Wednesdays with Wanda

For those of you who are new to my blog, you may be curious about the title of this post.

Wanda is my mom’s name, and she was the greatest Mom a little girl could ever hope for.

She passed away this past September after a short 7 week battle with gastric cancer. My heart was so full of so many emotions, and I had a huge need to talk about and write about my precious mother on my blog.

The support I have received from my blog through the comments and emails of my readers has truly helped with the healing. You have BLESSED me beyond measure!

I began writing about my mom each Wednesday to help keep her memory alive for me and my young sons. I wanted them to be able to read stories of their “Nana” and remember what an amazing person she was.

All of my Wednesday with Wanda posts, and the posts I wrote while she was still living, can be found under “Mom” in my side bar labels.

I have shared with you how Mom loved to write. She wrote in her prayer journals, in her Bibles, in letters and note cards to others, for our local newspaper, and even a couple of magazines.

I treasure her writings!

I wrote about the note I “found” from Mom the night before her funeral that brought me such peace.

It was my first Wednesday with Wanda post and is very special to me. If you missed that post, I would love for you to click here to read it. I think you will enjoy it. :)

There is something indescribable about Mom’s handwriting. Even more than pictures, her handwriting touches my heart, and I feel so close to her when I read it. It always shows the beauty of who she was.

I found this little card that Mom sent my boys in the mail after babysitting them one day.

Mom always sent cards and letters “just because”. She didn’t need a special occasion to show and tell us how much she loved us.

This little card to my boys sums up the “essence” of who my mom was. Cute. Loving. Creative. Thoughtful. Precious.

I wanted to frame this and place it somewhere where my boys could see it often.

I took an old frame I had and spray painted it black. Then I hot glued the glass to the inside of the frame.

Since I wanted the card to look like it was floating, I hot glued the card to a second 8 x 10 piece of glass leftover from another frame.

***Be sure to hot glue the card to the 2nd (back) piece of glass so the card won’t “slip” in between the two pieces of glass. (I didn’t take a picture of that step.)

I just put a dot of hot glue in each corner to hold them together. It may not look pretty from the back, but it looks great from the front.

I also wanted to frame a picture of Mom with my two oldest boys that they took at Grandparent’s Day at school.

I had a frame, but not a mat, so I decided to use some material to create one.

I laid the cardboard backing on top of some off white material I had..

I folded the material over and hot glued it to the back.

Then I centered the photo on top of the material and popped it in the frame.

I think it turned out great!

The boys love seeing the picture and the card from Nana. Although my 8 year old, Luke, began crying this week when he saw the picture because he said he misses her so much. But then we read her precious writing on the card and it began to make him smile.

Mom’s love always had a way of making things better!

I miss Mom so badly I can hardly stand it, especially as we draw near to Mother’s Day.

She would have loved seeing my blog featured in the “Parade of Homes” this week. We would have talked about it for hours! Oh, how I miss her sweet voice!

I am so thankful that she took time to write me and my family her precious letters of love. I will treasure them always!

Thank you for stopping by, and have a blessed day!

Traci

Wednesdays with Wanda

This post will not be a tear-jerker…I promise.

I know my Wednesday with Wanda post last week was an emotional one. Thank you for all of your sweet comments and emails. You have no idea how much they mean to me.

Thank you for celebrating my son getting his new hearing aids with me. It was such a bittersweet day. If you missed last week’s post, which for me was one of the most special ones I have ever written, you can read about it HERE.

Since I made so many of you cry last week, I decided to share something not as emotional. :)

This week, I wanted to share with you something Mom had written in the front of her Bible.

It is a list of scriptures to “call upon” when needed. I have found it very helpful to me. I thought maybe you would too. If you find yourself today in any of the situations listed below, I want to encourage you to take a few minutes today to read the corresponding scripture that goes with it. I pray you would find comfort in God’s living word.

