The Matthews' Corral

Christmas at the Matthews' Homeplace

2009-12-14T17:03:00.000-08:00

Enjoy a tour of the Matthews' Homeplace at Christmas...decorated with love to celebrate the birth of Christ Jesus!

Christmas at the Cove

2009-12-06T17:12:00.000-08:00

MERRY CHRISTMAS MOM!!

God granted us a miracle this Christmas by allowing us to take our Mom to "Christmas at the Cove". The Cove is Reverend Billy Graham's Training and Retreat Center in Asheville, North Carolina. What a wonderful experience it was to be in such an inspirational place!

We arrive about 3:30 p.m. on Saturday just as the beautiful snow began to fall. Beautiful banners and wreaths were hanging outside The Shepperd's Inn among the beautiful trees and majestic mountains.

After checking in, we dressed up for a special dinner in the beautiful dinning room. It was just a short walk from the Inn. Gracious greeters waited at the door and presented us with the evenings program. A giant fire place and two beautifully decorated Christmas trees framed what is the most beautiful Manger scene we had ever seen.

Here is a picture of that beautiful Manger that reminded us of the true reason for this wonderful season we call "Christmas":

Brooks and I pray that all of us will take time for Jesus this Christmas and allow ourselves time to be reminded of "The Wonder of It All" when Jesus (God Himself) came to earth for each one of us.

These are the awsome trees we saw in addition to the fireplace which was a very popular place to be since the weather was so cold! Behind the tree below there was a very gracious couple who got to know Mom and even prayed with her the next day. They have been married 49 years!

It is finally time to eat and we are escorted to the dinning room where there is another beautiful Christmas tree in the center of the room. This one is only decorated with white ornaments. There are huge windows all around the room which allow us to see the mountains and the trees. Our dinner was delicious and the eggnog flavored dessert was delicious! Everyone there kept wanting to help Mom and they were all very gracious to her. Many people told her they love her name (Diamond) and she got to tell them the story of how her oldest sister Ruby had named her. They all thought that was a sweet story.

Now it was time to go to see the show. Since we had some time, we took a tour of the lower level where we were all in awe at the pictures on the hallway that told the story of Dr. Graham's ministry and life. A life that was truly dedicated to Jesus, our Lord. It was almost as being on sacred ground. There were pictures of him with leaders from all over the world (free and communist countries). All welcoming him to their country..... The pictures that took my breath away though were those of the Crusades where thousands and thousands of people gave their lives to Christ...One picture had a statement from Dr. Graham where he refered to the moment each of these people accepted Christ and describe it as "the moment they stood in the presence of God Himsself". What an awsome thought that is. There was also a picture of Brittain's Prime Minister Winston Churchill where he asked Dr. Graham during WWII if there was hope for this world and he said, "The world's hope is in the New Testament". We need to be reminded of that today, don't we?

Here are some pictures of the hallways and some of the presents he received from world leaders around the world:

The concert included two of Dr. Graham's best friends who have been with him from the beginning, Criff Barrows who shared the Gospel with Dr. Graham since the team's first Crusade in 1949. He is also a Gospel singer and is in the Gospel Music Association Hall of Fame. George Beverly Shea is another Gospel singer who has carried the Gospel in song to six continents as a soloist for Billy Graham's Crusades. He is 101 years old!! and sang for us!! Huw Priday who is a Welsh-born operatic tenor did a wonderful job with his incredible voice as he sang Holy Night, Mary Did You Know and many other favorites. Jeannette Clift George also was there, she is an actress. She has toured with the NY Shakespeare Company and portrayed Corrie ten Boom in the film "The Hiding Place". She told us about her meetings with Corrie ten Boom and her love and devotion to the Lord. She reminded us of just how much God loves us..... There were other singers such as four young tenors who also did a great job. In the end, we heard the account of Jesus's birth from Luke narrated by Tom Bledsoe. Here are just a couple of pictures while we were waiting for the program to start. They did not allow photography during the program. (I think Maria called to talk about the Carolina game with her daddy...he loved that)

After a wonderful show and a restful night, we returned to the dinning room for a great breakfast! I think in this picture you can see the large windows with a view of the mountains and the large Christmas tree in the center of the room. Our breakfast included some of Brooks' favorites such as biscuits with gravy and of course grits!

We had a wonderful trip. The presence of God was evident all around us...we were all inspired and renewed in our faith. We, Brooks and I, are thankful for a precious mother who during our entire lives has been an example of a selfless, giving life. We have been blessed with a true Christian Mother and this Christmas we wanted to let her know how much she means to us. We love you Mom!! MERRY CHRISTMAS!

One Year Up-Date

2009-11-06T19:47:00.000-08:00

It has been almost one year since my last up-date and many things have happened since then. I know most of you reading this know that my mother passed away on February 26th of this year. It seems like she was just here yesterday..... Please know that everyday I miss her even more and that she is never too far from my thoughts. If you are blessed to have your mom still with you, please love her and appreciate her for our mothers are precious treasures that God has blessed us with. I want to honor my mother's memory just by telling you that she was a wonderful, caring mom who taught me to appreciate beautiful things and also gave me many pearls of wisdom..."I miss you Mami".......

We went to Guatemala to take Mom home to a beautiful place called "Las Flores" to rest close to my precious Daddy. Many friends and family members came. Here are some pictures of that special place and of my brother Vicente, sister-in-law Ileana and sister Ana.

