MY 2009 MOTTO - JOY

MY 2009 MOTTO - JOY!

Buon giorno and Good Day!

Today is Saturday, December 27, and our three adult children, wives, husband, ten grandchildren and their 5 dogs have been with us since last Sunday evening. Two of the adult families left to return home today, eliminating eight children and three of the dogs. Our third child, Dana and her husband David will be staying for another week before returning home to Florida. We still have their two children, Elijah and Sebastian, plus two dogs, Friedman and Boston, a Labradoodle and Lab respectively.

To say that we have had fun is an understatement. Try walking through eighteen people, six dogs, a Christmas tree, and 200 presents without stepping on baby Nicholas or the Dachshund and Shih Tzu. Our dog Cappuccino thought the St. Louis Zoo was renting a dog resort at our house, and neighbors must have thought a bus tour pulled in and camped out.

Because our family really loves and cherishes each other, I can safely say there was no arguing, much less any one getting punched out. Things did get a little hectic at times; especially last Tuesday when the "girls" and I decided we would leave the "men" in charge of the children while we went shopping for eight hours. Why would I think this was not a good idea? Fortunately, the only catastrophe was that Elijah met Alexandra head on while running; thus we came home to a large puffy purple eye on Alexandra's face. Since she was not bothered, no one panicked, much.

Because I love to cook, we had a large Country Breakfast every morning, estimating that we used 3 to 4 dozen eggs at a time, 2 dozen biscuits, 2 quarts of gravy, and tons of sausage, ham and bacon. After breakfast, the kitchen usually turned into a "bakery". We, (the kids and I) baked 50 dozen cookies, plus cheesecakes, pies, cakes, coffeecakes, and lots and lots of other sweets. We laughed, screamed, talked, played games, held babies, rocked babies, consoled babies, and totally enjoyed one another.

Living to experience the last week gave me great joy, even though it was not easy to house eighteen people while trying to keep ahead of constantly hungry children, playful dogs, dishes sky high, and the laundry room working harder than a freight train. Today was definitely a bitter-sweet day. Sweet to see them go, and bitter to let them go.

With only a few days until a new year rolls in upon us, I usually try to think of a new Motto that I like to jot down in my journal. I thought about how I got to this place in my life; the love of my family, my precious husband of over forty-five years, the grandchildren, my wonderful church family, the many dear friends, and above all the Love and Mercy of the Good Lord. It all gives me great and undeserved JOY!

So my Motto will mostly stay the same: JESUS first, OTHERS second and YOU last. This Motto has kept me confidant, stable, and secure and will give me great peace. With many feeling fearful these days about coming change, I can rest assure that the God that I serve is totally in control. I realize that absolutely nothing can happen unless He allows it. He will take care of me, my husband, and my precious family as long as I acknowledge Him in all of my ways. I will put JESUS first.

Secondly, if I treat OTHERS as I myself would wish to be treated, I will not only be fulfilling the second greatest commandment, but the satisfaction of loving and serving my fellowman will keep me tremendously satisfied and give me a sense of purpose.

Lastly, I must be true to myself, the YOU, in this equation. I will love and respect myself, and I know that without a doubt I am a Child of God. He makes no junk, and He esteems His children above all His creation. My only hope is that I can please Him by giving Him every part of my heart, soul and mind. All that I have is a gift from God, and to serve JESUS, Others, and You is a privilege I can never take lightly. So, if you are looking for a Motto in 2009, how about some JOY!

 

Have a joyous New Year, and may you and yours be blessed!

Love, Rosalie