When there is sorrow…Call John 14

When men fail you…Call Psalm 27

If you want to be fruitful…Call John 14

When you have sinned…Call Psalm 51

When you worry…Call Matthew 6:19-34

When you are in danger…Call Psalm 91

When God seems far away…Call Psalm 139

When your faith needs stirring…Call Hebrews 11

When you are lonely or fearful…Call Psalm 23

When you grow bitter or critical…Call 1 Corinthians 13

For Paul’s secret of happiness…Call Colossians 3:12-17

When you feel down and out…Call Romans 8:31-39

When you want rest and peace…Call Matthew 11:25-30

When the world seems bigger than God…Call Psalm 90

When you want Christian assurance…Call Romans 8:1-30

When you leave home for labor or travel…Call Psalm 121

When you prayers grow narrow and selfish…Call Psalm 67

For a great invitation and opportunity…Call Isaiah 55

When you want courage for a task…Call Joshua 1

How to get along with fellow men…Call Romans 12

When you think of investments and returns…Call Mark 10

If you are depressed…Call Psalm 27

If your pocketbook is empty…Call Psalm 37

If you are losing your confidence in people…Call 1 Corinthians 13

If people seem unkind…Call John 15

If you are discouraged about your work…Call Psalm 126

If you find the world growing small and yourself great…Psalm 19

While writing this post, I have been reading through some of the scriptures written above and listening to Amy Grant’s newest CD, Somewhere down the Road, which I love.

And my heart is filled to overflowing…

May you feel God’s presence in your life today.

Blessings,

Traci

Wednesday with Wanda

Something really special happened this week.

My 10 year old son, Jonathan, got his new hearing aids!

It was a very emotional day for me.

Let me explain…

(I shared some of this story last year, and you can read about it HERE.)

My son, Jonathan, has moderate to severe hearing loss in both of his ears. He got his first pair of hearing aids when he was 3 years old. Since hearing aids are not covered by insurance, it has sometimes been difficult paying for his hearing aids and doctor’s appointments.

Mom always had a soft place in her heart for Jonathan. And she would sometimes help us out financially to meet Jonathan’s needs. She never wanted him to have less than the best care for his ears.

(Grandparent’s Day at school, 2007)

Last year, Jonathan was in need of some new hearing aids. The ones he was wearing were old and outdated. Knowing it would be difficult for us to purchase new ones, Mom told me she wanted to save up the money to buy Jonathan some hearing aids.

It was last Spring when Mom started saving money for the hearing aids from her paychecks as a church secretary.

It was around that same time that Mom started to not feel very good. She went to the doctor and was diagnosed with a heart condition. (We now know the cancer was there and was making her not feel good, but it had not been diagnosed at this point.)

We encouraged Mom to quit working and take it easy for a while, and her answer was always the same…. “I’ll quit working in the fall…when I have enough money saved up to buy Jonathan some new hearing aids.”

And believe me, there was no talking her out of it! Mom was determined to get those new hearing aids for Jonathan!

You could see the joy in her eyes when she would talk to Jonathan about getting his new hearing aids. And he was so very excited!

Mom was diagnosed with cancer on August 6, 2009. She was given 6 to 12 months to live. The news was absolutely devastating to us all.

But what was even more devastating to Mom was that she wouldn’t be able to buy Jonathan his new hearing aids.

Her eyes would well up with tears when Jonathan would come around, and she would apologize over and over to him for not being able to buy him new hearing aids. Of course, sweet Jonathan would say, “That’s okay, Nana, my hearing aids are just fine.”

But it bothered Mom. It seemed to bother her even more than the cancer.

Mom had saved up $1700 for his hearing aids when she found out she had cancer. That was almost half of the total cost.

And her heart broke the day she had to transfer that money into her checking account to pay for her own medical bills related to her cancer.

Mom always liked doing things for others more than for herself.

Knowing that Jonathan would not be getting new hearing aids made Mom feel like she had left something “undone” before passing away. I assured her over and over again that we would make sure that Jonathan would get his new hearing aids. My husband and I agreed that we would do whatever it took to make sure he got them.

