Welcome

Why a blog from me, someone who has never been a writer, someone who has never been articulate or had a solid grasp of the grammar world. Because God told me to write. Several years ago a life storm invaded my family. God kept telling me to write it all down. I argued, but He would not let up. This went on every day for a couple of weeks until one day out of frustration, (I'd like to say it was out of obedience), I picked up a pen and paper and wrote for 7 hours straight! Do you think maybe I needed therapy and God knew it?

I've been writing ever since and have learned to love it! I started out sharing my stories with friends and family. I've now been published in a Nashville church paper, Our Daily Journey (a devotional site of RBC Ministries), PCCWeb Daily Devotional, Ruby for Women Ezine Magazine, and I am a contributor in the book Alabaster Jars, Life in Abundance Collection 2.

Why Ponderings? During this life storm, God led me to a pond in the woods behind my home. There He met me each time, teaching new lessons, reminding me of old ones, showing His presence and allowing me to feel His love through the surroundings of that pond. I found myself returning over and over to ponder, pray and praise. A healing of my heart took place and out of the experience came my first book, Ponderings From the Pond, then a second book, Ponderings From My Porch, and now a third book is in the works along with a memoir about my storm.

Why am I making myself so vulnerable? Because God has done so much that I cannot keep quiet. I have to share. Jesus's last words to his desciples were, "Go,tell." We are his disciples too and this is just one of my ways of telling.

I'm no scholar but I have heard God's voice in my spirit, experience His love daily, and have a desire for others to experience this also. I would love to share with all who visit and I would love to hear from you. If my sharing gets just one to ponder, to be quiet with the Father, to see and hear from Him or to be reminded of something from Him, then this is worth my vulnerability.

As you visit me, sometimes we will be at the pond, sometimes we will move to the front porch, and sometimes we will just be here, there, and yonder. Thank you for coming and please feel free to come back anytime, you are always welcome here.

May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, O Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer.

Psalm 19:14

*****EXCITING NEWS*****

My first book, Ya Know What I'm Say'n, has been released.


