Hairbows and Cupcakes
Wednesday, September 18, 2019
Done....for a minute (9/18/2019)
Monday, January 2, 2017
Philippians 4:11-13
When people quote Phil. 4:13 sometimes I get frustrated. It's never been one of my "favorites" because I feel like it's always taken out of context. But the last few days it's been on my heart.
I can do ALL things through Christ who gives me strength. All things. Meltdowns, medication changes, seizures, countdown start-overs, tests, diagnoses, sleepless nights, tears....
Paul said right before that, “Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need.”
Those are the things He could do through Christ. Hard and easy, happy and sad, plenty and nothing. All of them made easier because of Jesus. When I was younger I would always quote "For I have learned in whatsoever state I am in, there with to be content" any time I was struggling. I didn't always become content. But I at least knew I could be. I didn't know that one day those words would mean a lot more. And I didn't know that one day, my least favorite "cliche" verse, would also mean so much more.
And I realize it's dumb to have a least favorite verse. But....that's real life y'all. 😏😊👍🏼
Wednesday, December 7, 2016
2 years, 2 days
Monday, August 29, 2016
His ways are not my ways...
Sometimes I look back at the last 9 years since Abby was born and I am just amazed by how much she has over come. We have struggled and fought and overcome things with her. She has struggled and fought and over come things on her own. And every single step of the way God was/is holding us up. She has more things to over come. She has a lot more battles to fight. Some we are ready for. Some I am scared to death to reach. Epilepsy is one we are in the middle of.
If you would have told me when I was 16 all the things my life would hold, all the things I would have/get to watch my kids go through, I can promise you I would have done everything to stop what I could, change what I could, and hold on for what I couldn't. I'm glad I didn't know. I'm glad that God gives us what we can't handle. But that He prepares us and is there to let us fall on Him when it's just too much. Not because it's been a super fun ride. Not because I want to repeat it. But because through it I've learned so much about the character of God. I've learned that though His ways aren't my ways, His ways are good. I've learned that the "Footprints" poem is more than just a poem. I've learned (and relearned over and over and over again) that when my faith is small His grace is sufficient. And trust me. My faith is definitely not even close to being as big as a mustard seed very often.
I have always heard about seizures and epilepsy. I have family members with it. Friends that have kids with it. Some very severe. Some that outgrew it. Some in between. And while I never wanted to imagine what a seizure looked like in my own child, I never thought past the seizure part. In my head a seizure looked like what they look like in movies. And I couldn't imagine watching that, or waiting for that to happen. Or knowing that it was going to happen several times a day. But, I just never realized that it's not just a seizure.
Epilepsy is making sure the meds are taken every day.
Epilepsy is watching your child sleep because seizures during sleep are terrifying.
Epilepsy is wondering if today's mood swings is from being tired, hormones, or a seizure that you somehow missed while watching your child sleep.
Epilepsy is having to tell everyone you are around a lot what to watch for.
Epilepsy is wondering how long these meds will work.
Epilepsy is wondering how the meds will effect other parts of the body as it treats the brain.
Epilepsy is watching the little sister be worried about the bigger sister and always wanting to be her biggest cheerleader.
Epilepsy is watching your husbands heart break a little more each time.
Epilepsy is a LOT of things. But it's definitely not just seizures.
As we walk through this journey, and have a bunch of side trails that keep us going in circles, I am overwhelmed a lot. I feel like I'm drowning a lot. I feel like I can't hear one more diagnosis, or symptom, or issue that needs to be addressed. And every single time, God shows me that even if I can't, He can. He loves her so much more than we do. He knows what is ahead for her. He knows what I can't know.
At church on Sunday the sermon was about how to leave a church well. I know what you're thinking. What does leaving a church have to do with epilepsy!? It doesn't really. But I was thinking, sometimes in life we have to leave things. Churches, schools, jobs, houses, families. The circumstances all vary. There can be so many reasons why we need to leave and move on from something. For us, right now, we have left behind everything that was "normal" for us. It started even before the seizures did. We have left behind our old, easy, everyday normal, and have entered a new, scary, hard journey. Did I leave the normal well? Absolutely not. But can I do better next time? Can I choose to live our new normal with joy? Absolutely yes. I want to leave things well. And start things well. I want our story to lift others up. I want it to be a story full of hope, grace, and joy. I want to teach our kids that life doesn't always go the way we planned. And it's OK to be disappointed, and struggle. It's ok to cry and have sleepless nights. It's ok to ask why. But we won't live there. We will run to our heavenly father, and let Him do with what this crazy life throws at us for our good and for His glory. And when we fail, His mercies are new every morning.
If this be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of your hand, O king. But if not, be it known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up."
DAN 3:17-18
The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.
LAM 3:22-23
For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord . For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.
ISA 55:8-9
Friday, November 13, 2015
10 years and counting
Monday, April 13, 2015
For my good, and for His glory
So, he'll probably kill me, but that's ok.
