being called Mrs. Cozart!  I am thankful for my three children and their spouses and their four children.  God is so good and has blessed me tremendously.  Someday, Mike will know his grandchildren too!!!!