| Page 48

Our New Bathroom

Valerie Basham

January 12, 2015

My husband purchased our home over a year ago. Terry toured it, but I never did. I only saw photos. We could tell from the pictures online that the master bathroom would need some work. Terry’s visit confirmed it. But everything in it worked, so we went ahead and bought the house. Terry said, “We can remodel that bathroom in a year or so.” In my mind, the emphasis was on the words “or so”. I figured that it might be remodeled in five years, possibly ten. Or never. I really didn’t expect it to happen. We have five children, and their needs are a higher priority than a my having a new bathroom.

Well, God is truly amazing. I knew that, but I am reminded of it again every day, especially in December. A man who used to attend the church here offered to remodel our bathroom – for free. I was blown away. I couldn’t believe it. But the week before Christmas, it happened! We have a brand new master bathroom.

The problem was the shower. It was made to be handicapped accessible, but it wasn’t done right. The bottom of the shower held water, unless it was squeegeed out by hand.

Here are some before photos:

This one shows how the water would stand in the bottom. When the workers pulled up this flooring, they discovered the water had gradually been seeping into the wood beneath the shower. It had a terrible odor! I’m so grateful this is now gone!

Now, drum roll please, the AFTER photos:

The new bath tub, which lets the water completely drain out! Yippee!

I love the neutral colors in the tile. I currently have the bathroom decorated in purple, but I may decide to change that someday. There are still a few more things to be done, but the hard part is finished. This blessing is amazing and wonderful and above all that I could ever ask or think, because it was given to me by my Heavenly Father.

Three Little Things: Gifts from God

Valerie Basham

1 comment

January 9, 2015

This morning during my quiet time, I pondered the many wonderful gifts that God has given us. Whether saved or unsaved, we all enjoy these three little things:

1. Music Christians use this wonderful gift to return praise to our Savior. The unsaved use it to wake up, celebrate or even deal with grief. The most talented musicians in the world are given that talent by a Creator they may not even know. The mere use of their gift is, to those of us who know our Heavenly Father, an acknowledgment of His power and beauty.
2. Color If you’ve ever had an old black and white photo colorized, you know the difference that the rainbow makes! It’s truly a gift from God that I often take for granted. I love the various hues of green in the springtime, the blend of pastels in a sunset, and the subtle differences in the color of sand. Color makes the world fabulous!
3. Spice Even flavoring is a gift from God! Rosemary, cinnamon, ginger and more. They make food tasty and have healing properties. A gift from our thoughtful Creator.

These are just three little things for which I am thankful.

Beginning Photoshop Elements 12

Valerie Basham

4 comments

January 8, 2015

I recently shared that one of my New Year’s goals is to learn more about Photoshop Elements. I got a great book at the library called Photoshop Elements 12 for Dummies. It’s a classic. It was written just for me, my name is even in the title!

I’m halfway through chapter two, following along with the book while using the program itself. So far, I’ve learned a lot of simple things that I should have already figured out in the six months I’ve owned the program. One thing I learned is how to make slideshows! It wasn’t exactly in the reading, but in the process of looking around, I discovered it. I am pretty happy to have something to show for my study! I decided to share some of our Christmas photos using this method. (Maybe someday I can figure out how to add music.)

The quality of the photos appears grainy, but they weren’t that way on the original. I am still excited to learn how to do this. While the title of the book is slightly demeaning, it really does explain things in simple terms with lots of photos. I’m just proving that there may actually be times you can teach an old dog new tricks. 😉

Three Little Things

Valerie Basham

3 comments

January 7, 2015

In an effort to write more in 2015, I’m starting a theme (meme?) called “Three Little Things”. I figure that even I can squeeze three tiny, minuscule thoughts out of my addled brain each day. Not that they will be worth reading, but hey, maybe I’ll accidentally strike gold? They might be three blessings, three devotional thoughts, three verses, three complaints, three ideas, three potions – just kidding on that one. Just seeing if you were paying attention. Anyway, I think you get the idea. It will just be three little things. On days when I have a legitimate idea to share, I’ll forego the the three little things.

