You are carried...

I have caught myself telling my children to go to their room because I needed a few moments to be alone.. But if you are that frazzled that you need time alone believe me you are not really alone. It is then that the Lord is right there beside you. Have you ever noticed that during the good times we are all about praising and giving Him all the glory. But what about the bad times? Have you ever thanked Him then? Just think about it, you were speeding and a cop pulls you over, gives you a ticket and keeps you on the side of the road waiting for 15 minutes. He finally gives you the ticket and sends you on your way. You pull out onto the road and hear on the radio that 15 minutes ago there was an accident on the same road you were on. Have you ever thanked God for that cop that stopped you because if he wouldn't have given you that ticket that might have been you in that accident. That is what I mean by thanking and praising Him in every situation. Because even then when you were getting that ticket He was right there with you. We have to remember that we might pray for specific things to happen or not to happen but only God's "will" will be done. We need to thank Him for waking up that morning, for the fresh air we breath, or for that cop that gave you the ticket. No matter where we go or what we do He is always with you. You might not think so or notice Him but He promises to always be there and if you can believe any ones promises, believe His.. I heard a great song by Leona Lewis called Footprints in the sand but since I cant upload songs on here I thought I would give you the next best thing. This poem is exactly what I have been talking about. I am sure you have read this poem at one point or another in your life. But while you read it now please open your heart and ask yourself if you have forgotten that He is with you now through the good times and later when the bad times arise. I pray for Gods will to be done in each one of our lives and that through trials and tribulations that you know that He is always with you whether you think so or not.

One night a man had a dream.
He dreamed he was walking along the beach with the Lord.
Across the sky flashed scenes from his life.
For each scene, he noticed two sets of footprints in the sand; one belonging to him, and the other to the Lord.
When the last scene of his life flashed before him, he looked back at the footprints in the sand.
He noticed that many times along the path of his life there was only one set of footprints.
He also noticed that it happened at the very lowest and saddest times in his life.
This really bothered him and he questioned the Lord about it.
'Lord, you said that once I decided to follow you, you'd walk with me all the way.
But I have noticed that during the most troublesome times in my life, there is only one set of footprints.
I don't understand why when I needed you most you would leave me.
'The Lord replied, 'My precious, precious child. I love you and I would never leave you.
During your times of trial and suffering, when you saw only one set of footprints, it was then that I carried you.

Look back on your troublesome times and notice that there is only one set of footprints. He is always with you and He carries you a long way throughout your lifetime. The Lord loves you. Love Him back and He will carry you through those hard times..
love in Christ, Des

When life hands you lemons....

Have you heard the old saying "when life hands you lemons, make lemonade." Ok,of course you have, everyone has. I know someone very near and dear to my heart that has lived that expression to the fullest. God truly knew what He was doing when He made this woman. She is strong in her faith, determined to give her kids the best, and a fighter of a breast cancer.She was diagnosed with breast cancer a few years ago, under went a mastectomy, went through painful chemotherapy treatments and then the doctors told her the cancer was back in the other breast. Well being the fighter that she is, she decided to remove the tumor and pray they got all the cancer. And pray she did. We all did. Through all these tribulations in her life, she never once turned her back on the great things that the Lord had done for her or the great things she knew He was going to do for her. Now that is faith. She is the woman that I only hope I can become (one of these days). She is courageous, faithful to the Lord and a mother that I only dream of being. Her kids come first before anything or anyone. (Except the Lord). She attends every football game, every wrestling tournament, and every awards banquet that Ruidoso High School and the senior class can dish out. She even dressed up as the mascot for one of Gavin's football games. She travels to Texas every chance she gets to visit her daughter that is attending college there. Kaycee is close to finishing her nursing degree. She also teaches Sunday school at her local church and works at her job. This amazing woman is my hero, my role model and my Auntie Grace. Thank you Auntie Grace for giving me, KayCee, my two girls and future girls in our family an amazing Christian woman to look up to. Thank you for being our families prayer warrior and always being there for me. I love you with all my heart.So to sum up the life long expression of "when life hands you lemons, make lemonade." Do like Auntie Grace. Keep your eye on the Lord, thank Him for everything He has done and the things He will continue to do. Pray and Pray some more. Prayer is so powerful. Always keep the Faith and don't forget to pass the lemonade...

What are friends for?

