Happy Birthday, Rob!

Today is my youngest son's birthday. Robbie was the youngest of our first 4 - the "baby" of the family for 12 years before Jessica joined our family.
Robbie has many gifts - some of them are incredibly obvious - his music and his ability to communicate the message of Christ are some of those.
But others you may not know - Robbie has a gift of bringing peace into a room. He can make anyone feel extra special. He has been doing this since he was a toddler. His smile is contagious and the spirit behind the smile makes everything else alright.
Robbie is a great son - he makes me feel loved.
Robbie is an amazing husband and father.
Robbie is a gifted musician.
I love you Robbie and Happy Birthday!
You are still cool:)

Merry Christmas

Here it is - December 23, 2008 and I am thinking of ways to slow these days down and simply enjoy the celebration -
the time with family -
the sounds of Christmas - I love Christmas music -
the sights of Christmas - lights, decorations -
the spirit of Christmas - people are often friendlier -
I love to hear people say "Merry Christmas" -
I love to say "Merry Christmas".
But somehow I want to convey the depth of that statement - Merry Christmas!!!
I want to stop and say...
"No, really - I want you to know the Christ of Christmas.
I want you to experience the Peace that Christ brings.
I want you to stand in the hope that we have in our Savior.
I pray that you can know the love that God has for you.
I wish for you JOY.

So... today I am going to find ways to attempt to convey that to the people I see. I'm not sure how.
I am asking the Lord to show me - to give me words and expressions that speak peace and love.
I don't want to be obnoxious or inappropriate.
I just want to say "Merry Christmas" and really mean it.

Meet our newest Grandkids!

Meet Yeneneh and Sosina (Sosy) Seay! Yeneneh is 9 years old and Sosy is 4 years old. They should be home in Nashville by the end of January. Thank you for your prayers!

Please Pray for our Tomorrow

Tomorrow in Ethiopia, Monday, Dec. 15, is the court date that will officially give us two more grandchildren.

Our son and his wife, Brian and Amy, have been on an incredible journey of adoption and tomorrow will hopefully see that dream become a reality. To read about their journey click here.

Please pray for the court date - for no interruptions or distractions that would postpone the finalization of the adoption. Pray also for their travel to Ethiopia in the next few weeks. They will travel with all 4 of their children to meet their new son and daughter and to complete the process that will bring them home to become a part of our family.

Watch for news of the adoption tomorrow afternoon at brianseay.wordpress.com.

Also, read here about the need for sponsors for Compassion kids around the world. What better Christmas gift could you give?

Christmastime is Here!

Can't you just hear that classic song from Charlie Brown in your head right now?

I love Christmas and what it means for our family times together.

Grandkids on Ice


Grandkids with Santa


Jess with Santa


We saw "White Christmas" at the theatre - a gift to my parents for Christmas and birthday. It was great!

Advent: Hope and Peace

Advent means "waiting with great expectation". I can't imagine how God's people must have struggled to wait patiently for their promised Messiah. They had waited so long for their redeemer. I am ashamed at times to realize that I don't fall on my knees often enough to give thanks for my salvation and for the One who saved me.

I want to use this season of Advent to worship my Lord - to thank Him for dying in my place - for saving me from eternal separation from God - for giving me life here on this earth that is full and abundant because of the work that He does through the Holy Spirit - to thank Him for the HOPE that He brings into our lives.

The observance of Advent also reminds me of the Peace that comes with knowing Jesus. He came to bring Peace on Earth and He promises Peace for all who will put their faith in Him. He is our Peace - our Jehovah Shalom.

Do I live like I have this Peace? I confess that I am consumed by "busyness" and don't allow Him to be my Peace - to bring down all the things in my life that are unnecessary - and allow Him to simply "lead me beside the still waters". Will you allow Him to take you to the still waters this season? Let's just sit down- be still - and worship Him - rest in Him. What could be more important?

Soles 4 Souls - Buy 2 pairs of shoes for $5

You can too!
Join the biggest blogging charity challenge ever!
Buy some shoes and then put this link on your blog, facebook, twitter, etc...
Get your credit card out and go here to buy shoes! Five Dollars is something we can all do.
Read more about where this idea started from Anne at flowerdust.net

Sponsor a Compassion child today!

