Tuesdays With Pappo: "This Man....."

 March 26, 2025

This man.......

I've always called him Pappo.....pronounced: Pop-O.....

He has the most beautiful BLUE eyes....that get bluer with every year.....

That smarly sense of humor of his....well, it gets funnier with every year,,,,,

And with each passing day, our relationship grows closer and closer.

And as he celebrates Chapter 97 ......ya, you heard me right...he's 97 years old today.....my love for him grows bigger and better.

I love you Pappo.......lets PARTY!!!

Happy Birthday, Chuck......We Love You

 March 21, 2025

We will celebrate and toast you in our lives, Chuck, until we see you again.

Happy "Earthly" Birthday, Chuck.......and THANK FOR for this amazing Etheridge family I inherited the day I married you......and that Wayne inherited the day he married me.

Your legacy lives on.......and on.

Morning .....My Favorite Part Of The Day

 March 15, 2025

Morning. My favorite part of the day.

Quiet.

Still.

Hopeful.

Before rising, I begin with gratitude. For life. For opportunities the day will provide.

I fill my cup with coffee and retreat to my favorite chair.

With mind and body rested, before I’m invaded by the world outside these walls, I have time alone. To think. To read. To pray.

I prefer it to begin in the dark when I can see the day unfold before me.

I sit with my thoughts.

I acknowledge my successes and failures to see what I can learn from them. Good choices and bad. I give thanks. I ask for forgiveness.

I listen.

The birds remind me it’s a new day. A time to receive grace. And to give the same grace that I received.

These moments carry me through the day.

Without them I am disoriented. A bit lost.

I’ve learned that “how I start” affects “how I end”.

Choices made throughout the day are influenced by the choices I made that morning.

Morning prepares me for what is ahead.

It won’t be perfect, and that’s ok.

I will give thanks. I will ask for forgiveness.

And if I’m given another morning, I will find refuge in my favorite part of the day.

 March 11, 2025

HAPPY BIRTHDAY Chief Wayne Sekerke!

This past weekend, Wayne and I went to an event at the Dickie's Arena in Ft. Worth. It was an all day event with 8,000 people in attendance.

During the lunch break, us along with 7,998 other people, were all trying to make our way through the crowded hallway of this arena, when I hear Wayne say something to the couple just ahead of us. It turned out to be two long-time friends of his from days at the FAA.

They turned around and the biggest, most beautiful smile covered the lady's face as she saw Wayne. She then looked over at me, grabbed my hand and said, "Liz, I've been wanting to meet you!".

You see, they knew Wayne when he and Cyndi were married and had covered him in prayers through her death. As we stood there in the middle of chaos and people at Dickie's Arena, she grabbed both of my hands and said,

"We prayed deeply for Wayne during his time of loss. We prayed for healing, for peace for him and we prayed for love to find its way back into his life. Liz, we prayed for YOU before Wayne ever met you."

I could feel the tears stinging my eyes as this beautiful red-headed lady I had never met before named Jen, told me she had prayed for ME.....a yet unknown face in the life of Wayne....before he ever knew there was a Liz and before I ever knew there was a Wayne.

Today is this man's birthday.....his last 365 days being in his 60's. He prays each morning at the kitchen table with his wife after reading our Jesus Calling devotional. This morning, Day 1 of Year 69....he held my hand, (yes, I snapped this pic while he was praying...shame on me) looked up the scriptures using his trusty flashlight, and I see this heart form in the center of his Bible. Yep....right smack dab in the center.

It was God's way of reminding Wayne and I that marriage takes three people......not two. And its the third person of our marriage that hears the prayers of others on our behalf......prayers like Jen and Dan Bush's.....who prayed years ago that God would put us into each others lives.

And He did.

Check out our story here........

https://youtu.be/M57uH6SXXhs?si=mevgVXMQQJ32-jCN

Cyndi Sekerke - A Picture Is Worth A 1000 Words

 January 11, 2025

A Picture Is Worth A 1000 Words........

And this picture, well, it wins the Grand Prize.

This is Cyndi Sekerke, Wayne's late wife.....and today....TODAY we celebrate her earthly birthday. It's been a little over 7 years since God called her home to a place of REST. PEACE and HEALING.

And that very handsome man staring into her eyes....well, that's her Bud, her dad Ken. And for the first time in 7 years, they are looking into each others eyes once again. You see, Ken passed away exactly a month ago yesterday. They are once again together......Sis and Bud.

They say a picture is worth a 1000 words.....I say a 1000 words couldn't begin to describe this picture.