Mom's Musings: Aunt Clarice Boren Chastain

Aunt Clarice B. Chastain at our Boren/Stanley Reunion
in March 2009, Grassy Pond
(01/18/24--11/28/09)

Our family lost a dear member this past week...Aunt Clarice is no longer with us, but with our LORD!
Her character was bright, like the meaning of her name! Her life, a joyful melody, as I remember. She was a happy soul!
She left us with happy memories!!
Last year she was diagnosed with cancer, and although it finally took her life, she purposed to not succumb to it's defeat!
She left us VICTORIOUS!!
I pray for her three sons and their wives, her grandchildren, and great-grandchildren....
It doesn't seem very long ago that we lost Uncle Paul as well.
I'm sure her children and children's children are feeling a great loss!
Uncle Paul and Aunt Clarice had an enduring marriage!! What a blessing!
I'm very grateful there are still other marriages like theirs in our family!
Although this loss is great and difficult, I know we will watch God's hand at work, and trust all He allows!

"There is no music in a rest, but there is the making of music in it. In our whole life-melody, the music is broken off here and there by 'rests', and we foolishly think we have come to the end of time. God sends a time of forced leisure---sickness, disappointed plans, frustrated efforts---and makes us a sudden pause in the choral hymn of our lives and we lament that our voices must be silent, and our part missing in the music which ever goes up to the ear of the Creator.
How does the musician read the rest? See him beat time with unvarying count and catch up the next note true and steady, as if no breaking place had come between. Not without design does God write the music of our lives. But be it ours to learn the time and not be dismayed at the 'rests'. They are not to be slurred over, nor to be omitted, not to destroy the melody, not to change the keynote. If we look up, God Himself will beat time for us. With the eye on Him we shall strike the next note full and clear" (written by John Ruskin more than a hundred years ago).

More importantly...

"...The LORD will command his lovingkindness in the daytime, and in the night his song shall be with me, and my prayer unto the God of my life" (Psalm 42:8).

Thank you Jesus for the life and legacy of Aunt Clarice...the melody of her life resonates in my heart!

Happy Thanksgiving!! Happy Thanksliving!!

I am grateful this morning for ALL that we are and have!
We're together, we're redeemed, we're healthy, we're happy, we're clothed, we abound...

Our children, even Mark, are all in a whirl of activity to dress and collect their 'STUFF' for the
impending day at Aunt Faye & Uncle Jim's farm.
Uncle Jim is no longer with us, but we're very mindful of him.
His life and legacy is close at heart!

Thou has given so much to me,
Give one thing more, a grateful heart...
...I cry, and cry again,
And in no quiet canst thou be,
Till I a thankful heart obtain
of Thee.

Not thankful when it pleaseth me,
As if Thy blessings had spare days;
But such a heart whose pulse may be
Thy praise.

George Herbert

The Smith House, Dahlonega, GA

The weather was beautiful the day we visited Dahlonega's town square. Part of our family chose not to go into town, but to the woods instead. Those of us that went 'to town' had more fun, shopping and eating fudge and ice cream. The rest of our hot and sweaty family joined up with us later for more good food.
Mark and I broke away from the group early in the day to walk to our special honeymoon spot...The Smith House, (view link 'Our History') to look around and enjoy being there. It was here that we stayed the second night of our honeymoon 22 years ago (I'll never forget the message awaiting us when we arrived that night...'Call Home'. Mark's parents gave him the news, 'You left your clothes in St. Augustine!' HA! We never missed them! Needless to say, we shopped for shirts the next day).

Our special 'Honeymoon suite' was located in this part of the house.












Sights around the Square























Some of Mark's favorite sights....



































(Notice The Smith House in the background!)












Taking a rest on the bench...
























Later in the day, we returned to The Smith House
with our family for a home-style dinner.
It was great, of course!





























Matt & John liked Uncle Wilbur's phone, for some reason!

















Katherine enjoyed telling her new friend, our waitress,
the story of our return to The Smith House, after 22 years.













I'm grateful for our return to a place that holds special memories for Mark & I.

Gray Family Vacation

Our recent family vacation began with a day of travel to join our extended Gray family in Dahlonega, Georgia. After a record 'one stop' drive, we arrived around 3 in the afternoon. This would be the place our niece, Crystal, would marry the following day. I anticipated this special gathering not only for the wedding and the special reunion we'd experience with all of the Grays, but for the opportunity of being in Dahlonega again.
Twenty-two years ago, Mark and I spent the second night of our honeymoon in Dahlonega. What a beautiful, small mountain town. The pleasure of returning to this special place was a great thrill for me!
With exception of the bride's family, all the Grays stayed together in a five bedroom, 3 1/2 bath mountain rental home positioned on the Chestatee River. The space suited our needs nicely.

Luvin' Cousins












Together in the bed loft

















The children, especially, loved being down by the river, collecting rocks and throwing them in hopes of getting one to skip across
the top of the water. Of course, the water was irresistible, and COOOOOOOOOLD!





























