Moments to Memories: Enjoying Various Stages of Motherhood

By Josie Aenis

This book is geared to encourage, motivate and uplift moms and dads. There are humorous stories and events that will make you smile or laugh out loud. Other stories may make you shed some tears. The pages are not in any certain sequence, but whatever the topic you may need for the day, would hopefully meet your need.

• Language: English
• Publisher: WestBow Press
• Release date: Sep 28, 2020
• ISBN: 9781973693499

Josie Aenis

Josie Aenis taught Kindergarten for twenty-seven years and was administrator of a Christian daycare for thirteen years Josie has been a women’s fellowship leader thirteen years and directed a community Mom’s outreach program for eight years. She is the author and founder of It’s 4 uMom outreach ministry. She is married to her husband Jim. They have two married children and nine grandchildren. They all are the joy of her life. Josie has also written: It’s 4 uMom outreach manual for churches to implement in their ministries to reach community moms and their families. Visit: www.its4umom.com.

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Copyright © 2020 Josie Aenis.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

WestBow Press

A Division of Thomas Nelson & Zondervan

1663 Liberty Drive

Bloomington, IN 47403

www.westbowpress.com

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Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Unless noted otherwise, all Scripture quotations are taken from the King James Version.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.

Stuart Miles Freedigitalphoto.net

David Castillo Dominici Freedigitalphoto.net

123RF photos and images.

ISBN: 978-1-9736-9348-2 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-9736-9349-9 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2020910795

WestBow Press rev. date: 9/21/2020

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Contents

Foreword

Preface

Happy New Year!!

Wake up to a New Day

Get a New Look

God is Real! You can Believe!!

Which One are You Stirring?

We are Proud of You!

Thanksgiving!!

Happy Birthday_________?

Christ’s 1st Arrival

The World Celebrates Christmas!

What in the World is going on?

A Remedy-at the Kitchen Table

Ain’t God Everywhere?

Say Thank You

Our INDESCRIBABLE GOD !

ABCs of Christ

Plastic or Pearls

Fabulous Thoughts

Moms vs Squirrels: Nesting Instincts

Best Security Camera Ever! - Mom

Mom’s Heart

Steppingstones

Every Lady can be a Mom

Surprise!! Time to clean the House.

Choices? You decide.

The Best Time of the Year!!

Handfuls of Purpose

The Summer Surprise Box!

Is that you Mommy?

Open the Blinds and You may see

Who Wears These Shoes?

My Mommy’s got this!

One Day at a Time

What’s in your Gift Boxes?

I Just Have to Tell!

Footsteps

What am I Thinking?

Church in a Chicken Coop?

A Salute to Our Military Families!

It’s that time of Year!

Mom’s Work is Never Done!

Do Your Children know God?

Priceless Jewels

Making a Difference

Mayonnaise Jar/ Two cups of Coffee

Happy Everyday Mom!

More than a Chocolate Bunny

Stress Free Life

Are you ready for the Holidays?

Time to Laugh with the Doctor

Time out Mom!

Why Believe??

Mom’s Day is Every Day!!!!

Would this be You…?

Days are long. Years are short.

The Carrot, the Egg and the Coffee (Wisdom from Grandma)

Let’s Stop and Consider!

Morgan’s Story

Meet a Friend who stepped out of the box.

Stay Focused = Domino Effect

Survival Kit

The Answer for the World

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Foreword

Sometimes you will never know the value of a moment until it becomes a memory.

—Dr. Seuss.

Josie has always been determined for God: for God’s Will in her life and in others; for witnessing to all she meets with the gospel of Christ’s salvation; for encouraging and ministering to women of all ages. Thus, a ministry was born titled It’s 4 uMom and many life messages were transformed into this book of Moments tO Memories.

God’s leading has directed Josie to teaching Kindergarteners, owning a day care, Church Nursery Director, ministering to moms and being a wife, mom and grandmother. Her joy for life is contagious even among health challenges and grief. God has given her many gifts for which she seeks to honor Him in all that she does. May she also be an inspiration to you to seek the best in life according to His Word.

As you read the pages of this book, open your hearts and minds to God’s leading and the importance of moments with family, friends and strangers. Every moment counts as a possible opportunity to create a momentous memory!

The memory of the just is blessed… Proverbs 10:7

Jean Jurgensen,

Sister, Wife, Mother of 2, Grandmother of 5

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Preface

The Bible says in James 4:14

"Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life?

It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away."

