Stop By Lacks Home Furnishings to Donate Food and Baby Items!

blue christmas, originally uploaded by sheram's nest.

Lacks Home Furnishings in Lufkin is having a Trim-A-Tree Charity Contest until Saturday, December 19. Drop by during regular business hours and vote for your favorite tree by placing non-perishable food items and baby items under your favorite organization's tree. Each donated item represents one vote for your organization. Donated food items benefit Godtel Ministries in Livingston, Lufkin and Nacogdoches. Donated baby Items benefit the Pregnancy Help Center of Lufkin. Of course, I'd like you to place your donated items/votes under the Pregnancy Help Center Tree which is soooo cute -- decorated in baby items. Thanks!

Believe In Yourself!

Many of you know that I am now into a career that is new for me and that is mentoring/counselling young women who either have a child (or children) or are pregnant. Specifically, I am working with women ages 18 to 21, encouraging them to go back to school.

Many people get side-tracked in life because of so many reasons. A pregnancy often puts other life goals on hold. In our community, we have many services to help young women back to get their high school diploma and go on to college. We have money available, parenting education and child care available. There are people like me to encourage and be cheerleaders.

The statistics reinforce that young people today must have higher education to get along in this very competitive world. We must encourage them to get back to school and be independent, self-respecting citizens.

Although I am just beginning this mission, I can tell you that I am going to really enjoy my "work".

Some of us have had circumstances in our families over which we had no control. Abusive parents, alcoholic parents, poverty, and general lack of encouragement; the physical and spiritual things we need to grow into prosperous adults happen to more people than you may have thought.

Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. ~ Colossians 3:12

Hope You Have Enough For Your Family And A Few Others

This morning, while driving to work, we saw a full parking lot and a line-up of people waiting to get into C.I.S.C. in town to get some food.

Every day I see people who are looking for jobs. There are some jobs, if you really look for them. They are not top paying, but they will help.

This holiday season, more and more people who never had to before are visiting food banks. They are depending on churches and other organizations to help them with gifts and food.

If everyone gives something, no matter how little, these people - many who have never had to ask for anything before - will have a brighter holiday season.

Probably the most touching sight I have seen in the past few weeks was a man with a sign, "Will work for food", with his dog by his side, pacing back and forth on the concrete triangle where they were standing. His dog doesn't know how tough things are. He just knows he belongs with his master.

Please do what you can this season. Blessings to your family and your friends and I hope you have enough for your family and a few others.

Denim & Diamonds Banquet - Thursday, November 12th, Pitser Garrison Civic Center - Lufkin, Texas

The Pregnancy Help Center of Lufkin, TX

invities you to the

Denim & Diamonds annual fundraising banquet

with special guest, Ryan Dobson, son of Focus on the Family's Dr. James Dobson

Thursday, November 12, 2009
6:30 - 8:00 p.m.

Pitser Garrison Civic Center
Lufkin, Texas

Info at (936) 632-9292

We are looking for Volunteers to help us serve. It is a buffet, but our servers will be bringing beverages, etc. to the tables and cleaning off the tables after dinner. Please call the above number if you can help us.

Too Many Angels - Is There Anything We Can Do To Make It Stop Hurting?

There is a hurt that never goes away. I am sure there are many but I am thinking of one that will always be a part of me. That is the hurt of losing a child. Some of us have lost children in infancy (Robbie was three-and-a-half weeks; Carrie Jane was 6 months).

The questions will always be there . . . why was my baby born sick? Did I do something wrong?

Is there anything people outside the family can do?

If you have any friends who have lost a child, think of something quiet and gentle you can do that will touch their heart and let them know someone cares that they lost their precious little one.

You could call them and say, "Hello. I have been thinking of you. Please know we are praying for you and your family."

The truth is: there is nothing any of us can say that will take away the pain. Knowing people are thinking about them, taking their hand, hugging them, crying with them . . . little things . . . that is all you can do.

God loves all children whether they were born alive on this earth or not: whether their mother was married or not. Children are a precious gift from God and some of them are only with us a very short time.

Even though my children died about 40 years ago, I still wonder . . . why?

Many of you have been praying for Sarah. She is fine, but she has not had her heart surgery yet. Waiting. Wondering. You have to feel for her family.

Five-year-old Hannah is another little girl we have been praying for and she went up to be with the other beautiful angels on Sunday. Please pray for Hannah's family. Details aren't necessary. You know hearts are broken and you wonder why . . . Please pray that her family can go on. Pray that there will be calmness in their grieving.

