There is hope. . .

This series of posts may cover a lot of topics, but my mind and heart have definitely been on a journey for a few months.  In order to catch you up, I think it's easiest if I start from the beginning! In January we moved about 10 minutes down the road from a house and neighborhood that we loved.  I will catch you up on those details with an entirely different blog post, because it's a great story. We moved right after Christmas break, and then the snow hit.  The kids were home for 10 days--it was nice to not have to get up early and pack lunches, but it also put a dent in my getting settled.  Throw in multiple battles with lice for one child (which means doing a knit comb daily and tons of laundry and vacuuming) I literally would stare at my messy kitchen while I spent two hours combing through her hair.  Then it was 10:00pm, and I just wanted to go to bed.  Let's just say by mid-February I was starting to feel a bit crazy from being overwhelmed. Somewhere in there the li

I kind of like Mondays.  I feel like it gives me a chance to piece the house back together after a weekend.  No, I don't like the alarm going off at 5:50am, but once we get the girls to school by 7:15, I can get in a cup of coffee in between doing dishes and getting my 2-year-old his breakfast.  Then around lunchtime I catch up on sermons from the weekend while I work around the house.  (Elevation church and Andy Stanley). But today I realize I only have 4 Mondays left.  Not just because summer is around the corner but because I have decided to Home School next year.  Yes I capitalized it, because it's a pretty big deal. I'm sure we will establish a new Monday routine, but it's definitely going to take some getting used to!  I am excited about this change for our family--perhaps the most excited about really connecting with my girls who will be in Second and Fourth grades next year.  I do realize it will be a change for me to get used to having them home most of the t

Throughout life, loss and hearing about other people's losses, I have learned the key to moving forward is gratefulness. What? you may ask--this may sound confusing if you have truly experienced loss--maybe a move, a loss of a job, broken relationship or death of a loved one.  In your raw emotion it may seem impossible to possibly think of something to be thankful for. However, I remember vividly--hours after we had found out our baby had died in my womb at 22 weeks gestation, I remember considering how thankful I was to have Scott by my side.  I knew others whose husband had died.  My pain for both was real and deep, but I was so grateful he had made it back from Iraq alive.  That Christmas, I knew my best friend was awakening without her husband, and I awoke to no longer be pregnant.  I embraced the moment, and I was so grateful for Scott being there when I opened my eyes. Later I was thankful for snow that showered down on me one morning when I stepped outside.  I was thankfu

I am a firm believer that hope is needed like air and water.  I find joy in helping others see hope in their situation--even if it's just a glimmer.  Hopefully as I share parts of my life over the past 41 years you can find hope for your season of life!   And I look forward to hearing your story of hope as well. I love this quote from Anne Frank, especially knowing all that she went through. “Where there's hope, there's life. It fills us with fresh courage and makes us strong again.” ―  Anne Frank ,  The Diary of a Young Girl