I miss my dad...he has been gone for 24 years now, but I still long to sit and talk with him and chat about the day.  I want to tell him about the kids and ask his advice.  Sometimes selfishly, I wish he was here to make me something for the house (he was a wonderful craftsman). I cherish anything he has made for me from a stool to the bookcase.  I'd like to tell him I understand NOW about so many things he told me  He once said about my husband that he could not have chosen any one better for me. He was so right about that!

Randil Munson Sr.

Mom and Dad on New Year's Eve 1972!

                                                                 



My dad believed in hard work and paying cash for things. He believed in excellence in whatever he did. He got dirty at work, but always cleaned himself up meticulously each evening. I always said my mom had it easy because she did not have to pick up after him! The lessons I learned from him are innumerable.

 He was not known for patience. however he made up for it by being loving and encouraging.  He was a WW II veteran. He must have made an impact on his men because two of them named their sons after him. We can learn so much from this generation.


He did not go to college, but was a very intelligent man. He was the one I went to for help with math. He encouraged education and sacrificed to send my brother and myself to college. 

Little Joshua and my dad

He got cancer because of his work with asbestos and developed mesothelioma (you've seen the ads). It was hard watching him suffer. He and I had the opportunity for some good talks though.
In the last year of his life he developed  faith in Jesus.  It was right before Christmas on this date in 1987 when he left his earthly life to enter into his heavenly home. I remember having a peace that passes all understanding because I knew that one day we will be together again for eternity.
 Merry Christmas Daddy!

"By grace you  have been saved through faith;  not of yourselves,  It is the gift of God, not as a result of works that no one should boast." Eph. 2:8,9

It's never been and question of "if"...

Joshua's graduation

Friday night we celebrated my son Joshua's graduation from Anderson University. He received a card from his close friends that said, It's never been a question of "if" . It's always been a matter of "when"... and NOW is your time... congratulations!  How perfect is this sentiment?  Anyone who knows my son knows he is one of the friendliest people you will ever meet. He knows twice the number of people in Anderson that his dad and I know. Some people even nickname him "Mr. Mayor". He has worked hard since he was 15 years old and done well.  School on the other hand just was not his thing.  He hated reading and studying.  He loved going to class and socializing. As a result it has taken him a lot longer to attain his degree.  However, his perseverance and determination to finish has given him the reward.

We watched our son walk across that stage with the biggest smile, greet and receive his degree from the President of the university (who of course he knows). Dr. Whitaker said, "You made it, congratulations".
He was beaming and we as his parents were as well.  I thought about how long it took to adopt him. We named him Joshua because it was such a battle to get him!  Just like the Joshua from scripture he had to trust that God would be with him to defeat his foe (in our son's case ADHD).

Today I was thinking that when life is not easy the victories are that much sweeter. Randy said Joshua's unseen strength was his perseverance. The way I see it that virtue can be a huge benefit in this life. It is the kind of lesson that can not be taught, but experienced. I can hear him now encouraging others to not give up but stay the course. Who better to share it than someone who has lived it !

"Let us run with patient endurance and steady and active perseverance the appointed race that is set before us." Hebrews 12:1

Gingerbread, a parade, a castle, tea = Fun Memories

 A few weeks ago Maria and I had the opportunity to go to Asheville, NC on an adventure! Through a series of events we were given tickets to the Biltmore House that someone else could not use and we were the only ones who could go. So off we dashed with our GPS in place and excitement in our hearts .

 Our hotel

We stayed overnight in downtown Asheville and planned our next day's activities with anticipation of the sites we would see the next day! We walked downtown and went to the Asheville Christmas Parade.

We drove to the Grove Park Inn for the annual National Gingerbread Contest. Grove Park Inn is somewhere I have always heard about and wanted to go visit. It did not disappoint! The Inn itself is nestled in the mountains and it has a breathtaking view. The gingerbread houses were beautiful. It was also FREE !

First Place Winner

Grove Park Inn

We still had time so we ventured over to Biltmore Village for some afternoon tea at Chelsea's Tea Room.

Maria enjoying afternoon tea!

Then it was time to head over to the Biltmore House. It was built by George Vanderbilt in  1895 as a wedding present for his wife. I never get tired of visiting this magnificent house. How special it was to see it by candlelight.

The library

Breakfast Room

There are 8,000 acres and over 250 rooms in the house. In the spring and summer the gardens are beautiful.