After Mom passed away, Dad moved in with my sister and brother-in-law. He didn’t want to live in his house without Mom. He just couldn’t.

Dad put their house up for sale about a month later. It was a very difficult thing to do.

However, without hesitation, Dad told me when the house sold, the first thing he wanted to do with the money he made was to buy Jonathan his new hearing aids.

He said, “Wanda would have wanted me to.”

And he was right.

When Mom and Dad’s house finally sold a couple of months ago, Dad told me to call and make Jonathan an appointment to get his new hearing aids.

And Monday was that special day!

Oh, Mom, you would have been so proud of Dad!

To say that Jonathan was excited would have been the understatement of the year!

Here he is with his wonderful audiologist, Amy.

I could feel Mom’s presence in that room that day. And I could see her smiling from ear to ear, clapping her hands in excitement!

And I could hear her say, “Thank you, Doug, Thank you!” What an honor it was for Dad to stand in her place that day and fulfill her dream for Jonathan!

Mom….Dad has your same heart…so full of love!

Jonathan’s new hearing aids are “top of the line”, and he is now able to hear things he has never even heard before…like the air conditioning kicking on, the taps of a keyboard when typing, mommy whispering to daddy in the front seat of the car… :)

He now says in a sing-song voice, “I can hear you!”

What a blessing! (right, Mom?)

So now I say with joy, as loud as my heart can say it…

“Mom, Jonathan got his new hearing aids!!!!”

What a special day! Thank you, Dad! I love you!!!!!

I also wanted to share with you a note that Jonathan wrote Mom about a month after we found out she had cancer. This was his “rough draft” that he had tried to edit at school (thus, the circled words). The final copy that he gave to Mom is somewhere in a box at my sister’s house.

I love seeing his little heart in this letter. And I love that he wrote, “we can do all things in Christ who strengthens us,” at the bottom of his letter. It comes from Philippians 4:13, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”

I hope you can read his writing. You may be able to click on the picture to enlarge it.

God is still on our side! Loving us through the storms of this life!

Jonathan sang a version of “Amazing Grace” at Mom’s funeral. She had asked him to.

He had sung it a few months earlier at his school’s talent show, and Mom was there to watch it. She was always so proud of Jonathan’s ability to sing…a true gift from God.

Mom had no idea that day as she sat and listened to Jonathan sing “Amazing Grace” that a few months later he would be singing it at her funeral. It always blows my mind to think about that.

Life is so short. And it is only what we do for Christ on this earth that will last forever! Amen?!

I didn’t tape Jonathan singing at Mom’s funeral, but he sang again at our church a few weeks later. If you missed it the first time, I wanted to share it with you again.

Mom, Jonathan’s still singing for you…

Thanks for letting me share the JOY beneath my heart,

Traci

Wednesdays with Wanda

I hope each of you had a wonderful Easter!

I sure did.

I thought a lot about Mom. I still miss her so much. But I had fun carrying on so many Easter traditions that she had done with our family growing up.

And the weather here in the beautiful state of Kentucky was just picturesque. I can only imagine the beauty Mom experienced in Heaven on Easter Morn?

I wanted to share some Easter memories with you.

Looking through some old photos, I found Easter pictures from 1973. I was three years old.

Every year, we would color Easter eggs…

I told you last week how we used to put our baskets outside on the front porch the night before Easter. The Easter bunny would hop down the street and fill them up! When we opened the front door on Easter morning we would find our baskets full of goodies.

Here is my sister, brother, and me setting our baskets out the night before Easter…

(oops! Mom cut your head off, Cyndi!)

Here are my boys finding their Easter baskets this year…

And I found some pictures Dad took of us that Easter morning before church…

Mom and Blake…

Mom and Cyndi…

Mom and me.

The three musketeers…

(I love that Cyndi and I had little white purses!)

As I continued to look through pictures, I found pictures of Easter morning 1974. We are wearing the same outfits!

I found that so funny. And I was quite proud of my mom’s thriftiness!

