A shining light...

Last night, Noah shared his optimism with two very special people who are in hospital beds...


Noah's very good friend, Jacob, was in an automobile accident on Thursday. He has a broken femur and a bruised spleen. Having his buddy, Noah, come visit seemed to brighten his day.

We all are grateful that Jacob is doing well and we're praying that healing will come quickly.


Next, Noah visited his Uncle Ed, who had his
thyroid gland removed and is having to stay in the hospital for a few days until his blood
calcium can be regulated. Uncle Ed's spirits seemed to be brightened after seeing (and laughing with) his nephew.
Get well, soon, Uncle Ed!

The Gift of Music!

How blessed we are to have the gift of music! Noah recently began taking piano lessons from our long-time music teacher and friend, Mrs. Hughes. He is VERY enthusiastic and off to a great start!

This past summer, Caleb decided to take the foundation he had learned with piano and transfer those skills to guitar. How fun it is to see him progress in each instrument!
Kaitlyn is a beautiful pianist and works diligently to do her best. It is such a pleasure to hear her master the classical pieces and familiar worship songs.
And, of course, with Daniel on guitar and Ben on drums, a quiet moment at our house is a rarity! We are grateful, however, for God's gifts to our accomplished and budding musicians.

"Friends for Life"

"He restores my soul...Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life..." from Psalm 23
God's goodness to me was evident in last weekend's events which I shared with my dear friend, Sharon. Sharon and I have been friends for 29 years, and she submitted our story to be honored at this year's annual "Friends for Life" presentation at the 8th Annual Speaking of Women's Health Conference in Atlanta. Ours was chosen to be one of three friendships highlighted at the conference, and it was a whirlwind of activity! (A copy of Sharon's submission is at the bottom of this post.)

Pat Cahill Productions came to my house (and, yes, I did clean before they came!) and interviewed both Sharon and me for a video presentation. In addition, we were invited to the VIP reception the night prior to the conference. Our husbands were able to accompany us and share in the excitement of meeting the steering committee, the speakers, the sponsors, and the other honorees. Then on Saturday we attended the all-day conference entitled, "It's the Right Time: Be Healthy, Be Strong, Be In Charge."

The day included motivating speakers, breakout sessions with topics of multiple interests, free health screenings, lots of goodies from various vendors, an elegant luncheon, and the "Friends For Life" presentation. There were 1200+ women in attendance, so it was very humbling to be chosen to share our story.

Sharon and I do have a wonderful friendship which began in college and has endured several stages of life. We have laughed, cried, loved, and lived! It is my prayer that God will use our story to motivate others to invest in long-term friendships. My desire is to glorify God with my life, and if I can do that by being Sharon's friend, then I am the one greatly blessed! Thank you, Sharon, for being my dear and precious friend.


Sharon's submission:
I would like to introduce to you Myra Boerner….my BFF / Forever Friend / Soul Sister of 29 years, meeting in college in 1978. We have been blessed (me, especially) in being able to experience life together: college graduation (same careers..occupational therapists), sharing an apartment, being each others’ maid and matron of honor, raising and homeschooling our children, and now, venturing into menopause together. How incredibly special it is to have a girlfriend to share in the humor of menopause…declining memory, physical changes, hot flashes, mood swings, especially as I turned 50 this year; her turn next year.

Myra has been my barometer in living a balanced life spiritually, physically and emotionally. There isn’t any one particular event for me to share, but it’s 29 years of living what she believes, practicing what she preaches, that has helped guide me to be the best wife, mother, daughter and friend that I can be. I don’t even think she realizes to what extent her words and how she lives her life has influenced decisions I’ve made over the years and how they have molded my character.

My mother and I have always had a rocky relationship, even more so during my adulthood. Myra has filled that void. She has been a mentor to me in place of what, perhaps, what my mother should have been.

Most of all, I wanted to honor Myra in submitting this. As much as I look forward to growing old with my husband, I also look forward to growing old with my Forever Friend.

A good time in Wildwood...

This is the view from my parents' front porch in Wildwood, GA. The photo doesn't do it justice because it's such a beautiful, peaceful place... with Lookout Mountain in the distance and the little country church across the street. I lived here my whole life until I went away to college, and I love going back to sit on the porch and visit with my mom and dad. This weekend Caleb, Noah, and I (Myra) went up to stay with my dad while my mom went to a family reunion in Tennessee. Dad wasn't quite up to the trip, so Mom got a ride with my aunt (Thank you, Aunt Tookie and Uncle Don!), and the boys and I spent some quality time with Dad. Then today we went to church with both Mom and Dad. What a blessing to have such wonderful, loving parents who have been remarkable role models for their children and grandchildren through the years. They've been married 60 years, and they're still kickin'! [and hopefully not each other :) ]


Mom is preparing to go to the Carroll Bash at Uncle Dale's place in Rock Island, TN. The Carrolls love to laugh and to sing, and they reportedly had a great time!

The boys love their Papaw! (And vice-versa!)

Dad put this tree swing up several years ago, and it's always a favorite activity for the grandchildren!

So who's the UNO champ THIS time??


I got my dad talking about childhood memories of his parents and siblings, and about when he first met my mom--he says she was "REAL pretty!" Some of his tales had me laughing! I am so grateful for the blessings of my mom and my dad.

What did Ben do?

Did Ben get a tattoo???
Well...actually...yes...

















but only a temporary one. (Thank goodness!) :)

It's HOT!

Thought you'd be interested to see what Ed's been dealing with at work recently....

Hello King's Academy!

Yes, it's that time of year again! And the kids don't seem TOO disappointed, yet the summer did seem to fly by. This year Daniel is in 11th, Kaitlyn is 8th, Caleb is 6th, and Noah is 3rd. Also, I've decided to join the staff at TKA as an assistant. I am assisting all the 7th grade teachers on Tuesdays and Fridays (when my kids are in school), as well as helping a group of 7th grade students as they tackle a new school year. So far, so good...but i do miss my "days off!" :) ~Myra