Psalm 118:1
Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;
his love endures forever.
As we approach Thanksgiving I can’t help but take a moment to pause and remember just how good the Lord is. Even when we don’t understand our circumstances, God’s goodness and love is never ending.
The holiday season is hard for so many. I pray this year you will be able to find joy in every situation.
Until tomorrow,
‘Carrow💜
thankful for these crazy monkeys
1Thessalonians 5:16-18
16 Always be joyful. 17 Never stop praying. 18 Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.
We are Thankful for every moment we had with Kayleigh. We are also Thankful for everyone that has reached out to us this week with prayers and wonderful reminders of KB in their own way. Thank you from all of our family!
It was this day last year, at 10:05 a.m., that Kayleigh Blair McClendon shook off this broken world and made her way to the arms of Jesus and the perfection of Heaven. Her absence leaves a gaping hole in our family, but we fill it with memories and hold fast to the knowledge that we will see her again.
These verses are some of my favorites. When the waves of sadness and wash over me, I am reminded that even the largest waves recede back into the ocean. Indeed, grief is hard – but, God is good and His love never ends.
Until tomorrow,
‘Carrow💜
Lamentations 3:20-24 NLT
20 I will never forget this awful time,
as I grieve over my loss.
21 Yet I still dare to hope
when I remember this:
22 The faithful love of the Lord never ends!
His mercies never cease.
23 Great is his faithfulness;
his mercies begin afresh each morning.
24 I say to myself, “The Lord is my inheritance;
therefore, I will hope in him!”
Yesterday, my sister-in-law posted the neatest idea called “Kiss for Kayleigh.” The idea is to perform a random act of kindness and let the person know it is a Kiss from Kayleigh. The entire idea makes me smile. For starters, Hershey was her favorite candy, kisses or bars, she loved chocolate just like her mama. Secondly, it’s something beautiful and positive! For a time tha has the potential to be so sad, putting a smile on people face makes it impossible to be blue. Not to mention, Kayleigh would have loved surprising people!
Yes indeed, sending out Kisses from Kayleigh sounds like a perfect way to remember our pint sized warrior.
We miss you baby, but we know you are enjoying perfection.
Luke 6:32
Do to others as you would like them to do to you.
A few more Baby Duck memories 💜
“As long as you maintain your own personal interests and ambitions, you cannot be completely aligned or identified with God’s interests.” – Oswald Chambers
Thoughts from Mommy Duck…
This was a quote from a quiet time I had recently that resonated with me. How often do my interests and ambitions get in the way of God’s plan? Even when I am working hard to serve Him, if my intentions are out of place, then my interests do not line up with the Lord’s. And that misalignment, if left unchecked, will begin to cause me to pull away from the Lord. I have seen this very thing happen in my own life. I get busy doing what I think the Lord wants me to do, when in all actuality, I should have presented the idea to the Lord, ask for His wisdom, and wait for His direction.
Learning to set aside our human nature takes practice. It just as with anything, the more we practice, the better we will become.
Galatians 2:20
My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.
Until tomorrow,
‘Carrow💜
My beautiful girl was chosen to read her essay about Veteran’s Day at her school this week. It was a wonderful program recognizing those who have served our country. Our family has a long history of servicemen going back to the American Revolution, so hearing my 12 year old daughter stand in front of a crowd of hundreds talking about why we should appreciate and respect our Veterans was special.
Not only did she get up there, but she knocked it out of the park! I know she was petrified standing in front of the crowd, but no one could tell. It’s fumny, I’ll speak anywhere – but I haven’t always been this way. I certainly wasn’t open to speaking publically in the 7th grade. It’s just one more way I watch God show up and provide perfect peace at exactly the right moment.
1 Timothy 4:12
Don’t let anyone think less of you because you are young. Be an example to all believers in what you say, in the way you live, in your love, your faith, and your purity.
love from Granddddy
A great day!
I wore short shoes – what was I thinking??
