BEAUTIFULLY BROKEN

BEING THANKFUL IN THE HARD TIMES There   are many times I find myself forgetting to be thankful. And I have SO MUCH to be thankful for. But the circumstances of my life lead me to want to focus on what hurts me, and not what has helped to heal me. This is why I love scripture. In Ephesians 5:20, Paul writes, "Giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ."  At first glance, it seems like, of course, that is something the apostle Paul would say. But when you look at where Paul was at the time when he wrote this, you would understand why this is so significant. Paul was in prison. Of course, these aren't like the prisons we have today. He was probably in some dark, disgusting place with rusty chains rubbing his skin raw. I'm sure his treatment was not nice and the mice and insects probably kept him company. How can Paul write about thanking God for everything when he is in such deplorable circumstances? It's about

PARENTING ON PURPOSE   It could be because of the circumstances I have faced in my life that makes me consider what I want most out of life. I know more than some that life is short and is not guaranteed. When I prioritize my life to look at what I most want to accomplish, the greatest thing I believe I can do in this life is to raise Godly children that have great character. No small task😅I have done a lot of hard jobs in my life, but I can say without hesitation that parenting has been the hardest of them all. And single parenting...whole 'nother level!! Parenting comes with the greatest of challenges but the greatest of rewards too if we can do it the right way. So, what is the right way? Let's look to the place where all truth emanates from; scripture. It is often said that there is no manual that comes with having children or a 'how to raise your child' book, but contrary to that belief, God has a lot to say on how we should parent. There are many verses in the

THEY CAN'T STEAL MY JOY Jesus tells us in John 10:10, "The thief comes to steal, kill and destroy..." They can't steal my joy. This was something my husband often said and something he certainly lived.  I marveled time and again at Greg's joy in life. We certainly lived a full and busy, hectic and exciting seventeen years before he got sick. But even after he got sick, after all the bad news, all the treatments, the brain surgery, the recoveries, the near death experiences, the wheelchair, the loss of functionality, the loss of his voice...no one ever stole his joy. That was a gift given by the Holy Spirit and he held on to it tightly. He found joy in the kid's new stories every day. He found joy in silly tv shows we would watch together and he found joy in simply holding my hand and sharing the same stale room air that we breathed together because it was too difficult to move him somewhere else. If you feel sad about that in any way, please don't. It

FACING THE HARD SEASONS I realize I'm being incredibly obvious when I state the fact that losing something in life is very painful. Everything from losing your place in line (frustrating) to losing your car keys (annoying) to losing your mind (happening quickly) to losing your job, your house, your child, your spouse, your hope. The question I have asked myself is this: Losing something you love in life is inevitable, no matter how great or small. How do I not only learn to live with the loss, but learn to function and (dare I dream) to thrive? That's a really deep question, Lori and I'm not so happy I asked it of myself. I think the fact that the holidays are around the corner are why these feelings of sadness and loss are popping up for me. Halloween is always hard because it kicks off the mark down of Greg's life. I knew Halloween night of 2015 that things had changed and were not going to be good. My fun-loving husband didn't feel like passing out candy and