Category Archives: Life History

My Favorite Homemade Gift

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At the end of a summer mission trip to Colorado I went on in 1998, all the church members from the church we were helping out gave my partner and me small gag gifts. One of my gifts was an eye pillow because it had inspired quite a bit of laughter between one of the ladies in the church and me. Unfortunately, I can’t remember what we were laughing at! I’ll have to dig through my own journals to find out! But that isn’t the main idea of this post. (Some how I get the feeling that some of you are going to make me explain that one later). 😉

Several years ago, my beloved eye pillow that had gotten me through many headaches was irreparably torn. I was sad but did not let my sadness keep me from being inspired by the fact that I now knew what the eye pillow was filled with and how to make a replacement.

Turns out that the replacement was so easy to make that I made a bunch and gave them away as gifts. The gifts were well received, and I even got a request to make one for someone else later on.*

So, a homemade eye pillow was one of the favorite gifts I ever received, and quite honestly, one of my favorite ones to give. I felt like I was giving such a personal gift because it is one made with my own hands.

Wondering how to make one? You can find step by step instructions on ehow.com. I didn’t do much more than email back then, so I did not have access to step-by-step instructions. Needless to say, I did not follow these exactly. Here’s what I did differently.

  • Used bird seed instead of flax seed
  • Left out the scented herbs
  • Made them 2-tone (meaning sewing all 4 sides instead of just 3)

The main thing is to make sure you do not over or under fill your pillow. You want it to have enough room to let the filling settle down over your eyes. If it has too much or too little filling, it won’t work very well. Hopefully you can get an idea of how full it should be by the pictures below. Let me know if you have questions. 🙂


*Unfortunately I can’t remember whether I ever followed through on that request. If you are reading this and requested an eye pillow that you did not receive, please let me know. 😐

In Love for 10 Years!

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Ten years ago today I declared my love to a man for the first time in my life! We were sitting at a picnic table in the grove at the University of Mississippi. He was obviously in love with me and told me so several weeks before I discovered that I felt the same about him!

On November, 1998, I was able to say and genuinely mean those wonderful words to the man that would very soon become my husband! Interestingly it happened on the reverse date of my birthday – 11/7 versus 7/11. Because of that, the date is easy to remember for both of us.

I love you, Luke!

Willfully Chosen

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I just noticed tonight that my parents have been divorced for half my life! Weird! It seems like yesterday. I remember being so sure that they would get back together and be “the way they were.” I hung onto that hope until they both remarried. Now they have been apart for almost as long as they were together!

When Luke and I got married we discussed the issue of divorce and decided that we were together for life no matter what – no exception! And I believe it with all my heart. I am so glad we made that decision! Our kids will never have to go through the disappointment and heartbreak of discovering that their parents no longer want to be together.

Of course, the kids are not the only ones I am concerned about! It’s a great feeling for me too. I have no desire to have anything else whatsoever to do with divorce. And there is no feeling in the world like knowing that someone has willfully chosen to be committed to you no matter what. Maybe, just maybe, that is why God gave us a choice of whether or not to choose Him. There’s just nothing like being willfully chosen.

Goin’ Courtin’

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On October 17, 1998 while at a park with the Gedeons, Luke and I talked about and agreed to a courting relationship. It was a big day for us because we knew we were serious about the relationship and were looking for characteristics in each other that we would want in a spouse. And, of course, it was a big day just because we really liked each other and it was no longer a secret!

After Luke asked me to “court” and I accepted, we went on our first date with Luke’s sister and fiance at a nearby restaurant. I have no idea what we talked about on that date because I was too dazed by the fact that I was sitting across the table from my first real boyfriend! I was so glad to be together with him, and I am still glad 10 years later!

If you want to know more about Luke and me and our history, read some from my perspective and some from his. You can also stay tuned for other “10 year” memories that I am planning to share with you! 🙂

How Luke and I met

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When I was 12 years old, Bro. Mark Gedeon became the new pastor of our church, Springdale Free Will Baptist in Oxford, MS. He had six children, and because I was not used to having many kids at my small church, I attended church out of curiosity. I immediately became attached to the whole family, especially the oldest three: Luke (12), Ruth (10), and Rachel (8). After the Gedeons had been at our church for six months, I was led to Christ by Luke’s mom and sister, Ruth.

Luke and I both liked each other at the time, but neither of us was brave enough to tell the other person (although we both had a common spy (Rachel), who was willing to give away a little bit to each of us). After about a year, Luke and I actually got brave enough to reveal our feelings for each other and began writing letters to each other.

When Luke and I were 15, my parents got divorced, and I had to move away to Abbeville, MS while he, at the same time, had to move on since his dad was no longer pastor. He eventually ended up in Southaven, MS.

For several years, we kept up with each other through letters and my occasional visits to see his family. Eventually we lost track of each other and actually saw other people, but neither of us was ever in a relationship anything close to serious.

While I was attending Northwest Mississippi Community College in Senatobia, MS, I pulled out my 300 page journal that I had written about Luke between the ages of 12 and 15, curious about what ever became of him. Oddly enough, he was wondering about me at about the same time.

In September of 1999 while I was attending Ole Miss (in my home town) and he was attending Free Will Baptist Bible College in Nashville, TN, Luke called and arranged to meet me at Shoney’s in Oxford, MS. We had an interview-type meal and learned a little about the life goals of one another.

We began courting in October. Since we had a long distance relationship, our main source of communication was through email, but we managed to talk on the phone and visit from time to time, also. We were married six months later in April of 1999.

Some would say we had a short courting/engagement period, but we had actually known each other for eight years! No one else could have been a better match for me than Luke Gedeon. I’m glad God brought us together!