We had a wonderful 24 hours of laughing, talking about life, getting lost, and bonding as mother and daughter. Sometimes we plan and plan certain events in our lives and other times we just have to be spontaneous so we do not miss out on the blessings God has planned for us. I am so thankful for the wonderful memories of  our little adventure in Asheville.

An Attitude of Gratitude !

I was always taught the importance of writing thank you notes. At times it was a burden (like when I had hundreds to write when I got married), but mostly it is a joy to thank people for being thoughtful over their acts of service, hospitality or  a gift. Of course, when I had children I taught them to write thank you notes as well. I can remember how they would painstakingly write their notes when they were young.

Thank you cards from the 3rd grade!

Last week I went to New Covenant School to share about my trip to Guatemala this summer with my daughters. I spoke to K5-12th grade students and tried to keep ages 5-18 equally interested in my presentation. I loved seeing the kids again and sharing what God is doing in Guatemala and in our lives as well.

Mrs. Lamb's class

Today I received thank you notes from Mrs. Lamb's third grade class. I am not ashamed to admit I just cried as I read their sweet words to me. Some of the students I had in kindergarten and it was great to see how well they are writing now. It makes me feel happy to know I helped teach them how to form their alphabet letters and write their names . Even those I did not teach said how they would have liked to have had me as their teacher. I would have loved it too.There was such sweet innocence in their messages to me.It just made my heart feel full !

Psalm 92:1 says, "It is good to give thanks to the Lord..." so I am thanking Him for teachers like Mrs. Lamb who are teaching children to have an attitude of gratitude and for the children who brightened my day beyond measure!

Firecrackers for Carolina !

There is a custom in Guatemala where firecrackers are thrown at the doorstep of the birthday child at midnight. I guess it is to wake them up to say, "Feliz Cumpleanos". Although we did not do the midnight firecrackers, there will be some fireworks later this evening to celebrate- Carolina (pronounced car-o-lena)

Lacea (named after Randy's mom) Roh  as she celebrates her 20th year today!  What a blessing she is to us !

Carolina loves animals especially Brinkley!

She loves the beach!

She's got sass!

She's quite a lass!

Happy 20th birthday !

" I just met a girl named Maria!"

What a bundle of giggles and love she brought to us!

Whenever I hear the song "Maria" from West Side Story I think of my Maria. The moment I met her I was never the same again. She has brought so much joy, laughter, and love to our home. She was our bonus baby. We did not plan on adding two daughters, but God in His infinite wisdom knew we needed Maria in our family as well.

Maria's Quinceanera !

Maria is a good little sis!

She is the biggest OSU fan !!!

Maria is an artist and loves to read.

Maria, that name will never be the same to me.

Until we meet again...

The purpose of taking this trip to Guatemala with our girls was to help them connect with their birth country. They did not have a lot of memories of Guatemala and we thought it would be important to make new memories and discover for themselves what Guatemala was like. We wanted them to be mission minded and serve while they were here as well.

Most people were friendly !

Stray dogs are plentiful !

One of the girls said that she learned that people work hard here to earn a living.

People are creative and talented !

The clothes are colorful .

Tortillas are a main staple!

The food was delicious !

The children are beautiful !

There were some beautiful views!

Carolina cutting hair !

Maria said she learned more about herself by coming here. She now says that when she is late to go somewhere it is because... "I'm Guatemalan". LOL  

Yes, there are cultural differences, there is poverty, malnutrition, crime, prejudice,lack of education, and corruption. I also experienced how much alike we are... the need for love, security, food, shelter, friendship, and family are all universal. 

As we said adios to our new and old friends I knew that my girls would one day return. We always taught them to be proud of their heritage and to love America. I discovered that I too wanted to return (next time with Randy). I am proud to be American, but I have come to love their birth country as well.
Hasta luego Guatemala....until we meet again !

Birthplaces

We took a day and visited where Carolina and Maria were born. As we started to leave the Highland area one of the first things we noticed was the vegetation changed. 

We started to go into a tropical area where there are banana trees, coconuts, and pineapples. We went to Maria's birthplace first called Mazaltenago. This is a town of about    44,000  people.

Outdoor cafes on the way to Mazatenago

We drove around the town and let Maria take in all of the sites. Now we were off to Amatitlan where Carolina was born. This town is around 77,000 people.

 

It began to rain, but we wanted to see Lake Amatitlan which is the main attraction in this town. We found this pretty lake . It was special to think that Carolina probably was here at this lake when she was a child. She and Maria love coconuts so we bought some from this man who had a stand at the lake.

 

The girls with coco frios!

It was a day full of many miles traveled, but it was worth it !