Reposted to celebrate Mother’s Day, my rich heritage and the gift of my godly mom-in-law. This is the brief overview of a life well lived. For a more in-depth story of her life see my blog from January 24, 2022
My mother-in-law lived to be 100 years old. She was born on the heels of WWI and the Pandemic known as the Spanish Flu. As a teenager, she lived through the depression, and as that era was ushered out, she became a bride with a bright future.
Just as the dread of WWII was looming, she became a mother of a son. And in the wake of Pearl Harbor, she became the mother to a baby girl. In the throes of a world in a complete upheaval, she gave birth to another baby girl who was whisked away from her “too weak to live.” Still reeling from the loss of her baby girl, she received the news that her only brother, a pilot, was shot down in the Battle of the Bulge on Christmas Eve 1944.
Sadly, her story was not completely rare in that time period. I can’t help thinking that this changed the makeup of her constitution and that of our whole country.
So this morning as I received news of yet another friend losing his job, and looked at the numbers of more precious souls leaving this earth, and the craziness in our economy, I turned on “Grandma’s Playlist” on my Amazon Music account and realized how she not only survived but blossomed into a beautiful tree planted by the rivers of water.
Here are the songs on her play list… If you don’t know them, look them up and take a listen. These songs were all written in times of great uncertainty and pain, yet with the hope not in our government but in our Savior. In this order… Yeah… you can cry with me… you know who you are… you already are:
I Need Thee Every Hour
I Surrender All
God Will Take Care of You
No One Ever Cared for me Like Jesus
Leaning on the Everlasting Arms
Take my Life and Let it Be
Victory in Jesus
Rock of Ages
Tis So Sweet to Trust in Jesus
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Published by Keri Willis
My name is Keri Willis. I am a semi-retired educator. I spent a great deal of my career working with adults with developmental disabilities and many years in elementary education, in the classroom and as an administrator. My main ministry now is coordinating the women’s ministry for our church in San Diego, CA. I have been married thirty-four years and have two grown and married children. I now have a head of full grey hair and good ideas.
I believe we are created to use our gifts and to be creative. That comes in many forms for me. I love to woodwork and use power tools, design, decorate, garden, and create new recipes. And I love to write. One major lesson I have learned in my writing journey is that I need to be still and listen to hear God’s voice before I am prepared to put into words the message he has instilled in my heart. This has been much easier since I am no longer working full time, but it is so easy to get distracted and not listen, which almost always ends with an empty page in the form of writer’s block.
While I have written many articles for newsletters and local newspapers, I did not consider myself a writer until I self-published my first book, Teapots and Power Tools. https://www.amazon.com/Teapot.../dp/1466458763/ref=sr_1_3...
The idea emerged as I was working on a project in my garage. I had worship music playing, power tools out and saw dust flying. I glanced up and saw my delicate teapot sitting on my router table. The message was clear. Sometimes we are using the power tools God gives us and sometimes he just wants us to be still and have tea with him. The book became the foundation for a women’s retreat, and then my amazing niece helped me work through publishing it on Create Space (now KDP).
At least five other projects are in different stages of production. I joined hope*writers to help motivate me and keep me focused and accountable. I am still trying to figure out the whole website and blog thing. That is my next goal for myself; that and finish writing at least one of my projects!
Teapots and Power Tools: Effectively using the tools God has equipped you with, while taking time to “Be Still and Know That He is God”
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