But this year, Cyndi and I were wearing our Easter corsages. I loved the smell of those corsages!

And it looks like Cyndi got bangs and I got a haircut too.

(Check out my “inch worm” behind Blake. I loved riding that thing!!! I smiled when I saw it in the picture.)

Mom with us all…

And a picture with Daddy….

(oops. Cyndi, Mom cut your head off again! What’s up with that?) :)

I am so glad I found these pictures! It brings back such great memories.

And I loved getting pictures of my family this year.

I have to share a picture of my little stud…

What a blessed day!

And though these Easter traditions are so much fun, Jesus’ resurrection from the dead is the true celebration of that day! What an amazing sacrifice He made on our behalf, and “Oh, how He loves us!” (Click HERE to read my sister’s post about this.)

I wanted to share one more Easter memory of Mom. It is one that has always stuck with me.

I don’t know exactly what year it was, but I was in elementary school.

Mom was our Sunday School teacher at church, and she was always inviting other little children to come with us.

I remember for a while that every Sunday morning we would pick up a little girl across town and take her to church with us. She was probably 5 or 6 years old.

I don’t remember much about our relationship with this family, I just remember that this little girl was very poor and didn’t have much.

Easter Sunday was approaching and this little girl had told Mom that she didn’t have a dress to wear on Sunday morning. (She usually wore jeans and a shirt.)

Mom asked her what kind of dress she would wear if she had one? The little girl said she always wanted a pink dress with lots and lots of ruffles!

(I could see the wheels turning in Mom’s head.)

Mom was an amazing seamstress. She could sew anything. And her mind was set on making this little girl an Easter dress.

Because Mom was always busy and usually did things last minute (just like me), she started making the dress the night before Easter.

I remember going to bed and hearing the whirl of the sewing machine as Mom worked quickly to get the dress sewn before morning.

When I woke up the next morning, I could still hear Mom working on the sewing machine. She was putting the finishing touches on the dress. She had stayed up all night, never sleeping, to finish the dress.

Finally it was finished, and Mom held it up for me to see. It was the most beautiful dress you have ever seen! A beautiful pale pink with 3 or 4 layers of ruffles in the front. I remember touches of white lace on the sleeves and bottom, and it tied with a big pink bow in the back.

Mom quickly got dressed, and we were off to deliver this Easter surprise to the little girl.

Of course, she was so excited, and she ran in the house to put on her new Easter dress! I don’t know who was smiling more…her or Mom. (or me.)

That memory not only made it into my mind, but it made it into my heart as well.

I saw first hand what joy it brings to do things for others.

Mom had sacrificed her sleep and her time to bless this little girl, and I saw first hand the rewards our sacrifices can bring.

Mom showed me how to put the interests of others above my own.

She had always told me to do this, but she also showed me how to do this. Our actions speak so much louder than our words, don’t they?

It is an Easter memory I will never forget, and you can bet that little girl never will either!

Thank you for letting me share the thoughts beneath my heart,

Traci

Sharing this memory at…

Wednesdays with Wanda

My mom was the first food editor for Home Life Magazine from 1993-96.

Every month, she would submit an article for the magazine. One of her favorite recipes that she submitted was “Easter Story Cookies”.

If you “google” Easter Story Cookies”, there will be several links to other websites that mention Mom’s article as their source for this recipe.

Some people refer to these as Resurrection Cookies. They are a great activity to do with small children to help them understand and remember the true meaning of Easter.

You will need:

Your family Bible
1 cup sugar
1 cup whole pecans
1 zip-lock baggie

1 wooden spoon
1 teaspoon vinegar
3 egg whites
tape

Preheat oven to 300° F.

Place pecans in zipper baggie and let children beat them with the wooden spoon to break into small pieces. Explain that after Jesus was arrested He was beaten by the Roman soldiers. Read John 19:1-3.

Then Pilate had Jesus flogged with a lead-tipped whip. The soldiers made a crown of long, sharp thorns and put it on his head, and they put a royal purple robe on him. "Hail! King of the Jews!" they mocked, and they hit him with their fists.