When I met the man I call my husband these days, I was absolutely NOT where I should be as a Christian. I was probably the worst possible example of what Jesus looks like. After we had Abby I finally gave in to my convicted heart and went to church. I was practically begged to go by one of my Aunts. I didn't really want to, but I finally did. Because I wanted my babies to know Jesus. As I started working towards forgiveness in my life and forgiveness for others, I started praying that my husband would come with us, too. I would (selfishly) get my feelings hurt when he wouldn't. Like it was about me and not about Jesus.
Finally I just kind of gave up for a while. I am embarrassed to say that. But I did. Then I met the girl who has become one of my best friends in the whole world. And together we did a bible study. Through that I learned I wasn't alone in my marriage struggles and I started making other new friends. I learned so many people weren't perfect and didn't have perfect marriages. So I started cautiously praying again. I was praying that he would just come to church with us. That's all. Just that one step. It was a small step. But I didn't know how else to pray. I just wanted him by my side at church.
Fast forward to last year. He had started coming occasionally. Probably 2 times a month maybe. And then, our lives got rocked. Hard core rocked. I didn't know what would happen, but I just begged God to not let my husband blame God. I honestly wasn't sure what was going to happen. But God did something much much bigger than I could have ever imagined. And He's still doing big big things. I have always been taught how good God is. And that's so very true. But y'all, God is also so much bigger than we think. He can do things that are absolutely impossible. He can literally move mountains.
My husband has gone from "church isn't for me, church people just aren't who I want to be around" to falling on Jesus at the hardest days of our lives so far, planning on going on mission trips, doing Bible studies with us and learning as he goes, praying for us when life just stinks, encouraging me through verses by text, being baptized with Abby. I am so very humbled that God has done so very much more than I ever imagined or even prayed for.
This last year I have learned that not only is God good, He is very very big. My prayers have become bigger. My doubts have become smaller. God can do miracles. He can move mountains. He can break down walls. He Can!
I have always been one that asks why hard, bad, awful things happen. I ask God why he allows them. I have never doubted His Goodness. But I have questioned His ways. This last year God has become so much bigger to me. He didn't work in the ways I wanted. He didn't make things all happy and peaceful and fabulous. But in the middle of our big huge mess, when we were completely broken, He made it for our good and for His glory. Y'all, God is BIG!!!!
Isaiah 55:8-9
For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord . For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.
Saturday, April 4, 2015
All the things
Ever since last year when our life as we knew it was rocked, I have been overwhelmed with STUFF So easy. Things that used to matter no longer do. The way we plan our lives will never be the same. The things we did as a family now have a hole in them. And I have been praying about what we need to do to heal, and move forward, and live for things that matter. I have had it on my heart a lot lately that we just need to simplify. Then, last week I watched some little people for a friend. While we were there I discovered their play room and how few toys were in there. And I watched the kids play with those toys. Something amazing happened. They shared because there was only one set of blocks that made a puzzle. They made up their own games with the riding toys, and even shared those because there weren't enough for all the kids with mine there.
And that's when it hit me. I knew what we needed to do. We have SO. MANY. THINGS. Things in every corner of the girls rooms, and closets, and all the dog toys, oh my!!! So many things no one wants to pick them up because it's even overwhelming to the little people. So many things drawers are overflowing and there's just no more stuffing anything other things in them.
I'm just so very overwhelmed with things.
So, the next day I purged one of the bedrooms. I got an entire black trash bag FULL of THINGS. And you know what??? Not one of my children have missed a single thing in that bag. I had a few moments of mom guilt for getting rid of a cash register that they love even though it's broken and doesn't work at all. There are still "too many" toys in one of the drawers. But for the first time in forever (you know I just got that song stuck in your head, you're welcome) when I sent them to clean up their mess, they put all the toys in the drawers and NO ONE was overwhelmed. NO ONE threw a huge fit (there was a small one, but I'm still calling it a victory). It was amazing. We still have a lot more purging to do. And I know for a fact it's going to be baby steps for all of us. But if we could live in a 1 bedroom, 600 square foot, apartment for 7 years, 4 of those being with 1.5 kids and then 2.5 kids the last 10 months of it, we can most definitely live smaller than we apparently think we can in a 3 bedroom house. Our kids didn't die from lack of things. They didn't even need to be hospitalized for lack of space (although the mold almost did make that happen).
I want all of us to be thankful for what we have. To use our time, money, and efforts to build our family up, not fill up closets and attics.
So, thank you to my friends who purged and gave me the inspiration to move forward with ours. For the last year I have seen that it's not how many baby doll we have, or how many wrestling figures can fit on a shelf that matter. It's the hearts of my kids, and my husband, and myself that matter. It's how we spend our time together, not how much money we spent on a toy, or a birthday.
We will most definitely have a lot of days where we are kicking and screaming and completely against it. I am positive that we will fail sometimes and need encouragement to keep living simply. And while I don't think every single person I know needs to throw away all their kids toys in order to learn that lesson, for us, it's where we will start. One big black trash bag, one picnic outside, one play dough bird house, one coloring book, one math lesson, one nap time, one melt down, one big huge mom fail, one walk around the block at a time.
1 Corinthians 10:31
So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.