Three Little Things about Christmas Break

#1. We are taking an extra week off school because, frankly, the two weeks of Christmas break were exhausting. Shopping, decorating, baking, cooking, cleaning, laundry, wrapping, planning, organizing, thinking, caring for three sick kids – it was all too much. I have slept in, eaten out, read books and been online this week. I did get all the Christmas stuff put away, but after that, I basically have done nothing profitable. Nothing.

#2. The guilt of taking an extra week off school is killing me. Since I’ve been online more than usual, I have seen all of my diligent friends hard at work, reading, learning, growing – while I veg out. I tell myself that this extra break is necessary. I mean, what kind of a teacher would I be if I were insane? Then I think, but I’m kind of already insane. So, the guilt returns.

#3. While I do struggle with some guilt, the truth is, I don’t let it get me down. Every family, every mother, is unique. A lot of homeschooling moms are emotionally, physically and mentally able to jump right back into school after a taxing Christmas vacation. I’m not one of them. While I do love socializing and I’ve even been known to “talk at a rate of 70 m.p.h., with gusts up to 90” (or 110), I also enjoy quiet time. I see you shaking your heads! Really! I do. Terry took the kids hiking a few weeks ago, while I stayed home to get some work done. The silence for those three hours was deafening – and I loved it. I soaked it in. When they all came home, I felt refreshed and ready for the noise. The same thing has happened this week. The rest, the reading, the relaxing as helped me clear my brain and to focus. It’s helped me to be more patient and loving.

My conclusion? Take a break. You’ll be glad you did.

Goals for Life

Valerie Basham

3 comments

January 5, 2015

I usually write a blog post sharing my new year’s resolutions. I’m learning that some goals reappear each year, and that is as it should be. There are some things we must do always; each day, each month, each year.

Read. Read my Bible. Read good books. Think good thoughts. I finished using the Robert Murray M’Cheyene Bible reading schedule last year, and I loved it. I’m using it again this year. I have also started the year off with these books:

41: A Portrait of my Father by George W. Bush – so far, it’s very good.

The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton. – It’s too early for me to tell whether I like this one or not.

I’m also slowly reading a book called The Attributes of God by A. W. Pink. – It’s a lot to absorb, but I’m enjoying it.

Here’s a link to see the books I read last year. If you don’t have a Goodreads account, I highly recommend getting one. It’s a great place to organize the books you have read and want to read.

Pray. I struggle to pray. It is work, but it is the best work. I must do more of this in 2015.

Write. Write in my journal. Write on my blog. Write for publication. Writing isn’t a business for me, since I don’t make my living doing it, and yet, it is my business. It’s my therapy, my single creative outlet, and the highlight of my day.

Exercise. I have to keep pushing myself. I walked/ran over 60 miles from June to November. I should have (and could have) done more. Whether it’s aerobics DVDs, or walking in God’s lovely creation, I need to move.

Learn. I never want to stop learning in 2015 or any year. There is so much to learn! Last year I learned to knit (though I’m not good at it). This year, maybe crochet? I am also learning photography – for fun – and I’m learning to use Photoshop Elements, a photo editing program.

And that’s it. It doesn’t seem like much, but I bet it will take me all year to accomplish it. 🙂

Do you set New Year’s resolutions?

The River Called Life

Valerie Basham

3 comments

January 3, 2015

To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:

~ Ecclesiastes 3:1

It really boggles my mind to think that it is already a new year. I know that logically, time hasn’t sped up or slowed its pace since the beginning of the ages when God created it, but as I see the beginnings of each new gray hair, while still able to recall being three years old, “time” becomes more and more a mystery. Has it passed? My memories seem tangible. Yet, things – and people – are changing. Things change as they become outdated and obsolete. People change by growing up; becoming more mature. I suppose I have changed, too. I feel the same, but my mirror tells me that time has, indeed, moved ahead.

