Abundant Goodness
“I will extol thee, my God, O king; and I will bless thy name for ever and ever. Every day will I bless thee; and I will praise thy name for ever and ever… The Lord is good to all: and his tender mercies are over all his works.” Psalm 145:1,2,9
In His abundant goodness, the Lord saw fit to bless us with the superb encouragement of a Memorial Day weekend visit from a large portion of the Wilkesteam. It was such a delight to have them here… games, a strenuous hike in the Fires’ Creek area, an evening around the fire pit, sweet fellowship, and just being together again made the visit simply precious.
“My mouth shall speak the praise of the Lord: and let all flesh bless his holy name for ever and ever.” Psalm 145:21
P.S. To the missing members of the Wilkesteam, we really missed you!!! Can’t wait till next time we are all together! 
End of School Year Picnic
Such an exciting time of year this is – not only are the flowers blooming and the grass turning green, but the school books are being finished, closed, and put away, and the school room is being refreshed for the next semester.
Well, a few weeks ago we took an evening to celebrate. Finishing a year of school is not something small, so we went out as a family for a picnic along a peaceful river.
Congratulations, Team!! We’re looking forward to watching you continue to “grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be glory both now and for ever. Amen.” (2 Peter 3:18)
The Heavens Declare!
When I consider Thy heavens, the work of Thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which Thou hast ordained; What is man that Thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that Thou visitest him? O LORD our Lord, how excellent is Thy name in all the earth! – Psalm 8:3-4, 9
A Much-Anticipated Retreat
(Written by Susanna and Lauren 
)
For over a year, we wanted to go to the Vision Forum Father and Daughter Retreat with Daddy, Bethany, and Hannah. In order to do that, we did four fundraisers last fall: flower bulbs (from Dutch Mill Bulbs), home made candies, Confederate Candles, and our family’s CDs.
Thank you, to all who supported us (and those who happened to be here on baking day and volunteered to help with the project ). It was well worth all the work and time. We came away from the weekend very encouraged, and we highly recommend it to all of you fathers and daughters. (Go to www.visionforum.com to sign up for 2013!)
Here are some pictures of the whole process.
March 23-25, 2012 – at the Callaway Gardens in Pine Mountain, GA
Again, we HIGHLY encourage all of you Fathers and Daughters to go to the retreat in 2013!! You will come away encouraged and refreshed.
Graduation…
“For the Lord God is a sun and shield: the Lord will give grace and glory: no good thing will He withhold from them that walk uprightly.” Psalm 84:11
Graduation… a time to reflect on the abundant goodness of the Lord in the past. A time to evaluate your direction in life in the light of Scripture. A time to set goals and make decisions. A time to commit everything anew to the Lord, knowing that in His perfect sovereignty, He will work it all together for His own glory, and your best good.
By God’s grace, I walked through this door this past Saturday as we celebrated my high school graduation. Many dear friends and family members came to join the festivities, and the Lord gave us a joyful, tremendously encouraging afternoon and evening together.
An oh-so-extra-special blessing was having both grandmothers there, as well as a dear cousin who came all the way from NY at the age of 94 to see her namesake graduate!
Family shots 
Music presentation
Fellowship… glorious fellowship!
Willing helpers
An emerging tradition – that of doing some shooting after the graduation — turned into a painful, educational, and actually quite hilarious experience. (That 50-caliber beast – an elephant gun for safari hunting that was loaned to us for the occasion – had the audacity to “scope” us!) Needless to say, for the rest of the evening, we sported beautiful cuts and goose eggs.
To God be the glory!
T–I–M–E
This past weekend, we were again honored and blessed to be able to sing with our dear friends the Kendall family at a few Memorial Services. Along the way, we were encouraged by family devotions, humor and joy around the piano, dinner table, and corn-toss boards, as well as the wonderful and uplifting conversation in the van to and from Columbia. Of course, there was much more to our time there, but for some things, pictures communicate so much better than the alphabet.