Wow! How true that is. One moment we are holding our baby and counting its little fingers and toes. Then next week we are counting numbers in Kindergarten. Before a month is over, they are finishing high school and counting the days before they head off to college. Oh, no, before the season is over your grown child is setting the wedding date.

Can you believe how quickly time passes on?

Within the pages of this book, I share ideas and short stories hoping to encourage, motivate and uplift you. Some short stories are true, and some are from authors unknown. Some of the topics, I trust, will light your Idea bulb, that will make you smile, laugh out loud and other topics may make you shed a few tears.

Our life is so short, and we can influence those in our family and circle of friends, by making each moment in time, a wonderful memory.

So, pour that cup of coffee or a glass of tea and flip through these pages, read whatever topic you may need for the day.

So, moms everywhere, enjoy the moments of today and make memories for tomorrow.

Enjoy Moments tO Memories

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Happy New Year!!

It matters not the year; it matters making life better!

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We are just hours away from welcoming in the New Year. As a family, we either host a New Year’s Party with family and friends or we are invited to attend a party at a friend’s house. Either way, everyone brings a covered dish, dessert, favorite snack and a 2 liter. There will be enough snacks to munch on into the midnight hour. We usually start the party at 8:00. We play group games, watch football, pass the time sharing what we all got for Christmas, give reports on the health of a grandparent, talk about when someone’s baby is due, and wonder if anyone received Christmas cards from old time friends that moved out of state a few years ago. I mean there is so much to chat about and jokes to laugh about until the magic hour. Around 11:50, if the television isn’t on time square, someone grabs the remote and turns the channel to the best coverage of the big ball.

A few years ago, I was checking online to find out how other countries celebrate the New Year. I don’t remember the countries specifically, but in one country, people climb up on the furniture and when the clock strikes midnight, they jump off chairs or couches. In another country, I read that people run outside and bang on pans to celebrate this special moment. So, I guess it was 5 years ago, when we had a house full of our children, grandchildren and friends, I told them that we were going to add a new tradition to our celebration. I got pots and pans out of the kitchen and passed them around the room, along with a spoon to bang the pans. I asked the willing and able body people to climb on chairs or on the couch. We watched the TV and when the clock struck midnight and the big ball started to descend, we all shouted, Happy New Year, jumped off the chairs, ran outside and started banging our pots and pans for 1-2 minutes. What laughter, what craziness, but what fun memories to make with our family. After we ran back into the house, we gave New Year hugs and kisses to our loved ones.

Now friends, the symbolism to that silliness if you didn’t catch it, is this: Jump into the New Year with a bang! Yes, and that is what we should do in approaching a new year, new opportunities, endless dreams and possibilities. Maybe some of you would prefer the mental Jumping into the New Year with a bang rather than physically doing this activity, but maybe the time has come in your life that you should start thinking and doing things outside the box. I do mean for us to be Christ-like in that description, but when you think about Christ and all you can do, remember, we can’t put God in a box. A New Year challenge should nudge us to do something for God, that will bring joy to our souls with no regrets.

Well, back to the party. After we hear everyone in the room, repeating, Happy New Year, and calmness starts to filter through the room, some of the family and friends, start picking up their items and getting ready to leave for home. Others, munch on the leftovers and some start the clean-up process. About 1:00am or 2:00, it is bedtime. Usually, you hear ones announce that they are going to sleep in and would love to sleep until noon.

Jan 1 -mid morning – everyone is awake and pouring cups of coffee – and then it really hits: it’s a new year. We now have 365 days of future before us. What will take place during these days for ourselves, family, friends and America? If you are like me, several things flood your mind at once: job, finances, school, church, responsibilities, health, elderly grandparents and on and on goes the list of the unknown.

Sometimes I have thought, life was better back when… or in this New Year, I need to accomplish this______. When I think these thoughts, my mind goes back to a couple of illustrations that two men, from different generations, said that really give great insight and wisdom as we face each new year.

The first one is from an evangelist friend Ron and his dear sweet wife Carol. He traveled and spoke to young people at various rallies across the country. They live in Ohio and they had a meeting in Georgia a few years ago. They called us and said they had an extra day and would like to visit us here in Northern Florida. We were so excited to see and visit with them. My husband and Ron were talking about our previous ministry and all of the great times from the past. They told story after story. Then my husband made a serious comment about how great it would be to go back in time and live that period of our life again. Our dear friend Ron told us, that life is a journey and a trip we must take going forward. He said it is like traveling in a car and there is the rearview mirror for us to glance back and see what we have passed, but the mirror is small because we are just to glance and not stay focused on the past. He said, now the windshield is big. It is for us to see what we need to focus on. Ron went on to say, We are made to go forward. Travel onward, focus on all that God has for us and press on. Wow! That illustration has helped us so much in our lives, striving to concentrate on the positive that is before us.