My son Brian is in the Domincan Republic this week with several bloggers. They are working on getting children sponsored. Read more about it here. The need is great. Sponsor a child today.

In the News!

My son made The Houston Chronicle again. Please forgive me for being a proud mom - but I just need a moment.
Chris is my oldest child. He was a strong-willed, determined child and teenager. I always told him that he was going to make an amazing adult. And he is. We are very proud of him!
As we did for all of our children, we prayed for God's plan to unfold in Chris' life. We watched as he shared Christ with classmates in high school and as he did amazing things at Baylor and God has continued to take Chris to really cool places. One of the latest of these is in the project - The Voice. Chris has worked for years to make scripture come alive to people who may never have realized the beauty and power of God's Word. It a beautiful translation of scripture. To learn more about it read this article that appeared in the Religion section of the Chronicle last week.

It's Time to Vote!

I am not into politics, though I am passionate about our freedoms and our right to vote and being involved in the democratic process.
I have heard so many Christians speak of fear when they talk about this election and it makes me sad. We serve a sovereign God who knows all things and who is in control. I take complete comfort in that truth. Fear is not from God!
I encourage you to read this article. It is a great reminder of how Christians should vote.

It's almost over!

Wow - it's already been a week. We are sad and ready to get home all at the same time. This is probably the best vacation we have ever had! That's a big statement because we have always loved to "cruise" but this vacation has had a different element - a complete get-away from the city - people - tourist activities - a total disconnect.
God has really been working on me and my inability to relax so this week has been one lesson after another on how to rest in the Lord.
I will share more about what God has been saying to me. Just know that I have never relaxed like this - maybe in my whole life.
God has been gracious to give us such an awesome time away together.

Vermont!

I have always wanted to go to Vermont. I think it is because I love the movie "White Christmas" and who wouldn't want to go there. Well, I checked, there is no real Pine Tree, Vermont or Columbia Inn.
But today we drove to Bennington, Vermont. It was beautiful and fun to be in this place that I have always dreamed of.
We are having an amazing time. We are so relaxed that we can hardly move tonight. It is an amazing peaceful, relaxing kind of vacation that we desperately needed.
Enjoy the pics!!!!

We went hiking on Mt. Greylock. Loving the weather and our time together.


This is a panoramic view of the mountains in Vermont. This picture has not been "retouched". I wish there was some way to show you the amazing colors. The yellows and orange fade into a pink hue and the amazing red just makes the whole scene come alive. It's amazing.


This house is on a pumpkin farm in Vermont. Isn't that cool?

New England in the Fall!

We are in S. Lee, Massachussets in the middle of the Berkshire Mountains. We spent today making our first drive around the area "leaf peeping" as they call it. I just kept saying "Oh, my gosh" over and over again. Our Lord is so amazing. He has to love colors because He has created a palette of colors that my mind has trouble comprehending. This will cause you to worship our creator. We have had the most awesome day. I'll post more pictures tomorrow.

Falling in Love with Jesus

We are doing the study "Falling in Love with Jesus: Abandoning Yourself to the Greatest Romance of Your Life" with my Bible study group on Sunday nights. We have done a lot of different studies, but I'm not sure that one of them has touched me in the deepest recesses of my heart as this one has.

It works to bring down the barriers that have built up in our lives by pain, rejection and disappointment and then points you to a love that is like no other... a deep down kind of love that only God can have for us.

One of the memory verses that I love to repeat to myself is from Zephaniah 3:17...
"The Lord your God is with YOU; He is mighty to save [YOU]; He takes great delight in YOU; He quiets YOU with His love; He rejoices over YOU with singing."

To know that God not only loves me but pursues me is beyond my ability to comprehend. Why would God pursue someone as sinful and ugly as me? Why would He continually wait for me and sing over me when I am struggling to obey - struggling to be where He wants me to be?

He loves me as I am. He created me. He pursues me. He is lonely for me. He is the Bridegroom longing for His Bride.

"Long before He laid down earth's foundations, He had us in mind, had settled on us as the focus of His love, to be made whole and holy by His love. Long, long ago He decided to adopt us into His family through Jesus Christ. What pleasure He took in planning this!" Ephesians 1:4-5 The Message

Do you understand the depth of God's love for YOU?

