Dear Barb, Wow what your Mother said was so true. Your Husband Loves you and is just scared because of what happened to your Father. Just love him. Your Father was needed on the other side more than here. I too was on the lighter side of the scale for the surgery. but I have never felt better in my whole life. I would do it again. and Hugs All will be well. Love Ruthy

Barb, I think he jkust scared, he knows the risks, he loves you dearly and he just doesn't want to see you hurting or to lose you. He will be ok, just love him mback and let him be scared. He will give a 100% to, wait and see. He may want a blessing to help get rid of his doubts. Talk to him and tell him its ok to be scared. Best of luck and my prayers are with the two of you. Kaye C

Dear Brenda, I read your email yesterday morning. Got on the IM with daughter in your neck of the woods, and promptly lost my response that I was writing to you. I found it more than fortunate that you responded to my email, as I had observed when I first joined this forum that you were young and living in Heidelberg. I lived in Heidelberg from 1979 to 1982 when my children were small. My daughter lives now in the Ansbach Ward, they were in Wurtzburg, but that area is in the process of being closed. They are at an Air Base (can't think of the name at the moment) her husband is a Blackhawk pilot, and has been deployed the majority of the time they have been in Germany. She was actually in Heidelberg last Friday to do some of her favorite shopping places. She loves the Craft Shop, which I think is at the old Patton Barracks. She is going to teach quilting in her area this Fall. On this visit, she said she actually located the quarters we lived in at Patrick Henry Village. She was only 7 when we left there, so had a little trouble locating the place, but once she found it, there was no question in her mind, that she had it right. One of the other interesting things is that the man she is married too, was living as a child in Nuremberg, at the same time we were in Heidelberg. But they met as teens in high school in Oklahoma, after both of their fathers were retired from the Army. I'll send you an email latter with her address, I suspect you may be fairly close in age, well you would be younger than her. It is so exciting that you have a child, and another on the way! Is this perhaps the result of health changes because of your surgery? Actually I had this surgery because my daughter had looked into it for herself, and then chickened out. She is still thinking about it though. Her kids are 14 (boy) and 12 (girl). She is teaching them at home again, as she has tried both ways, and decided to go back to the Home School Method. She runs into the aspect that folks her and husbands age, have much younger children than they do. But that's what happens when you start a family young. LOL I have something else in common with you. When I was a young mother in Heidelberg, I had two step-children in my realm of my responsibility. At that time they were both angry teenagers, because their mother had chosen to take no responsibility for them, and sent them to live with their father and I when they were only 7 and 9. The current plan is that I will be coming to Germany in April. Dear daughter and I are going to spend some time in England, where I never got to go when she was a child. Important to me, because in my younger days, I read old English Parish Registers for the names submission programs of the Church. This is long dear girl, so will spare you for now. Feel free to take this off forum if you would like. My email address is set up, to receive emails. Love you already, just looking at your picture, Linda Woods

Daph, I'm almost finished with my 5th Mitford book "A new Song". I should fini**** today. I'm lucky that our local library seems to carry quite a few of Jan Karon's books. I've thoroughly enjoyed reading them. I suggest them to anyone who will listen to me. Thank you SO MUCH for suggesting them. They are among my "highly recommended" priority list. I thing I like about a board like this one is that we can steer each other to good uplifting books. We don't have to muddle through the smut and trash to find something good and uplifting to read. More people need to get the word out when they find a good wholesome book to read. Love, Melody

Hi Linda, I think that was a wonderful "thought"! I am a new mother, just starting out. My husband has 2 children from a previous marriage ages 14-f & 10-m. The 10-m lives with us. We now have a beautiful 5 month old baby girl. I recently discovered that I am once again "with child". We are so excited. It is sad to see that my step-daughter is not allowed to go to church. While she was here visiting with us this summer, she was so excited to read the scriptures and attend young women's class with all the girls her age. She would even remind us to read scriptures as a family and offer to say prayer. It was great to see her enthusiasm, but sad to know that once she returned to live with her mother that would all fade away. At least it is good to know that she had some exposure to the truth, recognised it for what it was and hopefully when she is older can choose for herself to attend and maybe one day be baptized. I am currently living in Germany. We started out in the Army but my husband has since gotten out and is now a civilian worker. We are stationed in Heidelberg. Where is your daughter? I hope she likes it here. We are fortunate enough to have wards big enough to still be broken down into German and American. Although we have been tempted to attend the German ward for more exposure to the culture and language. Thanks again for your thoughts. They will come in handy I'm sure! Brenda