Week 2. (Jan 5-11) Record or write a story about yourself, or another family member, where an impor
Remember to share your story with your family, recording it in the FamilySearch Memories, and share with us. This group will benefit from seeing the examples of others. I feel inspired when I see the examples of others.
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The Miracle of the Goats
I was a single mom with eight children at home, and a herd of goats. One Nanny had recently added two kids to our herd, but she refused to allow her kids to drink her milk. I felt overwhelmed with my daily responsibilities and now I needed to milk this feisty goat several times a day (and night) and then bottle feed her twins.
One night I was out in the shed forcing the momma to let me milk her, and dreading that the task wouldn't be completed until the kids were fed. Alone in the shed, I expressed my frustrations out loud. I rambled and complained about everything wrong in my life. My favorite two goats had died. My goat herd was no longer fun, it was a chore. The temperature was below freezing. I was tired and broke. I needed to buy feed for a herd that I no longer loved, and was not willing to provide my family with milk. I knew that it was time to get rid of the goats. All of them. I had lost my joy. I had no truck to take the goats to the auction. The price of goats in the winter was not enough to pay for the gas to haul them to the auction. I was stuck. I was overwhelmed. I finished my chores and went to bed for a few hours until it was time to repeat the process.
First thing in the morning, my phone rang. I was surprised to hear the voice of the lady that I had purchased my goats from about two years before. She wanted to know if I had any goats to sell. I agreed to sell her my dozen. I sat in amazement as I wondered how she could possibly call me after two years. We had only met on the day that I purchased the goats. I felt a bit humbled when I realized that the Lord had heard my misery and even though I had failed to ask for his help, He had prompted the sale of my goats.
A few hours later my goats were loaded into her truck and I was free from hours of work. I was elated. I went inside and my phone rang again. This time, it was a Christian lady that I knew from another town. She called to ask if I had any goats for sale. She had just decided that she wanted some goats. I couldn't help but think that the Lord had prompted two people to choose to act on their thoughts. Why else would someone be looking for goats when the temperature was below freezing and the wind chill was adding to the frigid conditions?
I felt humbled. The Lord heard my cries. I felt like he whispered to me that I should ask for his help next time. I have often thought back about my Miracle of the Goats and reminded myself that the Lord is there whether I ask him to be or not, but that He can probably help me more if I ask him directly for help.
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I love your story!! Thanks for sharing this! I remember my days as a single mom with the attendant stresses of providing.
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An interesting collection of Family Memories by Martha Hipp Dickson of Tupelo MS
http://yanceyfamilygenealogy.org/martha.htm
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My Father's Last Words of Wisdom
My father was diagnosed with Stage 4 Bladder Cancer just before Halloween of 2018. He was already battling the progression of Parkinson's Disease. His health declined very rapidly. The month of November 2018 saw him go from using a walker and speaking clearly to us, to being treated by hospice, no longer eating/drinking, and barely speaking.
Many of the family members were gathered around my dad's bed on the night of Dec. 6th, 2018. We were telling stories, laughing, and remembering so many things about life with our dad. My mother then shared what were some of the very last words that my father spoke.
Mom told us that he reached up to her and with conviction said, "It's All About Family"!
My dad didn't often express his love to us as children or adults, though we knew very strongly of his love and that he cared for us. When my mom told us this, there was such a sweet spirit in the room and we all felt how much our Father loved us. It confirmed that all the ups and downs in life were worth it, because of the one thing that we can have in the next life: Our Family! It was as if my Dad was testifying that he knew and understood that our Families are a Gift! He was thankful for his. And we were so thankful for our Dad!
He passed away just a few hours later in the early hours of Dec. 7th, 2018. How I treasure the memory of that night when we were gathered around Dad and telling stories together as a family. And it is almost like a mantra or affirmation that I say to myself often: "It's All About Family"!
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Thanks FamilyBible! The story of Martha Hipp Dickson will preserve more about the life in days gone by. I've lived on a farm and I know where my meat, vegetables, eggs and milk come from. I am sometimes surprised when young people don't realize that food isn't made in the factory or the grocery store. It starts in the farm. I love the photos that are with your story that show how farm life really is. The family worked hard to get their food. I liked that the memories continued and discussed school and even racial relationships. You have saved some treasures.
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Kristenmurphy1, your record of your fathers last words will bring peace to your family for years. Your father knew what was most important in the end.
My neighbor passed away recently. He had not been very clear of mind and thought for the last day or so. I was told that he lingered until certain family members arrived. He pulled someone close that had offended him and whispered to them that he forgave them. Then he passed away. He was a kind man, but like the rest of us he struggled with the natural man and made his own mistakes. I will treasure this memory of his last words too.
I was with my Mom when she passed, but she had not been able to communicate her deepest feelings for years. Dementia was her trial. I have often wished that I had time to ask her more questions. I never expected to lose her this way. I do recognize that I have not recorded some important conversations that I had with her. Your post about your father's last words inspires me to want to tell more of her story. Thank you for sharing with us. D
Don't forget to connect this treasure to his FamilySearch Memory.
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Yes, I did a copy/paste to add it as a story to his memories. I am not sure how to take what is put into Memories first into a post here. I will keep learning as we go. I love this community site. It will be of great help to me in getting things put into memories! Thank you for making a place where beginner's like me can feel some challenge and participate!
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Thank you for participating. As I see each post, I get ideas of new things to record myself. I hope others do too. Gee, what if my 52 week challenge motivated people to do presever more than one treasure each week?
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I needed to read that today. Thank you.
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Thank you for the feedback. This was a very memorable day for me. I still feel gratitude when I think about the Lord taking care of me that day. No one in their right mind would be goat shopping when the temperatures were so miserable, unless they were guided by the Lord. I have always remembered that he double-checked that I was taking care of by reaching out to a couple of Christian women that listened to him.
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