Happy 27th Birthday to my Firstborn!

Happy 27th Birthday

to this awesome graduate, my firstborn!

July 13, 2020

UOttawa Law School Graduation 2020

TDCH Grad 2011

UWaterloo Grad 2016

And to start that 27th year in August 2019, your most important relationship apart from your Saviour, was cemented in a covenant before God. What a happy day!

Wedding August 24, 2019!

But in this mother's heart, you will not be what you have done or accomplished or special events. You will always be my beautiful firstborn. I would stare at you and marvel that you were mine. And guess what, I still do that! Every single time I see you, I fall in love all over again!

I rejoice when you rejoice and weep when you weep. My heart and thoughts are always with you when I pray. Sometimes I will suddenly just miss the sound of your voice or seeing your beautiful face and I will feverishly try to find the links to your singing. 

On the other hand, I am so proud of all that you have accomplished and all the hard work and determination behind it all. I also see an answer to prayer for you that God's grace would be evident in the opportunities He has offered you.

Nowhere has His grace been more evident in giving you your beautiful Sarah. I am so grateful for how she loves and protects you. Two things I desire in spouses for my sons, that they be God-seekers and also love you with His love. So grateful for her and her family for 'adopting' you so wholly.

My Blessing:

Matthew 4:4 (The Voice)

Jesus (quoting Deuteronomy): It is written, “Man does not live by bread alone. Rather, he lives on every word that comes from the mouth of the Eternal One.”

Nate, as you are now on the path to soon becoming a lawyer, a career based on words, may you be grounded first in the Word. May this be the Word you first look to in the morning and last thing at night, for it is life-giving, bringing just what you may need at that moment, counsel, comfort, encouragement, exhortation, guidance, power. May His Word be a compass for you when you need direction, or wisdom or just to hear His Voice, the way I long to hear yours. Just as I ardently seek to find YouTube links to hear your voice, may you ardently seek His in His Word and silent prayer.

Prayer:
Father, I come to You, Giver of all good and perfect gifts. I thank you for the gift of Nathan and I release him to You once again, to fill with Your Spirit to empower, counsel and protect him. Just as You spoke and gave life to us, may You grant Nathan that special anointing in his law career and in his marriage and all relationships to speak life. May You give him a hunger for Your Word and You along with his lifetime partner in Sarah. May he be fully grounded in You and Your Word, so that like Jesus in the wilderness he is able to counteract the deceptions of the evil one bent on sabotaging his walk with you and advancing Your kingdom. May You bless him and his precious Sarah as they continue to walk with You and serve others.
In the Precious Name of Jesus,
Amen.

I will leave you with this song that has been playing in my heart for the last little while. May you always sing along with creation praises to Him.

LYRICS: VERSE 1: God of creation There at the start Before the beginning of time With no point of reference You spoke to the dark And fleshed out the wonder of light CHORUS 1: And as You speak A hundred billion galaxies are born In the vapour of Your breath the planets form If the stars were made to worship so will I I can see Your heart in everything You've made Every burning star A signal fire of grace If creation sings Your praises so will I VERSE 2: God of Your promise You don't speak in vain No syllable empty or void For once You have spoken All nature and science Follow the sound of Your voice CHORUS 2: And as You speak A hundred billion creatures catch Your breath Evolving in pursuit of what You said If it all reveals Your nature so will I I can see Your heart in everything You say Every painted sky A canvas of Your grace If creation still obeys You so will I BRIDGE: If the stars were made to worship so will I If the mountains bow in reverence so will I If the oceans roar Your greatness so will I For if everything exists to lift You high so will I If the wind goes where You send it so will I If the rocks cry out in silence so will I If the sum of all our praises still falls shy Then we'll sing again a hundred billion times VERSE 3: God of salvation You chased down my heart Through all of my failure and pride On a hill You created The light of the world Abandoned in darkness to die   CHORUS 3: And as You speak A hundred billion failures disappear Where You lost Your life so I could find it here If You left the grave behind You so will I I can see Your heart in everything You've done Every part designed in a work of art called love If You gladly chose surrender so will I I can see Your heart Eight billion different ways Every precious one A child You died to save If You gave Your life to love them so will I TAG: Like You would again a hundred billion times But what measure could amount to Your desire You're the One who never leaves the one behind Words and Music by Joel Houston, Benjamin Hastings & Michael Fatkin © 2017 Hillsong Music Publishing CCLI: 7084123

Happy Father's Day!

Happy Father's Day to my Dad!

