Craziness Abounds!

Keep praying, warriors, keep praying.



1) No news from my cousin's family...keep praying.



2) My aunt is in the hospital...not sure if she's had a heart attack or if there are severe lung issues going on...keep praying.



3) Some of you may remember the trumpet player, Nate, who I bragged on many, many posts ago. We had the privilege of having his dad as an interim pastor a couple years ago, and Nate visited our church and blew us away with his talent. It was awesome. Sadly, I just learned that Nate's wife died yesterday morning...keep praying. Although I only met her once, my heart aches for the family; so young and gone so quick. And, being my age, it really makes me --and most others-- think about life - priorities & goodness...am I doing what I should/could be doing?



*deep breath*



On a separate note, I'm blogging from my brother-in-law's kitchen in Pennsylvania, somewhere in the vicinity of Harrisburg. This trip has been MUCH, MUCH better than the one that brought me here in 2007. It went sour last night when I lost my cell phone, but thank God, Claudia found it this morning in the car! :)



The girls have grown so fast...makes me want to go home and record every single move that Maya and Gabriel make. We have had a wonderful time with them since Thursday, and as always, it's tough to say goodbye knowing that we're hundreds of miles of apart. We're already looking forward to their trek to Kansas this summer - and they're super excited, too (providing they were telling the truth LOL)!



Sam has spent very short splurts of time with good friends...it has been a really nice trip. More updates later - I think I'm gonna go veg on the couch for a while before the crew gets back here from the wedding...my quiet time has been FABulous! :)



Until later, enjoy some pics.


xoxo,
Sarah

Getting ready for the big soccer game! ;)

My brother-in-law...ha! :)

Happy girls at the mall with their daddy
Can you believe they're TEN?!?!?!?!

PRAYER WARRIORS: ACTIVATE!

Once again, I'm crying out for prayer for a little family...who is a special part of my big family...a lot of hurt, a lot of sadness, a lot of tears being shed - and babies involved in the mess. No details, no answers...and the unknown causes a heightened sense of fear for those little ones in the midst of it all. Just pray...for love, peace, understanding, and forgiveness to surface. Very, very soon.

xoxo,
Sarah

HAPPY EASTER!

I serve a RISEN Savior, He's in the world today!

Eggs, chocolate, & love,

Sarah

Mighty Is the Power of the Cross

Do me a favor. Just chill for a second. Just stop and be still...listen...and follow along (for those of you who are visual people like myself) with this song that I'm playing for you.

What can take a dying man and raise him up to life again?
What can heal the wounded soul, what can make us white as snow?
What can fill the emptiness, what can mend our brokenness? Brokenness...

Mighty, awesome, wonderful is the Holy Cross
Where the Lamb laid down His life
To lift us from the fall
Might is the power of the Cross

What restores our faith in God, what reveals the father's love?
What can lead the wayward home, what can melt a heart of stone?
What can free the guilty ones, what can say we've overcome?

Mighty, awesome, wonderful is the Holy Cross
Where the Lamb laid down His life
To lift us from the fall
Mighty is the power of the Cross

It's a miracle to me, it's a miracle to me
It's still a mystery, it's still a mystery
It's a miracle to me the power of God for those who believe...

Mighty, awesome, wonderful is the Holy Cross
Where the Lamb laid down His life
To lift us from the fall

Mighty, awesome, wonderful is the Holy Cross
Where the Lamb laid down His life
To lift us from the fall
Mighty is the power of the Cross

Jesus ~ How mighty, awesome, and wonderful You are! Thank You for the cross. Thank You for loving me enough to cover me from head to toe with Your blood. May we never forget the price that was paid so that we might live. Guide me into this special weekend with a still heart, focused on nothing but what You did for me ~ and why You did it. Be with each pair of eyes that skim across this page today. I pray they will feel Your love far greater than they ever have before, and I pray that this specific Easter weekend will mean more to all of us because of everything You are ~ and everything we are not. Talk to you soon...

xoxo,
Sarah

Thankful Thursday

Hola, el Bloggero's!

