I'm a mother of 3 who started blogging as a way to share our many adventures and to expand beyond the everyday "mommy world". While there IS so much more to us mommies than the title, there is very little that doesn't in some way or another lead us back to or influence our children...if anything. So, I hope you enjoy following our family's randomness, because as all moms know- you can never anticipate what tomorrow will bring! Thanks for visiting and have a blessed day! :)
My husband and I watched an episode of "Star Trek: The Next Generation" on Netflix last night which led to the following conversation:
Justin: Just think, you were 11 years old when this show first came out.
Me: Yeah, but I didn't like this one as much. I was still a Captain Kirk fan.
Justin: Why is that? This one is so much better.
Me: Well, the original happened during more of my "childhood" days so maybe it's more sentimental to me? Once I got to be 11-12ish, I was much more interested in boys, I guess, so I didn't care so much about it.
Justin: I watched it at that age and loved it!
Me: Mehh, well. Girls mature faster than boys do.
Justin: Oh. Like chasing after boy bands like New Kids On the Block? 'Cause that's SO much more mature, right?
Me: Speaking of, did you know that Joe McIntyre was at the Boston Marathon and he crossed the finish line only 5 minutes before the bomb went off?
Justin: Did you know that I'm a bit disturbed to know that you know that? ...How do you know that?
Me: He tweeted it and then it got posted to their facebook fan page. See how mature I am?
In all seriousness, our thoughts and prayers are with the families suffering right now from this terrible act of violence. It is unimaginable to me what could make someone do such a horrific thing!
Humor is our healing balm and that's how we cope and manage around here. Finding tidbits of humor here and there...it lifts your spirits, if only the tiniest bit, offering hope and strength to live again. I pray that you will savor moments of happiness today, no matter what troubles you face.
It's been over 3 years but holidays are still hard. Not as hard as the first year. But still hard. Honestly, this year may be harder than last year simply because this is our family year rotation for Christmas, meaning I would normally be seeing Matt on the 25th along with the rest of the family, whereas last year was an "in-law" year so seeing him for the holidays wasn't expected.
So as Christmas draws nearer and nearer, I still find joy in the season while savoring and creating more precious memories with my husband and children as well as our extended family. Yet, the ache remains. The longing for him to be a part of this, for my nephews to be a part of this (another very difficult thing to swallow particularly since they are still alive), for what might have been... There is a hole, a void, something- nay, someones missing. And there always will be.
But that doesn't mean we remain stuck in our grief. It doesn't mean we spend the rest of our lives in misery or dread every holiday. We have good days and we have bad days. Hopefully, as time passes and God heals our broken hearts we have more good than bad days. Those of us who have traveled through the valley of grief and loss understand that feeling, particularly Christians. We have heartache, but we have hope. We miss those we love but are thankful that we will see them again and look forward to that day when God makes everything new and there is no more death or crying or sorrow or pain.
I started thinking about Matt on the way home this afternoon. The kids wanted to listen to one of their CD's for the umpteenth time and one of the songs (which I've heard a zillion times before) really struck a cord this time. Here are the lyrics and a youtube clip of a children's group singing the song. The entire musical is really cute so if you are interested in the sheet music or CD, go to kidsworksmusic.com for more information. The name of the show is "Life is Good" and the title of the song is "Good Grief". The lyrics that really "hit home" with me are in bold. If this is your first Christmas without a loved one, first of all, I'm so sorry for your loss. Secondly, please take heart and do not fear. God has overcome the world. He can heal you. Going through the fire can and will be painful and for someone as impatient as I am, it can take awhile. But He will never leave you. Will you come to Him? Will you trust Him? He is waiting.
No one on the planet is happy all the time.
Bad things happen every day.
But if you just remember, that God is there with you,
He will help you when you pray...
"Good grief." (x2 with echo)
It's perfect peace beyond belief.
It's knowing God is in control, good grief.
When something awful happens and you don't understand.
You can't find any hope inside.
The LORD wants you to trust Him, and never be afraid.
His loving arms will hold you tight.
Good grief. (x2 with echo)
It's perfect peace beyond belief.
It's knowing God is in control, good grief.
When trouble robs you like a thief,
It's only God who makes you whole, good grief.
Life is like a roller coaster, full of ups and downs.
Each day has good and bad times, with smiles and frowns.
But God promised to be there through all of our thicks and thins
And after the darkest night a bright new day begins.
Good grief (x2 with echo)
It's perfect peace beyond belief.
It's knowing God is in control.
Good grief (x2 with echo)
When trouble robs you like a thief,
It's only God who makes you whole,
Good grief.
"The LORD is close to the brokenhearted; He rescues those whose spirits are crushed."
Sara has incredible faith. She has been through so much and my heart just breaks for her and her family. They need a miracle. They truly need a miracle. I ask that you join me and countless others as we pray without ceasing for Sara's miracle. (Links to her caringbridge site and personal website can also be found there for more details of her tough battle with cancer and how she's handled each step of her journey.) Sara gave birth to her precious baby daughter, Anna, shortly before receiving her diagnosis. Unfortunately, Anna arrived stillborn. That alone is devastating enough; but to find out only 4 weeks later (by accident) that she had stage 4 colon cancer that had already metastasized to her liver? How does anyone bear it? I think Sara would probably say, "Only by the grace of God." Her faith is truly amazing and such an inspiration.
