my mom is my Guardian Angel..

"God saw you were getting tired and it was not meant to be, so He put his arms around you and whispered, 'come to me'. With tearful eyes we watched you and saw you pass away, although we loved you dearly we could not make you stay. A golden heart stopped beating hard, working hands at rest, God broke our hearts to prove to us He only takes the best."

I know I have not been on in awhile, but there has been a lot going on. Many of you know, but my mom passed away December 5, 2010, from cancer. She put up such a great battle, and she won in my eyes. No matter what anyone says, I know that my mom is with me at all times, looking down, and guiding me through this tough journey we call life. There is no doubt that I am going to miss her TONS, but i have to keep on going through life because i know that is how she would want it to be. She has always taught me to live life the fullest, and to not take things for granted. I believe that my mom came up with the saying "When life gives you lemons, make lemonade!" and it is totally true. We should all not worry about the little problems in life, because in the end its not about who you knew, and its not what you did, its how you lived!!
Through everything that was happening with my mom, I went to Europe to travel. At first I did not want to go because my mom was the one who paid for my flights and in a way, I felt selfish for going. But then i realized, she would want me to go and have an awesome time; she was with me the whole time from england, to scotland, and then to ireland.
On my journey I visited my camp friends that I met in WV at Camp Rim Rock, and I  also met a lot of new people. The Americans that flew over with me were Rust, Kitty, and Backof. We met up and stayed with out friends Jess, Lydz, and Paulla.  The whole adventure was so much fun and I am actually thinking about studying abroad in the fall.
While I was over seas, we went to London and visited all the landmarks there like Big Ben, London Eye, and Buckingham Palace. Then we went to Scotland and visited Edinburgh. And from there we went back to the Bristol area and flew over to Ireland where we stayed in Dublin. Everything was so so beautiful and i can not wait to go back!
Through the past couple of weeks i have learned to live my life out to the fullest and to be who i want to be. I always worried about what others thought of me, and that i should live my life based on other people, but thats not how God would want me to live and thats not how I wanted to live. I had to break out of my shell, do my own thing, and pray that I still had friends in the end.. haha!! but really, being me has just made me a better person all around.
I do hope that this blog has been helpful for those who worry about the little stuff instead of living for the big stuff (aka God). The life lived on this Earth, is what prepares us for the life in heaven.

REST IN PEACE mom!! Rennee Watson - December 5, 2010

Erika Watson

We must believe, even if no one else does..

"Now it was Mary Magdalane, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the other women with them who told this to the apostles. But these words seemed to them an idle tale, and they did not believe them." (Luke 24.10 - 11)
It was women who first believed in Jesus, yet no one believed them. We are called to be like them and to share the gospel. Do you know someone who could benefit from you sharing hope, faith, and charity?
-This reminds me of the saying we were all told when we were little; "Don't judge a book by it's cover". Whether it's something you are being told, or you telling someone else, the word of God needs to be shared with everyone no matter who they are. Everyone could use encouragement and a little faith, so the next time you see someone who is struggling in need of God, give them a simple prayer and knowledge about our Lord, Jesus Christ.

Joanna, Brittany, and I

-So Friday was my birthday and it was lovely. I wanted to celebrate it on Thursday because everyone would be leaving to go home for Thanksgiving break Friday. I asked a couple of my friends to hang out, and some were busy and we just decided to do a small thing. To tell you the truth, I was upset that no one could really hang out because we were celebrating my birthday. So Brittany decided that me, her, and Joanna would go out to eat. I had to get ready and run to Wal*Mart with Brittany while Joanna got ready. I was really confused on why I had to get ready then instead of coming back, but I went along with it because Brittany insisted. After leaving Wal*Mart and we got back to the apartment, we had to bring the bags up. By now, I was really upset because I was hungry and just wanted to eat!! haha.. So we walked up, I walked into the apartment, and there was all my closest friends there to surprise me with a party!! I was so mixed with different feeling that I didn't know how to react. I have the best friends EVER and I am so glad for Brittany and Joanna for hosting and keeping this such a great surprise. I could not imagine having a better party with any other people. Thanks for everyone who came and made it AMAZING!!

-Today, I went to visit my mom in the hospital. Each day she looks better, is feeling better, and is aware of everything more and more! The doctor is very positive with everything, and he said that once the chemo treatments get going, then she should be doing much better. They took her off her breathing tube this morning and she lasted for an hour breathing on her own.. BIG STEP!! And he also said that she soon will be eating soft foods instead of being fed through a tube. I love just going up there and talking to her, because she has such a positive attitude with everything, and she makes me laugh so much; her sense of humor is still there!! I just encourage everyone to keep praying because we still have a long road until she is 100% percent again.. I love her so so much, and I know that she will pull through this!!

-Also I found this song I found shows me that there is always someone who is there and loves us.. its God!! Listen to it..
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PgGUKWiw7Wk


-Erika Watson

stable, but not better.. who are we to choose our own fate?

"I will instruct you and show you the way you should walk; I will counsel you and watch over you." (Psalm 32.8)
Notice that God is that of a guide/teacher who show us the right path with counsel instead of force. Allow God to lead you, to know what to do with your life, how to make good decisions, and how to live life fully.
This just shows me that no matter how hard we try, we can not do things on our own; we need God's help in everything that we do. We can determine what we want out of life, but without God's help and guidance, we will never be able to accomplish our goals in life.

