Month: February 2021

HOP Leave 2021 – Part 2

Posted on February 22, 2021 by - Uncategorized

Even though I wasn’t able to do my volunteering at PRA this time I wanted to share a really cool story that I would definitely classify as a God thing. It’s not very often that we get to see the full circle effect of our prayers or intentions when we pray over general things. I didn’t do an HOP leave at all last year because of COVID, so the last time I was at PRA was in 2019. That year I blogged about volunteering there and this is a excerpt from what I wrote:

“I did my volunteer work at PRA again this year and every time I do this I leave blessed. I’ve blogged before about the mindless tasks they have for me to do there that seem so minimal but when I really stop to think about it, every single thing I touch there, whether putting together literature folders, replenishing the teddy bears in the patient rooms, making gift baggies for the new moms….is something that I’m doing to help bless a precious new life and their parents. This time I decided to pray over each bear I put away, each diaper I restocked in the closet, each tiny baby sock I put in the gift bags. Such a blessing to know that I’m able to speak life over those things that will be going home with those babies. I always leave there feeling like I’ve done something productive for the Kingdom and that’s a great feeling.”

Fast forward to May of 2020; the mother of my now grand baby found out she was pregnant. She had a friend take her to PRA to confirm pregnancy and was given a literature folder and a teddy bear to bring home after she was told about her choices and the support they would give her there. Let that sink in. The chances of those items she brought home being very items that I previously prayed over is nothing short of God’s miracle. I would never have thought as I was praying over those things in 2019 I would be potentially praying for my very own grandchild. Just thinking about it and typing it out gives me chills all over again. PRA is a blessing to so many but now they have been a direct blessing to my family and I will forever be grateful for the work they do and look forward to continuing to volunteer with them every chance I get.

HOP Leave 2021

Posted on February 20, 2021 by - Uncategorized

I’m sitting here completely mentally and physically exhausted. When I started my two weeks off (vacation first week, HOP second week) I had high hopes of excitement, relaxation and volunteering at one of my favorite non profits in Abilene. I had planned on blogging several times because I knew I would have a lot to say and pictures to share. I now have only one day left before I go back to the working world and I’m having a hard time finding the mental clarity to blog what happened in these two weeks. 

On Thursday, Feb 4th my first grandchild was born. He is beautiful and perfect in every way. Due to Covid, however, we missed out on the experience of being there to support my son and his girlfriend. We dropped them off at the hospital at 5am and I cried the whole way home. We spent the entire day waiting for updates and finally at 10:05pm he came into the world. A beautiful 8lbs 12oz of pure perfection. On Friday at 10pm we drove back up to the hospital to bring them home.

We spent the next week doing what all new grandparents would do… loving the sweet baby. We are so fortunate that they live with us and we are able to help and support them in a way that most new parents don’t get. It’s been a true blessing to have them all here with us. 

Fast forward to Sunday, February 14, Valentine’s Day. Hello snow. I’ve never been a fan of snow and didn’t have a clue what was about to come. We took some cute Valentine pics with the baby and enjoyed most of our day and then SNOVID 2021 hit. Honestly at this point, most things are a blur. I contacted PRA to confirm they would be closed Monday since they follow the AISD schedule. We agreed to play it by ear and see how it goes. Well… I think we all know how it went. My HOP week quickly shifted from volunteering with PRA to keeping my parents and brother from freezing to death. They live in Buffalo Gap and lost electricity late Sunday night and like everybody else in that town did not regain it until Thursday. By the grace of God we still had power at my house. It took an act of God to get them to my house but we did and I’m so thankful that we were able to keep them safe. We had a very FULL house. But as always. GOD PROVIDES. 

I’m so thankful for our house. When we moved here 5 years ago, it was a HUGE upgrade. It’s more than double the size of my old home that I raised my three kids in for 16 years. My girls shared a room that entire time and we all shared one bathroom. Even that house was a huge blessing but that’s a story for another time. When we bought our current house we were so excited that everybody would have their own room and we would have three working toilets. Fast forward to today… our family has grown exponentially. We have housed our children’s significant others when they needed a place to stay. As I already mentioned, we have our new grand baby living with us to help my son and his girlfriend save for a home of their own soon. And then with the current weather and power situations we housed my parents and brother. To say our house was full is an understatement. In some of my past blogs I’ve mentioned times that God provided for us YEARS before we even knew we would need something. This time was no different. God prepares for us way in advance of our needs. He knew. He knew this home that we thought was so full of space would get filled and I’m so thankful for that. 

There’s is a lot more details I could add to this blog but the most important parts I’ve already said. If you take away anything from this blog the two things that matter are:

  • I have a beautiful new grand baby Daniel Reese
  • GOD PROVIDES 

On a funny note…I was telling my son, Hayden, that one day Daniel will grow up and have a heck of a story to tell his own grand kids. If he started his own blog on day 1 it might look something like this…

Day 1 – born in the middle of a global pandemic

Week 1- still a global pandemic, still tired from the move, leaning to burp after each meal

Week 2- lived through a catastrophic blizzard, getting better at burping