She made it all the way to the top!

Oh, where do I begin... at the beginning might be the best place.... we knew from the start that we had been blest with a healthy,beautiful and darling daughter on that April day... but what we did not know then.. was that she would be someone who would make a difference in the coming years for many people, as well as for herself.

She just finished and has now recieved the honor of being able to put Phd. in front of her name..yes.. she is now Dr. Stephanie M. Eddleman, in English Literature. She will continue on as a teacher of such,at Harding U. in Searcy, Arkansas.

But that is not all of the story.. what you don't know is that she has done all of this is such a short time... and at a time in her life, where she has given birth to three children and is a devoted wife, and a dedicated Christian.

She has been an inspriation to so many. And has worked putting in many, many hours in study and on the road back and forth from her home to Ole Miss.

And now she can go on , but without the constant thought of having more to do to get to this point in her life.

I, as her mother, want you to know how "proud" we are of her, and tho, this may seem like a way for me to brag...wellllllll..... all I can tell you is that we give God the credit for giving her the ability, the courage, the fortitude and the caring enough to continue on to the finish line..

Thanks for giving me the opportunity to say my piece... for she made it all the way to the top!

A Willing Woman

By Martha Duke Manley ©

OH, DEAR FATHER,

MAY I BE.

A WILLING WOMAN JUST FOR THEE.

READY TO SERVE,

READY TO DO.

ALL THAT WOULD MAKE ME PURE AND TRUE.

NEVER LORD SHOULD I TEACH,

BUT CHRIST TO OTHERS AS I MEET.

BY EXAMPLE,MAY YOU SEE.

A WILLING WOMAN FOUND IN ME!

Closer Walk

By Martha Duke Manley ©

OH! LORD MY GOD, MY KING.

ALL POWER IS IN THY HAND.

MAY I STRIVE EVER ONWARD,TO BE THE BEST THAT I CAN.

I KNOW OF MY SHORTCOMINGS,MY FAILURES AND MY SINS.

BUT HELP ME OH, DEAR SAVIOR

TO KNOW JUST WHERE TO BEGIN.

A LIFE OF DEARER SERVICE.MORE DEVOTION TO YOU, I SEEK.

A STRONGER DESIRE TO DO THOU WILL.

IS WHAT I MUST REACH.

BRING GLORY TO THY NAME,

BY EXAMPLE OF MY WORDS AND THOUGHTS.

MAY I LIVE EACH ONE

OF MY DAYS AND YEARS.

IN CLOSER WALK WITH THEE.

Behold I thought!

First of all, I am sorry that I have missed a few days in keeping this up to date.. but my husband and I are on an extended trip, following the trail of Lewis and Clarke...and we are now in North Dakota.

Enjoying this very much. We find it so interesting, from what we saw while in South Dakota and now here.

I hope to share some of that with you as the days come.

But for right now... look at the picture on your left. Do you know where I took that? Does it look like something you have seen before? If I were to say to you.. the Badlands of South Dakota,would you say, yep... that's just what I figured they would look like.... well, not me, for behold I thought, that they would look much different... for there are miles of the same thing that you are seeing in this picture. And they are very rugged. Some very high...... bad cowboys could surely find a hiding place in there somewhere..only my thoughts were... if they left for somewhere and returned, 'how would they know just where to come back to?"....ha... oh ok.. laugh at me if you will... but I seem to want to relate this to life itself... do we sometimes, see things as they really are, and not as we had beheld them to be... and has it not been the case in your life, that once you have gone "somewhere in your actions of life, that you can not seem to find your way back home to safety? Well, when we consider these things, think on this... Remember that the great Creator who made all things can guide us from wherever we tread, back to safety, if only we will follow his steps. And stay grounded in Him.

Happy 4th. of July to each of you!!!!!!

"In God We Trust"Martha Duke Manley © They are on our nation'sSeals and Currency.But, are those same wordsFound in our lives, for others to see?You know, then, as well as I,It goes like this, "In God We Trust."But, it seems that the only timeWe really say it is when we feel we must.It is only whenOur country is in needThat these few wordsBecome, once again, our earnest creed.You say No! It is not really that way.Then, let's think and examine.We say them so often with tears streaming,When there is death, drought, and famine.But, what of its' useIn our everyday life?Can it be only heard whenWe are full of Anger, Pain and Strife?Is it at the threat or time of war,When we find ourselves crippled by FearFor the lives of so many,That we then want God to be near ...So that He would beWatching and hear usAs we say, so desperately,"In God We Trust"?But for this nation,I do solemnly pray.Father, may we wake up and realize,We need to live those words everyday!