Happy Thanksgiving!

Whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. Colossians 3:17


I woke up this morning with a grateful, thankful heart. I have so much to be thankful for... I give God all the praise and glory for all I have and have experienced. Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family. Chances are, if you are taking the time to read this you have impacted my life in some way. Thank you and may God's blessings be upon you.

Thank you, Lord, for:
the hope I have in Jesus and my eternal future
the FREE gift of my salvation
Michael Denis Riley II, the love of my life
Elizabeth
Luke
Isaiah
Elijah
Emma and the precious time I had singing to her and the opportunity to hold her this side of eternity
the privilege of holding Emma while You lovingly held out Your hands for her
the years I had with a loving mom and dad
time I get to spend with my brother and his family
Wednesday mornings with my precious friend, Julie
Starbucks!
turkey
a new church home where my children are loved
extended family
friends
world missions and all that is being done to reach unbelievers
the time we had at FamilyLife
our time in Arkansas
my precious cousin, Christa, who I am convinced should have been my sister :)
trials I have walked through
a roof over my head
an automobile to drive
food to nourish me (& the indulgences!)
flowers, sun, rain, snow, blue skies, cloudy skies, green grass
the sound of the ocean
a bed to sleep in and clean clothes to wear
running HOT water
the time we spent in El Salvador
the opportunity I had to be with my mom, daughter, and dad as they slipped into eternity
the sounds of little voices and the feeling of little arms wrapped around the neck
sweet little kisses from my kiddos
sweet big kisses from my honey bunches of oats
laughter, tears
family time
the first Thanksgiving of the pilgrims and Indians
the fact that our country was founded on Christian values
modern medicine and technology
Most of all, I am thankful for the opportunity to live and breathe and to be here in a time such as now. I pray that I live my life with integrity and have a positive impact on those around me. I pray that my legacy will be one of great faith.

Happy Thanksgiving! Blessings to you as you take time to reflect on God's blessings in your life.

God's Goodness

I have been thinking a lot about God's goodness recently. I think more appropriately, it should be His mercy and grace.
I go back about seven and a half years ago to when I went into preterm labor and loved on a one pound baby who now sits with her Creator. I think about a dad dying from cancer and being reconciled with him 2 months before he departed this earth. I think about moving back to Indiana from Arkansas and leaving a life I had come to love. I think about how others have responded to my children in an unloving manner.
I look at all of those yucky situations and I see the good that God brought from the ruins. In the midst of those situations I could honestly say "God is Good!" In the midst of the storm, I made a point to say "Thank You, Lord, for allowing me to go through this!" I have noticed that when something great happens one of the first things out of a person's mouth is "God is good!" Are they as quick to say God is good in the midst of turmoil? Don't get me wrong... I agree 100% that He is good. However, isn't God good, ALL the time, even in the bad times??? To say or believe otherwise is to discredit the very nature of God.

I think, too often, people have a skewed view of our Creator. A friend once presented it this way: "We see God as holding us on His lap and us stroking his beard, kind of like Santa Claus. We forget about God's wrath and punishment." Isn't that so true for many? He allows us to walk through the valleys to build us, to grow our character. Romans 5:3 Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.

God is Good, ALL the time... not just during the good times!!!

My time

When I created this blog I fully intended to update more often than once a month...
That was not knowing how much time and effort it would take to get through this semester of school. MDR is working his regular job plus teaching 3 evenings a week. I am taking Anatomy/Physiology on Thursday mornings and shuttling kids to and fro. I am not complaining. We are just busy, which reminds me of an acrostic I once saw.
BUSY: Being Under Satan's Yoke. Isn't that the truth!? The busyness of everyday tends to over run everything else...sometimes (often times) to the point I fail to even ask Christ to be the center of the day.
Most recent, I had pushed Him aside so far that I could not concentrate. I had a test last week. I should have been studying on one particular morning but I could not concentrate for anything. I knew what was going on. God was trying to beckon me. I wanted to ignore Him, but it didn't work, thankfully! I put down my book and fell to my knees over the bed. Tears flowing harder than they have in a long time, I had what I call a purge session. I confessed every know sin I had been harboring plus asked for more to be revealed. It was a true outpouring from my heart. For the first time in a long time, I was open and broken to His leading. He led me to pray for my family, especially my precious, Elizabeth. I had a fresh perspective. It was great. I pray God will help me be disciplined to do that everyday.
I thank God for that day... each and every day, actually. When I wake up I utter, "Thank you for a new day, another day of life, give me strength, this is the day You have made, get me through it." I truly do love the Lord and desire for others to know His grace, mercy, and forgiveness.