With everyone's prayers and thoughts, my mom has become stable within the ICU. Her breathing is getting a little better, but like the doctor explained it to me, one of the two flaps that helps you breathe and talk is not working so well so it makes it difficult for her to talk and breathe.  Other than that, the doctors are going to try to do intense chemo with her to reduce the size of the cancer that is within her.
Without yall's prayers, we could not get through this enduring journey. Hopefully it will all be over, and my mom will be better soon, but we just have to be strong and keep praying for my mom. She is a fighter and has been battling cancer for three years; she can get through this!!

Erika Watson

pray for my mom.. keep her in your thoughts!!

Just got a call from my sister about my mom. A tumor was found in her lungs which has hindered her vocal cords!! She has to go through more chemo, and I just hope that her body can handle it!! Please pray for my mom as much as possible!! Thanks..

Erika Watson

Wonderful Homecoming Weekend

"Praise God, sun and moon; praise God, all you shining stars." (Psalms 148.3)
Whenever we look at the sky, we see reminders of Gods glory and infinite majesty especially in the night sky; For the lights in the sky seem to point to His glory. Allow God to help you to never lose your sense of wonder or awe at His Great works.

-This weekend went very well. It all started off with my friend's, Jordan, birthday. It was his 21st birthday Thursday and we all went our for a good time. That was a lot of fun because it has been awhile since our group of friends really hung out together. Also, his camp friends also came into town to celebrate his birthday. I can not believe how close I became with some of his friends! 
Even though I was having a good time both Thursday and Friday night, my happiness did come to a hold Saturday morning. I found out that my mom had to be rushed into the hospital. The top part of her heart was beating faster than the bottom of her heart and it was hindering her breathing pattern. Even though this was rough to hear, there was a good side to it all. The bronchitis that my mom has also been fighting was the one that was causing this to happen; not the cancer. But even through that, she is still battling through a lot, and all I can do for her is to pray.

But after I talked to my sister and found out that my mom was stable, I got up and met everyone in the Grove to go to the game. Just to inform everyone, a tent in the grove was the best idea to do. The game was a lot of fun with everyone, even though it was 35 degrees. Brittany and I ended up gong to Ajax after the game, and then headed back over to Blake, Jordan, Alex, and Bill's house afterwards.
Even though there was this big party going on over there, I had a lot of fun just hanging out upstairs in Jordan's room with his camp friends. It was sad to say goodbye to them, but everything has to end sometimes.
Went to church Sunday and just enjoyed a day of relaxation. Overall, I had a lovely weekend with my friends. I could not ask for better friends to depend on.

**I just want everyone to pray for my mom, as she is stable but still not doing well, and also I would like for you all to pray for my friend, Catherine Cannon's mom. I recently found out that her mom is also going through some heart problems as well**


Erika Watson

It's a beautiful day..

"My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways my ways, says the Lord." (Isaiah 55.8)
This message from God seems rather obvious, but we sometimes act as if we know God's ways and understand what makes him 'tick'. In the end, despite all the theology, sermons, and books, God still remains a mystery to us all. This is so very true; when we go to spread the word, we have to spread the word of God in FAITH.

Yesterday, for me, was a very blessed day.. Other than bringing Brittany to the Health Center for a bruised foot she now has from swap (LONG story but she now has to wear a boot on her right foot), nothing really too exciting went on, but that it was good.  I did, though, get an email from Ashley Nickle. She is the one kind of in charge of the camp that I do during the summer called Camp Rim Rock.  Well, to say the least, I was super excited to hear from her because I found at the dates that I am working camp next year and plus I GOT UNIT HEAD POSITION!! That was pretty much the deciding factor on if I was going to go back to camp.
The position of Unit Head is a pretty intense job. There are only 7 of them through out camp (one for every unit), and they are in charge of the unit, scheduling, and making sure that everything is going smoothly. I am so very blessed to have been asked back to camp with this position.

Happy Birthday Jordan!!

With yesterday, Brittany had me going to a Holocaust presentation with her. She had to go for extra credit, and I was the good friend to keep her busy. The story of this man who survived the Holocaust was very interesting, it was just that I could not hear a word that he was saying. Unfortunately because I was talking a LITTLE too loud, the man next to Brittany SHHHHH me! Now you know my love for talking.. ha! We then just went out to eat with Jordan and their camp friends who came into town for the weekend. Afterwards, Brittany and I had to go by John Newman's to pick up his tent that we were using this weekend for the grove; that was a lot of fun. We ended up staying for about an hour and a half talking to him and AJ Barrios.  Love them and we now have to hang out with them all the time.. just saying!! AFterwards, I just ended up spending the night at Brittany's apartment watching a movie. Let me inform you though, Brittany literally lives right upstairs from me in our apartment complex.
Oh, and by the way, ITS JORDAN LOFTUS' BIRTHDAY TODAY!!!!! This just makes me even more excited about this football weekend with everyone.

For everyone who happens to come across this blog and reads it down to this point, I would love for yall to pray for my mom. Like I said earlier, she is starting her chemo today for I think the third or fourth time.  She is so weak, but yet so strong at the same time, and what we really need are the prayers of everyone.  I know that in the end, everything is going to work out for the better of my mom!!

Erika Watson

The Gift of Life

"You created my inmost being and knit me together in my mother's womb." (Psalm 139.13)

This passage gives us an image of God's loving role in forming us. God has given us the gift of life, and may he forgive us for our failure to reverence all life, especially our own. Allow God to help us respect our own life of creation!

I love to see passages like these where if talks about the gift of life. So many of us take "life" for granted when it is only here for a short period of time. I know that our real home is up in Heaven with God, but while we are here on this Earth, we have to life through him spreading the word of Christ.  I know that I catch myself sometimes questioning God's works and why He does things sometimes, but in the end, I know its for the better.  We must go through the bad to get to the good!!

Erika Watson