A Grandmother's Love and Legacy

On September 17, 2012 , Heaven gained a special Grandmother! It's still hard to believe that she is gone, but I take comfort in knowing that she is in Heaven and I will one day be reunited with her again! It still doesn't seem real that she is gone. Evey time I see her picture, it makes me miss her even more. Selfishly, I want her here and would give anything to have another hug, visit and phone call, but I also know that she is having more fun that we can even comprehend up in Heaven! I also know her heart is so happy to be in the presence of our Lord and her Granddaughter Kristen. I am sure they are having a sweet reunion and that thought makes my heart smile!

Patsy Conerly Davis was one special lady! She loved God, her husband, her family, her friends, and everyone she came in contact with! She was such a true example of the way we should all love others! My grandmother always wanted to know what we were up to and had been doing. Every phone call would end with I Love You! We would receive such sweet emails, phone calls and even facebook messages! I will never forget the sweet smile and joy on her face the day she became a great-grandmother for the first time when my nephew Ethan was born! She was so excited and just couldn't wait to see him! She was definitely a genuine person who loved others just as Christ Loved her!

When I think of my Grandmother, the following scriptures definitely define the type of love my grandmother shared with those around her.

1 Corinthians 13:4-8
 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.  Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails."

Matthew 22:37-39
Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself.

John 15:12
My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you.

1 John 4:7
Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God.



 

Cross references:

1. John 15:12 : ver 17; S Jn 13:34

I can honestly say that I can't remember a single time where my grandmother said a harsh word about anyone or to anyone! Just to think about that statement, blows me away! Could that be said about me?? Sadly no it could not. What a testimony of the way she lived her life.

I have always felt like she was the glue that kept our family together. I have some of the best memories at my grandparents house every holiday with all my Aunts, Uncles and cousins playing football, hanging out or swimming in the summer time. I hope that just because she is now gone that doesn't mean our family grows apart, cause I know in my heart that's not what she would have wanted!

My grandmother was also one of the most organized persons I have ever known. Sadly, this trait didn't get passed down to me or my dad. Her house was always clean and everything in its spot, but more than that, every picture she had ever gotten or taken was in a album labeled! The thought of even attempting this causes me stress! Looking through scrap books she created when my dad and his siblings were growing up are just amazing! What a neat gift she left our family to enjoy! Maybe one day I will get motivated and organize my pictures for Mallory one day. My favorite thing I recently learned about my grandmother, was that she wrote in a journal every morning after breakfast. She would write prayer requests and prayers and different scriptures that were on her mind and heart. The few their pastor shared at her funeral warmed my heart! This was definitely a special gift she left her family.

Since loosing my grandmother, God has really been challenging me to re-examine how I am living my life to further His kingdom. Every day we have on this earth is precious, and not guaranteed! We were put on this earth for a purpose and that is to glorify God and spread the Gospel. I am challenged more than ever to be the Light and Loven that God calls us to be to everyone around us! When I die one day, I pray that people will have seen Jesus lived out in my life every day and not just on Sundays! Praying God gives me the strength to love people unconditionally just like my Grandmother lived out and how Christ commands us to! What a challenge and legacy she left to our family and everyone that new her! No matter how much I miss her, I will cherish all the memories I have with her and look forward to the day I am reunited with her again!

 

A Special Wedding and Adorable flower girl!

Well it's been almost 2 months since John's sister , Krista, married Matt. It's been crazy around here and I haven't stopped to take time to update the blog. Maybe one day I will be better about it.

The wedding was in Jackson, Ms on June 30th, 2012 . They got married in a beautiful old Episcopal church in downtown Jackson. I had the privilege of being the Matron of honor, while John was a scripture reader and usher. Mallory however had the best job of all besides the Bride of course and she was the flower girl! She got to wear a pretty dress and have a flower wreath for her hair, but due to rules with this church she was not allowed to walk down the isle. In order for a flower girl to walk down the isle, they require them to be at least 6 years old! Lets, just say we were pretty disappointed by this, but at the same time it was a lot less stressful this way!

So the day of the wedding, my parents drove Mallory up to Jackson to be in time for pictures... now I thought I told them to try and have her there by 2ish, but not to my surprise they didn't show up until closer to 3. This definitely caused a little craziness going on and due to pictures of the bridal party going on I was unable to do her hair! I will give my mom some credit, she did do her best at fixing Mallory's hair, however toddler hair is not her gift! Lets just say I was completely embarrassed by how her hair looked, but there was nothing I could do to fix it at this point! I am still anxious to see how bad the pictures turned out! Ha! All we can do is laugh about it now!

Being that I am a parent of a 2 yr old, I am always thinking about how unpredictable they can be at times. Therefore, in any formal group setting such as a church I always choose to sit near the back. I mean you never know when a fit could come on or how loud they may be right?? Well lets just say my parents must have more faith that I do of my child, cause as I am walking down the isle, I notice that my parents decided to sit about 4 rows from the front!! Yes, I said 4 rows from the front! Lets just say, I was on more pins and needles that my parents evidently were! However, to my surprise she didn't make a peep the entire time and kept watching everything and smiling! I was so proud and impressed!! Would she have done this great for John and I?? I honestly don't know, but I sure was proud of her and give my parents props for taking the risk and sitting so close up so she could see the service better! I am not sure I would have had the guts to do this!