Ponderings

Ponderings

Friday, June 17, 2011

My Hero

            My husband Keith is the one standing in line holding the book titled American Heroes.  The book was written by Oliver North and he was in our town doing a book signing.  Keith is waiting to get his book autographed.  As I stood looking at this picture one day taken by one of his friends, I thought, that man, my husband, is my hero.
            Keith was 29 years old when he married me, an extremely shy 19 year old who only had a high school degree and didn’t know what I could offer him. I had always wanted to be a wife and mother.  As far as I knew, that was my only calling.  This man trusted enough to take me as his wife and the future mother of his children.  What faith!  My hero!
            In the 80’s when we married, up until now, 2011, the norm seemed to be two-income households.  This was not for me or him.  Not because I was lazy.  I’m a hard worker. We just did not want  to become dependent on what money I would make and then me be stuck working the rest of my life.  Call us old fashioned, but for our household we wanted the husband to earn the bacon  and the wife to cook it. I am a homemaker through and through.  I love to be home, to decorate, to cook, although as I get older, eating out looks better and better.  And most importantly, we wanted me to be home to take care of those future children of ours.
            For many years we lived paycheck to paycheck.  It was ten years before we bought our first house.  We never went without the basics though.  Keith never pressured me to go to work to make things easier on us and I love him so for that.  I love him for being so diligent and faithful for getting up every day and going to his job to provide for us.  He always had the faith that God would provide. He is my hero for that.
            Like many young couples, we allowed our credit cards to get out of hand.  We said in the beginning we would never allow that to happen, but slowly the debt crept up on us.  When we realized what we had allowed to happen and that only making the minimum payments, which is all we could do, was not going to get them paid off, Keith took us to our back step, sat down, and we repented for not being better stewards, asking the Lord to show us how to get out of debt. We had two little boys at home, and Keith knowing my desires, still never asked me to get a job.  The Lord was faithful once again and provided Keith with a 12 month contract job in Denver, Colorado.  We were living in Oklahoma at this time.  The money was so good from this job, we knew we would be able to tackle the debt.  It took sacrificing on all our parts.  The boys and I had to stay behind because of commitments and Keith had to live alone in Denver for a year.  He came home one week-end a month.  It was wonderful when he came home and so hard when he left.  Our younger son, Christopher, would cry every time, but after a few days we were back into a routine.  Keith was my hero for being willing to take on a new job so far away.  I know it was much harder on him than it was for us.  The boys and I were still together, still in our home, surrounded by our friends.  Keith was in a new town, new job, new people, and living in a tiny, efficiency apartment. He knew he would have to look for another job when he came back home for good. He never complained, always having a good attitude.
            We were diligent and the cards got paid off one by one.  We decided we would never charge again.  We adopted the idea my dad always had which was to pay cash for everything, and if you couldn’t pay cash, you didn’t need it.  Or else, save until you have the cash for whatever it is.  This is such a freeing way to live.  I actually had people tell me that you could not live that way in this day and time.  Well, we’ve proved them wrong. It’s been well over fifteen years and we are doing just fine.  I believe it is all a matter of priorities.  And learning to say no instead of always thinking I want this and I deserve it.  We don’t deserve anything in this world.  God taught us lessons during this time, me the lesson of contentment when it came to things that Denver year.  What ever God allows me to have, I learned to be so thankful, and if I whined internally about wanting something and I didn’t get it, I felt like I was saying that God was not taking care of me, or what he gave me was not enough.  I didn’t want to be that way.  Keith has always let me learn my lessons in my own time, or I should say in God's timing and ways, and has never tried to help God in dealing with me.  Keith just always has loved me and lets God do the work in me. My hero!
              When I became convicted to homeschool our children, Keith backed me up all the way and did so for the next fourteen years.  My hero!  He has always been there for our boys, helping with the diapers and feedings in the baby years.  He played with them and taught them as toddlers.  He provided adventures for them as they grew into bigger boys.  He provided them with a stable, secure, loving home, letting them know they were safe and loved. He was a model for them that I prayed they would emulate one day.  My hero!  He gave them one of the greatest gifts a father can give his children; he loved their mother and the Lord.
            Every time I have needed something done, fixed, worked on, and moved, Keith immediately goes right to work on whatever it is.  Like the time I was cleaning my house, getting ready to have several women in my home for the evening.  I put all my dining room chairs on top of the dining table so I could mop the floor underneath.  I accidentally banged the mop handle against the table, knocking one of the chairs backwards and landed right through the glass door of my grandmother’s hutch, shattering it to pieces.  I was sick!  This hutch had been in the family for years and never had anything happen to it.  I started crying.  My husband, who had been watching a football game at the time came over to me and said, “Don’t worry, I can fix it.”  He immediately left his game, measured the door, left for Lowe’s, had a piece of glass cut, came home, put the new glass in and it looked good as new.  The house got cleaned, and the women and I had a wonderful evening. My hero!                                                                                                        

Keith has never belittled me, talked down to me, or ever made me feel bad on purpose.  He has always been there to comfort me, listen to me, has provided for me, does things for me.  Like the time I was suffering the indignities of a sick body.  I was so sick for hours in the night that I was crying and totally exhausted.  I was on the bedroom floor shaking and feeling really sorry for myself.  I was not a pretty sight, and sure I didn’t smell too pretty, but Keith got on the floor and held me in his lap and rocked me until I could quit shaking .  He then cleaned up the mess never saying a word to make me feel bad.
When our oldest son left, becoming the prodigal, I had many more melt downs, one being severe just as Keith walked in from work one evening.  He immediately came over where I was, got down on the floor in his dress work clothes, scooped me up onto his lap, and rocked me until I could stop crying and settled down. He was hurting too, but stayed strong enough to make it to work everyday and then come home to comfort me. During this time, when I was weak, he was strong.  When he was weak, I was strong.  He let me be there for him during those few weak moments and showed strength by letting me comfort him. My hero!
 The only thing I truly longed for from him was to open up more about spiritual matters. My husband is a quiet man.  The quote, "still waters run deep" describes him well. I would go to my prayer closet many times about this over the years.  I have learned that God will either answer with a yes, no, or wait.  I didn’t know at the time, but this was a “Wait” answer.
                         When our son Tim left at age 18, it felt like my world fell apart.  Keith’s was too, but he was my rock.  He came through in a way that I had prayed for so long.  He became convicted that we as a couple were to hit the floor on our knees, praying to our Savior, our General to fight this war and to help us fight in whatever way He saw fit.  We’ve prayed on our knees side by side for the last three years and will  continue to until death do us part. My dear husband is strong in every way, and loves me, a sinner saved by grace.  He has loved me with an everlasting love all the years we've been together just like my Savior.  Jesus Christ is my Lord, Keith is my husband who loves with a Christ like love.
                       I was truly blessed when God brought Keith into my life.  As of today, June of 2011, we have been married 29 years.  We will celebrate our 30th in October.  The book Keith is holding is about war heroes.  In my life story, Keith, my husband, is my hero.

