Phyllis Santala:  

top of that one year later I lost my loving husband to pulmonary fibrosis and I was to the point that I didn't care if I lived or died but God wasn't finished with me yet! It took me THREE years to pick up the broken pieces of my heart but God allowed me enough time to heal! I'm now 81 and I can't help but brag about my age, people don't believe I'm that old and it's because I work at being "young at heart"! I keep busy with my hobbies,I have a lot of them but my favorite is my sewing which I'm getting back into! I still love collecting U.S. stamps which I started when I was 12, 7th grade! They are all about American History which is dear to my heart!! Out of my three little girls I was bless with 7 grandchildren, 3 granddaughters and 4 grandsons, who would have guessed the boys would out number the girls??? From those 7 four of them have blessed me with soon to be EIGHT great grandchildren! My oldest, and my only girl for quite a while, is now 21 years old and I so proud of her! After my girl I had FIVE great grandsons that literally stole my heart!! I thought I was through with great grandkids but my second oldest grandson surprised me with a beautiful baby girl so my oldest and youngest are their "Gi Gi's" darling "girly girls"!! Just when I thought 7 was my lucky number my third grandson announced I would be getting ANOTHER great granddaughter the first week in August! I'm thrilled to pieces because babies make the world go round and they also keep you young! LOL You can imagine how my fingers have been flying making a TON of baby things, many of the patterns date back to the early 40's and 50's and some of them are my own creations! It's impossible to buy these things unless I decide to sell them but I would much rather give them away! It truly is more blessed to give than receive!! I've learned throughout my life NOT to question MY GOD, He allows things to happen that bring you closer to Him and to know He is real! He never makes a mistake and His timing is always perfect and He has given me a "peace that passes all understanding"!! I'm in total awe that God chose to put another Christian man in my life at the age of almost 80, this is the last thing I would have expected because I've become so set in my ways! I don't know how he puts up with me, I guess it's because he loves me! He has been blessed with so many talents one of which is he can fix ANYTHING. I've lived in my home for almost 20 years so he's always on hand if something needs to be repaired! I grew up in church, which was more strict back then, and was taught right from wrong and that "Jesus Loved Me" but it really wasn't till I went though all my heartbreaks that I learned just how much He really did love me and that He was ALWAYS with me even when I didn't realize it! So I take each day in my stride and make the most of each one! I LOVE clothes and shoes (I still wear 3-4" heels and will till I know when to stop LOL) especially anything that has "bling"! I feel like I'm dressing up in my mother's clothes! LOL I have to admit it's the ONLY thing I'm addicted to because I have THREE closets full so I'm prepared for anything that comes up! It took me a while but I finally found the church that I belong in and I couldn't ask for better friends that are always there if needed!! One of my favorite scriptures is 2 Peter 3:8, "A day is like a thousand years and a thousand years is like a day".... God's time is so different from ours! "Time is a Precious Thing. You can not hold it, You can not own it and yet; it is ours to spend wisely or foolishly. Today is the first day of the rest of our lives, we need to use it well! This may be the last time I update "my story"! May God richly bless all of you! My schools years were one of the happiest times in my life and when I look back I wouldn't change a thing! Until maybe next time, Phyllis 7-1-19