Dad, one of my favorite memories as a child was rushing home to show you my report card when I came 1st! I remember you glossing over the usual good academic scores to look at the Character section. Early on you impressed upon my heart what was really important. Thank you for that.

Thank you for passing on your love for reading the Word and the spiritual classics like Spurgeon. Even though you did not have a role model for healthy Christian parenting and made mistakes like all of us bumbling our way along unfamiliar territory, you did the best with what was given to you. You overcame so much. Thank you for your relentless prayers for us, your children, and our families. I only wish you would leave a written legacy for me! Hint, hint!

May God grant you dignity and good health for the rest of the time He grants you with us.

We appreciate and love you.

Thank you, Dad.

Celebrating 31 years with my treasure, Mike!

Happy Anniversary to my sweetheart of 31 years!

Over the past week as I grieved and pondered over the passing on to glory of Ravi Zacharias, I began to appreciate in a much deeper way the treasure that is you, my husband, Mike. Over the past couple of months, it has been difficult for you as one who has ADD and likes his routine of going to work and more so as an extrovert who thrives with social interaction. Yet, you have shown what it is to strive on. This is the picture that will be impressed on my heart forever. This is you. A man who never gives up on studying the Word, reading from the great theologians and most of all, praying. That green chair that once belonged to my sister has become your sacred seat.

Even as I pen this, my heart is overwhelmed with gratitude and love for you. I can just see God looking at you and being utterly delighted in you, because He is showing me how He sees you. You are simply delightful. Thank you for your faithfulness and constant care. Thank you for your devotion to God. Thank you for how you love your sons and now your daughter-in-law and her family. Thank you for how you love my family. Thank you for how you work to ensure we eat.

You, my dear, are God's greatest treasure gifted to me.

Always,

With all my love, thoughts and prayers,

Your wife, Sita

And here is the reminder of our love story:

https://sitahenderson.blogspot.com/2009/06/once-upon-time.html

Happy Birthday to my Daughter-in-Love!

Happy 25th Birthday
Sarah!

March 4, 2020

Verse of the Day from YouBible

On August 24, 2019, God gifted me with a daughter, you, Sarah.

It is true that I had been praying for you since Nathan was a toddler, but to see the answer to my prayer on that day was quite overwhelming.

As Scripture says, you are more than I ever imagined or prayed for. 

You, and the incredible family Nathan has married into. Every single member.

I am indeed so grateful to God.

Wikipedia says that the ancient Hebrew meaning of Sarah is 'princess', while the modern Hebrew meaning is 'woman minister'.

Fitting.

As a princess, you are beautiful, elegant and noble of heart. You wear your crown and regal attire beautifully, with style, as the pictures below attest to.

As a 'woman minister', you are clothed with strength and wisdom and fortitude, a pragmatist. You take charge as easily as you breathe. In all our family gatherings, you quickly jump in to help and offer and provide solutions to any hiccups. I doubt we will ever forget how you patiently and with determination untangled those Christmas lights.

That is an image that reveals a lot of who you are: skillful, resourceful, helpful, determined, focused, smart, kind and compassionate.

You are loyal to your loved ones and wear a cape of protection over them.

When I saw the picture of your Mom beholding you before the wedding, I could see in her eyes how proud she was of her firstborn. Such a precious moment.

Here are photos I 'stole' from your IG. The photos of you and those taken by you show an eye for great images that capture a moment iconically.

My blessing for you is that in your alone moments when you are depleted from handling life, that you will know your Heavenly Father's embrace, breathing new life and power into you, equipping you for all that He has ordained. Allow His grace to seep into your spirit, knowing that it is not your performance that He delights in, but you, just you.

The Verse of the Day from BibleGateway is:

Joshua 1:9 (AMP)

9 Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous! 

Do not be terrified or dismayed (intimidated), for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”

Remember when the inevitable life hiccup pops in that catches you off guard, that He is with you. Always.

Prayer:

Father, I commit this very precious woman, Sarah, to You Who fashioned her so exquisitely. There is so much I do not know about her as our moments shared are infrequent, but You know her and have spent every living moment with her. So grateful for that and for Your watching over her as she grew up and eventually connected with our family through Nathan. Please minister to her where she needs Your ministry. Pour Your grace into her spirit to refresh and empower her in the different roles assigned to her. Heal, protect, provide for her and Nathan, and protect their union from the schemes of the evil one bent on destroying families. May this new year be filled with joy and love and adventure! May she know how absolutely delightful she is to You and her loved ones.

