Tag: children

My First Mother’s Day

Mother’s Day was a few weeks ago.  And for me, it was my very first Mother’s Day. It should’ve been my eighth, but it was my first.

You see, back in 2013, I would’ve celebrated my first mom-to-be Mother’s Day, but that dream was very short-lived.  In March, we had reason to celebrate that it would be a great year. But by April, we were wiping away our own tears and not in a celebratory mood. Our baby at the time didn’t survive past seven weeks.  Mother’s Day that year was just a mix of sadness, tears and broken hearts.

The next several years were mixed with waiting and trying and waiting and trying and waiting.  Lots and lots of waiting and lots and lots of praying.

Then in early 2020, before the world shutdown, we found out we were pregnant! You’d think it would be hard to be pregnant in such an environment as 2020, but it really wasn’t. I got to be at home most of my pregnancy, resting and relaxing and getting ready for our sweet boy’s arrival.  I know 2020 holds a lot of bad memories for people. But for us, 2020 was the year our dream came true; the year our prayers were answered; the year we brought home our son.

For Mother’s Day, my husband made sure it was extra special since it was the first one we got to celebrate.  He sent me flowers and showered me with sentimental gifts, all of which I love and wear proudly. But for me, the best part about Mother’s Day was introducing my son to his great-grandmother for the first time, face-to-face. You see, my grandmother has been in a nursing home for the past few years.  And with 2020, I had to tell her about my pregnancy through a glass door; we didn’t get to celebrate at all.  So, seeing her this weekend in person for the first time in over a year and introducing her to her newest great grandbaby was the highlight of my whole day! It was a beautiful day, and I will hold all the memories close to my heart for many years to come. For the women still waiting for your little miracle, keep praying and believing! I know the words fall short, because they always did for me on this day every year but do it anyway. My heart breaks with yours because I’ve been there. But I believe that one day soon, you’ll see your prayers answered, too!

My 1st Mother’s Day with my son, James
My grandmother meeting my son for the first time, face-to-face

June Scriptures

For the past few years, I have taken on the goal of reading my Bible through one of the one-year reading plans.  Mostly, I’ve used the NLT One-Year Chronological Bible. I seem to prefer this particular one because it’s written as it happened, in chronological order.  It’s interesting to me, when reading the Bible this way, how events in history transpired simultaneously through some of the different books and also the different order of the books from how the Bible is laid out.

Like I said, I read the One-Year Bible for several years using this particular version.  But last year, 2019, I didn’t just want to read the Bible, I wanted to make sure I got something out of the daily reading. So, I decided I would find one verse or scripture passage that spoke the most to me during each day of Bible reading.

My goal was to read the Bible each day, highlight the specific verse or scripture passage that I found and then write it down to keep in a journal. I used a certain highlighter color so I could keep track of which verse I picked for the daily reading, versus other highlights already in there.

Then, late last year, I decided I wanted to do more with my daily verses, besides keeping them in a journal.  I wanted to share them. So, for each month in 2020, I plan to post the scriptures I found for that month in 2019.  Hope you enjoy the June scriptures.

My prayer for you is that as you read these scriptures that spoke to me last year, they will speak to you right here and now; either to something you’re searching for, an answer you need or just confirmation of what God has been speaking to you.

June 1—Proverbs 19:18

Discipline your children while there is hope. Otherwise you will ruin their lives.

June 2—Proverbs 21:21

Whoever pursues righteousness and unfailing love will find life, righteousness and honor.

June 3—Proverbs 24:3-4

A house is built by wisdom and becomes strong through good sense. Through knowledge its rooms are filled with all sorts of precious riches and valuables.

June 4—Song of Solomon 4:7

You are altogether beautiful, my darling, beautiful in every way.

June 5—1 Kings 11:36

His son will have one tribe so that the descendants of David my servant will continue to reign, shining like a lamp in Jerusalem, the city I have chosen to be the place for my name.

June 6—Ecclesiastes 3:11

Yet God has made everything beautiful for its own time. He has planted eternity in the human heart, but even so, people cannot see the whole scope of God’s work from beginning to end.