Perspective…
Thoughts from Mommy Duck…
If you have followed me for a while you know that perspective is a word that means a great deal to me. The exact same situation can look completely different from two different perspectives. It’s one of the reasons I always talk about looking for the good in all things. If you can find the good in your situation then you can find something to be thankful for and it’s hard to be frumpy when you’re busy being thankful!
Today, I had an “ah-ha” of my very own about perspectives and people. You know, God puts some amazing people in our paths to help us along the way. I know our family has been incredibly blessed but the people around us. But along with that also comes the people that let us down. But we are not called to place our trust in either type of person. We are called to trust God and count on him for the details.
From my normal perspective it is easy to allow myself to be hurt and let down. But if I change my focus away from myself, the perspective helps me see things more clearly. You see, God tells us that our trust belongs in Him and Him alone. If we can learn to set our focus to Him, then everything else will take care of itself. The people we need will come at the right moment. When other people let you down it won’t hurt quite so deeply because you will know there is a plan. And that whatever God is up to, it will be infinitely better that anything we can imagine.
Today I was reminded in my quiet time that my trust should rest in God, not man. And if I am willing to trust – God will do more than I can imagine.
Until tomorrow,
‘Carrow💜
Ephesians 3:2
20 Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think.
Do you ever find yourself in a frumpy state of mind? You know, that place between a funk and grumpy where everything hits you wrong, you can cry at the drop of a hat, and you start looking to chocolate for comfort? Frumpy isn’t one of my favorite places to be, but I seem to find myself there a little too often right now. Something about moving into the month of November has been very difficult. And the closer we get to the anniversary of Kayleigh’s death, the easier it is for the waves of frumpy to knock me down.
I have no doubt that Satan sees me battling my emotions and finds me an easy target right now. He is crafty and conniving. As I pray over a certain area he comes at me from a different direction with the goal to rattle me and make me ineffective. Sometimes he even uses the people closest to me because he knows they will wound me the deepest – keep me out of the fight longer. And honestly, sometimes it works. Sometimes I get wounded and I hold onto that hurt because I feel I have the right to be angry.
But guess what? That isn’t how I am called to respond. I’m called to respond in kindness and forgive – because I have been forgiven much.
One of the hardest lessons I have had to learn is that this life I am living – and the journey I am on – is not my own. I haven’t been called to the world for happiness, I’m hear to bring glory to God and His son Jesus Christ. And if the way I have to do that is through struggles, then I’ve got to spend time looking for the silver lining in each day. I refuse to stay here and wallow in frumpy – my God is too good and to big for that!
Nahum 1:7 (NLT)
The Lord is good,
a strong refuge when trouble comes.
He is close to those who trust in him.
Ephesians 4:31-32 (NLT)
31 Get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, harsh words, and slander, as well as all types of evil behavior. 32 Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you.
Jeremiah 17:7 (NLT)
But blessed are those who trust in the Lord and have made the Lord their hope and confidence.
He is our hope – and He is worth trusting – frumpy will not win!
Until tomorrow,
‘Carrow💜
“Every event God allows into your life is designed to make you more like Christ.”
~Henry Blackaby
Thoughts from Mommy Duck…
Depending on where you are, that statement may rankle you a bit. When we are struggling, it’s hard to believe that a God who loves us would allow us to suffer. Yet it is in our times of suffering where we grow closer to Christ. Those are the times we need Him most and seek Him out. Those hard times are the defining moments of our lives that alter our course and help define our paths.
Hard times are opportunities.
Granted, I’m not fond of difficulties – they are not opportunities I look forward to. Yet I know when those times come – God has a reason. Instead of asking God why He is doing something to me, I am learning to ask, “what do you want to teach me? How does this equip me? What do I need to do with this experience? And guess what? God is wonderful to direct me
Until tomorrow,
‘Carrow💜
Romans 8:28
And we know hat God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love Him and are called according to their purpose for them.
Thoughts from Mommy Duck…
Sunday mornings I have the opportunity to teach 7th grade Sunday School and I love it. This week we talked about how important it is to tell other people about what Jesus has done for us- what a joy it is to hear these young people talk about their faith!
Mark 16:15
15 And then he told them, “Go into all the world and preach the Good News to everyone.