John 19:1-3

Let each child smell the vinegar. Put 1 tsp. vinegar into mixing bowl. Explain that when Jesus was thirsty on the cross He was given vinegar to drink. Read John 19:28-30.

Later, knowing that all was now completed, and so that the Scripture would be fulfilled, Jesus said, "I am thirsty." A jar of wine vinegar was there, so they soaked a sponge in it, put the sponge on a stalk of the hyssop plant, and lifted it to Jesus' lips. When he had received the drink, Jesus said, "It is finished." With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit. John 19:28-30

Add egg whites to vinegar. Eggs represent life. Explain that Jesus gave His life to give us life. Read John 10:10-11.

The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.

"I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.

John 10:10-11

Sprinkle a little salt into each child's hand. Let them taste it and brush the rest into the bowl. Explain that this represents the salty tears shed by Jesus' followers, and the bitterness of our own sin. Read Luke 23:27.

A large number of people followed him, including women who mourned and wailed for him.

Luke 23:27

So far the ingredients are not very appetizing. Add 1 cup sugar. Explain that the sweetest part of the story is that Jesus died because He loves us. He wants us to know we belong to Him. Read Psalm 34:8 and John 3:16.

Taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in him

Psalm 34:8

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16

Beat with a mixer on high speed for 12 to 15 minutes until stiff peaks are formed. Explain that the color white represents the purity in God's eyes of those whose sins have been cleansed by Jesus. Read Isaiah1:18 and John 3:1-3.

“Come now, let us reason together," says the LORD.
"Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool.

Isaiah 1:18

Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a member of the Jewish ruling council. He came to Jesus at night and said, "Rabbi, we know you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the miraculous signs you are doing if God were not with him." In reply Jesus declared, "I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again."

John 3:1-3

Fold in broken nuts. Drop by teaspoons onto parchment paper covered cookie sheet. Explain that each mound represents the rocky tomb where Jesus' body was laid. Read Matthew 27:57-60.

As evening approached, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who had himself become a disciple of Jesus. Going to Pilate, he asked for Jesus' body, and Pilate ordered that it be given to him. Joseph took the body, wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, and placed it in his own new tomb that he had cut out of the rock. He rolled a big stone in front of the entrance to the tomb and went away.

Matthew 27:57-60

Put the cookie sheet in the oven, close the door and turn the oven OFF. Give each child a piece of tape and seal the oven door. Explain that Jesus' tomb was sealed. Read Matthew 27:65-66.

"Take a guard," Pilate answered. "Go, make the tomb as secure as you know how." So they went and made the tomb secure by putting a seal on the stone and posting the guard.

Matthew 27:65-66

GO TO BED! Explain that they may feel sad to leave the cookies in the oven overnight. Jesus' followers were in despair when the tomb was sealed. Read John 16:20-22.

I tell you the truth, you will weep and mourn while the world rejoices. You will grieve, but your grief will turn to joy. A woman giving birth to a child has pain because her time has come; but when her baby is born she forgets the anguish because of her joy that a child is born into the world. So with you: Now is your time of grief, but I will see you again and you will rejoice, and no one will take away your joy.

John 16:20-22

On Easter morning, open the oven and give everyone a cookie. Notice the cracked surface and take a bite. The cookies are hollow! On the first Easter, Jesus' followers were amazed to find the tomb open and empty. Read Matthew 28:1-9.

After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb.

There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it. His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow. The guards were so afraid of him that they shook and became like dead men.

The angel said to the women, "Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples: 'He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him.' Now I have told you."

So the women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled with joy, and ran to tell his disciples. Suddenly Jesus met them. "Greetings," he said. They came to him, clasped his feet and worshiped him.

Matthew 28:1-9

What a fun and delicious way to celebrate the Easter Story!