After the wedding, we loaded up and drove to the Eudora Welty Commons, which is a beautiful old home. They had really yummy food and a band outside! It sure was hot! Poor Mallory was sweating pretty good. I finally pulled her hair back in a ponytail since it was stringy and wet looking. She had a blast dancing and listening to the music! After getting home late Mallory slept until 8am for us in the hotel room which was a record for her!

All in all it was a great weekend and we are super excited to have Matt in the Kirkpatrick family! Here are some pictures from the weekend.

A 60th Birthday Party Surprise!!

Back in September, my mom had the idea of throwing dad a surprise birthday party since he was turning 60 this year. Now, if you haven't thrown a surprise party before, it's not an easy task, but it's especially hard if you live in the same house as the person you are surprising! My mom wanted to do a nautical theme, which at the time sounded like a great idea in September, but come December you could not find any toy plastic boats or nautical themed stuff.... so decorations were much harder than I ever dreamed they would be. After lots of searching, we did get lucky and find a few things at a local party store, which really helped. The party was held at a local community center in Glendale, which is right outside of Hattiesburg. After spending days upon days closed in the bedroom upstairs at my parents house working on decorations, I was very glad when they were done, and that dad never happened to walk in on me. I am still amazed that we managed to pull it off. All in all I think he enjoyed himself and it was lots of fun to see his reaction!! We had food catered by Front Porch, which included a roasted Pig!! The look on some of the guests faces after seeing the pig was priceless. Good food, great guests, and the best birthday Dad made for a great, fun, and memorable surprise!! I definitely have the best dad any girl could ever dream of having!! A daddy's girl I will always be!! Here are some of the funny things I found on the internet to read at his party. Enjoy!

Here are the top 10 signs that you are 60:1. Your back goes out more than you do.
2. Your address book has mostly names that start with DR.
3. Getting Lucky means you found your car in the parking lot!
4. Your joints are more accurate that the national weather service.
5. A dripping faucet causes an uncontrollable urge.
6. Your investment in Health insurance is finally beginning to pay off.
7. Your ears are hairier than your head.
8. You now know where your prostrate is.
9. You are cautioned to slow down by the doctor instead of by the police.
10. You turn out the lights for economic reasons rather than romantic reasons.


Helpful Tips for turning 60:1.Keep a diary – it will be a great source of comfort and handy reminder of what you did yesterday.
2.Cultivate friendships with people much older than yourself. This will make you feel so much younger!
3.Never attempt bending down, except under strict medical supervision.
4.Take the strain off your tired memory by labeling all household objects such as the bed, fridge, and television.
5.Save all hairs that come loose when you brush your hair. One day medical science may develop a means of replanting them.


Lastly, I will leave you with the toast I gave to my dad at his party.

Dad,
It’s hard to believe that you are 60 years old! Wow that sounds so old!! You still actually have your hair and it’s not even grey!! Those 2 things should make you feel younger already.
Looking back on the past 30 years, not only brings back wonderful memories, but also reminds me what a good sport you were living with a house full of girls!! Now as you can imagine, a house full of girls requires some major adjustment. As most of you know, dad has always been a tight wad when it comes to money, but he quickly learned with girls came, clothes, shoes, and make-up. Surprisingly, he learned pretty quickly that he just better be quiet and carry the bags.
With a house full of girls, came lots of emotions and drama! He handled this way better than most men, but I often wondered if some of our emotions were rubbing off on Dad. One example of this was the morning of my first date at the age of 16; dad came in my bedroom and woke me up with tears running down his face telling me “that his little girl was growing up.” By the end of this conversation he had me in tears and wondering if I should cancel the date!!
Another step in growing up was dad teaching me how to drive. I am still not sure who was more nervous Me or Dad !! Just to tell you how nervous dad was, the entire time we were moving he held a very tight grip on the parking brake of moms Maroon Volvo station wagon. I guess he thought if I forgot to brake, he could yank the parking brake up and it would stop us! Dad, I sure am glad you have finally gotten past that!
As I was getting ready for this party, I came across letters you wrote home and scrapbooks Mom (your grandmother) made for you when you were in college. One funny thing I found was a copy of a wreck less driving ticket you got in Starkville Mississippi!! I almost couldn’t believe that the slowest driver in our family had gotten a wreck less driving ticket!! As, your mother Patsy put it, Mom may have kept a few too many documents!!
Now, I know you have been called many things over the years including: Dad, Bobby, Uncle Mike, Sir, Boss, Deacon, Forester, The Tire man, Sunday School Teacher, and Pops. But now you can officially be called a senior citizen!!
No matter what name you are called you will always be the best dad a girl could ask for! Happy 60th Birthday Dad!

Thanksgiving 2011

This year, since my parents were in another country and the stores were only closed 1day for Thanksgiving, we could not make the 4 hour drive to Alabama. We were fortunate enough that John's family was willing to meet us in Jackson at John's sister's apartment for Thanksgiving. Nanny also made the trip down with John's parents, which made the trip extra special! It was fun getting to spend the day with them and Mallory loved getting to watch Aunt KK's cat run around the apartment. She also had fun playing Tea, playing baby dolls with Nanny, and hide and go seek with Granna! Looking forward to spending a few days over Christmas with John's family!

Here are some pictures from our fun day!