BUSY!

I am still alive! Since school has started we have been going and going! I believe this is the first weekend I can actually sleep in (for a little bit). This is what a normal week looks like for the Riley's right now.

Sunday: church, relax and nap

Monday: up at 6, get kids up at 7 and off to school at 8, Elijah to pre-k at 8:45
laundry, study, possibly work out, pick up Elijah at 11:15, kids home at 2:45, orchestrate homework for 3, prepare dinner, Elizabeth gets picked up for Girls on the Run by 5:30, Luke to football practice by 5:30. Luke finishes at 7, Elizabeth at 6:45, all the while MDR is teaching from 4:30-?

Tuesday: Breathe! up at 6, get up at 6, get kids up at 7 and off to school at 8, Elijah to pre-k at 8:45, laundry, study, possibly work out, pick up Elijah at 11:15, kids home at 2:45, orchestrate homework for 3, prepare dinner, study and spend time with the kids while MDR teaches 4:30-?

Wednesday:up at 5, meet with Julie (my accountability partner) get home at 8, kids leave for school at 8, Elijah to pre-k at 8:45 laundry, study, possibly work out, pick up Elijah at 11:15, kids home at 2:45, orchestrate homework for 3, prepare dinner, get MDR to the high school by 4:30 to teach, pick up Emily to ride with Elizabeth to Girls on the Run by 5:30, pick up the girls at 6:45 and MDR if we are lucky....go back later if not! Does anyone out there have a spare car you would like to get rid of!? Second Wednesday of each month I play Bunco at 7.

Thursday: Kids out the door a few minutes earlier than normal, I leave for class (8-11:50), MDR gets Elijah to preschool. After class arrange pickup for Elijah.
Go home and collapse for a little bit. Kids home, homework, supper, and I think we stay home....MDR takes Luke to football practice.

Friday:Kids out the door for school and I stay home all day with Elijah. (his pre-k is only M-Th.

Saturday: morning is Luke's football which is wrapping up soon!

I am working hard at this anatomy class and is pretty much all I am doing this weekend. There is a lot of memorization. My first test is in two weeks. I find myself doing a lot of praying and asking for recall and the ability to remember details. Hopefully, it won't be a month before my next post!

Riley Randomness

The past couple of weeks have flown by. My last post was about Granny. Her funeral went smoothly and it was nice to meet some extended family and see others. Elizabeth has continued to process all of this. In the meantime, we have been giving Grandma and Grandpa room to grieve, but must confess the kids are having Grandma and Grandpa withdraws!

I ordered my anatomy/physiology book and lab manual. I never cease to be amazed at how much textbooks cost! Over $300 for those pups!! Now, I need to get a new cd/dvd thing for my laptop along with a new battery. Thank goodness MDR is teaching 3 classes this semester!!

It is hard to believe the kids start back next week. This summer (year for that matter)has flown by in a quick blink. Usually, it feels like summer drags. Even though we haven't been anywhere "fun" the kids have had a good time. Elizabeth, Luke, and Isaiah got a taste of church camp for the first time. They LOVED it! They can hardly wait for NEXT summer! Hilltop left wonderful first impressions and memories for the kiddos. Various Vacation Bible Schools filled most of the summer.

Luke began football practice and has his first game this Saturday. It is always so much fun watching him do something he enjoys so much. And he is good at it. Actually, he is good at about every sport he has tried. Elizabeth and Isaiah chose not to play soccer this fall. Is it wrong to say I am thrilled about that??
Isaiah is begging to do violin lessons and Elizabeth wants to do swimming and diving. Elizabeth also wants to try out for Parkside basketball this fall.

This week and next are filled with back to school doctor appointments that were put off to the last minute. Elizabeth goes today for a follow up from an ER visit. Elijah gets his 5 year/school shots today. I go tomorrow for a routine physical, tetanus booster, and to have a skin spot checked out. (can't be over cautious with those kind of things!) Next week Luke goes for his wellness checkup and chicken pox booster. Elizabeth will see a podiatrist for her flipper flat feet. (Unfortunately, that is a dominant Risser trait!)She has absolutely no arch and almost walks on her ankle like my dad did.

I have continued to stay caught up with laundry which was my biggest goal this summer! I try to do one to two loads each day. Sometimes I can skip a day. (I enjoy that!)

It is 10:30 and I am still sitting here in my pajamas. I am so looking forward to being back on a daily schedule! If you are still reading this, thank you, and I am sorry for boring you to death!