*****************

As a child, I loved Easter. The night before Easter, Mom would tell us to sit our empty Easter baskets outside on the front porch. While we were sleeping, the Easter bunny would “hop” down our street and fill up our baskets. Imagine our delight when we opened the door on Easter morning to see a basket full of goodies! I treasure those memories.

When I got married and our first son was old enough to enjoy this tradition, I was so excited to tell Jonathan to sit his Easter basket outside! However, my husband looked so confused?! He had no idea why I was putting Jonathan’s Easter basket outside. To my surprise, not every family puts their baskets outside the night before Easter. That was news to me! :0)

But now my husband just smiles when my boys put the Easter baskets outside before bedtime. He knows that it is a childhood memory that they will treasure too.

I also remember going to church on Easter Sunday. Mom always got us new Easter outfits, and sometimes she even got one for herself as well. :) Mom, my sister, and I also would wear Easter lily corsages. I loved wearing those corsages.

I could smell the scents of those fragrant blooms right below my nose all morning long. And as I sang hymns of praise during the worship services, my heart was overflowing with gratitude! My favorite song to sing was, “Up from the grave He arose…”

Oh, the celebration of Easter Morning!

The newness of life that we see all around us through the green grass, colorful flowers, and warm sunshine, are a beautiful reminder of the new life we have in Christ because of Easter morn.

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!

2 Corinthians 5:17

Have a blessed Easter!

Traci

pictures from: www.mommysideabook.com, rhid-baked.blogpot.com, recipezaar.com

Wednesday with Wanda

I have shared with you before how Mom always liked to write in her Bibles.

Sometimes she wrote her own thoughts, sometimes notes from a sermon, and sometimes sayings or poems that she liked.

Nevertheless, I am so glad she did.

I have two of Mom’s bibles that I treasure. One is older, and I keep it at home to use during my quiet time. Dad gave Mom this Bible on her birthday in 1993. As you can tell, the cover is tattered and torn.

Inside the cover of her bible is written,

“If my Bible is torn apart…my life is not.”

The other Bible I have is not quite as old. It was also given to her by Dad for her birthday in 2003. Dad knew how much Mom loved God’s word! I take it to church with me each Sunday. She has written throughout that Bible as well. I love to be reading a scripture in Sunday School or the worship service and see Mom’s handwritten notes explaining the verses. I can almost hear her voice reading them to me.

Mom knew the importance of reading and studying God’s word. And I have no doubt that it was the years that she spent in His word that gave her the peace she so obviously displayed the last days of her life.

I found some of Mom’s writings in her Bible that I wanted to share with you.

She had written all the way down the side of the page, and I think it may be notes from a sermon. The notes are about this verse:

“But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by the streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers.”

Psalms 1:2,3

Here are her notes:

The moments that sustain us are those moments invested in true devotion and fellowship with the Lord. Meditation on His word is the passport to wisdom, innumerable blessings, and unspeakable peace. Yet at its foundation, it is a practical exercise:

Setting aside time- It doesn’t matter the time of day. More important is your frame of mind.

Stillness- Being still before God means turning off the tv, radio, and phone. (And I will add, computer.) Pray for God to quiet your Spirit.

Silence- Meditation involves active listening. As you pray and read God’s Word, listen for His still, small voice.

Seclusion- It is important that you meditate alone, developing a personal relationship with your Father.

Meditation quiets your Spirit, purifies your heart, produces a hunger for God and His Word, and increases your view of God.

**********************

I cannot tell you how much Mom still inspires me! As I read the words she has written down in her bible, I am reminded again of where my priorities should be.

And I will be honest with you, I struggle with this. I confess that I struggle to find time in the day to spend in God’s word, and yet I never miss spending time on my blog. I always have time for that!

But no matter how much I love this blog and all the ways God has blessed me through it, my blog will never give me the peace that I saw in my mom’s life as she faced death. She had a peace that passed all understanding. A peace that could have only come from a life grounded in God’s word.

I want my boys to have more memories of their Mom with her Bible in her lap, than her computer. I’m not doing very good at this right now. Please pray that I will do better.

