There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens; a time to be born and a time to die...

Ecclesiastes 3:1-2a

Today is a very sad day! Our awesome yellow labrador "Obie" went to be with Jesus. The picture is of Obie lying down next to our cat Mimi. Mimi is seventeen years old and Obie was given to me by Jim for my 30th birthday. He was thirteen. He and Mimi were good pals. He has been sick for a short while. We had many wonderful years with him. The last few days we began to face the inevitable. We had to carry him in and out. He could barely walk and fell easily. We laid down on the floor next to him and told him how much we loved him and blessed him to go....Today, we talked with Abbagael about how Obie was going to be with Jesus now. Jim carried him out to the van, drove him to the vet, and he fell asleep as they gave him an injection. Painless for him. I'm glad for that but I miss him so much. We had him for so long and he was great dog. "Goodbye, little buddy, have fun running on the streets of gold". There are lots of tears in the Sully house tonight.

Don't ask yourself what the world needs;
ask yourself what makes you come alive.
And then go and do that.
Because what the world needs
is people who have come alive.

Oh yeah! It's never a complete celebration without Jim doing "THE SPRINKLER"!!!

"DANCE THE NIGHT AWAY!!!"



I am married to an amazing guy. He is the most
caring


and genuine person i know.

And he is an amazing balance for me. If you know Jim you may agree with me that he is probably the funniest man alive. It matters not to him whether there is one person or a crowd in the room.


His humor can be amazingly spontaneous.
Laughter has been a tremendous blessing in our lives. In many settings with friends we have laughed till we cried and then some! We've enjoyed many years of working with youth and young adults. And the natural progression is that they grow up and get get married. We love to see them move into this new stage of their lives. It's always pretty much like a family reunion, too. Because it's an opportunity to see so many of our friends. And hey, since we are at a wedding, let's party!!!!!! By the way, Jim really is hysterically funny, but he is also an awesome dancer!

Today was the day! My daughter graduated from her crib to her new toddler bed. “Please, I’m all verclemt, talk amongst yourselves!!!!” Jim and I had decided that when the potty training became somewhat consistent (which I haven’t rushed) that, as a family, we would celebrate by giving her a new bed.

We’ve had the bed down in the basement for sometime waiting patiently for its new tenant. She has been advancing quite well for some time. We were more working on the consistent “poo poo” on the potty situation. And we crossed that threshold today!

We went to the store to get new bedding. She was thrilled. She excitedly pointed to different colors, styles, and patterns. Then we took this precious little girl out to eat to celebrate.

We got home and Jim carried the bed up to her bedroom. Then I went in and made it all up for the grand entrance. I turned on the camcorder (surprised?) and then Daddy & Abbagael made their entrance. We had so much fun. And it was great watching her make the transition. She loved it and she loved feeling “so special” to Mommy and Daddy.

And call it what you want….but when we put her to bed we anointed her and her new bed with oil. We three knelt down by her bed and prayed. Daddy prayed. Mommy prayed. And then she prayed. I silently LAUGHED/ CRIED at the same time as she simply prayed, “Jesus, thank you….Daddy…..Mommy….Ahbi….and NEW BED! AMEN!!! We hugged and kissed her and as I shut the door behind me, I leaned back on the door as the tears streamed down my face. Jim squeezed my hand and then we walked down the stairs into a new season of life together.

After about 45 minutes of listening to her talk, sing A,B,C’s, etc., I went up and sat for a few minutes with her. We sang a few songs. Then I said to her, “I’m so proud of you Abbagael”. She opened up her arms for a hug and replied, “thank you Mommy”. I told her I loved her and to go “nite nite” now. Again, I headed back down the stairs. You could call it “the trail of tears”. Not sad tears or tears of heaviness like I’ve known in past years of my life. But tears of outright amazing joy! And I AM proud of her. Not because of any accomplishment, or success, or what she can do --although I am that too. But I am proud of her because of WHO she is. She is an amazing human being. A pure and heaven sent gift from God. And I, of all people, get to be her mommy. I have such an incredible love for my precious girl. This love cannot be measured. I can only imagine, how much God loves each one of us, uniquely, right now at this very moment. Their are no bounds to His love for us.

