My Heart Is Full

We have a new addition here in the Ricker family, but I can not introduce her until I introduce her big brother and big sister. Noah is my oldest and will be three in a month. I can honestly say that he was the very first red head I have ever fallen in love with. Well, I guess that is not true since his daddy had his color of hair at his age, so that makes him the second red head to fall in love with. He is in fact though the first little boy to ever steal my heart. From the time that I was pregnant with him, I knew that he loved music. I would be in church worshiping the Lord and he would be kicking to the beat of whatever song was playing. I was amazed then and even more amazed now. We can't listen to music with out Noah shaking his head, moving his hands, or running and dancing all around. He loves to play his electric or acoustic guitar and sing about farm animals or my favorite " Jesus Loves Me". He is at full speed from the time he wakes up to the time he lays his head down to sleep. He never slows down, nor can I. And as much energy and patience it takes to keep up with the little guy, I love him more each day.
Which leads me to my girl Myah. When I got pregnant with her (Noah was 5 1/2 months old...yikes) I really questioned if I would be able to love her as much as her big brother. But when she was placed in my arms, all of the doubt just melted away! She has brought joy and laughter, and a more tender love to all of our family. She is a girl through and through. We can't talk to her as firm as we do with Noah, we have to be a little bit more gentle. And when we tell her no, most of the times she gets it, which was a new found glory after my boy! Sometimes I thought things might have been easier if she had been born first. She could have helped tamed her brother a little and helped to bring out some of the nurturing side in him. But God knew that she needed, and would absolutely adore her big brother. She is tough, real tough. She has been through more bumps and bruises in her first year and a half of life than most girls, thanks to her big brother. She is by far one of the best little communicators for her age as well. I haven't kept up with her first words since they became sentences shortly after. She is like a little parrot, and you have to watch what you say around her. And that saying " Daddy's little girl" is definitely true for this one. When he comes home from work, he picks her up, and she lays her head on his shoulder until the moment he puts her down. She knows who she has wrapped around her finger. She has made her daddy more compassionate, and softened his heart more than I could have imagined. And our absolute favorite thing that she does right now is patting someone on the back and saying " You o.k. ... You o.k. ?" I love her more each day too!
And now for our newest addition " Baby Leah". She is a lot quieter than the other two, except for when she is hungry, and still sleeps a lot. Believe me , I am not complaining. We have been blessed with another beautiful little princess. When she is awake, you can see her beautiful dark blue eyes, and her little smile melts your heart. She loves to be held, especially by me. Her big brother and sister love and adore her. They ask every morning "Where's Baby Leah?" Noah loves to snuggle up beside her and rub his nose against hers. Myah loves to kiss her and tickle her feet. It has only been a little over two months now and none of us could imagine our lives with out her.
How quickly our family has grown. I never dreamed of having three children in less than three years. But I am so glad that my Heavenly Father had it in His. And though I feel tired and weary most days, my heart is so full.

Song of Hope

There are so many questions, that we have in life, that may never be answered. The tragedy and pain that some people go through is unexplainable. Like the loss of a life or the absence thereof. Regardless of where we are in life, we all come to a place where we need to be reminded that God still cares. We need to be reminded that God is near. Tonight, these words came to me in the form of a song and I felt like I needed to share it.

So many questions

That can not be answered

So much pain

That can not be erased

But I know Your Word says

You still love me

That's why I still believe

You hold My heart

In Your hand

You know my beginning and end

And all the pain and the tears in between

You hold my heart

In Your hand

So give me the strength Lord

To hold on to Your light

To let go of all darkness

And embrace Your life

You hold my heart

In Your hand

You know my beginning and end

And all the pain and the tears in between

You hold my heart

In Your hand

The beauty of God's awesomeness is that while it takes us humans two hands to hold on to something, it only takes God one. He can envelope our hearts with one hand.

Rejoicing in Heaven

So as I sit and think about what my very first post will be on my blog, I can't stop thinking about something that happened last week that is so worthy of telling. About a year ago my grandfather, known as Grandpa Fred, and step grandmother Barbara has retired to the Brunswick area from Miami, Fl. My family was so glad to finally have extended family live close by. This past week my grandfather had to go to the hospital, and my mother called her church (Christian Renewal) to put him on the prayer chain. The secretary said that she would have one of the pastors go by and visit him. Pastor Ligon went up to the hospital shortly after my mother's phone call. After a while, my father received a phone call from Pastor Ligon, and the words that he spoke to my father were the most redemptive and divine. His pastor told him that he saw his father in the hospital and he prayed with him to receive Jesus as his Lord and Savior. I can only imagine the emotions that my father felt in that moment. Tears of joy and a heart overwhelmed with gratefulness of God's amazing love and grace. My grandfather, now 82 years old, has finally surrendered his life to the Lord and the scales have been removed from his eyes! And in that moment, not only was my father rejoicing, but the angels in heaven were rejoicing with him, with all of my family! One step of obedience, a simple visit to the hospital equals a joyful celebration for the Gabelman family, and one huge party in heaven! We should never underestimate the small things that God asks us to do. We never know, we might spark a party in heaven!

Luke 15:10

In the same, way I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of angels of God over one sinner who repents.