Sam here. It is Thursday and I offered to write this week's Thankful Thursday.

Today I am thankful for Sarah. Why, you ask??? The fact that she is my wife has no bearing on why I am thankful. I am thankful that even though I may make her spittin' mad she maintains her composure. Even though she hasn't felt spiritually "fed" in years, she still goes to church and fulfills her duties. Even though she knows that going to the zoo in August will give her a migraine, she spent over 2 hours there with me, Maya, Gus, and two sometimes-unloving-stepdaughters. Sarah is the invisible anchor line that keeps me grounded when I get stupid ideas...and yes that happens once in a while. I am thankful that Sarah works a second job so we don't have to be strapped ALL the time. I am thankful that she is there when I need her to help with my photography venture. I am thankful that Sarah can play the piano. I am thankful that she knows Jesus and loves Him with all of her heart. I am thankful that even though she can cook awesome dishes, she lets me cook and tells me my stuff is better. I am thankful for the smile she gets on her face when I rent a movie she has wanted to see. I am thankful for her relentless devotion to keeping GGV's memory alive. Sarah isn't just a Wife/Mother/Piano Player/Head-of-the-Nursery-Committee/NMI President/Women's Ministry President/Board Member/Purchasing Tech/College Instructor/Precious Pete. Sarah is a Child of God that does everything she can at the best of her ability. So Sarah, keep doing what you do.

Usted es el sol, el viento, y la lluvia esto flores mi alma. Le amo mas que la vida si mismo.

Sam

...Must Be That Time

Saturday afternoon, Dad started telling Mom, "Hey, I'd like to stop by and see my mom--..."

Ouch.

We had a BBQ at Bub's house Saturday night. When Sam & I left, I wasn't tired, but I wasn't bursting with energy. I just wasn't ready to go home yet. We were in the van, we couldn't decide where to go or what to do, and I told Sam, "Hey, let's go see GGV--..."

Ouch, again.

Dad smiled through the pain yesterday when he had all three kids in the van on the way home from church; naturally, he drove down Seneca, and when they passed the trailer, Maya, with her arms folded and grumpy nose wrinkled up said, "Why doesn't GGV come to church with us anymore?"

OUCH!

At dinner yesterday, Steph was saying how much Grandma had been on her mind...and how much she just wanted to go visit her.

All of us in the same weekend...longing to feel her presence, hear her voice, smell her scent.

Must just be that time...Spring...Palm Sunday...Good Friday...Easter. All of those were very special times for us with Grandma. Meeting her out in the front yard and smelling the flowers. Loving the hymns at church around this season. Having Dad help her hammer a nail into the cross for the Good Friday service. And dressed her best on Easter Sunday. So beautiful, so happy. Just the way she was.

Words fail to impart the pain right now. Lamenting an ocean doesn't mollify the hurt. Don't let the praying cease, please. We still need you.

I am so thankful I was there to love her to Heaven, to be with her as she found her way. As each day transpires, I feel more distant from her. I don't want anyone to forget her. A month has passed since she physically left this world. Four weeks since I held her in my arms at the hospital as she sobbed on my shoulder. Whether I like it or not, forgetting is a symptom of time...but I opine, technically, I'm that much closer to her, right? I'm closer to my biological end today than I was yesterday. We all are, which means we'll get to see GGV and everyone else in our lives who are dancing on streets of gold!

And that brings me to the one thing that I can't question: Grandma is with Jesus. She is in the place of perfect, sacred love, a place where we all better strive to be, eventually. Astride that truth, all my inquisitions must fall. 1) Heaven is real. 2) She is there. 3) I want to see her again. 4) Jesus tells us to stand firm, to believe and obey Him to get there. 5) So I must stand firm, believe, and obey Him until I get my answers face-to-face.

Aaahh, faith.