And every day that she lives was ordained for her before one of them ever came to be. How could I be anything but amazed. I am so grateful to you, my loving God! She is sleeping now. I'll make another trip in to watch her sleep in her new bed. Glad the camcorder has 'night vision'. Hee hee! Enjoy your life, my friends! It's a gift!

These photos, and the ones in the previous post were taken this summer around a butterfly bush in my yard. God cares for us each uniquely. He speaks us through various ways including nature. May you will hear and know His voice today.

"There are only two lasting bequests we can give our children. One is roots, the other wings"
- Stephen Covey

“take time to smell the roses”




In the journey of life, it is nice to take time to “smell the roses”. Early last week we went over to Jim’s dad’s (papa’s) house for a visit. Papa has his house and backyard set up for all his grandkids, for sure. He has an air hockey game and a foos ball table down in the basement. The backyard has a great swing set and a slide. My daughter has loved slides for some time now. She has an amazing sense of adventure and risk taking. Hmmm, wonder where she got that? Papa’s yard also has a nice rope/ball swing from a tree limb. So we played and relaxed outside for a while. Of course, as part of the fun, I rose to the challenge and climbed up into the branches of a huge pine tree. Yes, at 43, I’m still a kid! A short while later I noticed two nicely cared for rose bushes over against the fence. I take my camera pretty much everywhere (especially since we had our daughter, Abbagael). I’ve been called the paparazzi (hee hee). I really love roses, so I walked over to the rose bushes with it. They are such small delicate bushes. On one of the bushes was the most beautiful and unique single rose. Papa came over and stood as I marveled at it. “It is the last rose of the summer”, I said. He agreed. It was beautiful and intricate. I started snapping away. I so wanted to capture the incredible beauty. I took a few pictures and have posted a couple of them. Jim took a few shots, as well. After that I went and put my camera down. I walked back to the rose bush where they were all standing. I felt myself transition out of ‘snapshot’ mode and I began to soak in the intimate time we were having right there as a family. Jim, Papa, Abbagael and I lingered around the rose bush admiring the breathtaking beauty of that single rose. We talked about how Grandma (Jim’s mom) would have enjoyed it if she were here. She has been in heaven for two years. And I learned that Jim’s dad has always had a love for tending to rose bushes. He is a towering man of 6’5” and a commanding personality. But, he is also very tender and a big teddy bear. I truly observed and took in the moment as Abbagael enjoyed it through touch, sight, and smell. And I looked at the love in Jim’s eyes as he enjoyed the entire time there. I’m so happy that I really ‘saw’ and ‘smelled’ and ‘touched’ that beautiful rose. I am even more glad, though, that we were made more real together. We truly cared for and loved one another. Kindness shined through. It wasn’t an activity or an event. It was an incredible moment captured in time. God's Presence was there with us in a pure and simple way. I’m grateful that I didn’t miss it. I'm glad Abbagael experienced it. And all by taking time to “smell the roses”. It’s not just a saying anymore.

This blog was originally written over a year ago, as was a few of the next blogs that will be on here. I pulled away from this type of media/communication and others, at the Lord's prompting (for a determined season) and I am so glad I did. Sometimes, God pulls us aside, makes us lie down in green pastures and leads us by still waters...and we should do it -- not for the reward, but for His pleasure and ours.....and media, al-be-it an awesome tool, can sometimes be a 'cheap substitution' compared to meeting with God heart to heart and face to face....more on that later...but for now i'll post some of my writings from the not to distant past...along with present day stories, musings, quotes, pictures....all in the spirit of leaving a lasting legacy to those that I know and love....enjoy, my friends!

Dreams Do Come True (September 2006)

Recently, one early morning, I awoke to the sound of my daughter chattering away.... I lay in my bed listening to and peaking over the covers at her just a few feet away from me in her crib. She was sitting there fully entertaining herself. Speaking to some imaginary friend about her amazing life (hand movements included-after all she is her father's daughter). I just listened to and watched her. Like so many other moments that I spend with her I soaked in the quite revelation that "this is the best time of my life" and "who is living better than me?". When I finally did raise up my head and said, "Hi Abbagael", you would have thought that the most incredible thing in the world just happened to her. Her face lit up with a huge smile. Her toddler Irish eyes gave a great big twinkle. She jiggled and bounced up and down. And then she said those words that I had waited a lifetime to hear. "HI MOMMY!" I just looked at her in amazement and melted. Please, I am all verclemt. ‘Talk amongst yourselves”!

