ann kiemel

Sunday, April 1

i think i should tell you about brandt
next. our last baby. such a sweet-heart!

taylor was 3. brock was 2. and
colson was 6 mos. and we wanted
colson to have a playmate, too. a beautiful
birth mother from the south flew in, and we loved
her. as did the other three birth moms! they were
a part of it. and soon, again...

will and i were in the delivery room
when brandt let out his first cry. they laid
him next to his birth mother, and then, she handed him
to me. pushing a baby into the world
is no small thing. brandt was a beautiful
baby. black hair. 8+pounds. we let out a
sigh. our family was just the right size.
God had smiled on us.

he taught colson how to fall out of their cribs
at 6 mos.! putting him and colson to bed for naps
was a challenge. taylor and brock loved going to bed.
and waited until i went and got them. not colson and brandt,
and i was pretty sure it was all brandt's doing.

today, brandt is 23. tall. massive shoulders and arms
from hours and hours at the gym. all my children are..as am i...
addicted to what the gym can do to clear our heads and keep us
strong. as a fire-fighter, in the air force, this is a part of their
regimen. i just remind brandt NOT to slug anyone because
it could be dangerous. he leaves for afghanistan may 3, for
six months. my heart is broken.

he is married to jasmine. almost three years. she, also, is
in the air force, and just one of my favorite people. they have
a good relationship, and when they delivered my first grand-baby,
i just lost it over this little, tiny boy. colben william anderson.
he paints all my walls with sunshine. i just never knew what
a grandbaby could do to me. he was born on thanksgiving day, 2010.
and we were all in the delivery room. except brock in texas.

tomorrow i will tell you more about my treasured, youngest son. like,
for instance, he ACCIDENTALLY burned down a house. and stole some
little lighters from long's drug, only to confess to me later. i, now being
the mother AND father, called 911 and said i needed to report a theft.
it was a VERY long night. taylor took all the pictures.

2 comments:

Views and Reviews by KayApril 2, 2012 at 5:36 AM
;-)
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BarbaraApril 2, 2012 at 6:26 PM
sweet sweet sweet ...thank you for introducing us to your boys...
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Ann passed away on March 1, 2014.
A few words about our dear friend:

Ann Kiemel began her ministry as an ordinary girl who was determined to reach her neighborhood for Jesus. She penned her first book, I’m Out to Change My World, while still in her twenties. Millions of readers were moved by her simple faith and her desire to share Jesus in everyday, divine appointments. Despite the lack of any formal publicity, her first book became a bestseller through word-of-mouth.
Ann went on to Author several best-selling books, speaking in coliseums across the country and appearing as a guest speaker on Christian television programs such as the 700 Club, PTL, TBN, and Robert Schuller’s Hour of Power. Ann has been featured numerous times on Dr. Dobson’s Focus on the Family radio broadcasts, most recently as an expert on single parenting.

Although Ann shared the stage with some of the most well-known and influential Authors and Speakers in the world, she is remembered most by her humble presentation. Quietly seated on a stool in the middle of a large platform, she would begin…“Hi, I’m Ann. I am one simple woman in the world. I have never shaken hands with the President. I cry. Sometimes I am insecure. I am only one, but I have come tonight to tell you I am one… and Jesus and I and love are out to change the world.” Thousands of attentive fans sat on the edge of their seats, hanging onto her every word, laughing and crying together as Ann declared her love for a personal Lord…One who walked with her and talked with her on lonely days. She ran marathons, singing simple little songs to fellow runners with one overwhelming hope in mind – to win others to Jesus by building bridges to them. Her rare vulnerability and genuine faith in brighter tomorrows inspired others to dream big and believe that with God, they too, could make a difference in their world.

Some people consider Ann Kiemel to be one of the most authentic voices in the Christian community. Others refer to her as a best-selling Author of seventeen books, many of which have been passed on as inspirational classics over the past three decades. Bottom line: Ann was a gifted Author and Speaker who had a pure heart and a vision for what an extraordinary God can do in the lives of ordinary people.

After many years as a successful Speaker and Author, God answered Ann’s yearning for a husband at the age of thirty-five. Several years and many miscarriages later, Ann became the mother of four adopted sons, revolutionizing the way that many viewed open adoption. Soon thereafter, Ann realized that she had become addicted to pain medication. She entered a thirty-day secular rehab program and discovered that her addiction ran even deeper - she had become addicted to the praise and approval of others. She recounts the loneliness, pain, and ultimate deliverance in her seventeenth book, Seduced by Success – No Longer Addicted to Praise, Pills and Performance.

After offering her inadequacies to the Lord and praying for wholeness, Ann had found her way back to her first love. The heart of her ministry had changed, and Jesus was now the star. Her husband, Will Anderson, would battle cancer for eighteen months, and Ann would become a single mother of four priceless treasures. She held a deep conviction that she, alone, needed to be fully present with her children. With this is mind, she quietly walked away from the stage.

In the fall of 2008, Ann’s youngest last son left home. At the same time, a renewed interest in Ann’s ministry began to develop. Hundreds of thousands of loyal readers began searching for her, longing to hear how God had been working in her life, wanting her message to be heard by the next generation. In response to the interest of her fans, a simple blog was created. People from all over the world began chiming in, supporting one of their favorite best-selling Authors from the 1970’s and 1980’s.

Many of her books are available for purchase on Amazon.com and other places.

Ann was the mother of four boys and lived on the West coast in close proximity to her children and her twin sister, Jan.