Love and prayers for 100 years

We have been waiting for this day for 100 years. Well, I have not personally been waiting for 100 years but I know someone who has. And that's exciting.

Happy birthday to my grandmother, Bertha Moyer, who is 100 years young today. 

Today we celebrate the one who has wished love and prayers to her 6 children, 18 grandchildren, 40 great grandchildren, and 11 great great grandchildren for our whole lives. 

We celebrate the one who taught us that adversity can make us stronger and that God is the sustainer of our days, no matter what comes.

We celebrate the one who has filled our homes with handmade quilts, toys, doilies, and many other treasured items. 

We celebrate the one who taught us to love ice cream and that it's okay to hoard it and eat it alone in the bathroom so you don't have to share.

We celebrate the one who has shared my parents' home since I was in high school - and still lives there today. 

We celebrate the one who still enjoys crossword puzzles, reading, and handcrafts (as her arthritic hands allow). 

We celebrate the one who loves family gatherings and loves to laugh.

We celebrate the one who taught us that it's no use having idle hands when there are more crafts to be made.

We celebrate the one who has supported us in our endeavors, momentous moments, and deepest griefs.

We celebrate the one who has less gray hair than folks half her age.

We celebrate another year God has blessed us with you.

Have a great day! Love and prayers, Your family 

Victor-isms - if you've been experiencing withdrawal

 Victor: I think Samson is one of the most famous people in the Bible.

Me: And why do you think that?

Victor: Because he says one of the most important verses in the Bible.

Me: And what verse is that?

Victor: With a donkey’s jawbone I have made donkeys of them. With a donkey’s jawbone I have killed a thousand men. Aren’t I good at memorizing verses, Mom?

Me: Very. Especially the obscure ones.

Also me: Do I want to ask why he thinks that’s one of the most important verses in the Bible?

********************

Victor to Mariana while spending a weekend with Big Sister and Bigger Brother-in-law:

"You guys must be very rich to live in an apartment."

And while Victor and Mariana tried to gang up on Jake:

"With my power combined with your...your...youuuurrrrrr lack of power, he doesn't stand a chance."

********************

"I like to dry my hands on my pants. It's like my own personal towel."

**********************

We've been reading The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind and it has just fueled Victor's obsession with inventing and exploring how things work. This is great. However, his last comment as he was talking about his plans for the day was a bit disturbing, "So, Mom, I'd rather die by electrocution than by fire so if that happens, well, see ya!"

Ummmm, let's talk about those plans again, okay?

********************

A certain 7 year old has been the backseat driver to his father teaching his 16 year old sister how to drive. Now, as I'm driving him from here to there, I get comments from the backseat like, "You know you can turn right on red, right?" And my favorite, "Punch it!"

*********************

Victor to his teacher one day: Have you ever had a wedgie?

Teacher: Wha?...Have I?...Oh...I think that's a good place to end for today. See you tomorrow!

Smart guy.

********************

A certain 8 year old in my home chooses to listen to the Bible on CD all night long and a radio station of sermons all day long. He just came to me, all excited, "Mom! Mom! You gotta listen to this pastor! He's talking about angerness!" And Mom thinks to herself, "Why couldn't he be talking about the plank in one's own eye instead?

********************

Victor: So how many more sentences do I need?

Me: You need two more supporting details and then the concluding sentence.

Victor (to get out of the two details): I'm going to plan ahead and work on the concluding sentence. The Bible does say to plan ahead, right?

********************

So, when your child is asked to name a celebrity for Mad Libs, what are the chances he’ll respond with, “One of the 2 midwives from Exodus”? He apologized for not remembering either of their names.

*********************

In the continuing saga of Victor Listens to the Entire Bible on CD...Today he asked me if, after giving birth to Isaac, I had 30 days of purification. When I told him that I did not, he wanted to know if this was acceptable behavior to skip out on this practice. Then, in a strange twist of topic, he told me that God told eunuchs that they couldn't complain about being dry trees, told me he thought this was funny, but then asked, seriously, if it was okay for him to laugh at something in the Bible.

********************

Victor, in a rare moment of gratitude (?) and awe:

"I can't believe I live at this bed and breakfast."

********************

“This is the hardest life I’ve ever been in.”

-Victor King, Age 7 3/4

Me too, buddy, me too.

**********************

"I just think the world doesn't really know me yet."

********************

Biggest, wildest gift ever

 I want my children all to know that I cannot be expected to do this for all of you.

It's really a once-in-a-family opportunity.

But for Mariana, well, what can we say? It was just meant to be.

No one else will ever get a hurricane named for them ON their birthday.

We do what we can for our kids, don't we?

Now maybe people will know how to pronounce Ana. 

Now maybe you'll be able to find trinkets and knick-knacks with your name.

It's probably a good thing this didn't happen on the day you were born. It could have changed the whole trajectory of your life. And of The King's Strings. Instead of, "Hi, my name is Mariana. My parents say I was born with my mouth open and I've never shut it since. But that's a good thing because...," you could have introduced yourself with, "Hi, my name is Mariana but a lot of people just call me Ana ('cause my parents gave me one of those names that no one can pronounce and is too many syllables for everyday conversation). My parents say I came into this world like a hurricane and haven't fizzled out yet. But that's a good thing..." There's nothing wrong with being passionate, emotional, and dramatic. Even if it makes you the exact opposite of the mother who birthed you. I think in the end we survived the storm of growing up pretty well considering. Miraculous, even.

Either way, we're glad you're a strong, independent woman with hurricane-like qualities. It gave you the drive to choose a secular college in NYC, to stay true to God and Scriptures even when those around you did not, the strength to go on when others' choices tried to bring you down, and to rely on God when the doors you thought would be wide open, instead slammed shut. While others have handled 2020-2021 by sitting on their derreires staring at those doors to open, you just kept trying all the doors until God opened the one that was the right one all along. 

I love to see you doing what you love even if it isn't exactly what you thought you'd be doing exactly at this moment in time. I love to see you given favor in those places where God has placed you. I love to see you being you.