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Hey everyone!  I am beyond blessed to introduce my AMAZING friend Martha to the Kelly’s Korner blog world!!   She is one of the most remarkable women I have ever known, and I’m looking forward to helping the right man hit the jackpot with her!

The first thing you need to know about Martha is that she is the perfect collision of North and South.  She was raised in Connecticut so she has New England culture, class, and sensibility, yet Martha has lived in Florida for the last 15 years, which has cultivated a deep sense of Southern hospitality, charm, and warmth. The diversity in her background makes her happy in a variety of cultures and climates, which makes her comfortable on both ski slopes and sand dunes. As a result, she loves to travel and has had many adventures around both the country and the world.

Martha loves to laugh.  She has an incredible sense of humor and even as I type these words, I am smiling thinking back on years of hysterical memories shared with her.  Her intelligence gives her a very quick wit that you might not initially expect, based on her sweet demeanor.  She has a perpetual twinkle in her eye that endears her to everyone, both young and old.  Martha knows how to poke fun at herself, and she is able to make everyone laugh without making jokes at the expense of others.

If I were to choose the one characteristic that stands out the most about Martha, it’s that she loves others so well.  She has an incredible heart for God, and His love pours out from every fiber of her being.  She lavishes love on her friends and family in ways that will leave you speechless. From unexpectedly picking up a friend’s favorite coffee to crafting stunning photo books of memories to celebrate milestones, there is no act of love too large or small for Martha.  The wheels in her mind are constantly turning with ways to shower the people in her life with love.

As a teacher and a nanny to dozens of families over the years, she has multiple children she loves as her own. Former students return year after year to share the impact she has had on their lives, and the babies she has cared for view her as a second mama.  She encourages, she empowers, she challenges, she entertains…she brings out the BEST in every child she meets. Personally, I am so thankful that my son will grow up with her—at 10 months he is already enamored with and profoundly blessed by his Aunty M!

Beyond the people in her immediate sphere of influence, Martha loves her community, and she often reaches out to people that she has never even met.  She has poured her heart into the Ronald McDonald House for years, caring for families who desperately need strength in times of need. I, and many others, can attest that she has made an incredible difference to those families during their most trying times.  Martha has also raised money and awareness for causes dear to her heart by running races and organizing charity outreach projects, often using these events to empower her students to make a positive difference in the world.  Martha has traveled to the Dominican Republic to help villages in extreme poverty, and she continues to support a family who captured her heart while she was serving there.   To say that she goes above and beyond to show love to all of God’s people is an extreme understatement.

   

She is beautiful both inside and out, and the truth is, I could go on and on listing all of her phenomenal qualities and still not even come close to capturing them all. She never seeks praise or recognition for who she is or for what she does; she simply does what she does and is who she is because she loves. For her, it’s just that simple, love much, love often.

In the end, Martha wants to share her life with someone who has a heart for God and is ready to embrace all that this life has to offer.  She longs for laughs, adventures, compassion, and understanding.  The perfect man for Martha would be someone strong, caring, and who prioritizes love of God, then family, then friends.

If you would like to know more about Martha for you or somebody else feel free to leave a comment or email me at jameemiller@me.com.

We were supposed to start school today…except we didn’t. The elation that bubbles within my soul as I type those words is almost too much for me to contain…in fact, I couldn’t keep myself from feeling giddy about it all day long. Despite a painfully early wake up time and multiple messes to be cleaned, I remained so joyful at the realization that I had W all to myself today.

I could take you back through the last six months and document all of the steps that led to an enrollment in a 2-year-old program at a local Christian school, but I will spare you. Suffice it to say that without realizing it at the time, I was pursuing a course that I thought I was “supposed to” rather than listening to the whispers within me that suggested otherwise. So after a brief Meet the Teacher that left us feeling unsettled, we sought wise counsel, prayed, and ultimately determined that attending school this year was not the best choice for our little man or for our family.

As a result, all throughout the day, I found myself covered up in even more gratitude than usual, which is saying something. I appreciated every moment I spent with my boy because I was acutely aware of how that time was almost gifted to someone else. I took countless pictures, several videos, and just savored every delicious drop of our day together. I count it as such a divine privilege to get to be mama to this precious one every day. The fact that I am able to witness every mood, every misstep, every dance, every laugh, and every milestone is something that I don’t take lightly and I truly thank God for it every. single. day.

So today we reveled in our perfectly normal existence. We played trucks. We went to My Gym. We ate “angich” with the trains. We snuggled in the white chair and read books. He performed “The Hot Dog Dance.” He recited 5 Little Monkeys and reenacted the story with finger puppets. We played outside. He held my hand. He spilled my coffee all over the table. We made up stories with his Little People. He gave me sticky PB&J kisses. I sang to him. He said, “Mama play with you,” and I did…because I could. What a gift.