Thank you, Mom, for showing me the importance of reading God’s word. And for showing me throughout your illness the strength that can only be found in Him.

From beneath my heart,

Traci

Wednesdays with Wanda

This week marks another “first” for our family since our Mom passed away.

Seems like we’ve had a lot of those lately….

This week is my brother’s, Mom’s only son, first birthday without her.

My heart breaks for him because I have already experience my first birthday without her, and it was one of the toughest days for me since she passed away.

Today, I want to honor my mom’s love for her son and his love for her as well.

To say that my brother, Blake, was the “apple of Mom’s eye” would be the understatement of the year.

He stole her heart from day one!

He was the youngest of her three children and a welcome arrival after his two older sisters. :)

It was the joke in our family that Blake could do no wrong in Mom’s eyes. And Cyndi and I would say quite often with sarcasm (and a little jealousy) in our voices, “He’s precious.” The same words we heard Mom say so many times herself when talking about Blake.

Mom always saw the best in Blake, even though my sister and I tried and tried to help her see otherwise. :)

She loved him.

She believed in him.

She prayed for him everyday.

She adored him.

And Blake loved Mom. He knew the sacrifices she made for him over the years. He knew the depth of a her love.

Blake finished a poem he wrote about Mom the day before she passed away.

I shared it in a post that morning not knowing that that would be our last day on earth with her.

For those of you who are new to my blog, (and for those who are not), I want to share with you some of the post I wrote that day.

*******************

(September 21, 2009)

It’s Monday morning, and I am sitting with my mom in the hospital.

My sister and dad brought her to the hospital in the middle of the night because she was experiencing extreme pain in her abdomen.

They have given her morphine for the pain, and we are waiting for results from an x-ray.

She is very much out of it, but will sometimes speak out of her head. The words she has said the most are, “I love you, Lord.” and “You all are wonderful.”

It reminds me of the scripture,

“The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For out of the overflow of his heart his mouth speaks.”

Luke 6:45

My mom’s heart is overflowing with love for her Lord!

Here is a picture of my family that we took on Dad’s birthday, September 4th.

That’s my brother, Blake, in the middle.

He is Mom’s pride and joy.

He recently wrote down some words that had been laid on his heart. I think he did a great job describing our mom.

He said I could share them with you…

There is None Better!

I hear people brag about their moms, but if they ever met mine they would know. There is none better.

You think you know a Christian that talks the talk and walks the walk? Well let me introduce you to my mom. There is none better.

I always thought the best way to describe a Christian is “Servant.” You should meet my mom. There is none better.

Do you know someone who is unselfish? Puts everyone above themselves? Would give you anything they had? I call her Wanda Faye, she's my mom, and trust me, There is none better.

I've known her 37 years. I've seen her faithfulness. I've gotten up at 5 in the morning and found her reading her bible. I've watched her prepare to teach bible studies. This isn't just a bias. I'm telling you. There is none better.

She's fighting cancer now. She even does that selflessly and gracefully. I can't tell you how many cards she has received. What does my mom do? She uses all the energy she has to try and write everyone back. Do I really need to do any more convincing? There is none better.

If you've been fortunate enough to meet my mom you know what I mean. If she's touched your hand, smiled that sweet smile, told you she loved you, told you she was praying for you, well consider yourself blessed…she meant every word. There is none better.

If the Lord does decide to take her home before we are ready. I can't say I blame him. He knows what I do. There is none better.

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As a mother of four boys, I love seeing the love that my brother and Mom shared. She loved that I had all boys. She always said, “Boys love their mamas!”

I pray that my boys will love me as much as Blake loved Mom.

I know I love them as much as Mom loved Blake! They have stolen my heart as well!

Please say a prayer for my sweet brother as he has his first birthday without Mom.

Thank you so much,

Traci

(For anyone reading this post who has lost a loved one, I just want you to know that I said a prayer for you today as well. Though we may have never met, God knows your name and your heart. May you feel His presence in your life today.)

