Give Thanks to the Lord, for He is Good. His love endures forever. Ps. 118:1

I have been blessed in so many ways. I could change the famous quote of Elizabeth Barrett Browning to “How am I blessed? Let me count the ways.”

I would start with the blessings of God Himself and the salvation that is found in Christ alone.
“Praise, (bless) the Lord, O my soul,
And all that is within me,
Praise His Holy name,
Praise the Lord, o my soul,
And forget not one of His benefits.” Ps 103:1-2

From there would come the blessings of family: parents, brothers, sisters, children, daughter-in-law, grandchild :) aunts & uncles, cousins, nieces and nephews….etc.
Always and forever…family.

There’s my church or spiritual family which consists of many wonderful people whom I love dearly and whom I love serving our Lord with. They are people who hold me up to our God in prayer and who count on me to do the same for them. There are the teens that I love working with, who help keep me young and excited about what God can do in a life.

There’s our friends, our health, our jobs, our home...

Our Thanksgiving plates were full and soon so were our stomachs. We had an abundance at my parent's house and they were glad to be able to share it with others. Then we also went to Mom & Dad Vinson’s for a later dessert.









“Praise God from whom all blessings flow.
Praise Him all creatures here below.
Praise Him above all heavenly hosts,
Praise Father, Son and Holy Ghost.”
by Thomas Ken

I am blessed!

From Generation to Generation

“We will tell the next generation the praiseworthy deeds of the Lord, His power and the wonders He has done.” Ps. 78:4

These hands are mine. One with my Grandma Grace and one with my grandbaby Ruth Elizabeth. They are a picture of this verse from Psalms. A picture of one generation having an impact on the next for the glory of God.

We recently got to meet our granddaughter Ruth, who was born October 19th. What a joy to see our first grandchild. Those of you who are already grandparents, know what I mean. It is an emotion that is difficult to adequately put into words. When Josh first handed her to me I felt waves of emotion – thankfulness, joy, & praise to the giver of life.
It was so much fun to watch Lauren and Josh with Ruth - the seeming ease at which they have settled into the roll of “mom & dad”. To see them snuggling, talking and playing with her is heartwarming.
So, I’d like to introduce you to Ruth Elizabeth Vinson, my granddaughter.










The last morning we were together, I had time alone with Ruth Elizabeth. As I held her out before me in my arms, I prayed for her. I asked God’s blessing on her life and wisdom for Lauren and Josh as her Mom & Dad. I asked that God would use her to impact others for His kingdom. As I prayed quietly aloud, she stopped any moving around or fussing and just stared at me as though she were listening. It was a precious time.

Saying “good-bye” was never more difficult. We knew that it was time to go and I couldn’t keep the tears from coming.

Life is precious.

Family is a gift.




I wonder, will I have a granddaughter that will sit with me and hold my hand when I’m 90 years old? Who will smile if I forget her name?
Will I have made an impact on other’s lives like my grandmother did on mine?

I pray that this will be able to be said of Ruth –

“I have been reminded of your sincere faith, which first lived in your grandmother, Lois and in your mother, Eunice and I am persuaded, now lives in you also.” 2 Timothy 1:5


To read more about my grandmother see blog entry - June 22, 2006