You have heard someone say, " hey don't worry about it, what are friends for?" Well I have been thinking about that phrase lately. What are friends for? I know of acquaintances, friends with benefits etc. But I am talking about a true, no holds bar, hold your hair back after a bad night at the bar, get in the shower fully dressed to help you get over a "laced" experience, tell you look like a dork in that outfit, kind of friend. I believe you only have one or two of those kinds of friends in a life time. I have truly only had one.. This friend was like nothing I've seen. Never judged me no matter what I told her. She helped me raise my daughter for the first 2 years of her live. We lived together since we were 15 years old.
We had a bad experience about 6 years ago and I lost her. Talk about the worst kind of heart break you can imagine. I would have to rank that hurt like a divorce(even though I have never been through one, I would imagine that is what it would feel like). We honestly had to split our stuff up. Because for the last however many years hers was mine and mine was hers. So here we are at a cross roads in our lives and we choose to go in separate ways. Can you say devastated... So for 6 years we were cordial with each other if we ran into each other. Which in my heart I wanted to run up grab her around her neck and tell her how much I missed her and needed her. But of course my foolish pride said"NO" keep on walking..
I missed the birth of her first child, the passing of her grandma, and her marriage. She missed the birth of 2 more of my children, the passing of my grandpa, and of course the lil girl she helped raise is now 8. But we are too much alike and we both came to the realization that friendships like what we had are once in a lifetime.. It took 6 years, countless tears, broken hearts and sleepless nights to finally get us to the point where we are now. And let me say this out loud. "Thank you God for friends like her". Now we are back in each others lives. Sure we have missed out on a lot together but better late then never. Slowly but surely we are getting it back. I found this poem by Susan Polis Schutz and it hit me friends may come and go, but Best friends are forever...
Best friends are forever
Best friends remember all the things they did together, all the mistakes they made, all the fun they had. No matter how much their lives may change, their friendship remains the same. I know that throughout my life wherever I am, I will always remember so well and cherish our friendship as one of the best I have ever known.
So if you have had a friendship like mine and it has escaped you for awhile. It is never to late to swallow your pride say "I'm sorry", and get it back.. It takes time to mend what was broken but in the end it is worth having your Best friend back... Thanks Dee for never giving up on me and for being my Best friend... I couldn't have made it all these years without you. You have been my rock, a shoulder to cry on, and a place to be myself... Thanks...

To all the cowboys here and in heaven

We have all loved and lost. Well they aren't really lost. The loss I'm referring to is the passing of a loved one. I have lost 4 great cowboys in my lifetime. My uncle Royce (who we named our son after), my grandpa Norman, my uncle Jimmy and my nephew Wade(Shooter). I absolutely love this prayer. It is called the Cowboy's Prayer. So if you have "lost" a cowboy in your lifetime or know someone who has I know you and they both will appreciate this..Our heavenly Father, we pause at this time, mindful of the many blessings you have bestowed upon us. We ask, Lord, that you will be with us in the arena of life. We as cowboys do not ask for special favors. We don't ask to draw around a chute fighting horse, the steer that won't lay, or to never break a barrier. We don't even ask for all daylight runs. We do ask Lord, that you will help us live our lives here on earth as cowboys, in such a manner, that when we make that last inevitable ride, to the country up there, where the grass grows Lush, green and stirrup high, and the water runs cool, clear and deep, that you'll take us by the hand and say- "Welcome to heaven cowboy, your entry fees are paid."This is in loving memory of all the cowboys who have come, lived, rode hard, and gone home to be with their Lord and Savior. You will be greatly missed, never forgotten and loved forever.. Until we see eachother again. Adios..

The Lord giveth and the Lord taketh away.

It's a funny thing when something good happens we are ready to praise God and thank Him for everything that He has done for us. But the minute something bad happens we think that the Lord has forsaken us or is punishing us for our wrong doings.. But the Lord will never punish you. He is an awesome God and we have to remember that even during the troubled times, He is always there. A loving and caring woman once told me "God's grace surpasses all wordly things.He will never give you more than you can handle. Remember that and let it give you strength for others." (thank you KayCer) Those words helped me get through one of the toughest days of my life. I had a lot of support from alot of different people and in alot of different ways. The Lord will never leave nor forsake you in times of trouble. When you think you are walking alone, it's then that He is carrying you. God has a perfect will. We might not know it at the time or may never understand why things happened the way they did. But He knows what He is doing and what we need from Him. I thank God for the friends that I have. The Lord is good, He is caring, and He is always with us. Things happen for a reason and I am glad I have the Lord on myside. I prasie you Lord for all the glorious things you have done. I pray to you Lord that you keep your healing hand on Sloan and Amy in this time of sorrow and grief. You are the only one who can heal their hearts and ease their pain. Please keep our Shooter close to you Lord. We love him and miss him very much. But we know that your plan for him is in effect. Take him in your loving hands Lord. I lift up Sloan and Amy. In your precios heavenly name. Amen. Thank you Jesus.
I love you Wade Rauy (Shooter) Washburn.