It's my baby girl's birthday!

This is my baby daughter. Isn't she beautiful?!!!
Jessica was a very special surprise gift to our family in 1989. We were not looking for another child - we had four teenagers and had no clue that we were not done having children. But God had a different plan and we are so blessed that He did.
Jess turned 20 years old today. I can't even believe that I am saying that.
She is an amazing young woman. She has been loved by this family in a very special way. She has had more "parents" than one child could ever need. She has a unique relationship with each of her siblings.
She is passionate about the Lord, art, photography and children. She is mission-minded and hates injustice.
Happy Birthday, Jess!
I love you more!!!!!!

Our Last Day

Today we experienced amazing worship and the presence of the Holy Spirit at the Brooklyn Tabernacle. This afternoon we heard Paul Baloche. He was wasn't really "in concert" because it wasn't about him - he led us in worship straight to the throne. He was great.

Tonight we walked across the Brooklyn Bridge at sunset. It was relaxing and beautiful as well as a bit disconcerting if you spent time looking down at the water under your feet.

We have had an amazing week. It's fun to travel with my best friend. We love the same things and can pretty much read each other's mind. I love that man!

Here we are on the bridge...

More on New York

On Wednesday, we spent most of the day on Liberty and Ellis Islands learning more about this symbol of our liberty and freedom and about the millions of people who immigrated to our country because of the poverty and oppression they faced in their own countries. It was an impressive and moving day.
Also, we are proud to claim that we climbed the 160 steps to the base of the Statue of Liberty. (That is way more than it sounds like.) I am proud!



Thursday we walked around the World Trade Center site and Wall Street/Financial District (that's a sad place these days). After that we took the subway to Little Italy where we enjoyed the best New York pizza ever. Some of you may know that I have been on a strict diet for 8 months, but today I put the diet aside and just enjoyed the pizza. It was awesome!



Thursday night we saw Mary Poppins. This choice was really for me but the advertising is true - "it's a musical an adult can enjoy". It was amazing! Staging, special effects and the music were all incredible.

We love New York!!!!!

The Unraffle

I interrupt this vacation to remind you of THE UNRAFFLE benefitting the adoption of our two newest grandchildren from Ethiopia. For $25 you can purchase a ticket that will be a part of a drawing tomorrow (Friday) at noon for a 7 day vacation. Click here to learn more about it. Remember this money will go straight to the expenses needed to complete the adoption of these two amazing children who will soon be "Seay's".

We love New York!

This our third trip to New York together and we love it - the chaos, the noise, the smells (most of them), the sights and so on.
Today we walked a lot - wandered the subway stations a couple of times looking for the right signs to get us where we were going. - said "hello" and "goodbye" to Yankee Stadium. They will be tearing down the 85 year old stadium and moving into a new one just across the street. For those of you who don't know - we are true baseball fans and we love visiting baseball fields around the country.
This is a picture of us at "The Top of the Rock". That is Central Park behind Ed's head. The view is amazing from up there - 70 stories above street level in Rockefeller Center.


Tonight we saw a great, funny and mindless play and had a late dinner. We love New York!

15 now.... 17 soon!!

I am talking about grandkids. We are blessed with 15 right now. But soon, we will have 17.
This my son, Brian and his wife Amy and their 4 kids. Their adoption journey began to take root in my family room. I was talking about a baby that seemed to be hard to place for adoption because of its ethnicity. Amy's heart was broken over this baby and she began the process of considering what God might have them do. A week or so after they returned home from our family Christmas gathering, Brian called to ask about this baby and to say that they would love to be considered if this baby needed a family. This seemed to be a turning point for them. Though this baby no longer had a need, they soon learned about a sibling group in foster care that needed a family. They began to seriously pursue helping these children, but God had another plan.
Brian works with Compassion International and experiences regularly the plight of children around the world who are affected by poverty, loss of parents, war and illness. His experiences has literally changed the way our whole family views the world and the needs of people. Through this, God revealed to them HIS plan for them to adopt from Ethiopia. We just learned a couple of weeks ago that they have received a "match" and soon we will add 2 amazing children to the Seay clan. We are so excited!!!! Read more about their journey here.
Brian and Amy have saved a lot of money to cover their adoption expenses but now, with the loving choice to accept 2 children, they will need to raise some money to complete this journey.
Would you consider being a part of bringing these two children to our family? Though God directs us to care for the orphans, it does not mean that everyone is supposed to adopt. It might simply mean that you will care for the orphans by making a monetary contribution. Click here to read more about their need to raise the last of the money to complete this adoption process. God tells us to care for the orphans and we believe that their are some who may not adopt but could contribute to helping others adopt.
We also appreciate your prayers during this time. There are specific requests for this family - that the money will be raised to get the family to Ethiopia - that there will be no legal complications in Ethiopia -that the timing will be absolutely God's timing - that the bonding time with these children will be natural and easy - that the changes in their home will come easily.
Thank you for believing in our family and for praying for us!