Please keep praying for Sarah and her medical team and her parents and her older brother, Jason. Keep praying that they get the call soon to have that surgery. Please pray that the surgery goes well.

"Jesus Loves The Little Children . . . All The Little Children Of the World . . . "

What A Great Experience!

I really enjoyed being today's guest on Dr. Carolyn Clansy Miller's Blog Talk Radio program today.

You can still go to the right of this blog and click on the link to hear that 30 minute program in its entirety.

Hubby thought I would say, "You know" a lot, but I didn't. I don't sound real confident, but then I don't do radio programs every day.

Thanks very much to Carolyn for inviting me and thank you for listening!

Go To Right Side of Blog and Just Click to Link To Blog Talk Radio! Live Air Time is Wed., Oct. 21/09 at 12:00 noon Eastern; 11:00 a.m.Central

Can You Believe It? - This week Dr. Carolyn's guest is me . . .

Life is very full these days! I think I am living proof that if you plant enough seeds, you will harvest a crop!

I think some of you are "harvesting crops" on Facebook with the farms on there . . . right? The part I like about those farms is that they are a nice little distraction from the real world.

You know I'm on Facebook. I visit there at least twice a day. I keep up with the grandchildren and friends all over as well as making new friends and finding a job!

Well, back when President Barack Obama was being inaugurated, a pretty gal named Dr. Carolyn Clansy Miller caught my attention with some pictures of herself meeting with her family and going to see the main event back in January! Every time Dr.Carolyn would send a photo, it was just as though I had flown to Washington with her! Then, of course, I cropped the pictures in my scrapbook. I "knew" someone who had actually been THERE! And, I must tell you, that for a gal who has only been an American Citizen for coming up to six years, that was HUGE!

Well, tomorrow, I will be the guest on Dr. Carolyn's Blog Talk Radio Program. You can tune in at the live time, or you can log on and listen later, anytime you want.

Now, in addition to my writing which I have been doing pretty much my entire life, I am mentoring at our Pregnancy Help Center in Lufkin Texas. I work through a grant from Americorps and in addition to my job, I will have scholarships for two years of college.

I can just feel a sequel coming to Bumpy Road To Texas and the working title pretty much has to be NOT FINISHED YET!

Hope you will be listening to the interview live or later and thanks for your interest in my blog! Here's the info:

Getting Good at Life - Radio!

Join Dr. Carolyn Clansy Miller on Getting Good at Life! as she interviews some of the most fascinating experts and every day folks that will inspire and give practical insider tips to take your life, business, and ministry to the next level!
Show Notes
Getting Good at Life is a 30 minute program designed to provide inspiration and proven strategies to develop your life, business, and ministry. Your host, Dr. Carolyn Clansy Miller possesses a passion for service that goes far beyond the pursuit of professional accolades. As a psychologist and coach, she provides practical solutions to help you get good at life!
Upcoming Episodes
How to Ride the Bumpy Roads of Life
Getting Good at Life
Date / Time: 10/21/2009 11:00 AM
Category: Women
Call-in Number: (646) 716-6910

Sometimes life is like driving down a bumpy road. You may slow down or dodge to the left or right; the key is that you keep moving. How you respond to the potholes of life makes all the difference! Do you ride them well? Or do you get stuck waiting for road construction to be completed? Tune in to Getting Good at Life with Dr. Carolyn Clansy Miller as she talks to Martha Sutton, author of Bumpy Road to Texas. Hear how Martha handled her unexpected bumps and learn from her wisdom so you can ride the bumps of life well!

See You At The Angel Of Joy Fall Festival Today!

Fall Festival - Saturday, October 17 at Angel of Joy Lutheran Church, Lufkin, Texas

Angel of Joy Lutheran Church, College Drive & Daniel McCall (across from Angelina College) in Lufkin, Texas is hosting their Fall Festival on Saturday, October 17, from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

There will be a Church Sponsored Food Booth and also a Bake Booth for Take-Home Treats. Other booths include jewelry, crafts, beauty, household and recycled items. (Vendors are not limited to crafts but no garage sales, please.)
To inquire about booth space and price, please call Charlotte at (936) 824-2653

Come one, come all! Delicious foods to eat there or take home; delicious baked goods (to put in the freezer for Thanksgiving?); lots of beautiful gifts!

REMEMBER LAST YEAR - EVERYONE HAD A GREAT TIME - PLAN TO COME AGAIN!

Sarah's Surgery Off Again . . .