The best way I know to deal with the changes is to embrace them. I’m doing my best to enjoy the changes in my life and family. My daughter is thinking more and more about life on her own. Some of her ideas startle me. I mean, I’m not quite ready to think of her moving to London, England, just yet. I choose to smile and enjoy her whims. I trust that if that really happens, God will give me the grace to say goodbye. My “little” girls are not so little anymore. They each got their ears pierced a few weeks ago and seem like little ladies now. My oldest son is changing into a young man. His voice sounds more like his dad’s than a boy’s. My baby is not really a baby. He’s becoming a little boy more each day. I am resisting the urge to wish them all back to their babyhood, because it cannot happen. Time only moves one direction, and I remind myself that I’m embracing it. I’m having to remind myself of that quite often.

I’m changing, too. I’m no longer expecting to add to our family, though as sure as I write that, something unexpected will happen. I’m trying to move closer to the “empty nest” and that’s difficult. I love babies, and I dreamed of having a full house, which God graciously gave me. I would like to keep it full. I hate to see it diminish, but again, that’s the way time moves. It is a river that ebbs and flows, raging one minute and calming the next, reflecting every color of the rainbow as it travels its course. It sustains life and takes it, never ceasing its forward surge. I move with it, trying to relax and take in the sights and sounds along the way, ever thankful for the opportunity to ride this engaging, thriving, and wild river called “life”.

I look forward to seeing what lay just around that next bend in the river.

Looking ahead with joy,

Merry Christmas!

Valerie Basham

3 comments

December 24, 2014

Life has been so busy around this time of year, as I know you all can relate. I’m slow, but I’m finally sharing the videos of the kids’ Christmas recital pieces. They played at the local Mall on December 14. It was Lauren’s trumpet debut and Leslie’s piano debut. They both have been playing for six months. Mitchell also got to play, but was unfamiliar with the keyboard, so his piece wasn’t as beautiful as it was at home. Lauren and Leslie were really nervous. I hope our loved ones enjoy hearing them.

I was especially thrilled with Lauren’s trumpet performance, not only because she did a good job, but also because it was the first time my dad’s trumpet has been played publicly since his death. It meant a lot to me.

When it came time to get Christmas cards ready, I realized the best photo of our family was taken at Mt. Rushmore! So, we still live in Oklahoma, but our family photo was taken in Keystone, South Dakota. I appreciate the kind British lady who offered to snap it. (I hope the one I took for her turned out okay, but I doubt I’ll ever know.)

We are enjoying getting to spend Christmas with my mother this year. Lord willing, my in-laws with be with us for New Year’s! We are very blessed indeed.

I have just finished revising my “31 Days of Proverbs 31” Bible study for publication by our church’s printing ministry, the Watchman Press. I hope it will be available soon. It’s not written from the perspective of one who has all the answers, but from a heart searching to be like that great lady of Proverbs. I pray that God can use it for His glory. Because of the hustle and bustle of activity, I have been away from the blog. I hope to be more faithful to write in the New Year. Thank you so much for being here.

From our home to yours,

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

With love,

Thy Salvation

Valerie Basham

7 comments

December 12, 2014

Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit. ~ Psalm 51:12

One of my earliest memories is my “labor to enter into rest”. (Heb. 4:11)