This weekend will definitely be among the many “highlighted” weekends in our imaginary “record books”…
Highlighted for the
Terrific,
Inspiring, and
Motivating
Encouragement
That was given and received.
Praise be to God!
How We Celebrated Sibling Appreciation Day…
… and learned just how much we REALLY appreciate our siblings! 
You know, there are times in life when you imagine something beautiful… something perfect… something romantic…… to commemorate, bless, or honor someone or something or some occasion… you just want to make things extra special. You imagine a peaceful atmosphere, complete with candles, a well-thought-out note of love, maybe even roses or daisies…
And (sorry to tell you this), there are times in life when your dreams of fun, fluff, and fantasy just don’t happen!
That’s when you get a prime opportunity to trust in our Sovereign, loving God and blossom right where He places you!
We let you all know about Sibling Appreciation Day, all the while mentally preparing for our own celebration (a lovely picnic by the river). Then……………
There was mulch to spread!
(A HUGE, double-load.)
We faced a choice. Not exactly whether or not to spread the mulch, but whether or not to spread it with joyful hearts, accomplishing the duty set before us with smiles and laughter.
By God’s grace, the Team collectively chose to do right.
Though the evening’s events were completely different than we had anticipated, we were all reminded again just how much we really appreciate our siblings (just you imagine trying to spread that trailer heaped with mulch all by your lonesome! ) and we really did enjoy the project. It was work… hard work… hot work… exhausting work… but it was rewarding work and quite fun as we did it together.
So, be encouraged next time your plans for something wonderful are altered… or maybe even blown away completely. There are treasures in the darkness… hidden riches in secret places… a delicious-grilled-salmon-rice-sauteed-asparagas-sweet-peaches-dinner-made-by-Jessi-at-9:30 pm (with chocolate-mint brownies for dessert!) awaiting you when your work is finished – if you will simply trust the hand of God as He takes you through the process of life.
(aka 12 happy Neelys)
Sibling Appreciation Day!
Tomorrow, May 2nd, is Sibling Appreciation Day!
Let some of the most important people in your life know just how special they are.
“By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.” John 13:35
A Few Days of “Conn-ection”
A few weeks ago we were blessed by a brief-but-oh-so-wonderful visit from Nana, Aunt Lisa, and three of our cousins!! They squeezed us in on their route to SC to see one of our other cousins at college, and it was truly a joy to be with them for a few days.
First moments – – spent in catching up 
The fellowship continued!
Dad had to work, but we were able to meet him for a picnic lunch at a nearby rest area.
A couple rounds of “Bible Runners” – – and we must give congratulations, reluctant though they be, to the “secret police”! (who almost never win, but through an unusual amount of sneaky perseverance made this game one-of-a-kind!)
One of the biggest highlights of the time together was a late-night cousin prayer meeting in the woods. An excellent suggestion on the part of a certain individual led to a sweet hour of sharing requests with each other around the campfire and then presenting those needs to the Lord. What a privilege to not only have a close bond as family, but also as fellow believers! Praise the Lord!
Thank you, Nana and Conns, for including us in your trip! May the Lord bless you as you continue to seek Him first, bringing Him glory in every endeavor. We love you!
Treasure Your Family
Recently we were on our way home from a day trip away, and stopped along the road for a picnic as a family. It was a beautiful day, so we decided to take some family pictures before hitting the road again. 🙂
Take the time to enjoy the family that God has given you. Embrace the season of life you are in — once this season is gone, it won’t be back. Treasure the moments you have with your family. Don’t get caught up in thinking about the “ideal family.” Your family is the most ideal family, because it’s the one God placed you in. Cherish the times spent together with your parents and your siblings – one, some, or all — whether the activity is unloading a dishwasher or roasting marshmallows around a campfire. Sing a song together, read a book aloud, or find some other way to spend quality time together. We never know how long we’ll have to enjoy this treasure we have!! So make the most of it!