Mark's parents, Mawmaw and Pawpaw, must've experienced great JOY as two out of three of their children and their families were united under one roof for three nights in a row. There were 18 of us in all, which included their great-grandson on the way.

Mawmaw & Pawpaw just before heading out for the Rehearsal Dinner












I saw the precious reality of God's overwhelming love and mercy for our family roll down Mawmaw's face as we gathered and sang Amazing Grace in the living room during 'Church' on Sunday morning.
God has surely heaped His love and mercy on The Family of Gray.

"But the mercy of the LORD is from everlasting to everlasting upon them that fear him, and his righteousness unto children's children; To such as keep his covenant, and to those that remember his commandments to do them" (Psalm 103:17-18).

John's Green Belt

Today we witnessed John's first large group TKD belt test...he advanced to a GREEN belt today.

When our family began TKD with Yesha three years ago, John was only five. He didn't hang out as long as the others in the class, and it wasn't long before he dropped out of the class because, 'I don't want Mom to be home by herself'. Of course I loved having John home with me, but I must admit, I feared he might not regain interest in TKD. The others quickly progressed and got further ahead in their belt advancements. I worried John would feel left out and alone while trying to resume TKD apart from the others in our family.
But not so...John resumed TKD approx 1 year ago. How could I have known the LORD would place our family in positions to lead as instructors in the class they were a part of? I believe this has encouraged John learning all of his techniques and forms. The older children work with him often to ensure he's gaining the necessary requirements for advancement, giving him a great amount of 'counsel' and accountability, as you can imagine...ha!

I'm very proud of John's hard work...
He still has far to go, but with the number of cheerleaders he has in our family, he's sure to go all the way to the top...'A Black belt is a white belt that never quit'.

Guess what John? You're no longer 'still a white belt'.
Keep up the good work!


































We're grateful for Nathan, 3rd Dan, our special friend! He is credited for encouraging our family to visit Yesha three years ago. It was awesome to see Nathan award John his green belt today.

Thank you Jesus for the blessing of Yesha and special friends like Nathan!
We've gained many special friends through Yesha.
May your blessing be on this ministry and all the leaders who invest time in the hearts/lives of others because they desire that others come to know/please you!

The Beauty of Fall

We've just returned from a wonderful family vacation! We'll be sharing more in the days ahead, for we have many pictures, not all blog worthy, but lots of captured memories , to say the least. I love this time of year! Fall, in particular, is a very special season because this is the time of year Mark and I married. Twenty-two years ago, we spent our honeymoon in the north GA/NC mountains. Last week, our family returned...I loved being back with all of our children!! We had wonderful, cool weather the first few days of our trip, but then the rain came, making the cool quite cold. Tropical storm Ida passed over the area. We anticipated a family hike, but that didn't happen the way we imagined; but it happened! Stay tuned! It's good to be home with a host of captured memories. 

 

"From the first hour that the layer of separation begins to form in the leafstalk, the leaf's fate is sealed; there is never a moment's reversal of the decision. Each day that follows is a steady carrying out of the plant's purpose: "This old leaf shall die and the new leaf shall live" (Lilias Trotter, Parables of the Cross).

"The Church in thy house." -Philemon 2

I'm hopeful that someone will receive the same en-
couragement I received this morning when a father
stood and read this devotional to our small,
family-integrated, home church fellowship.  This
and other great devotions can be found
in Charles Hadden Spurgeon's devotional book,
Morning and Evening.
May we not grow weary in praying that all the members
in our family will be such a CHURCH within our homes.
Oh LORD, may it be so.

"The church in thy house."

Is there a Church in this house? Are parents, children, friends, servants, all members of it? or are some still unconverted? Let us pause here and let the question go round-Am I a member of the Church in this house? How would father's heart leap for joy, and mother's eyes fill with holy tears if from the eldest to the youngest all were saved! Let us pray for this great mercy until the Lord shall grant it to us. Probably it had been the dearest object of Philemon's desires to have all his household saved; but it was not at first granted him in its fulness. He had a wicked servant, Onesimus, who, having wronged him, ran away from his service. His master's prayers followed him, and at last, as God would have it, Onesimus was led to hear Paul preach; his heart was touched, and he returned to Philemon, not only to be a faithful servant, but a brother beloved, adding another member to the Church in Philemon's house. Is there an unconverted servant or child absent this morning? Make special supplication that such may, on their return to their home, gladden all hearts with good news of what grace has done! Is there one present? Let him partake in the same earnest entreaty.

If there be such a Church in our house, let us order it well, and let all act as in the sight of God. Let us move in the common affairs of life with studied holiness, diligence, kindness, and integrity. More is expected of a Church than of an ordinary household; family worship must, in such a case, be more devout and hearty; internal love must be more warm and unbroken, and external conduct must be more sanctified and Christlike. We need not fear that the smallness of our number will put us out of the list of Churches, for the Holy Spirit has here enrolled a family-church in the inspired book of remembrance. As a Church let us now draw nigh to the great head of the one Church universal, and let us beseech him to give us grace to shine before men to the glory of his name.