I am linking with others to join in the contest


(hit this button on right side bar at top to read others or enter)





11 comments:

Cora said...

Just beautiful and so touching, Kristin! May the Lord give you many more years together!!!!

Stacie, A Firefighter's Wife said...

What a wonderful post. So honoring and loving. It makes me wish I was married to him! LOL! Just kidding.

The quiet ones are the wise ones.

I pray he has a wonderful Father's Day.

Lisa Maria said...

Oh Kristin.. your story makes my heart so full. Keith is indeed a hero! Thank you for sharing your heart here.. you are definitely a soul sister! You have a wonderful man and I pray that God continues to strengthen and perfect your love and your union.

I hope YOU and Keith win this contest.. from what you share here, he deserves to.. in my book, he epitomizes what a husband and father should be.

God bless you both.. hugs from over the seas

Katy said...

Oh my goodness! congratulations on the wonderful years of marriage!! So happy you have the man God created for you! It's such a blessing, isn't it? :)

Sharon said...

Beautiful tribute to YOUR Keith. :-) Thanks for your visit and I enjoyed my visit here. I have been a mother of a prodigal and so understand the pain

Lisa said...

This is such a beautiful tribute to your husband. Thank you for sharing it.

I just wanted you to know too, that I am completely moved over to WordPress now, but for some strange reason, Google Friend Connect may not be picking up new posts from me so that you can see them in your Blogger Buzz updates on your dashboard (if you use that at all.) Anyway, I don't want to lose connection with you, so would you do me a huge favor and use the link and go over to the new site and either subscribe thru email, RSS feed (the dark pink flower button under "Get Connected!") or go thru Friend Connect again and see if that works. I'm so sorry about the hassle, but I really want to stay in contact with you! And I will still be reading and commenting on your blog whenever I can too! Thanks.
Lisa
Come Visit Anytime!

Joy Junktion said...

What a beautiful tribute to your Hero, Kristin! A bit difficult for me to read since my Hero is gone now. We would have celebrated our 30th this past May 16, instead I await this Friday and recognize that he's been gone to his eternal home for 6 months. He will forever be my Hero:)

Maryellen said...

Beautiful and loving, you both are BLESSED!!! I'm blessed to have you as my friend, my sister, and my wonderful neighbor! I believe Keith is a hero as well...he emulates the ultimate hero, our Saviour!

Anonymous said...

I JUST finished putting my makeup on!! Thanks a lot!!! :) Seriously though, this is such a sweet tribute to your precious husband. I am thankful God gave the two of you to each other. It is truly a match made in heaven and is a beautiful example and model to all of us! Love you guys!

Denise said...

What a lovely post and tribute to the man God put into your life! He chooses our loved ones for a reason, and what a blessing for you to honor and praise what God has given to you. :) Congratulations to you both! :)
Denise

nylse said...

Beautiful tribute...
i told my husband of 22 years that i was going to write an Ode to my Husband post on my blog - he said Oh and smiled! i havent written it yet but this inspires me!