Within, even when we're without.

xoxo,

Sarah

Hey God~

My heart won't stop hurting. My tears won't stop flowing. My thoughts won't divert to anything...except her. It always happens on Sunday. I cry myself through church...and I struggle making it through the day. The harder I try to stop thinking about her, the more the memories flood my mind. Let her know that Maya and Gus ask about her -- every day. And, obviously, so does everyone else. Please continue to surround us all with Your comfort and Your peace. It still hurts. Please give her a hug and kiss from me, today. I miss her so much right now.

Thankful Thursday

I am so thankful that I can say I have never been neglected or abused--emotionally, physically, or sexually. I am thankful that I grew up with nothing but love, compassion, and committed parents. I am thankful for the people who take care of the abused and stop the abusers.

What are you thankful for, today?

,

Sarah

Thankful Thursday

Today I'm thankful for several things. First, I'm thankful for Sam. I know I sound like a broken record, but honestly, I don't know what I would do without him. He has been my rock this month, always right there when I need him, comforting me when I'm sad and caring for me when I'm sick. ~ I love you, Sam! Secondly, I'm thankful for my mama who was with me when I had my endometrial biopsy. I had her sit in the waiting room while I had the sonogram done, thinking I would attempt to be a "big girl", once again. lol...WRONG. So apparently, when I went from the sonogram room to the procedure room, the nurse noticed the fear on my face. She asked in a rough voice with one eyebrow raised, "Do you want yo mama?" I replied with a slight chuckle, "Ummm...am I gonna need my mama?" Her response: "Well, it ain't gonna feel good. It's gonna hurt." So I said, "Yep! Go get my mama!" ;) She's always right there...even when she'd rather not be. ~ I love you, Mom! Next, I'm thankful for NEGATIVE biopsy results! Thank you, everyone, who prayed for me. Lastly, I'm thankful that I serve an awesome God who allows our prayers, listens to our prayers, and answers our prayers, even when we do not deserve it. I love Him, and I want to live my life for no other reason than to please Him! So, let's hear it...what are you thankful for today??? xoxo, Sarah

Ready for some sweets pics?? :)

"Awesome-tism CAREWalk 2011"

As Dominic calls it, the "awesome-tism" CAREWalk was definitely awesome. It was the largest one yet, with over 2,000 in attendance! And, even more amazing, Team Dominic was in the top 10 for fundraising!! Yay!!! MANY, MANY thanks to all of you who supported us...from the bottom of our hearts. Pictures are available for viewing at www.samuelshafferphotography.zenfolio.com. I was having a bad morning, and Sam & I arrived a little late. As a result, we parked about a mile away, and joined in on the walk on a side street. As we waited to see our gang, I watched as all of the participants passed by...and I saw a great variety of children, all with special needs, all with special workers, all with special families, and all with special abilities. I witnessed some who struggled to walk; others struggled to stay focused on the pathway and attempted to run in circles in each parking lot they passed. :) Some were over-stimulated by all the noise and wore big headphones to block the noise. One sweet little girl carried a doll with her--she would walk about 10 steps and toss the doll over in the grass just so she could run to pick it up. And a little boy was giving his Daddy fits, continuously trying to kick the people walking in front of him. :) One thing I was happy to see this year was a multitude of Sheriff vehicles, as well as the Party Busses circling around the 2-mile path, ready to give a ride to anyone who had trouble along the way. I think this was a huge to relief to many, as some of the kids are doing great when the walk begins, but somewhere along the way have a meltdown. It's always comforting--eye-opening--relieving?--when we participate in the yearly event and physically see with our own eyes that Dom is not the only sweet child affected by Autism. The are others on this journey with us. However, it does NOT ease the burden of watching him struggle or lessen our desire to see him function as a child of his own age. So we continue to ask for your prayers and support on a daily basis. We know we have an awesome brigade of prayer warriors who are our strength when the goin' gets tough & rough. Know that we love each and every one of you--and Dom does, too!! xoxo, Sarah