Oh, the wonder and value of a single human life. Of course, all children are gifts from God. Abbagael ("abba" like the band) Fiona Sinead is an absolute miracle child. God’s promise come true to me. She is my dream come true. LITERALLY!!! In the mundane ness of life it is easy to grow dull in our spirits. And I can be unaware of His Presence and the gifts He has given me in this life. But I have learned that if I spend a few moments with Him - He causes my heart to soften and become sensitized to His Presence as I move through life. It really isn't that difficult. Life is so much better this way. I never want to lose the profound awe that I experience in knowing this amazing child named Abbagael. Though it took many years with many questions, God kept the promise that He gave to me.

When Jim and I got married more than 18 years ago I never thought for a moment that when "we decided" to have children there would be problems. A few weeks before we were married in August of 1988 (so long ago - ha) I had a dream as I slept. I won't get into all the intricacies of the dream but the jist of the main part was this: I saw a little girl and I knew immediately that she was my daughter. Then I heard God speak in an audible voice and He said to me, "her name is Abbagael". I awoke in the morning and the dream stayed with me throughout the day. You know when you have one of those "vivid" dreams and you can't shake it. That is what it was like. I wrote it down in my journal and made sure I told Jim about it as well. I was grateful and excited that He had showed me so clearly that I as going to have a daughter in my future. I had always wanted a little girl.

Of course, I did not know what the future would hold. That many years would come and go without us having children, let alone even having one child. I did not know how many times I would question whether God had really given me this dream at all. So we did the typical "American" family planning things. After about a year we decided to try to have children and we were off! It is amazing how "in control" we all think we are. Anyway, it really is a long story.....I will leave the details for another time. There were a lot of ups and downs though...seeing the negative test results on many (did I say MANY) pregnancy tests.....the doctor's appointments....the new attempts with different medical procedures....and then God....

In the end it was an invitro attempt that put that precious little girl in my womb. On our first attempt the doctor was able to transfer 4 embryos (babies) but I lost all 4. This hurt us deeply and it took time for me to grieve this loss. We named them all and we know that they are in heaven and one day we will see them. Abbagael has four brothers and sisters in heaven.

On our second invitro attempt the doctor was only able to transfer one embryo. By the miracle of God, that is our precious 19-month-old (2 1/2 now) daughter today. No matter how hard we tried through human or medical effort and no matter how easy it is for some to have children the bottom line is this......GOD IS THE GIVER OF LIFE...only He alone can bring life by "knitting together a child in her mothers womb". Through all the years of waiting and trying to trust God...at times I would give Him an earful....at times I dealt with it wrongly.....then, at times, I would go back to that dream...and that is where I would experience His peace and believe Him again. That was the place of peace because that is where He gave me that truth. Because it was not just my dream. ABBAGAEL WAS HIS DREAM. He had given her the name Abbagael. Abbagael means the "Father's source of Joy". He planned her arrival here on earth and He just allowed me to know that she would be coming....not in my timing but in His perfect timing....as a gift to us.....and to others. And yes, after 16 years (19 years) of marriage, at 40 years old, I gave birth to the most amazing child. He kept His promise to me and I have learned so much (words cannot express). I don't completely understand it all. And that's ok! What I do know is that He is God....and I am not! I think I have a deeper appreciation for life in general that I might have missed out on if things had been easy. I don't know. I know that He has change me profoundly. I don't just know "about a God" who does miracles....I have known Him "through the process" intimately and He has known the "real me" deeply and personally through it all. I am humbled by His kindness in my life. My life is better because of Him. My life is better because of the entire process. My life is better because of Jim. And my life is better because of Abbagael. "Who is living better than me?"!!!!!!!! These ARE the best days of my life!!!!!!