June 7—Ecclesiastes 8:15

So, I recommend having fun, because there is nothing better for people in this world than to eat, drink and enjoy life. That way they will experience some happiness along with all the hard work God gives them under the sun.

June 8—Ecclesiastes 12:14

God will judge us for everything we do, including every secret thing, whether good or bad.

June 9—2 Chronicles 13:12

So you see, God is with us. He is our leader. His priests blow their trumpets and lead us into battle against you. O people of Israel, do not fight against the Lord, the God of your ancestors, for you will not succeed!

June 10—2 Chronicles 16:9

The eyes of the Lord search the whole earth in order to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him. What a fool you have been! From now on you will be at war.

June 11—1 Kings 17:14

For this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: There will always be flour and olive oil left in your containers until the time when the Lord sends rain and the crops grow again!”

June 12—1 Kings 21:3

But Naboth replied, “The Lord forbid that I should give you the inheritance that was passed down by my ancestors.”

June 13—2 Chronicles 19:7

Fear the Lord and judge with integrity, for the Lord our God does not tolerate perverted justice, partiality, or the taking of bribes.

June 14—2 Chronicles 21:7

But the Lord did not want to destroy David’s dynasty, for he had made a covenant with David and promised that his descendants would continue to rule, shining like a lamp forever.

June 15—2 Kings 4:16-17

“Next year at this time you will be holding a son in your arms!” “No, my Lord!” she cried. “O man of God, don’t deceive me like that.” But sure enough, the woman soon became pregnant. And at that time the following year she had a son, just as Elisha had said.

June 16—2 Kings 8:6

“Is this true?” the king asked her. And she told him the story.  So he directed one of his officials to see that everything she had lost was restored to her, including the value of any crops that had been harvested during her absence.

June 17—2 Kings 10:30

Nonetheless the Lord said to Jehu, “You have done well in following my instructions to destroy the family of Ahab. Therefore, your descendants will be kings of Israel down to the fourth generation.”

June 18—2 Chronicles 24:2

Joash did what was pleasing in the Lord’s sight throughout the lifetime of Jehoiada the priest.

June 19—2 Chronicles 24:24

Although the Arameans attacked with only a small army, the Lord helped them conquer the much larger army of Judah. The people of Judah had abandoned the Lord, the God of their ancestors, so judgment was carried out against Joash.

June 20—Jonah 2:2

He said, “I cried out to the Lord in my great trouble, and he answered me. I called to you from the land of the dead, and Lord, you heard me!”

June 21—Amos 4:13

For the Lord is the one who shaped the mountains, stirs up the winds and reveals his thoughts to mankind. He turns the light of dawn into darkness and treads on the heights of the earth. The Lord God of Heavens Armies is his name!

June 22—Isaiah 6:3

They were calling to each other, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of Heaven’s Armies! The whole earth is filled with his glory!”

June 23—2 Chronicles 27:2

Jotham did what was pleasing in the Lord’s sight. He did everything his father, Uzziah, had done, except that Jotham did not sin by entering the Temple of the Lord. But the people continued in their corrupt ways.

June 24—Isaiah 9:6

For a child is born to us, a son is given to us. The government will rest on his shoulders. And he will be called: Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

June 25—2 Kings 18:5

Hezekiah trusted in the Lord, the God of Israel. There was no one like him among all the kings of Judah, either before or after his time.

June 26—Hosea 6:3

Oh, that we might know the Lord! Let us press on to know him. He will respond to us as surely as the arrival of dawn or the coming of rains in early spring.

June 27—Hosea 14:2

Bring your confessions, and return to the Lord. Say to him, “Forgive all our sins and graciously receive us, so that we may offer you our praises.”

June 28—2 Kings 17:39

You must worship only the Lord your God. He is the one who will rescue you from all your enemies.

June 29—Isaiah 4:2

But in that day, the branch of the Lord will be beautiful and glorious; the fruit of the land will be the pride and glory of all who survive in Israel.

June 30—Isaiah 14:1

But the Lord will have mercy on the descendants of Jacob. He will choose Israel as his special people once again. He will bring them back to settle once again in their own land. And people from many different nations will come and join them there and unite with the people of Israel.

**All verses are written from the New Living Translation.

**The verses are taken from the NLT Chronological One-Year Bible from YouVersion