Birthday give-a-way

To celebrate my upcoming birthday, I want to have another give-a-way.

This time I have 2 books.

1. My favorite devotional, “Jesus Calling”…

{if I could give one of these away daily, I would – it’s that good)

2. and a beautiful book called “The Psalms of David”…

Seriously, I could sit and look at these pictures all day…BEAUTIFUL.

I will have a separate drawing for each book.

For YOUR chance to win, just leave a comment saying the best birthday gift you’ve ever received and which book {from above} you would like to be entered to win.

{If you would like to be entered for both books, just leave 2 comments}.

I’ll draw 2 winners next Friday.

Good luck friends!

see the winners here

Remembering John

This month my cousin’s family will have more than Christmas on their minds.

This is the month that just a short year ago changed forever.

They celebrated John & his twin brother’s birthday on the 8th.

And then just 3 weeks later, December 29, they said good-bye to him here on earth.

This family is AMAZING!

Shelly, you have said more things to help me than you may ever know.

I will remember John with you this month.

Snow

The snow started falling yesterday afternoon.

When the kiddos got home from school we went out to play.

 The best part of playing in the snow?

– besides building a snowman…

– and besides doing donuts in the golf cart

{cause we’re hillbilly like that – I wanted to take a picture of Jason doing the donuts, but I was laughing too hard}

 Anyway…the best part?…

Hot cocoa with a whipped cream hat.

“We live by what we know, not how we feel”…

Our pastor shared this line yesterday in his sermon and it has been ringing in my ears since. Someday’s are easier to live by that. Someday’s it becomes a choice. The past week was a heavy one, most definitely, with daily up and downs.  At times we choose to stay in and quiet ourselves and give in to the grief that was so overwhelming. Other times we smiled through our tears and saw brightly the blessings that our life is filled with. It is a “see-saw” life right now, to say the least. But it is our life. I believe that God gave us our emotions {and yes, He generously blessed me}, not to rule our lives but instead to help us feel His GREAT love.

We know in our head His promises He has given all of us.

Choose to live by those.

We feel in our hearts His deep, wide love for us.

Choose to feel it pull you in close today.

Thanksgiving & Rejoicing

“This IS the day that the Lord has made

let us REJOICE and be glad in it”

Psalm 118:24

We miss you deeply sweet Lulu Grace.

We give thanks today for being able to hold you here on earth.

And we give thanks that we will hold you again when we see you in heaven.

“REJOICE in the Lord ALWAYS and again I say REJOICE”

Philippians 4:4

This week

This week my mind is all over the place. This week is already heavy with memories from a year ago that are keeping me from the moment. This week my mind is crammed with thoughts and leaving no room for much else. This week, a year ago, consisted of dedicating our daughter, a doctor’s appointment, a lot of snuggling, a nurse check-up, a night out for mama & daddy, a good-bye that we never wanted to say. This week takes me to a place I haven’t completely let myself go.

This week is here.

This week He is with me.

This week His promises are still true.

This week I WILL rest in His presence.

This week His peace will be sufficient for me.

This week He is good.

This week He holds my daughter,

and He holds me.

Trust

Trust in the Lord with all of your heart,

{not just part of it, Cami}

lean not on your own understanding, in all your ways 

{praising, working, singing, cooking, cleaning}

acknowledge Him and He will make your path straight

{thank you, God for this promise – oh how I need it today} 

Her Strength

We sat in the tiny room behind the nurse’s station with the geneticist, our nurse, the pediatric doctor, our good friend {and nurse}, Angie. The geneticist pulled out a diagram and began to explain that our daughter was diagnosed with Trisomy 18. I felt like a child sitting at the “grown-up table”, not understaning all the words that were coming out of his mouth. We had never heard of T18 and had no idea the severity until I heard Angie crying and turned around to see her brokeness.

That was the moment I knew something was wrong.

As quickly as the thought of “why us” entered my mind, the Holy Spirit covered that thought with, “thank you, God for this gift you’ve given us.”

{Oh, Holy Spirit, that you will always quicken my mind with holy thoughts and that I will always listen.}

 The first words said when the doctor was done speaking, were Angie’s. “Let’s pray right now.” She began to lift our daughter up to the very throne of God. I will never, ever forget that day.

That moment.

Her strength.