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4 Things I’ve Learned

Peach checking in:

Some thoughts on 4 things I’ve learned. Being a parent is such a great gift. It teaches you so much about how we are supposed to live and our relationship with our Father. And the kids themselves teach you beautiful things, too.

Free Will: As a parent, the Lord taught me the power and purity of free will. We really don’t give Him enough credit for that one. It’s huge. And it’s like a boomerang, because you get to choose, every day, all the time, all these things. And you are attached to these choices, so you will own them, and He has grace for you to overcome and make more wise choices, and it just goes on and on. It’s a strong Father that can do that. No cajoling, no pleading, just free will. Because only what we WANT to do, with a glad and happy heart is what He longs for. ❤️

Unconditional Love: I’ll never forget learning this lesson. It was so painful. When our oldest son moved out (a longgggg time ago) the Lord showed me, that while I loved our son unconditionally, I had not shown that love to him unconditionally. It was a crushing realization, but we learn our most from our mistakes. It’s not enough to love unconditionally. You must communicate that love in a manner that shows it’s unconditional. People on the outside looking in, will judge. They will think they know better. They don’t. Nobody but you and the Lord really know. You live before Him. And Him alone. And He’s the best teacher of love and parenting. Anything I ever get right as a parent or grandparent it’s because I listened to the Lord. Anything I miss. Anything I get wrong, well, it’s because I went my own way, even though unintentionally.

Two things I learned from our sons:

Don’t rush. Be still, be slow, enjoy the moment, take it all in. Take your time. Breathe. Kind people are not in a hurry all the time. Gentle people are not rushing around. That’s it.

Acceptance: accept people for who they are, just like they are. Not as we’d like them to be. Or how we think they ought to be. But, just as they are, just like that. It might sound strange, it’s so simple a thing. Just accept. Here’s part of the dictionary definition: “the action or process of being received as adequate or suitable, typically to be admitted into a group.
“you must wait for acceptance into the club” – this is a quality of children, right? We tend to lose it as adults, but I don’t think either of our sons ever lost it. I think they got that from their Dad, and I learned it from them.

This is what happens when you’ve had the virus and been having too much time in your head! 😅💚

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Family!

Peach says:

It’s been a minute since I could slow my roll and make a post without likely falling asleep!

I think I may have mentioned we have two new grand kids coming this year! 🥰🥰🥰🥰

Our youngest son and his sweet girl had a ‘Gender Reveal’ party at the first of this month. She is very organized and really gifted for decorating and doing so in a thrifty fashion!! I’m so amazed at and proud of her mad skills! Everything was super cute and pink and blue, with lots of ways for the attendees to stake their claim on if the baby is a girl or a boy!

My heart was so full for about a week and half I couldn’t process any writing! Then it was work, work and here — take some more work!! 🤣🤣

But you know, I do not say that in complaint! Work is absolutely a blessing! We are made to sharpen our skills and accomplish and serve and lead and train and help and provide! I’ve been both ways, and working is BY FAR the better! Whether I worked as a housewife and homeschool mom and writer or keeping a friend’s child or as a Sergeant in a law enforcement agency that was leading the way for Florida back in the day, or in insurance sales and firearms training, there are so many ways we contribute, we grow and we learn.

It’s only that I need more sleep than I use to, so I can’t burn the candle at both ends like I did back in my 20s and 30s and somewhat in my 40s!

Alton Brown’s Banana Pudding

So, the days have been so full and among them has been seeing to little details for Batman’s upcoming retirement. There’s a lot of paperwork. Lots of questions with answers sought and comprehension eventually acquired! I remember the days when we longed for and sought for this job, this calling. I remember the struggles and sacrifice and much heart ache, adrenaline rushes, exhaustion, and steady grinding. I’m not entirely sure he understands the depth and breadth of what he has accomplished. All with and through the Grace of God and his own willingness.