It's not over until all the lights are on!

We survived with little damage. We threw away hundreds of dollars worth of food from our refrigerator and freezer. That was a bit painful but nothing compared to what others have suffered because of this storm. We were without power from Saturday morning at 5 a.m. until Wednesday. We were praising God for the cool weather.

I am sad tonight for the damage done to my "happy place", Galveston.

I'm sad for families that lost so much and for families that still have no power or water.
Pray for these families!


This is a tree in our front yard that was leaning toward our house right after the storm. Though the tree didn't fall during the storm, the roots began to lift out of the ground and the tree leaned a bit more toward our house. God is gracious.


This is the same tree on Sunday. With a little help from our friends, the tree was brought down without damaging our house. Those guys were amazing!


This is our grandson, Solomon, standing on our playground. A large tree on the side of our house fell during the storm right in the middle of the playground. It damaged our Rainbow playset but didn't touch the house. Amazing!

Support My Sons, Please! You will love it!

Tomorrow is the start of (son #4) Robbie's tour, Hope, Coffee and Melody.
An awesome evening of music, coffee and dialogue with my (son #1) Chris, who is on the road as well.
Also joining the tour are Alli Rogers and Chris Taylor, AMAZING singer songwriters in their own rights.

Check out the first few tour dates starting tomorrow in Dallas.
The band would love to see you!
If your city is not on here, check the Robbie Seay Band website for other dates.

Wednesday, September 10:

The Heights Baptist Church

201 West Renner Road

Richardson, TX 75080

7:00 pm

TICKETS - $8

Thursday, September 11
Common Grounds Coffee Shop
1123 8th St.
Waco Tx 76706
8pm
Tickets $10

Friday, September 12
Crossings Community Church
14600 North Portland Ave
Oklahoma City OK
7pm
Tickets $7

You can purchase tickets on www.itickets.com or at the door.
*College students are free if they print out something with the Hope, Coffee, Melody poster on it...from here or myspace.

Line up your babysitter, plan a date night, invite your friends...
It promises to be a great night of entertainment and inspiration!

5 Days ... 4 Kids... and a lot of fun!

Our daughter, Jenn and her husband, Rusty, went on a trip to Lake Louise, Canada to celebrate their 10th anniversary and we kept their 4 children for 5 days.

I must say that we are not as young or in good "toddler parenting" shape like we used to be. So... we are tired.

But we had a great time with our grandkids. On Day 1, we talked about some fun things we could do and Jax (age 6) proclaimed loudly - "My brain is overflowing with ideas!"


Day 1 we went to the mall - played in the play area - rode the merry-go-round - ate in the food court - and rode the Woodlands Waterway Boat. We had a great day!


Day 2 we went to the zoo. We met Chris and his 4 kids there. We had a picnic, saw the animals that were not offended by the heat and survived the humidity.
After leaving the zoo, we went to the Houstonian and swam in a great family pool with a water slide and had dinner poolside. The kids were great and we had a great time,

Today we have recovered - cleaned house and put all the furniture and decorations back in their proper place and in a way only recognized by grandparents we will begin to miss those special, little people.

Amazing Grandchildren

Can I just say (once again) that I have the most amazing grandchildren?

They are smart, funny, talented and creative.

Check out Emma's blog for some fascinating tales created by her. Emma will be 8 years old in September and will begin the 2nd grade in the next few days at the Bacak School of Higher Learning.

Watch for other features on other grandchildren.

This is where I get to brag whenever I want.