There was another emergency at TCH (Texas Children's Hospital in Houston) and Sarah's surgery has been delayed again. They are returning home to await another call.

Truly awesome is the number of people praying for Sarah and her family. Also, you would like to know that their Pastor went over and stayed over in a hotel to be with them first thing this morning. We sure have some great Pastors, don't we?

Will try to keep you updated and please keep praying as this starts to eat at resources, vacation days, nerves and patience.

Sarah's Surgery On Again - Friday Morning 6:00 a.m.

Please pray that Sarah's surgery will go well. Please pray for her surgeons and the medical team. Thank you everyone!

Keep Praying For Sarah And Her Family

Sarah's surgery was postponed. Another child received lungs. Sarah's family will be called to be rescheduled. Thank you everyone!

Prayers for Sarah

A Huge Commitment!

This has probably been one of the best, busiest and fullest weeks of my life. Some of you know that I was accepted into the Americorps Program for two terms and will be mentoring at the Pregnancy Help Center in Lufkin, Texas.

I will be working with young women ages 18 to 21 who either have a child or are pregnant, to encourage them to get their high school diploma or equivalent (GED).

Statistics show that people below the poverty line are very likely to not have stayed in school. In today's society, we must have as much education as is possible.

Americorps was signed into law by President Bill Clinton in 1993 and the first 20,000 people (like myself) started working in programs across the United States the next year.

Right now, I am in training and for a person 69 years old, this is a whole new experience!

I began on Thursday, have the weekend off and will be back at it for three more days starting Monday. My classes are at SFA (Stephen F. Austin University) in Nacogdoches, Texas, about a half hour drive up the road from home.

Hubby is very supportive, as are family and they are proud that I have accepted this challenge and opportunity. I know that their encouragement is helping me tremendously!

The building where I am based at SFA is only about two years ago and it is certainly a unique experience for someone my age. My classroom is up on the second floor with an elevator. In the building . . . and (as Dave Barry would say), I am not making this up . . . there is a huge cafeteria with every kind of food (including a full salad bar), a Chick-Fil-A, Starbucks, a Chinese Restaurant, a convenience store and a movie theater with several movies with a $1.00 admission. There is a large area with computers for the use of everyone and several areas with comfortable lounge chairs.

If every senior citizen were to tour this building, they might consider going back to school!

That brings me to the fact that I will also be able to have two scholarships, for two years of Community College (which would cover the whole cost of Angelina College or be doubled for a university like SFA.

The instructors are fabulous and the other Americorps students are a wonderful mix of age and ethnicity. (I want you to know that there are two other women also 69 years old!)

As we live longer and our economy is stretched to the max, I believe we are going to see more and more people going back into the workforce and back to school.

I find I am learning from the younger people but I guess they are learning from the older ones as well.

I told you the other day about Molly and yes, she was there my first day and of course, I gave her my blog address. There are more "Molly's" at this college, than you might think. Walking through the university, one sees lots of bright and smiling faces and sees hope, encouragement and the face of the future. It really looks pretty good!

Commit yourself to instruction; attune your ears to hear words of knowledge.

~ Proverbs 23:12

Making Lots of Changes

As you found out yesterday, I will be going back to work. First, I will be going for training at Stephen F. Austin University in Nacogdoches (Oldest Town in Texas) which is about a half hour drive from home.

The first change we are making is in our routine. We have already been working on that: early to bed and early to rise. (If you were wondering why NBC changed Jay Leno to 9:00 p.m. Central Time, now you know: to accommodate seniors going back to work!)

Baseball - which is my favorite sport - is very accommodating. Here in Central Time Zone, it generally comes on at 7 p.m. , sometimes at 6 p.m. , as long as The Astros or Rangers are not playing on the West Coast. Of course, Houston Astros are very much "out of it" as far as playoff season is concerned.

Football - probably my least favorite sport, mostly because I have trouble understanding it - goes on forever. I am not sure whether that is by the clock or by my mental attitude. This is really too bad, because Hubby likes football and even played it in High School and College.

Basketball - even though I played it in high school - is again not one of my favorite sports. I think it has to do with their clock. Why, when there are only a few minutes on the clock, are there several time outs, causing the game to continue for another half-hour or so?

So, watching sports is something Hubby may have to curtail and that will be hard for him because he is such a fan.

I like to read the morning newspaper to find out what is going on and be up-to-date, so now I have to read the headlines and only have time for the stories I really want to read, the horoscope and the comics. (I'll have to read the rest of the paper in the evening.)

We used to have apples and cheese when we first awakened but now we will have our whole breakfast first thing.

