I wanted to take a moment to share with you the "why" behind Leaving A Legacy for those of you who are new here, or for those of you who may not of heard this story before..... On September 3, 2003, I heard the words that no woman ever wants to hear, "You have breast cancer." Those words are enough to make your heart drop to the pit of your stomach and cause your breathing to stop. It's a life altering moment, a door that you walk through that you can never turn around and walk out of again. God has always been with me on this journey, through all my treatments and surgeries, always holding my hand, always giving me strength to make it through another day. In 2007, I felt God call me to speak about my story and then a year later to write about it through blogging. I felt the Lord speak ... read more
A Legacy of Loving Jesus and a Link Up
To enter The Ultimate Kitchen Aid Mixer Giveaway, please click HERE. Years from now when my grandchildren look at the black and white pictures of their grandmother, the main thing I want them to say about me is, "Above all else, she loved Jesus." A legacy of loving Jesus, is what I want my legacy to be. There is nothing else that matters more than having a personal relationship with our Savior. A relationship with God that is so intertwined with every ounce of my being that I can't survive without it. Do you have that kind of relationship with the Savior? I will admit that my relationship isn't always this way. So many times my foolish pride gets in the way, and I'm blindsided by self and fail. However my heart holds true to the promises found in Philippians 3:14, "I press on ... read more
A Legacy of Hope in Jesus and a Link Up
Please click HERE to enter The Ultimate Kitchen Aid Mixer Giveaway! What type of individuals do you like to be around? Someone who has a downcast spirit or someone who puts their hope in God? "Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God." ~Psalm 43:5 Have you ever noticed that it's easy to pick up some of the same type of attitudes of those you're around? This is easy for our children to do as well. They're imitators of all that we say and do. "Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children." ~ Ephesians 5:1 We need to be imitators of God, so our children can do like wise. The world already has enough dissension and turmoil. It's time to get back to the basics. As Christian ... read more
A Legacy of Perseverance and a Link Up
What's the first word that comes to your mind when you see the picture above? The word I first think of is perseverance. I can hardly imagine the sacrifice the brave young man must have gone through for our country, and the courage, determination, and perseverance that it takes for him to get through each day. This is the type of perseverance that I want for my children. I want them to know that life will be full of things that they have never excepted and it will take reaching to the depths of their being to search for the strength to make it through. This type of character is not something that were born with, but rather, it's something that is learned through the hard and somewhat tough lessons of life. In our family, we always say,"You need to finish what you start. "Stopping ... read more
A Legacy of Living Life on the Playground and a Link Up
"Clap your hands, all peoples! Shout to God with loud songs of joy!" Psalms 47:1 I once read a story about a family who had very little. The mother was busy making a meal out of the only food they had, potatoes. As she was peeling the potatoes to put in the pot, she heard the laughter of her children outside on the neighboring playground begging her to come and play. She knew at that moment she had a choice....a choice to dwell in her sorrows or a choice to go out and play with her children. She made a choice.....she choose joy. She choose to not dwell on the negatives in her life and instead focus on what was good. "Your success and happiness lies in you. Resolve to keep happy, and your joy and you shall form an invincible host against difficulties. "~Helen Keller Years later her ... read more
A Legacy of Love and a Link Up
Twenty years ago today, my husband and I said, "I do", in front of family and friends. Wow! We were so young 22 and 23, we had the world ahead of us and thought we could accomplish anything that the world threw at us. You know what? We did. Was it perfect? Absolutely not. However....by the grace of God we made it.We have gone through more than we could have ever dreamed. The birth of two precious children, the death of family members and a diagnosis that shattered our world......stage IV breast cancer.Throughout these twenty years of ups and downs we have always had two choices. We could both have turned and run when things got difficulty or messy.....or we could choose God's way. God's way has always been the path we have both chosen. Our desire as husband and wife has been to show our ... read more
A Legacy of Respect and a Link Up
My parents September 26th, 1992. God has been speaking to my heart lately about the word respect. The dictionary states that the definition of the word respect is: "an act of giving particular attention, high or special regard, the quality or state of being esteemed." I often wonder what has happened to respect in our society. So many elderly or underprivileged are being tossed aside as if they and their lives didn't matter. It's time for we as Christians to take a stand and make a difference. We need to make sure that we are leaving a legacy of respect for our children. Our children will learn more by what we do than what we actually say. What are we showing them? Are we giving of our time and selves to those older than us, such as our parents and grandparents? Or are we pushing ... read more
Stop Running {a Giveaway and a Link Up}
Leaving A Legacy is hosting a giveaway for a gift certificate to Vision Forum. Vision Forum is a wonderful Christian company that sells books, homeschool materials, dvd's and more. Please take a moment to stop by the Growing Home and enter the Vision Forum $50 Gift Certificate Giveaway. How many times do you find yourself running away from a situation that you don't like, or that is uncomfortable for you? I myself do this very often. Once the pressure starts to weigh me down, I try to get out of the situation as fast as possible. Have you stopped to think that in doing this you may be missing out?Just like a rose bush remains beautiful and gets the chance to grow properly, through times of pruning, we also need the same type of circumstances in our life. If the rose bush was left ... read more
Standing on Holy Ground and a Link Up
Over this past month we have been talking about the importance of leaving a legacy of service to our children. Today we have the privilege of reading the testimony of Kristin from Ponderings. In today's post she will be sharing her story of working with the homeless, and what a difference serving others in Jesus name really means. "The place God calls you to is the place where your deep gladness and the world's deep hunger meet." Fredrick Buchner I would have never thought it four years ago. . .before the birth of the Blanket Ministry. But now I look out over the bridge, especially underneath the bridge, where dirty mattresses lay, crushed cans, cigarette butts laying on the four foot slab of concrete, the only place to sit and lay. . .the graffiti on the walls, ... read more
Time With Jesus and a Link Up
Friends, my original post was going to be about teaching our children the importance of service, but I'm going to change paths, and instead talking about the importance of spending time with Jesus. Today at the doctor's office I received news that my cancer had returned to four spots on the bones. Three on my sternum and one on the upper part of my spine. Through all of this I still proclaim His goodness and glory. I know that He is in charge and He is Lord of all. It's times like these, the hard, gritty, in your face, wish you could turn around and run times, where true lessons are learned. Through all of this I want my children to see my walk with God grow closer than ever. I want them to know in their hearts that the most important way they can spend their time is with God. The ... read more