Jeremiah 1:5
“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you,
before you were born I set you apart."
Some of where I come from was Wales, UK.
(Left) great grandmother Charles (maternal) with her daughter and new husband, plus other family members.
My mother with her five children. I am in front on the right.
Looking at this photo today I realised all of our body language is tilted towards our mother. We were all very close to her.
Mum taught us a faith by example.
Our life revolved around God.
The country home we grew up in south western New South Wales.
My sister stands outside and I took this photo with her brownie camera.
This sister has always been my best encourager in my faith, she has never wavered.
Our background can form us for better or worse.
I came from a strong Christian background and for this I am thankful.
However, ultimately it is up to us and our choices as to where we go in life.
Today it is popular to pass the blame for doing the wrong thing onto someone else.
When I grew up we made the best of our lives and if it went wrong we shouldered our own responsibility.
There was no passing the buck.
I have made good choices and bad ones, the same as you.
Learning lessons is what has been important.
Growing in wisdom and maturity, knowing when you are wrong and admitting it, and asking and accepting forgiveness, makes for a healthy life.
No one is perfect.. I certainly am not!!!
I get distressed sometimes when people judge.
They think I have the perfect life and it is all together,
just because I laugh much of the time.
Not So....!!
What I do have is a strong unwavering faith.
A faith instilled in me from a child.
Some children choose to turn away. I choose to stay.
Genesis 8:1, And God Remembered.................(Us)!!
From eight to eighteen years of age. I grew up without a father.
This was no excuse for me to do the wrong thing.
I was not forgotten. Because God remembered.
You are not forgotten either.
God Always Remembers!!!
Good morning my dear,
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for showing your precious family photos. I loved your post as always.
Sending love and blessings,
Junexxx
Nice post, Crystal. It's hard to go wrong sharing our pasts, since we all have them! I've heard it said that those of us who laugh a lot are using laughter to cover our pain. I guess there might be some truth to it, since I've always gone by the old saying that we either laugh or we cry. I choose to laugh.
ReplyDeleteHi June,Good to see you. xxx
ReplyDeleteHi Gorges, Yes, so true, if I laugh hard enough I don't cry. hugs.
This is a beautiful post - the pictures make it personal. I love what you have written. You are so correct in what you share - we all have a choice. Yes...I totally agree. I love reading your posts, and your comments - always so helpful and so positive. Faith in the One True God really works no matter what our circumstances have been.
ReplyDeleteI wonder why the Heart of Worship did not open for you... it works just fine on my pc. ANyway will you please try this YouTube link...the song version with the lovely photos is so uplifting:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PH-snsXw1as&feature=related
Have a blessed weekend.
Much love to you
Lidj
Love the photographs! The one of you and your mother is my favorite. Really nice blog, and I enjoyed what your wrote on your profile, so glad I was able to come by and check it out!
ReplyDeleteHello Crystal Mary,
ReplyDeleteLovely photos to be cherished and treasured. It is amazing how time flies and we are left with fond memories of the past.
It is true even if someone is brought up as a Christian, the person can go astray.A lot depends on the way the parents bring us up.
In the modern days the youth is flushed with money and they think money is the most important thing in this world.Besides, scientific inventions and many theories misguide them.
Best wishes,
Joseph
Oh dear Chrystal Mary again, a most inspiring post. I too grew up without a father. God blessed us with several wonderful father figures. Our uncles and the fabulous doctor our mother worked for. She never remarried because she believed she was married to our father for life. She did fall in love with someone else, but would never consider marriage. She loved our father til the day she died. I would have grown up very bitter without her example of faith and loyalty to that faith. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteQMM
I love to see your pictures and hear about your background.
ReplyDeleteGlad you stuck with your upbringing!
sandie
I spent the day with my sister - today was her birthday. There's no substitute for family, and knowing our roots and heritage. Thank you for sharing your wonderful family photos. And the reminder that the God of the Universe calls Himseld our father. xo
ReplyDeleteNice post Crystal mary. Once family passes away, all we have are the memories and photos.
ReplyDeleteLovely story, and wonderful photo's of your family,
ReplyDeleteI would say you have a 'good' life for there was so much love and faith going on,,,, it is the treasures of the heart that we carry with us that is the real value and what is ours, the rest falls away.
