Life is But a Moment in Time

As I was trying to read my devotions and was deep in thought I thought about the fact that just the other day I was a child and now I'm facing my seventy fifth birthday in two months. It was only yesterday that I was playing jacks and jumping rope with my friends. Now we are all grandparents. It was just a hop skip and a jump since we played hopscotch until now when even walking is affected by arthritis. Where did the time go? Life is fleeting, a moment in God's time.

When I was a child I was so anxious to grow up and get married and be a mommy. It seemed like forever. When I was a newlywed and Paul was drafted into the Army and was gone so long it felt like forever. It was much too long considering that he missed a year and a half of our first baby's life. Then when I was a young mother with four children it seemed like I would be forever attached to a buggy or stroller. It was not so long after all. My babies grew up much too fast. The next thing you knew they were teenagers and then high school graduates.

Our youngest child left the nest first when he joined the Marines at the age of seventeen. I only had him under my wings for seventeen short years. Only a short time in the scheme of things to nurture him and lead him to the Lord. But I was a baby Christian myself so I missed too many opportunities to lead him where I would like to see him be. Did I plant seeds or water them? I would hope that I did. He is a dear son and is good to us. He may be more than six feet tall but he is still my baby. But he has a mind of his own and I can only pray that he will accept the Lord, hopefully while I still have breath left on earth.

The next child to leave home was the oldest when she got married at the age of twenty eight. I was blessed to have her with me all those years. She enjoyed Bible stories and nursery rhymes as a child. She was close to me as the first born. I am thankful that she loves the Lord and brought her girls up in a Christian home. It was such a blessing when she became a wife and then a mother. I loved being a grandma to her two little girls. They are not little girls anymore but I still love being their grandmother. Time flew by and now I'm a great grandmother. That sure happened fast.

The third child to leave home was our third child, our first son. He joined the Air Force and then left the nest. He has only been home for Christmas one time since then. But he comes home during the year and shares quality time with us. As a child he did not get many opportunities to travel but he puts in the miles on his car now days. He takes us places when he is with us. As a child he loved his blocks and puzzles as well as all of his boys toys. When we had sons after two daughters we found out that boys make boys noises. Cars and trucks require that sound. That was just the other day. Where did our little boys go? As with our other son our prayer is for him to know the Lord.

We still have one daughter at home with us. When she was a young child she loved sitting with me in the rocking chair and being read to. I guess all of our children enjoyed this ritual. But some latched onto this ritual more than the others. She loved her "Nanny book" which was part of a large set of children's books we got when she was a baby. She grew to love the Word of God too. Thankfully we continue to go to church with her after all these many years. She is child number two in birth order. Not only did I teach her things when she was a child, she now teaches me new things such as using the computer.

Not only did the time swiftly pass in raising four children, it has been but a brief moment in time since our granddaughters were little. And now we have a great grandson. How can I be about to celebrate seventy five years here on earth? I was just seventeen years old and walking down the aisle at church on an August afternoon in 1954. I was looking forward to being a good wife and mother. Well, I tried to be those things but it wasn't all picket fences and roses. There were thorns along the way. Oh to go back and do a better job. Thankfully I came to know the Lord along the way and that is the best part of all. Where would I be without the Lord? I would be lost and facing my senior years in darkness. As it is I enjoy sharing my days with other believers and look forward to spending eternity with Jesus in the home He has prepared for me and other believers.

Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.  Psalm 90: 12

I'm Not the Only Caroline Marvin

When I was a child I never knew anyone with the name Caroline. It is an old fashioned name that was not being used a lot at the time. I knew a number of girls with the name Carolyn and Carol, but nobody with my name. Of course many people ended up calling me Carolyn thinking that was my name. I did not usually bother to correct them. One of my friends is Carolyn and she makes sure that people have it right when our names get switched.

When I was in high school I finally met a girl named Caroline. She was younger than me, but I had opportunity to meet her. So it was fun when we greeted each other to say "hi Caroline" to each other. I know that would not be a big deal with many common names. There are a lot of Kathys and Lauras so they would not think twice about hearing their names unless it was specifically for them.