We were able to catch an afternoon nap which gave us a second wind but I don't think I can do that at work!

I do workout in the morning and so, I must still do that! I exercise, not only to lose weight, but to boost my energy. So, I cannot give that up.

So, here we are, with less energy than we had when we were younger, extending our sleep time to keep us up and at 'em.

Oh, yes, this is for those of you who did not figure it out yesterday when I said that now I will become a Sutton . . . Because I will be counselling, I will be joining the four immediate members of our family who do that (currently at a higher level than I).

Wish us well. There will be big changes for Hubby as well as me. He is my backup, you know and no one has better support in my projects than I do! A great Hubby maketh a great wife!

Molly and Me

Hubby and I are about to turn our lives around considerably!

I got a job! I will be counselling/mentoring young women ages 18 to 21 (who have a child or are pregnant) with a goal of them getting their high school diplomas (at a Pregnancy Help Center). I start my training this Thursday and today we went to get acclimatized at the University in Nacogdoches where the training is being held.

Perhaps I better get used to a college environment, because in addition to two rounds of 10 months work, I will be receiving two years' full scholarships.

Me working? Me back in school?

Times are "a changing" and there are a lot more older students in colleges and universities now.

Funny thing: I was telling Hubby that my original thought when I was about 13 was to be a Social Worker. So, here I am.

We were given the tour by a final year student, Molly, who did not seem the slightest bit fazed that a senior might be joining her ranks. When I left, I felt like I belonged there.

Sorry you didn't get to meet Molly - and my guess is that there are lots of young people just like her - because it would make you feel pretty good about where we are headed.

The program that provides this opportunity to me is Americorps, which was founded in the Clinton Administration and is very much in high gear today under Mr. Obama.

I told Molly I was a little nervous about - for instance - if a person her age would feel strange if I were to extend my hand to shake hands.

She smiled, "Oh, not at all". So, I did extend my hand so she would know how much I appreciated her giving us such a royal tour.

At SFA (Stephen F. Austin) University, in the administration building we were in, there are real restaurants like Chic Fil A and Starbucks! And Molly told us there are movies for $1.00 admission! I saw a room full of computers where you can just walk in and work on a project! There was a big container of Hershey kisses in the reception area.

Driving back home, I was thinking about a lot of things. I just found out officially that I will be doing this. Of course, I worry about being a senior in a young people's world.

I think you would be surprised at how well we were treated on campus - first at the guard house by the Campus Police and then by Molly and the crew at the information desk. Each person we passed had kind smiles for us.

I think I have a lot to learn, but I also think I have a lot of support from family.

For those of you who have read Bumpy Road To Texas, I think you will understand when I say I may have finally become a Sutton!

One Spot Left for Scrap Pink Saturday!

Scrap Pink - This Saturday - Two Vacancies!

Because of an unfortunate accident, there are two openings for this event on Saturday. The day will go from 9 - 9 and there will be lots of cropping, great potluck food and prizes. Call Sue Knox, herself a Breast Cancer Survivor to reserve at (936) 632-5444. (Scrapbooks & Memories, Denman Avenue, Lufkin, across from Century 21 Bryan Real Estate. ($15.00, which goes to the cause, covers your day.)

SCRAP PINK: Saturday, September 26, 2009

Proceeds go to the Susan G. Komen for the Cure to benefit breast cancer research. To participate in this all day Scrapbooking Crop, Call Scrapbooks & Memories at (936) 632-5444.

Today's post is a story I wrote about 14 years ago when I was a member of a writer's group in Port Hope, Ontario. You can find it at Fido and Fifi.

http://fido-and-fifi.blogspot.com

The photo, posted with special credit is just like Bobo. I hope you enjoy this fiction which I so seldom write. ~ Thank you, Martha Sutton

Good Bye, Dear Friend

Our good friend, Harry Farmer, left this world last Friday at age 95.

Harry (on the left with Hubby on the right) was a snowbird from Illinois who starting attending our church a few years ago. Over the years, we were able to get to know Harry and become friends with his family in Texas.

Of course, being from Illinois made Hubby feel even stronger about this special man. Perhaps Hubby likened him to his own father. Harry loved all the hymns and knew all the liturgy and prayers. He always had a smile and was so proud of all his family.

One year when Harry left to go back to his own home for the summer, he said to Hubby,

"Well, if I don't see you here again, I'll see you at the gate."

As we go through life, we don't really meet too many people like Harry. If we did, it would be Heaven right here on earth!

Good Bye, dear friend!