I am so grateful and excited for his upcoming next. Scriptures tell us, our latter shall be greater. The path of the just is as the shining sun, shining more and more unto the perfect day!! I’m completely believing that for him, and for me with him! Just. Getting. Started.

Early morning on his work day patrol.

We share birthdays so to speak, my birthday being the day after his! Which is awfully handy!

We started last year getting some of our family together to celebrate on Batman’s birthday and this year was just overwhelmingly everything good and joyful! He grilled and I cooked side dishes and baked. And my brother and his tribe came and our sons and their families!

There was a little friendly horseshoe competition between the guys and lots of wrangling the littlest of the younguns!

Crock Pot Mac and Cheese!
A bit of much needed shade! 😎

We are blessed to have so much family to enjoy! I know this sounds sappy, and I’m quite ok with that! The last two years prior to this, while filled with much of The Lord’s much needed Grace and blessings, were very painful in lots of ways. So, I believe celebration for accomplishments, progress and just altogether sweetness of life are important to life! 😍👏🏻👏🏻

We capped it off by sparklers, and the youngest three of the affectionately known as Sugarboogars, had not so far had an opportunity to experience such things just yet!

There were much squeals of shock and awe and utter delight! Oddly none of them were afraid! Even the almost two year old Loved them! I can’t imagine where they got that from! 🙃 But, I will say my second favorite holiday is Independence Day!! 🎇🎆🎇🎆

Just a bit of sparkly!
‘Taking cover’ behind the woodpile while videoing the sparklers with their cameras their Daddy got them last year! They get SO MUCH pleasure out of them!

I am praying this year draws Batman even closer to the Lord and fills his heart with joy and peace and old dreams fulfilled and new dreams dreamed! That the Lord teaches me how to be more of a surprise and blessing to him! He’s beyond good to me! So very grateful for him!

In closing:

“Though I walk in the midst of trouble, thou wilt revive me: thou shalt stretch forth thine hand against the wrath of mine enemies, and thy right hand shall save me.

The Lord will perfect that which concerneth me: thy mercy, O Lord, endureth for ever: forsake not the works of thine own hands.” — Psalm 138:7-8

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Birthday

Batman Says:

It creeps up on us once a year without fail, and suddenly “BAM” you’re a whole year older. It’s inevitable, it happens to us all and there is no way of stopping it.

When I was a kid, I like most of us, never worried about age or growing old, I played hard, ran the woods and fields, fished, hunted, trapped and just basically did kid stuff until ma or pa called me home. Every birthday that came when I was young was celebrated with my family, we were not “well off” but mom and dad always made it special and surrounded by my brothers and sister I don’t see how it could have been any better.

The years progress and we get older and have to stop doing “kid” stuff and “act our age” so to speak (something I struggle with having a professional small boy mentality), but I believe we all maintain, somewhere deep inside buried under years of stress and strife, piled upon us by work and trying to make a living, a piece of that “kid”. It’s this small piece that shows up at times to play jokes, laugh at inappropriate times and generally helps to keep us sane in a world that is drifting rudderless nowadays (squirrel).

So, as I look back, I see numerous things from my childhood that have been erased by my getting older and I would like them back at some point in time. Without these childhood things and mentalities we become drab boring adults just muddling our way through life, where’s the fun in that?

This year on my birthday I was again surrounded by family, not mom who is off with my sister in Pensacola, not Dad who is in heaven looking down shaking his head at my nonsense, but family none the less, my boys and their families and Peach’s brother and his family. I cannot see how it could be a better birthday than the way it was (‘cept maybe minus the yellow flies, deer flies some call ‘em) we cooked on the grill, played badminton and horse shoes, goofed, talked and caught up. Peach and I have awesome families and kids and grandkids and they all come together to help us old farts remember when we were kids and not to take life too seriously.

Birthdays, long as we’re here, we will have them, they are celebrations that we should embrace and enjoy. Surround yourself with family, be thankful for having them, do not take life too serious, play a game, laugh, and most of all love, and I think you will enjoy each one more than the last one.