Wish I had a 'brownie camera' they took the best black and whites,,,,
joanny
What a lovely set of photographs.
ReplyDeleteEnjoyed going through them and reading about it.
I enjoyed seeing all of these lovely photos. Your mother is so very beautiful in the photo with you. I love her dress style. all the photos are lovely and each would hold so many memories for you.
ReplyDeleteYou are right in that we all make mistakes, none of us are perfect but we do need to own these mistakes and act on that, not excuse them.
It is good to have all these lovely memories. The photo with your mother and the five children is wonderful. No money ever can replace the love you got. Anyway, nobody is above not having made mistakes, we learned from them. Mothers are different; they are angels in training! smile. T.
ReplyDeleteOh wow, Crystal...these are amazing photos!!! And also, how interesting that everyone was leaning toward your mom...how totally precious!!!
ReplyDeleteXO
love your photos! You are very pretty. =) You are a great encouragement to me. Thank you! =)
ReplyDeleteSometimes to understand who we are and where we are going, we need to look back. You indeed were blessed to have a mother's love and her faith to witness to you. I am sorry that you lacked an earthly father, but it is evident that your heavenly father has never let go!
ReplyDeleteHappy Spiritual Sunday.
Great post. What you say is so very true. I love the photograph of your mother holding you when you were a little girl. Precious!
ReplyDeleteYou are so lovely in that photo of the five of you with your mother. It's a great and heartwarming photo.
ReplyDeleteHi Crystal Mary,
ReplyDeleteThank you sharing family photos. It really adds a personal touch to your post. I think that no matter how one is raised, we ultimately begin making independent choices for our lives. For some, the heritage of faith remains a foundation upon which they live. For others, exchanging a lifestyle of futility for a life of faith and devotion to Christ can occur later. Finally, some may never acknowledge the light that illuminates in the lives of others who stand as witnesses to saving faith.
I am grateful that in my darkest hour, the light of Jesus guided me out of darkness.
Blessings and peace.
MTJ
What lovely photos! And a lovely story of family and faith. Isn't LOVE the greatest gift? Bless you Crystal Mary.
ReplyDeleteHi Crystal Mary - I'm also thankful for my spiritual heritage...for my parents and grandparents who knew Christ as Savior and pointed me in the right direction. They weren't perfect, but they served the perfect Savior.
ReplyDeleteBlessings,
Joan
Mary, what a beautiful testimony to faith you shared! I stand on my faith too, it's all that I had at times and at times I have wavered, for periods and still can question "why, how, really" today but as you say, "God does not forget us." My favorite photo of this post, is the 2nd one of you and your Mom; you look so pensive even then. Lovely photos...Blessed thoughts.
ReplyDeleteThis is a great post, Crystal Mary. Not only is it full of poignant memories and gorgeous vintage pictures but it is packed with truth for all of us to learn from.
ReplyDeleteLove,
Dianne
I'm so glad you didn't forsake your faith and I'm glad you're sharing it with us here on your blog. Thank you for sharing your beautiful family with us too.
ReplyDeleteBlessings,
Charlotte
I think the greatest line in your post today was that your mom "taught you faith by example." That is so big. Now that I am a mother myself, I can see how important it is to make my life be consistent between the outside and inside my home. Little eyes on me know the difference, and I want to make a difference like your mom. Thank you for posting this today.
ReplyDeleteCarrie
Thank-you for sharing this testimony with us. We are not perfect and praise the Lord because he forgives us.
ReplyDeleteGod Bless,
Ginger
My husband has told me many time that if we were supposed to live in the past it would be our present and he is so right. My mother also lived her faith and led us all by example. Have a blessed Sunday.
ReplyDeleteCrystal Mary,
ReplyDeleteYou always inspire me. Always. God bless you.
Joey
Thank you for sharing this wonderful post with these nice pictures and God's Word!!!
ReplyDeleteGod's Blessings to you, and everyone!!!
Lon
great family pictures. and a nice message. too little people accept responsability for their own decisions. and some will never learn anything in this life. i know my good deeds and my failures. i could have turned out so differently, in a bad way. i chose to live according to a certain code of ethics. not one you can label, but one that makes senses to me.
ReplyDelete:)~
HUGZ