I had heard our pastor, Bro. Glenn Riggs, preach about “calling out to God” and “praying and asking Jesus into your heart”, so I did those things. I was only five years old. I phrased my prayer the best I could, but nothing happened. The preacher said “You’ll know when Jesus saves you!” I didn’t “know”. The preacher said, “It’s not a feeling, it’s faith.” But what exactly was faith? My parents and brother and sister were all “saved”. I wanted to be, too. At age six, I went to my teacher in my Christian school, after two of my friends did, on a Wednesday and said I didn’t know if I would go to Heaven when I died. (Perhaps you had to talk to someone to make salvation official?) And if my friends could do it, why not I? It was October 10, 1984 – my mother’s birthday. I was wearing a Hawaiian style button-up shirt. The short sleeves were gathered in one place on the outside of the sleeve. I sat with Mrs. Parson in what had been my Kindergarten classroom. I was now a mature first grader. I squinted my eyes at her big, burgundy Bible, which was underlined and well-worn, straining to understand, seeking for that which I had been missing. I prayed the words. I left the room, hoping that this time, it had worked. I got baptized (despite my immense fear of water and crowds) soon thereafter. Life went on. I did not feel any different, but I recalled “it’s not a feeling, it’s faith.” Okay. *deep breath* Faith.

I made a second profession of salvation about two years later. The date is fuzzy on that one, but I do recall that it was the summertime. I went forward with a massive influx of other kids from our children’s church. Children’s church was a large production of songs, puppets, preaching and games. We met in the gym. There was no air conditioning in the gym. I had been doubting my salvation, so I went forward seeking answers. But I must admit that finding answers was secondary. I mainly went forward because I knew if I did, I’d get to go into the auditorium – or “big church” as I called it – where there was air conditioning. So around age eight, I filed in with several other boys and girls who had “professed Christ as their Savior” and stood at the front of big church. I smiled at my parents, who were probably very surprised to see me in the line, and I soaked up the blessed air conditioning. I felt my wet bangs turn cold against my forehead, and my Sunday dress gradually loosen from where the sweat had glued it to my skin. I felt the frigid air go up my sleeves, down my back and up the folds of my dress. I didn’t know if I was going to Heaven – despite a worker showing me the plan of salvation and praying with me – but I felt the air conditioning, which had to be the next best thing. I went to big church on a Sunday morning a few weeks later and got baptized. Again.

I continued to privately grapple with salvation for years. I went soul-winning with my church. I wore the right clothes. I sang in children’s choir. I went to every youth activity. I tried to quit talking so much. I read my Bible sporadically and prayed even more sporadically. I looked good on the outside, but I was a disaster on the inside. I was doing all I could do. I had prayed the words, I had tried to understand. Every time doubt sprang up in my mind, I pushed it down by trying to behave better. “You’re doubting this because you haven’t been reading your Bible every day. Just do better,” I would tell myself. I would start a read-through-your-Bible-in-a-year schedule. I would make a prayer list. I would just work harder. Surely, if I did all of that, I would know I was saved.

On the morning of June 12, 1993, as I was reading Ezra chapter one, the Lord quickened me. He said, almost audibly, “You don’t understand any of this because you are not born-again.” WHAT? What was this? I felt a huge sin burden upon my back, a feeling I had never had before. It was as if every sin I had ever committed was flashing before my eyes. I was not a Christian, and no amount of work or prayers would make me one. What a startling revelation. I sought out my friend’s mother, with whom I was staying, and told her I needed to be saved. But this time, I didn’t need anyone to show me verses, or to tell me what to say or do – I knew! As soon as my sinful condition was revealed, I cried out to God for mercy and He gloriously saved me.

SAVED, by His pow’r devine,

SAVED, to new life sublime,

Life now is sweet and my joy is complete

For I’m SAVED! SAVED! SAVED!

This song describes that moment in my life, the moment in which I was a lost sinner one second, and a born-again child of God the next. You see, you DO know if you’re saved. There is a “feeling”. It’s a feeling of sin, of despair, of hopelessness, of embarrassment before a Holy God, followed by a feeling of relief, overwhelming joy and indescribable happiness.