More to come....

Heather & Baxter!!!!! HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

2008-02-08T18:07:00.000-08:00

We celebrated Heather's 22nd birthday in Raleigh. There she received the gift of a new, faithful, loving, and full of fun friend....BAXTER! A 2 month old Puggle that has eyes that will melt your heart. He felt in love with her the moment he saw her and he has not stopped loving her.

Baxter made her birthday an unforgettable one, but it was also a great day for Baxter. He now has a wonderful, beautiful and caring young lady to love him and play with.

Happy Birthday Heather!!!

Big Bear, Papa Bear & Tiny Bear!

2007-11-27T16:28:00.000-08:00

The other day Big Bear brought home Papa Bear & Tiny Bear. We were all amazed to see that Papa Bear could sing! You just have to come by to see it for yourself. As of today, anyone who comes to our home will not only hear Papa Bear sing, but also will be able to choose an ornament for themselves to take home! So make sure (specially little Kate & Scarlett) to come by and visit soon! Oh! By the way, can you see the resemblance???

WHICH ONE IS BIG BEAR AND WHICH ONE IS PAPA BEAR?!

IT DOESN'T MATTER.....I LOVE BOTH OF THEM, DON'T YOU?

Finding the Perfect Christmas Tree with Scarlett!

2007-11-25T11:28:00.000-08:00

Let's go Aunt Heather...we have to find two Christmas trees!! I love my Aunt Heather!

Mom is helping Scarlett pick out the right tree.

We think this one is the one...what do you think Scarlett?

Which one Scarlett? So many to choose from....

Scarlett finally decided and we brought the perfect Christmas tree home! Thank you Scarlett...good job!

With the tree safely in place...it was now Scarlett's turn to put the first ornament on it! She did a great job!! Thank you Scarlett!

2007-11-25T11:06:00.000-08:00

Kate and Scarlett read with their moms help the Thank You God book that Scarlett brought with her.

Kate and Scarlett made this Thanksgiving a very meaningful Thanksgiving for us. Thank you God for them!

We are also thankful for God's creation which is so glorious this time of the year!

Thanksgiving

2007-11-25T10:49:00.000-08:00

More outdoor fun with Scharlett Brook! Grandma loved it!

Scarlett Brook Arrived!

2007-11-24T19:07:00.000-08:00

God is so gracious and caring that He chose to give us not only Catherine Grace (Kate) on February 7th but also He blessed us with Scarlett Brook on June 15th! God's timing is always perfect! The joy that our grandchildren have brought to our lives has been the sustaining force that has helped me during the lost of my dear father.

Scarlett Brook is now 5 months and sitting up! She is a beautiful baby with eyes as beautiful as her mom's and a smile that melts your heart. The picture above was taken this week when she came to spend her first Thanksgiving with us! I will post more pictures tomorrow - stay tuned!

A Gentleman

2007-11-24T18:52:00.000-08:00

The last time I took time to update our blog it was nearly nine months ago. Much has happened since then. As a tribute to my father, the most gentle man I ever knew, I must take time to document and honor him by writing this short poem I wrote on the day he went home to be with Jesus, September 6th, 2007.

Who was my father?

My father was a gentleman,
a man of character,
a devoted husband,
a loving father,
a caring grandfather,
a true servant of God,
a gentle-man.

I love you and miss you Papi.....Rosa Maria
Romans 8:35, 38-39

The Joy of Being Grandparents!

2007-02-25T18:11:00.000-08:00

Here are some pictures of our last visit with Kate. They are evidence that we are experiencing the joy of being grandparents! Enjoy:

STORY TIME WITH BIG BEAR!

WE ARE CAPTIVATED BY HER!

SHE IS PERFECT! JUST PERFECT!

Everyone tells you how wonderful it is to be a grandparent but you do not really know until you are able to hold that precious infant in your arms. A child born to your own child; an extension of her and of you. When she is in my arms, the world seems to come to a stop and nothing else matters. She captivates me everytime. She also captivates Big Bear (Grandaddy). Her little body cuddles in his big arms and they begin to talk to each other in their own special way. I know that Big Bear has lots of stories he plans to share with her. He will teach her about the wild animals, the countryside, science, love, tenderness, the old indian, the garden, flowers and trees and of course...about...CAROLINA SPORTS!

Mom

She arrived!!

2007-02-19T17:28:00.000-08:00

Kate arrived at 11:23 a.m. on February 7th, 2007. She weighed 6lbs (just 3oz. less than her mom). She is perfect...just perfect! As we watched the nurse checked her out and give her her first bath, Brooks and I could not stopped talking about how beautiful and perfect she was! God has blessed our family so much. He not only blessed us with wonderful,christian daughters and sons-in-law, but now he has chosen to send one of his angels: Katherine Grace! Here are some of the first pictures of many more to come, enjoy!!

Waiting for Katherine Grace!

2007-02-19T16:30:00.000-08:00

Waiting for our precious Kate was exciting. Bears of all sizes came to check her out!

Some took time to rest while others.......

...Just could not wait!

True Love

2007-02-04T13:28:00.000-08:00

The greatest blessing in our lives has always been the love that God has allowed us to have for each other. With 31 years of marriage behind us, we can't hardly wait to experience the next 30 with each other and with our new granddaughters Kate & baby Jenkins! As you can probably guess, this blog will soon be flooded with pictures of these two new angels. I can't wait!

Have a wonderful Valentines!