Philippians 3:13 Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before,

My second encouragement came when I was invited to speak at a Mother-Daughter banquet in Maryland this past March. After I spoke that Saturday, I was invited to stay over and attend church the next morning before flying back home that Sunday afternoon. Joe is the Pastor and he is also the youth leader. His wife, Heather invited me to sit in with her in the teen department, where Joe would be speaking. I am not sure what the Bible reference was, but one of his points was encouraging the youth to spend a few minutes every day, reading the Bible. Some of the youth, testified that they did have a quiet time with God. Some had their special time in the morning, while most of them had it before they went to bed. There were some that confessed that they didn’t read their Bible at all. Joe gave the following illustration that has stuck with me, when I have been striving for certain things in my life. He said whatever challenge you face, whether it is reading your Bible, or trying to be nice to a sibling or friend, try 5-10 minutes every day working on accomplishing that goal. For instance, it maybe that you need to exercise, so he suggested that if a person takes 5-10 minutes a day in exercising, the first time it is not going to make a person fit and trim; but if they remain consistent and exercise every day, they will increase the minutes of workout and then they will start seeing results. It is the same with whatever they strive to accomplish. Joe encouraged the youth to start having a special time of reading and praying. He said that they may not see immediate results in being a better Christian, but if they are consistent with their time with God, they will draw closer to Him and will seek Him more in their daily life. He went on to tell them not to get discouraged if they forget a day, but to get back at it and focus on their goal: spending quiet time with God.

Philippians 3:14 I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.

I was so blessed by that illustration. Whatever your New Year’s resolutions may be, you are in control. You are the one to make the choices for yourself. You decide what you want in life. Yes, we have a New Year. Yes, 365 brand new days. Every day is a new day!!! We have no promise of tomorrow, so make each day that God blesses you with, the best day ever! Oh, we know that there may be some days that we will end up living hour by hour. Other days may be so tough that we have to take them moment by moment but do your best in each moment you have to live.

You and I know that in light of eternity, what difference will it make as to who wins the argument, who gets in line first, who gets to eat the last piece of pizza, or a dress you didn’t have the money to buy etc. Make the right choices and don’t quit if you break that resolution. Take control of your circumstances rather than letting your circumstances take control of you. Be all you can be in every moment and enjoy life, because we only have one life to live.

Enjoy God and have a happy, joyful, new year. God bless you.

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Wake up to a New Day

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The alarm clock goes off or the music starts playing on the radio to wake you up to a new day!!! Oh, the groans we make as we turn over in the bed, mumbling underneath the covers; That night was too short. Please let me sleep a little longer! Oh, no you don’t. You have a new day. A gift from God. Another day filled with time. Time to do what?

Please allow me to share:

It was a few years ago and I was flying to speak at a lady’s conference in Toronto, Canada. A businessman sat down beside me and started a conversation with some small talk: Where are you from? What do you do for a living- family etc.? He was on his way to speak at a business conference on motivating businesspeople to expand their businesses and grow their capital. Then he shared this illustration with me that he was going to give in his speech. I summarized it and this is the general concept and take away:

What if you were given $86,400 a day to spend as you like? Every day the same amount. You couldn’t save it for the next day. Spend same day. Wild! Awesome!" (Author Unknown. How to Spend $86,400 a Day 2004. www.englishforum.com)

Ok, reader, you are probably saying, Time for Reality check. Get real. The dream is over. Great story coming from a successful businessman. So, during this wild dream, you were being so kind and generous to your family and friends. Your attitude was awesome. You were floating on the clouds and the sky was so beautiful. Well, back to reality and what are you supposed to take from this story? The facts:

What is 60x60x24? You guessed it. At the beginning of a new day, we all have 24 hours to do what we need to do. We all have 60 minutes in every hour, and we have 60 seconds in every minute. We only have 24 hours to use our 86,400 seconds. At the end of 24 hours, you have to review what you did with your time. You cannot save any of those seconds for the next day.

So, what do you do with the gift of time God gives you when you wake up? Is the sky beautiful and bright? Is your family still awesome? Do you still have a generous attitude? Do you have a joyful spirit about your life? What do you value? Why would money, be more exciting and valuable to us over a new unmarked day? We choose our attitudes, and reactions. No one can make our day but us.

If you woke up, then you have a great day ahead of you. There is always work to do as a mom. Whether you are a single mom, military mom or