Happy Anniversary!! Years 20-25

Happy Anniversary 

Years 20-25

I would sum up these years as the "pruning" years.

We got pruned in every way known to man...Charlie even got physically pruned.

But, after the physical pruning (hand injury) and during the "everything else pruning"  we have been bearing children fruit.  

When Charlie cut his hand, my brother-in-law Justin said,

"Well, he didn't cut it off, so he must be bearing fruit." 

And he sent this verse:

John 15:2 English Standard Version (ESV)

2 Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit.

That happened about a month before our 20th wedding anniversary.

Since then...in the last 5 years....it has been a crazy amount of pruning and fruit bearing.

Our fruit usually comes in the form of more people.  :) 

We experienced A LOT of firsts in these 5 years.

First kid to graduate, first adoption, first married child, first grand-baby.

Once we did the first of all these things...we quickly got seconds

 (except for the married child, we still only have 1 of those).

In February of 2011(I was pregnant with Maezie and was keeping it quiet) and  we went to Uganda to go to court to adopt Esther.

In March of 2011 Charlie brought Esther home.

July 2011 Charlie walked Lashae down the isle and gave our daughter in marriage to our wonderful son-in-law, Chaney.

In September 2011 we had Maezie Ann-Grace Brewer.
She is AMAZING GRACE!

In 2012 Kole graduated from high school and went away to college.

When Kole came home for Spring Break in his first year of college he brought home his best buddy from school.

 Kole and Claiborne called each other 

"brothers", 

 Claiborne, naturally became one of ours.  

May 2013 we adopted Mikiyas William Brewer.

In 2012 Lashae and Chaney had our first grand-baby, 

Maubry Ann Bowen

 and in 2014 they had our second grand baby,
Shawnie Grace Bowen.

I LOVE all our fruit peeps so much.

None of this would be possible without the complete and continuous grace of God.

He gives us what we don't deserve every single day.

The thing I know about "bearing fruit".  It has nothing to do with us...it is God who makes it happen, all we can do is abide in Him and He creates fruit in our lives that we can

 ENJOY!

John 15:4English Standard Version (ESV)

4 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me.

We are celebrating 25 years with another baby on board and we are

 OVERJOYED!!!