Nothin better than your banana puddin’ for my birthday, Peach

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children danger exploited family Fatherhood Fear human trafficking Life missing parents safety Uncategorized

Find the Missing

Batman Says:

I’m not sure why, but I’m sure it is going on, most of the world turning a blind eye to “Human Trafficking”. Where are the outcry’s of rage? Where is the supposed “news media”, where are the family members of missing loved ones? Where are the Police? Where are the elected officials? Where for Gods sake are the red blooded American citizens who should be beating down the powers that be’s doors?

There are an estimated 800,000 missing children EVERY YEAR and these estimates are lowballed and do not include adults. There are evil people out there, snatching kids off the streets, playgrounds, and even yards, to sell as slaves and sex objects. It is not a new thing, it has been going on for ages, in the background, silently and stealthily, people are being snatched and disappear hourly.

Where is the outcry? It makes no sense, with all the families of the missing, there should be marching in the streets. Where is the so called news media, that says they have the public’s interest at heart in their “news” stories, one would think something like this would be front and center DAILY so people would see the severity of the problem and rise up to begin to stop it. They are not reporting it because it’s not sensational enough, there are no bad cops to show, nor politicians whose ideas they don’t agree with to bash, therefore they do not care. Folks to fix the news media is another story all by itself, but emailing and writing may help, I suggest something radical that I’m sure not a lot will do, but it would work, stop watching the news, stop watching that network, the one thing I do know these people want is ratings, without you they don’t have that, then they send out polls as to why and you can express your opinion and tell them why, but this is about the missing not the biased news.

This is no fantasy story, nor something happening only in lower class places, this is something that effects us all. Human traffickers care about only one thing, money, and to get money they need live bodies, boys, girls, men and women are ALL targets. We as people have GOT to make a stand and start thwarting these (and I won’t use foul language) lowest of life forms on the planet, by EVERY means available to us.

Here are a few tips:

Moms and Dads know where your kids are at all times

Watch your neighborhood, call the Police over suspicious people and / vehicles

Go places as groups not alone

Look at your surroundings as you move about, look up, not at your feet

Always tell someone where you are going to be, and when to expect you back

Let someone know your route you plan to take.

(Where it’s legal) Carry pepper spray, mace, or a stun gun, in your hand Anytime you are walking or running.

Park your car as close to the store you’re visiting as you can get, under a light if possible.

Do not park next to a van or truck, especially if it is between you and the store front.

When you leave the store Know where your vehicle is prior to wandering all over the lot.

(Where it’s legal) Walking to your vehicle have your pepper spray / mace/stun gun in your hand until you are in your car, with the door locked. Look at your car, does it look like it’s been disturbed? Is there a car or truck or even a car with dark tinted windows around it? If so, ask a store worker to walk you to your car.

There are hundreds of things we can do to make ourselves and our children and friends “hard targets” but it takes constant vigilance to do it.

As a Police Officer, I am appalled at the lack of concern, lack of public knowledge, lack of commitment by most anyone on this subject. It’s a disgrace and should not be allowed to stand.

Folks, if you know ANYTHING at all that could lead to finding even one missing person, one human trafficker, one location, or anything, I beg you to tell a Law Enforcement Officer, or anyone you can that may be able to help…if you’re afraid or don’t want to get involved, message us here privately and we will get the right people to the right places.

Together we can stop this horrible crime and maybe rescue someone’s loved one in the meantime.

Use the tips I posted 24 hours a day 7 days a week, pass them to your friends and family, pass the word around, information and diligence is key and together we can win.

Peach and I are both available to speak to groups about personal safety, just shoot us a message and we will see what we can come up with.

God bless you all and please be safe.

Your stun gun is fully charged Peach, is my hair sticking up?”