It was a beautiful day and one I will hold in my heart for a long, long time. After I tucked him into bed, I spent time smiling over the many pictures posted on social media celebrating kids’ First Days of School. I thought of all that we have to look forward to…backpacks and Valentines, cubbies and new shoes, 100^th day celebrations and Curriculum Nights…all of it so dear to me for so many reasons. I thought of all of that and how many babies started their journeys today with teary eyed mamas putting on brave faces as they sent them off to conquer the world. I took it all in, knowing perfectly well that our time is just around the corner. But it’s not today…and for that, I am thankful.

He is 2 today.

 

He loves to zoom cars, play trains, and go spinny spinnys.

 

He adores animals. He showers our puppers with affection every single day, whether they want it or not, and he calls the goats at the zoo his “friends.” He is gentle. And loving. And kind.

 

His laugh reaches a part of my heart that I never knew existed before he arrived. It consumes me. I am convinced that stripped of all other physical necessities, I could subsist on it alone.

 

My boy can roar like the fiercest of lion cubs. With the same volume, he can also cheer on his beloved Magic, better than any full-grown fan.

 

Much to my delight, he has his father’s sense of humor. He loves surprises. He thrills to make other people laugh. He has an impish gleam in his eye that foretells of many future adventures that are sure to leave me shaking my head in hilarious disbelief.

 

This boy can eat. I’m not sure where it goes, but we are constantly astounded by what he is able to put down in a single meal. He loves to see how much will fit in his mouth at once, much to his mother’s chagrin. 😉

 

Don’t get me started on his curls…they are the stuff that dreams are made of. Like perfect spirals of white chocolate adorning the top of a heavenly cake, they perch atop his head and make me swoon. I’m not sure that many other babies have as many pictures of the backs of their heads as mine does.

 

And oh, his heart. While I may have been prepared for other aspects of him, nothing could have prepared me for the countless ways my heart would near burst in the presence of his sweetness. He delights in his friends and family. He cares when others are hurt. He loves “BIG MUCH.” He can be brazenly independent, but at the end of the day, just wants to be close. He constantly covers me in hugs and kisses and the hugs he requests are “BIG hugs!” He throws his arms around my neck and squeezes tightly with every cell in his little body.

 

He is 2 today and in my eyes, he couldn’t be more delicious if he tried. Years will come and go, but I doubt I will ever be able to sing “Happy Birthday” to him without welling up in tears. I’m just that grateful.

 

Grateful for two years. Grateful for this precious boy. Grateful for all that we have to celebrate today.

 

Thank. You. God.

 

“Every time you cross my mind, I break out in exclamations of thanks to God.” Philippians 1:3 (MSG)

Dear Beth,

I’m writing today to tell you a little story about my adventure with the Siesta Scripture Memory Team…one that took a truly unexpected turn from the time when I first signed on…

Let me start by saying that I have always been passionate about scripture memory. Having grown up in the church, I’ve always been surrounded by God’s Word. I grew up in Sunday School, then Youth Group, and found my way into Chi Omega sorority in college, which was home to many Christian girls who encouraged me in my walk. During my time at the University of Florida, I was chosen to serve as a Program Coordinator for a mission camp in Western North Carolina. Worried that my knowledge of scripture needed to be strengthened to take on such a task, I started a scripture box. I filled a small grey box with index cards featuring verses on one side and their addresses on the other. I used them as flashcards, taping them up everywhere around my apartment and flipping through them whenever I had the opportunity. I wanted to be able to have the right word for the high school students I would be serving without fumbling around and was determined to have as many as I could committed to memory. Over time, while I found that I was using them to help with my scripture memory, they were also managing to help shape my daily choices and behavior. I would often remove cards from my box, fold them up, and carry them around with me when I felt like I needed a constant reminder of something. I can’t tell you how threadbare “Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouth” is at this point in my life!!

 

I started participating in your Bible studies shortly after graduate school and grew so much as a result. My involvement in them ultimately led me to Siestaville, where I discovered your precious community of women. You were well into the Scripture Memory Team for that year and I remember being so disappointed that I had missed the boat. I continued to participate in various threads in Siestaville and vowed that I would join the next Scripture Memory Team.

 

Fast forward to December 2012. I learned that you were hosting another SMT and I was excited, but hesitant, for this time I was 7 months pregnant. My husband and I were expecting our first child and life was a little hectic! I knew that life as a first time mom would be a challenging affair and wasn’t sure if I would be able to manage the deadlines of SMT. Regardless, I sent away for one of the adorable spirals and determined to do my best.