Years later, as a twenty-something married woman, I heard myself praying the words of Psalm 51:12, “Restore unto me the joy of my salvation”. I was going through a time of depression, which by nature I am prone to do. Shortly thereafter, I read the words of that Psalm and noticed that I had misquoted it – it’s not “the joy of MY salvation”, it says, “The joy of THY salvation.” This started an avalanche of thoughts tumbling through my brain. Was salvation not man’s choice? Was it of God and God alone? I’m sure that to those of you who caught on to this ages ago, this sounds silly. But I really thought that I had something to do with salvation! I thought I had to make a choice, to decide to be saved, but I had tried that. It didn’t work. And while calling out to Christ certainly is part of salvation, it’s not all of it. Christ awakened me to my sin without my consent. My pastor back then would have called this “the conviction of the Holy Spirit”, some call it “the quickening of the Spirit”. Whatever you call it, it was missing from my first two professions of faith. The first two times, I was essentially trying to save myself. I thought that my desire or decision to be saved would supply the final ingredient to salvation. Christ did His part, now I must do mine. I was believing that salvation was Christ plus my belief. In reality, it is Christ plus nothing.

Salvation is through Christ alone.

I went forward in the auditorium – not to please my flesh with air conditioning – but because I had been brought into the fold by the strong arms of the Good Shepherd. I was baptized for the third – and final – time on July 30, 1993. My parents were not surprised. They sat on their pew that Sunday morning silently rejoicing that their struggling little lamb had finally made it home.

With love,

Laci is Eight

Valerie Basham

2 comments

December 7, 2014

I started blogging in September of 2007. Laci’s first birthday was the first “birthday” blog post I ever wrote. And here I am, writing her eighth. *sigh* She has been a joy to our lives. She has the most expressive face! In fact, her face broadcasts her emotions even more than the normal person. We have to caution her about even the tiniest bit of pouting, because it shows up like a flashing neon sign in the darkness. Laci is the most hugging, kissing child I’ve ever had, too. She hugs me at least three times a day, sometimes more. She is very tenderhearted, especially toward animals. She recently told me that she wanted to President. If she was the President, she would pass a law that businesses couldn’t put spikes on the signs on buildings to prevent birds from building nests! She loves birds and squirrels and dogs and cats. Some of us here at the Basham hacienda are allergic to cats, and she sweetly agreed to never have an indoor cat so that I could come visit her.

As with each of my children, I could write a book about the laughter and love they have brought into my life, and the lessons they have taught me without even knowing it, but I’ll spare you since I’m positive you have a life to live yourself. 🙂 Thanks for spending part of it here.

Before I go, here are eight photos for eight years.

Happy birthday to my lovely, lively Laci!

Heaven’s Sounding Sweeter?

Valerie Basham

3 comments

December 3, 2014

This is a phrase from a song that I’ve heard my whole life. It’s a phrase I’ve used many times in the ten years since my dad’s death. Just recently, something occurred to me. Whenever I say that “Heaven’s sounding sweeter” because a saint has just entered its gates, am I saying that Heaven could be made sweeter than it already is?

The little girls are memorizing Luke 2:8-14, the story of Christ’s birth. Verse fourteen proclaims the angels’ words that starry night “Glory to God in the Highest, and on Earth, peace, good will toward men.” Every day when we recite this passage, we can’t help but glow with excitement over those words! Heaven is the home of the tiny babe about Whom those angels were singing so many centuries ago. What could be greater, or sweeter than our Savior? Absolutely nothing!

When we pause to ponder it, we realize that Heaven could never gain in sweetness. When a loved one who lightened our load and brightened our corner leaves this sin-cursed world for Heaven, it is not Heaven that is altered in beauty, but Earth. Heaven does not gain in sweetness, splendor, or beauty; but Earth – most certainly – loses some of it.

My world became darker that day God called my dad Home. I lost a friend. I lost a person who understood me when no one else could. I lost his smile, his laugh, his silly songs, his whistling and his hugs. Despite my loss on Earth, I still must praise my Creator. He has walked with me every step of the way, turning my sorrow into dancing. Through the valleys of this life, He is holding me, teaching me, loving me and comforting me. The best part of all is that I will see my loved ones again – through Christ. But as the song says, I long to see my Savior first of all.

I want to praise the Lord for His tender mercies. May He be exalted on Earth as He is in Heaven.

With love,