Family, Food, and Faith - Saints Martha, Mary, and Lazarus
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Good Morning! I wrote the following post for my blog yesterday, 4/21/2026 - I hope you all have a blessed day! Thanks for reading my stories!
Hello out there! Sing a song of hope, sing a song of joy!
It's a beautiful, cloudy and cool spring day. We've been blessed with rain, and the grass is so green and the leaves on the trees are full and bushy!
A song came to my mind this morning that I haven't heard or sang in years. I couldn't remember the title but I started humming the tune and it came back to me. I used to play this song (and other songs) when my older granddaughters and I would run errands, etc.
I typed the word song and a verse I remembered and it appeared on my phone! I went to You Tube and found the singer. I listened to the songs from long ago and sang along. Jim walked into the house with the music blaring from my phone and decided he would go back outside! I'm going to send the links to my granddaughters! I hope they smile and remember singing along while running errands with Nana!
Singer - Sarah Hart - "Better Than A Hallelujuh"
There is so much truth and beauty in this song. It will touch your heart!
Singer - Sarah Kroger - "Impossible Things"
This song is upbeat and so fun and makes me want to get a tambourine! (Jim says no!)
If you look these songs up, make sure they are by these singers because there are other songs with similar titles out there.
I also love the songs: "Mother Mary, Pray for Us" by Sarah Hart
And "Humbled Heart" by Sarah Kroger
Sometimes a certain song is exactly what we need to lift us up, put a smile on our face, or a pep in our step. And then, some songs may fill us with such emotion that we are able to pray from the bottom of our hearts as we sing along.
About a month ago, another one of my granddaughters sent me a text message with a picture of a book from the, Junie B. Jones series -"junie b. jones and the Stupid, Smelly Bus" Her message below the picture said, Remember these!! I miss you! I love you! Made my heart melt, and yes, brought tears to my eyes.
We would go to the library and check out the CDs to listen to while we ran errands or were traveling. When the grandkids were young we listened to the Junie B Jones series. As they got older we listened to Dork Diaries, and Diaries of a Wimpy Kid. I loved the stories as much as they did. And Jim would endure the stories as we traveled to take them home. In the Junie B Jones stories there was a boy they called, "Cry Baby William" and Jim and I will still sometimes say, O' stop being a cry baby William! We've prayed in the car, sang in the car, and have had great discussions. I will usually share some, "words of wisdom" during these times!
Our kitchen is a place of cooking, baking, chopping, grating, filled with laughter and love. I bake with our granddaughters. I have lots of pictures of our cooking/baking creations! Our youngest grandson, who is in high school, likes to grate cheese and chop ingredients to make fresh Pico de Gallo. Our oldest grandson will walk in the house and if he doesn't immediately see me, he will holler, Nanaaaaaaa! Sometimes Jim wall walk into the living room while I'm visiting with one or more of our granddaughters and he'll wave and walk back outside! All of our grandchildren love my beans! A bowl of beans with grated cheese and pico or a bean and cheese quesadilla (with sour cream for some) and they are happy! What a blessing!
I love the "needing advice" phone calls, no matter what time it is! Jim and I both love the sweet cards, all the hugs and all of our babies! Who are not babies anymore!!!
Getting married, being a wife, mom, and grandmother was always my dream. I wanted to marry a good man and have a large family. I wanted us to go to church together, as a family. The years have flown by, Jim and I will be married 43 years in June and I'm so thankful that my dream came true.
Our faith in God is truly our foundation.
Love your family! Hug them, laugh with them, pray with them and for them, and sing some songs! And maybe get a tambourine!
God is so good!
Peace and blessings to you and yours,
near and far, wherever you are!
Bye for now, Sharla
Sharla Ynostrosa is a devoted wife, mother and grandmother. Her ten grandchildren keep her busy! She and her husband, Jimmy, have been married since June of 1983. Sharla converted to Catholicism in 1987. Having been adopted at birth, Sharla is a staunch pro-life advocate. In her blog, adoptedandblessed.blogspot.com she shares stories about her family life, love of her Catholic faith, and various links to websites intended to help readers learn more about adoption and other pro-life topics. Her book, “Adopted and Blessed: Words from My Heart” is full of short stories from the first couple of years of her blog. Many of these books are given away with the hope of a seed being planted. She loves to speak to the youth about pro-life issues and has had very positive results from using the, Touch of Life Fetal Model sets. Sharla and her husband live in San Angelo, Texas and are active members in their parish. This refrain is from one of her favorite hymns and is a constant prayer: Lead me, Lord, lead me, Lord, by the light of truth to seek and to find the narrow way. Be my way; be my truth; be my life, my Lord, and lead me, Lord, today.