In more recent years I hear the name Caroline used a lot more. It seems that ever since Caroline Kennedy was a little girl in the White House people have liked the name. Grace Kelly also named her first child Caroline. I meet other girls named Caroline now days.

Recently someone else with the name Caroline Marvin found one of my blog posts. So I'm not the only person with this combination of names. My name happened to be in the San Diego Union-Tribune several weeks ago. A friend of the other Caroline saw my name and let her know that she saw the name Caroline Marvin in the paper. So Caroline wrote a note on one of my blog posts. I tried to respond but had no success. I often need help from my daughter in using the computer.

Caroline Marvin who lives in Boston, if you see this I'm not ignoring your note. I'm just amazed that you found my blog and wrote to me. I hope to hear from you again. Oh, in answering your question, Marvin is my married name. I'm 74 years old and have been married 56 years. It will be 57 years in August.

We are not the only ones that have had the name Caroline Marvin. My brother-in-law saw on obituary for a Caroline Marvin in the Salinas, California newspaper sometime ago. He was not surprised that there are Marvins in Boston as the family was originally in the east. All I knew is that some had been in Ohio and then Michigan. My father-in-law was born in Minnesota but came southwest as a child. I know there is another Marvin family in our area, but we are not related.

Until now I would never have thought there would be another person with my name. But I should not be surprised as there are a lot of duplicate names. We found that out when looking for someone on Facebook. If it wasn't for my daughter I would not be on Facebook or writing on the computer. Thank God for daughters.

We may share a name with someone else but we are each unique. God knows each one of us. He knows the number of hairs on our heads. He knows what is in our hearts. He knows our thoughts and answers our prayers. He loves us and desires for each one of us to love him too. He even knew us before we were born.

See Psalm 139

Two Precious Daughters

Lovely and full of grace; in my heart there is a place for my dear daughters. My life would not be complete without my two sweet girls. They learned their lessons as they should at my knee reading books and in Sunday School. They heard the story of Jesus and accepted Him into their hearts as soon as they understood the message of His love for them.

Playing school and playing house as well as making mud pies and what was called giant stew were fun to do. The park and the beach in sunny Coronado were activities to make a day complete. Riding on the ferry on San Diego Bay could also make their day. Going to the San Diego Zoo was also a favorite thing to do.

I remember when they each started school and had the same kindergarten teacher as I did. Kathy had one of my classmates as her second grade teacher. Kathy even baby sat for the kitty of one of her sibling's teachers. The girls took their lessons in school to heart and did their very best. They enjoyed the good grades earned upon completing a project. Laura had the same sixth grade teacher as I had in Coronado. They had other teachers that I had too. A favorite was my high school homemaking teacher which Kathy also had the privilege to learn from each year she was in high school.

Kathy was lucky to be able to graduate from Coronado High School in 1973, thus being the third generation to graduate from CHS. That same year Laura graduated from Coronado Junior High making her the third generation to do so. That was an eighth grade graduation. The next school year we had moved so Laura went to Montgomery Junior High for ninth grade. She also had junior high graduation from ninth grade at Montgomery. That year Kathy went to Southwestern Community College where she eventually graduated. In 1977 Laura graduated from Montgomery High School.

Laura still has a dear friend that she met in high school. Bea has been a blessing for us to know. Over the years Laura has had several special friends. It has been sad for her to lose contact with them along the way. She thinks of Maggie quite often. They were childhood friends and neighbors. These are the friends that help shape our lives. We are in contact on facebook with one of her childhood friends who was also a neighbor. That is a blessing. She remembers us taking her to Sunday School and Church. We have made memories with other children this way too.

When Laura was two and a half and Kathy was five they got a baby brother, Paul William Marvin, III. We call him Bill but his friends call him Paul. Then two years later they got another baby brother, Griffith Hughes Marvin. We call him Griff. They are both named after family.

Kathleen Jean has my middle name, Jean. She has always been called Kathy. Laura Elizabeth has my grandma Pearl Elizabeth's middle name. I like family names. And I love my family!!!