In the Precious Name of Jesus, I pray, Amen.

Love you always, Sarah!💕🙏

Last born turns 22!

Happy 22nd Birthday to my last born!

February 17, 2020

Galatians 6:9  (TPT) (Verse of the Day)

 And don’t allow yourselves to be weary or disheartened in planting good seeds, for the season of reaping the wonderful harvest you’ve planted is coming! 
[22 - A YEAR OF HEALING AND REAPING!]

What a year you've had. A roller coaster ride of tremendous highs and devastating lows.
My heart both rejoiced and bled with yours.
Yet today, I can clearly see that my son is a warrior.
I've seen the movie images of injured soldiers plodding through enemy territory with terrible wounds determined to get to safety and finish the job.
This is you.
For yes, the battle is real as you step forward in advancing His kingdom in worship ministry. But the victory has already been won. We know the ending because God already assigned it.
However, in the middle of the battle, you can become quite overwhelmed and war-weary. It is in these moments that we surrender, not to the enemy, but to the One Who has resurrection power.
One Who can tend to those wounds with healing grace so that they are transformed into radiant scars that draw attention to Him.

And that is the final image, Dan.
You, radiant, yes, with joy.

We had some fun times:

Trini Christmas

Kayaking at the Marshalls' cottage in Lake Huron

The most exciting thing in 2019 was standing as your brother's best man at his wedding.

You both were stunners!

Here are some of your fave shots from last year.

My fave songs by you are So Will I, Waymaker and Nothing Else. 

(I wanted to post my clips here but unable to do so).

Your voice is powerful and is anointed when you allow your pain and joy to be expressed.

Always see what God has allowed in your life as fodder for your purpose, as power for your ministry. God wastes nothing in our lives if we surrender it all to Him.

He is the God who redeems what we see as unredeemable.

Others need to hear His story in your story.

There is so much about you that is so lovable.

Those sweet, gentle eyes that tell your Mama she is loved.

Your appreciation of your Dad and his journey. 

Your thank-yous. 

The way you make sure you give to the Lord. 

The way you keep your commitments in your ministry and volunteer work. 

The way you persevere under betrayal. 

The way you continue to love.

The way you worship.
The way you seek to grow and learn from others.

Your honesty. 

Your big heart as you seek to always be there for your friends even when they don't show appreciation for the sacrifices you made. 

Your wisdom and strength in recognizing when you need help and seeking it.

One of the most precious gifts you gave me was recording that song at Christmas, for I know how hard you were battling then. It felt like gold.

You are such a sensitive soul.

When I saw your brother's IG story for your birthday, it brought me to tears. He has loved you so deeply 'ever since'. He simply adores you and always has. He loved to hold you as a baby and boast about you at school:

My prayer for you, my son, is that as you experience the inevitable 'non-showing-up' of friends and family, for we are all limited and flawed, you will realize and experience the perfect love of the One Who is always with you, who knows you perfectly, everything about you, and still loves and pursues you relentlessly. And will never stop.

May you know the satisfaction in your soul of being perfectly loved.

May you always sing for the audience of One, then compliments or criticism will just roll off your back because you are grounded in His delight in you.

His delight in you has nothing to do with performance, but everything to do with the fact that you are His child, just as you are.

May you never live for the acclaim of others, but live for His acclaim only.

You have much to be grateful for. Start and end each day with something you are grateful for.

Prayer:

Heavenly Father, I bring my son to you, who in fact is first and foremost Your child. Thank You for Your perfect love for him. Thank You for the way You have watched over him and protected him. Thank you for the gifts You have granted him. I pray that You reveal Yourself to him in a way that he will know that he is 'seen' and 'loved'. May he find favour in the hearts of men. May You place him in the right place and time with the right people to advance Your kingdom purpose in his life. May You strengthen him in his inner being so that the circumstances in his life will not shake his strong foundation in You. Continue to give him a hunger and thirst for Your Word and to spend quality time with You. Bless him financially as he gives to You so freely all that he has, his money, time and talents. Give him a sound mind that thinks with clarity as he navigates a culture of confusion and distortion. Thank You for lending this adorable child, now a man, to me for a while. You indeed know how to give good and perfect gifts in my sons.

Now I surrender him to you. He is safe in Your Hands. Guide him in his next steps. Light the path he needs to take for this new year in His journey of faith.

In the mighty Name of Jesus, Who is able to do more than we could ever imagine,

Amen.