(and yes, that is a picture of all 15 grandchildren)

Seay Side

With a little help from my family and Vanessa with Butterfly Sparks Designs I am all new!

My new blog header really reflects what I love.

Thanks Rob and Liz for the Mother's Day gift. I love it!

I love the beach, the sound of the waves, sunrises and sunsets on the beach - we call it my "happy place".

Everyone needs one.

Where is your "happy place"?

Our Family and the Houston Astros

We have always been an "Astros family". When I was 11 years old I went to the very first Astros game played in the Astrodome. I thought that was the coolest thing ever. I still have the program to prove it.

When our kids were little we would go to the Astrodome with all of them - sit in the dollar seats (yes, they were $1 for Adults and 50 cents for kids) - take our picnic lunch and cooler of lemonade and hang out with the Astros. We loved it (well, maybe except for Jenn and eventually Jess.)

We continue the legacy with our grandkids and all the boys received Astros attire for their birthdays this year.

Rob had a great opportunity last week to attend the game - sit in the GOOD seats - meet and greet with some Astros players and tour the clubhouse. I guess maybe those are "rock star" benefits:) Here is a picture of Robbie, Ethan and Lance Berkman.

This is good stuff!

HELP! I'm having a Blog Identity Crisis

Let me say from the start that this post requires a comment, so please take a minute and help me out.

I'm tired of my Blog title. It fits - I do wear way too many hats = but nonetheless - I think I would like a new blog title!

The sad thing is this - I can't think of one.

My daughter in law, Liz, gave me a gift certificate to get a customized blog header and I'm really excited about that.
But it made me realize that I needed to settle the issue of what I want to call my blog and who I really am.
The blog header lady asks questions like - the colors - the text - the look - the feel. Wow was I overwhelmed.

I have trouble on those "I Am" things where you have to figure who you are and what you like - that worries me a lot.

Anyway, would you help me out and give me some feedback on this blog title thing.

I would really appreciate your help.

August Birthdays

It's August 4 and we have already celebrated two special birthdays.

Our #11 grandchild, Eliana August Seay, turned 4 years old on August 1. She celebrated with a Princess Tea Party.

Today my dad celebrated 75 years of life. Dad is a man that has served God for more than 50 years and loves his family passionately. He has 5 children, 12 grandchildren and 15 great-grandchildren. We are blessed to call him Dad and Poppa!

New Life Yellow Pages Ad

Recently New Life had a one-minute video done for our online Yellow Pages ad. Click here to view the video.
It would help us a lot if you would take a minute to leave a comment on the page by clicking on "Rate It".

Rock Star Preachers

The Houston Chronicle has made a list of 10 "rock star preachers" and my oldest son, Chris, is one of them.
Check out this link to see my rock-star son!
Scroll through to number 9 - the boxes below the picture - and you will find him.
I love being the mom to rock-star children. You've got to be proud!!!!

A Personal Assistant of the Virtual Kind

I am busier than I really want to be.

I want to delegate but often can't figure what to hand to someone else.

I wear many hats and never seem to complete my "to do" list.

I think I need a personal assistant.

This week I saw a story on the Today Show.

Check out a possible virtual assistant here

I might try it someday if I can figure out what to give them to do.

Celebrate Life all over again

Fifteen years ago today, my daugther, Jenn, had brain surgery to remove a tumor from her pituitary gland. You can read more about that day here - my post on this day last year.

It was a day to realize that life is fragile.

It was one of the hardest days of my life. Walking away from Jenn in the holding area - leaving her alone and scared - was devastating. They told us I could not be with her because she was 18 years old. Like that made her suddenly not need her Mom?!!!

God blessed us with a nurse that quickly saw the need for me to be with her and she came and found me ( I was actually crying hysterically in the ladies room at the time). I pray that there is never a time when she decides that she doesn't need her Mom.

God was gracious that day - He blessed us with a skilled surgeon and with dozens of friends and prayer warriors.

Jenn's recovery was difficult but 6 weeks later she left home for college (another hard day for a mom -especially when your daughter just had brain surgery).

I stand in awe of God's blessings on Jenn's life. Life has not been easy for her, but her trust has been in the Lord God!

Her life stands for Christ - her words direct you to Him - her kids will rise up and call her blessed.