Wednesdays with Wanda

I wanted to share with you another one of my favorite recipes.

These cream cheese sugar cookies are soooo delicious and moist. Mom loved this recipe. I remember her telling me again and again how to make these sugar cookies turn out perfectly. She always took them out before the cookies were lightly brown on the bottom. Then she would let them sit just a few minutes on the cookie sheet before removing them. You never want to over cook sugar cookies.

I told you that Mom loved including her loved ones in her articles for the newspaper. The picture below is of her very first grandson, Cory. She always loved letting her grandchildren help her cook.

Cory is now 22 years old. I’ll show you a picture of him all grown up now at the bottom of this post.

If you try this recipe, be sure to make the almond glaze. It is the perfect topping! :)

These cookies can also be made using Easter cookie cutters and pastel colored glaze for the upcoming Easter holiday.

If you have never tried this recipe, please do! You will not be disappointed.

One of the few posts that Mom was able to write on her blog was about her grandson Cory. She was so very proud of him!

You can read her post about him, HERE.

I am so very proud of Cory too! He is graduating from a wonderful Christian college this May with plans to attend Law school.

Here is Cory and Mom last August on Cory’s birthday. This was about a week after we found out about Mom’s cancer, and about 6 weeks before she passed away.

Cory was the apple of her eye. He would come to their house often to eat or just hang out, and even lived with them one summer. Mom always enjoyed staying up late with Cory just talking about “life”, and Cory treasured Mom’s Godly advice and wisdom.

I know that Cory is thankful for all the loving memories he has of his wonderful Nana!

I also wanted to take the time to thank all of you who were praying for me last week on Mom’s birthday. It was the first sunny day we have had here in a long time, and when I visited her gravesite I could feel the warmth of her love and the Hope that I have in Christ.

But I still miss her so much.

Blessings to you all,

Traci

Wednesdays with Wanda

My mom was born on March 4, 1944.

This Thursday is her birthday.

I wasn’t there when she took her first breath.

But I was there when she took her last.

She was an angel from beginning to end.

I am so grateful to God for picking me to be her daughter.

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I wanted to share with you a favorite childhood memory of mine…

Every Spring, Mom would tell us kids to be on the “look out” for buttercups (daffodils). She would tell us that when the buttercups started blooming, Springtime was near.

Of course, every kid loves it when warmer weather starts to arrive.

I remember riding around in the car with mom, my head stuck out the window yelling “Buttercups! Buttercups!”

We would laugh and smile at the sight of those buttercups. And it became a game between us kids to see who could find them first.

Even as an adult, I still smile when I spot my first buttercups growing wild in a field. And I shout in my mind, “Buttercups!” knowing I was the first to see them. (Of course, beating my brother and sister.) :)

I can’t see a buttercup without thinking of Mom.

Every year, as soon as they appeared in the grocery store floral department, I would buy a plant and take it to my mom.

I would sometimes sneak in her house while she was at work and put them on her kitchen table to surprise her when she got home.

Sometimes I would take them to her on a Sunday afternoon when she had prepared a family dinner for us after church.

Last year, I dropped by her work and gave her some buttercups on her birthday. She proudly displayed them on her desk, and we talked about how much we loved those buttercups.

For me, it was a way for me to show Mom how much she meant to me as a child, and how much she continued to mean to me as an adult.

This year, I will be taking buttercups to my mom’s gravesite. That’s hard for me to say and hard for me to believe.

But I will do it with a tear and a smile, and a heart overflowing with thankfulness for my Godly mother.

These are some buttercups that bloom at our house every year. I took this picture last Spring, and I can’t wait for these buttercups to come up this year. It will be a beautiful reminder of Mom’s unending love.

And I know I will hear her in my heart, saying from heaven…

“Buttercups!”

“Happy Birthday, Mom. I love you!”

Traci

I also wanted to share with you a link to my sister, Cyndi’s blog. She wrote a post about a dream she had about Mom this week. You can read that post HERE.

I am linking this post to Home Is...@ RE.