 

After a strong beginning in January, I soon found myself slipping with my commitment to SMT in February. With my due date just weeks away and feeling like I couldn’t manage the timeframes in Siestaville, I bowed out of the SMT and opted to continue with scripture memory on my own. I took the adorable spiral and decided to fill it with verses that would be beneficial for me during labor. I used beautifully colored pens and prayed about which verses to include. When I had a solid collection, I tucked my spiral into my hospital bag so that it would be there to help me during an unknown and anxious time.

 

Around midnight on March 3, 2013 my water broke and my husband and I quickly headed to the hospital. Once I was admitted and settled, labor was in full swing and my spiral lay forgotten in the bottom of my bag. After 13 hours of labor followed by 3 hours of pushing, my precious baby boy was delivered into the world. My husband and I were overcome with emotion when he was placed on my chest and flooded with a love we had never before known. Within five minutes of his birth however, I started to feel disconnected and was overtaken by nausea. The doctors and nurses who were tending to me became frantic and it quickly became apparent that something was not right. My boy was fine…placed in the arms of his loving father, while I was whisked quickly into the OR.

 

I was bleeding. I was bleeding uncontrollably and they were unable to discern from where or how to make it stop. The doctors had determined not to put me under general anesthesia, as that could complicate my delicate situation, so I was left to experience this nightmare awake with only my epidural to keep me from feeling what was happening. I was placed on the operating table and watched and listened as 20 to 30 medical professionals battled to save my life. I was transfused with 11 units of blood and watched my vitals struggle to stabilize. I heard the anesthesiologist yell, “We’re losing her!” and thinking of my precious husband and newborn son, I willed my eyes to open. Hours ticked by and the doctors became more and more desperate. Every attempt to stop the bleeding failed and they were running out of solutions. They called multiple specialists on the phone and asked for ideas…nothing worked. The doctor in charge decided to try one last procedure and it was successful. He declared it a miracle from God and later explained to my husband that they were down to about 5 minutes left before I would be lost.

 

Incredibly, during the most traumatic experience I had ever known, I found myself completely at peace. A real life nightmare was playing out around me, and yet I was enveloped by God’s calming presence. As the hours wore on and uncertainty reigned in the operating room, He wrapped His arms around me and carried me through the darkness. I didn’t know how everything was going to turn out, but I knew that God had me. It was the most amazing encounter I had ever had with Him. While laying helpless on the operating table, I could clearly picture a page from my SMT spiral…Isaiah 41:10, written in purple pen. God called it to my mind and it became my focus. “So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God…” Over and over the words scrolled through my mind, fighting back the fear that threatened to well up within me. I breathed. I let my heart beat. I knew God had me. When the bleeding slowed and I was out of danger, the doctors said that if I hadn’t remained calm, I likely would not have lived. God’s word had literally saved my life.

 

The next day, I had to have a follow-up procedure—one that could put me right back into the peril I had faced not 24 hours prior. When it was time to go I brought my spiral to pre-op and flipped through it as they were preparing me for surgery. Just before they wheeled me back, the nurse explained that I would have to leave the spiral behind. I could tell she felt badly about it, but I was able to smile and assure her that I didn’t need it. I had committed the verses to memory and God had etched them on my heart. All of the years that God had nudged me into Bible study, encouraged me to study His word, and prompted me to commit His truth to memory prepared me for this unexpected and unbelievable time. In the darkest hours of my life, I couldn’t grab a Bible to battle the fear. I couldn’t run to my scripture box to find just the right verse. I couldn’t call a friend to give me a word, but praise be to God… I didn’t need to. He had thoroughly equipped me and planted all of the scriptures I would need in my heart so that when the time came, He could call them to my mind. Wow. Suddenly what I once viewed as a spiritual discipline had taken on a lifesaving quality.

 

 

The story ends here. Thanks be to God, I am completely healed and now the VERY proud mama of a beautiful baby boy. I have recounted this story to countless friends and family members and every time, they express how sorry they are that I had to go through such a horrifying experience. I shock them all when I say with a smile that I most certainly am not. Not only do I have a miracle from God to share with the world, I am moving forward with a more profound appreciation for the study of His Word than I ever would have had without this terrifying ordeal. Leave it to Him to take my brokenness and make it my strength. What a mighty God we serve.

 

Thank you for all of the ways you have held me accountable, encouraged me, and taught me over the last 10 years. I am SO incredibly grateful!!!

 

Warmly,

Jamee Miller