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bible Faith family Fatherhood Life parents

‘It Wasn’t His Child’

Peach says:

Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not willing to make her a public example, was minded to put her away privily. But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost. And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name Jesus: for he shall save his people from their sins. Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name EMMANUEL, which being interpreted is, GOD WITH US.” — Matthew 1:20-23. ♥️♥️ So, this certain song came on, on my way to work Friday and it just touched my heart so much. Because on those back country roads, that I love to drive, and are a big part of who I am, I was able to really think about Jesus’ birth from Joseph and Mary’s point of view. Scripture tells us He was willing to come down from Heaven in human form and endure the cross for the coming victory. He thought you were worth it! He was ‘made poor’ so that we ‘might be made rich’. (2 Corinthians 8:9) He took an unfathomably hard road so that we would have a path to follow out and through and up and over, to a better place, a better way. I particularly realized something, as I listened to Trisha Yearwood sing this song, and thought of Mary’s unique and unlikely dilemma, and Joseph’s perdicament. Jesus, our Lord, had Himself born into something which was almost unheard of in that time, a single mom (unmarried and pregnant), who Joseph agreed to marry in spite of, in obedience to the Lord’s guidance, making Joseph a Step-Father. Jesus really walked in humble shoes to give us the advantage of the greatest hope! And to be able to show (I believe) our current generations, so many of whom come from either broken, blended or both, families, He’s been there. His Mom was talked about. His Dad was talked about. His family life was ‘complicated’, while we don’t ever want to treat His deity with a lack of reverence, we also do NOT want to miss out on His HUMANITY which He CHOSE to be born to FOR A PURPOSE.

John 10:10, — “10 The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I AM COME THAT THEY MIGHT HAVE LIFE, and that they might HAVE IT MORE ABUNDANTLY.”

I believe, like so many things He walked out for us, He walked this unique and challenging family life out,,so that we could have wholeness in all circumstances, with His GRACE!

He did without a lot, endured a lot, overcame a lot, for you and for me. This week I want to embrace the victory He purchased, the abundant life He wants for us, for you and for me, and it’s going to require I let go of the things that don’t matter and grab hold of the best things He has for me. It’s going to require more of my attention. More of my heart. He knows I’m weak. But, that just makes more room for Him to move in me!

God bless!

‘It Wasn’t His Child‘ — by Trisha Yearwood!

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More Than Enough

“And He said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for My strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.” Paul to the Corinthian Church. — 2 Corinthians 12:9.

Peach says:

Batman and I were/are both so blessed in this regard. It’s a gift that keeps giving every day, through the years. You remember little and big things they were an example of, they told you, you did together! So many ways!

To any Dads feeling not enough, somehow inadequate, or Mommas making it without the Dad, I would like to share with you something the Lord put on my heart on a Saturday night before Mother’s Day, about 17 (or there about) years ago.

I couldn’t sleep. And was realizing I was so flawed as a person, much less as a momma. And the Lord just started putting this very clear message of His Grace being what comes in, and always had, and fills in the gaps of my weak spots, my failures, my inabilities, and my ‘I don’t even know how-isms’. He comes in with His goodness, His all knowing, His Holy Spirit, and just adds His muchness, His more than enoughness, and makes everything work, makes it better, makes it work a purpose, that’s better than it would ever be in our aloneness and self sufficiency!

You are right. I am right. We are NOT enough, not by ourselves!! We are never meant to do it alone! He put everything in us that we need, HE BRINGS THE REST!! All we must do is bring Him in!

Pray, believe, and ENJOY the beautiful life, and lives (of your children, little and raised) He has given you!! —

And He said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.” — 2 Corinthians 12:9. HE IS ENOUGH!! Happy Father’s Day to you!!

P. S. I would like to ESPECIALLY thank our Batman for being a kind, generous hearted, courageous, hard working, determined, always learning, always teaching, man of integrity, faith and heart, and making us laugh all the time!! He always, always shows up, figures it out, and never holds your past or even your present against you!! Happy Father’s Day to the Best Daddy I could EVER IN A MILLION YEARS have chosen!!

Love, Peach!!