I'm thankful today for Jenn and the life that God has given her.

Seay Family 4th of July Celebration

Make a Smilebox slideshow

You can press stop on the Playlist while you watch the slideshow:)

Tennesee Grandkids

I spent a few days earlier this week in Tennessee hanging out with my grandkids while Brian and Amy went to the Dominican Republic. You can read about their visit to several Compassion projects here.
The kids and I had a great time. We saw both Kung Fu Panda and WallE, went to the pool a couple of times, a trip to Target, Marble Slab and Olive Garden. They are growing up fast and we treasure opportunities to be with them.
Please remember Brian and Amy and their kids as they wait on information about their adoption in Ethiopia. We may know really soon about the little one that will become a part of our family.

Ed's 40th High School Reunion

Ed and I attended his 40th high school reunion this past weekend. I have never been to a high school reunion so I wasn't sure what to expect. Someone had told us that at the 20th reunion everyone is still trying to prove themselves and at the 40th they are all just happy to be there.
Ed was able to see some old friends. The ones pictures here - Donald and David (twins) - were his best friends from elementary school through high school. It was fun to see them.
As for the reunion, there was a lot of talk about putting on your glasses so you could see and speaking louder so you could here (most of it in fun, but not all of it).
What I can say for sure is that clean living pays off! Ed was the youngest looking one there!
The evening was topped off with Ed winning the prize for the most grandchildren. Go figure!!!! Way to go, babe!

Global Food Crisis and What we Can Do

My son, Brian works for Compassion International. Go to his blog to find out how you can be a part of the solution! Let's don't just sit and ignore the massive numbers of people who go to sleep at night hungry. We are a blessed people who need to step up and help in Jesus name.

The Curse of Perfectionism

Hard-headed, strong-willed, opinionated, pure melancholy, PERFECTIONIST
These are words that have been used to describe me during my lifetime.

I have lived life battling my perfectionism – struggling with expectations vs. reality. It felt like a curse.

Being a perfectionist can result in…
Disrespecting my husband - "why can't you be what I need you to be"
Impatience with others - "do it my way now"
Critical spirit - "no one knows how to do it right"
Missing the moment - so worried about things that we don't stop for the moment
Misplaced priorities- so worried about things that we don't put God and people at the top of the list
Caring more about what others think
Focusing more on what I am DOING for God rather than working on my relationship with God
Stress, stress, stress - Did you know that perfectionist have one of the highest rates for auto-immune diseases - IT AFFECTS THE BODY
Discontentment - life can never be what we want it to be; people can never be what we expect them to be.

If you struggle with "the curse", please know that God gifted you with your personality. It is what we allow Him to do with it that makes the difference. Perfectionism is all about ME - not necessarily about GOD. Learning to allow Him to take the ME part and direct it back to HIM is the answer. This is an ongoing process for me. It will always be the struggle between self and God. I have not arrived, but I am now experiencing what life can be like when I'm not trying to "do it all" - "be it all" - "fix it all".

If you are one of "these", I encourage you - give it up to God - the peace that you experience when you realize that you don't have to make EVERYTHING AND EVERYONE perfect is amazing. The relief that it doesn't have to be your job or that it is simply not that important is exhilarating.

Proverbs 3:5-12 (The Message)
5-12 Trust God from the bottom of your heart;
don't try to figure out everything on your own.
Listen for God's voice in everything you do, everywhere you go;
He's the one who will keep you on track.
Don't assume that you know it all.
Run to God! Run from evil!
Your body will glow with health,
your very bones will vibrate with life!
Honor God with everything you own;
give him the first and the best.
Your barns will burst,
your wine vats will brim over.
But don't, dear friend, resent God's discipline;
don't sulk under his loving correction.
It's the child he loves that God corrects;
a father's delight is behind all this.

Join me in recovery and tell me your story.

Happy Father's Day!

We are a blessed family to have an amazing Father. Ed has been a godly example for his sons and they now stand as incredible fathers to their children (a total of 15!). I am so proud of my son's and son-in-law. Though they travel or have jobs that require lots of time, they do all that they can to be present, to be helpful, to be teachers, to model character and to show the kind of love that every child needs.
I love you all!
Mom

Happy Father's Day!