Precious Moments

 When I was a teenager I had a Precious Moments Bible and a figurine or two.

The Bible was very much like this one.

Sometimes I think about that Bible and some of those "Precious Moments." Last night I got to have my very own precious moment! It would make the sweetest figurine. You see I work at my church. I am the Communications Director/Secretary plus I wear many other hats. You know "duties as assigned" lol. 

Last night was Wednesday night and we have Adult Bible Study and Awana's for the kids. I am basically a floater. I go where I am needed most. Occasionally, I get to go with the adults, although I don't get to do that often! Mostly, I go with 4 & 5 year olds or Middle Schoolers. Last night I was going with 4 & 5 year olds. I started with them and realized I forgot to put something in the adults class. I snuck out of a group activity and went to the adult class that starts 15 minutes after the kids. They had not started yet and no one was in the room. I wrote down what I needed to do and turned to leave. Some of my sweet friends walked in before I got to far. These are 3 of the sweetest ladies you will ever meet! Ms. Gail is my newest friend, she just brightens a room when she comes in. Ms. Ann is so much fun and never fails to make me giggle. And then we have sweet Ms. Beverly. That woman brings true meaning to #goals! She has been a warrior for God! She loves deeply and shares God's love everywhere. Really and truly I could say the same thing about all of them. But you see, I feel like I should really point them out about Ms. Bev because she has been struggling with her memory. I'm not sure if it is Alzheimer's or what, but she is struggling. The thing she doesn't struggle with is her sweet and spunky spirit. That is still the same.

I had left chaos of the kids and had just a moment with these 3 ladies. I was teasing Ms. Ann and Ms. Bev wanted to pass out hugs and kisses. She gave all of us ladies a nice and tight hug and at least 2 kisses on the cheek. So sweet! Then she decided that was not enough and we needed a group hug! This was the moment that qualifies as a precious moment. Here I am, a 51-year-old woman being hugged by ladies at least 20 years my senior and I just wanted to weep. It was so very precious! I felt like I could feel their calmness and strength pouring into me. I can't even tell you how. much I needed that brief moment in time! God is good! He uses us where we are, no matter what we are going through! 

My goal is to be as grounded and rooted in God as these 3 precious friends of mine! I want to allow God to use me even when I am struggling or hurting!

Thank You Lord for placing such sweet ladies in my life! And these aren't even all of them. I am truly a BLESSED woman! May I be a blessing to them and also to the other ladies in my life! May I spread Your love and grace like wild fire! Thank You Jesus for walking with me through this crazy world and for helping me find my way. In Jesus's Mighty and Precious Name - Amen

Bear's Grand Adventure

As promised, here is the tale of a terrible weekend in February 2024.

There were a lot of moving parts that weekend. We had gone to a concert and my Mother-in-law rented a car so we could all ride together. We had kenneled Bear for the night to see how he would do and needed to pick him up the next morning. So the next morning we divide and conquer. I go with my sister-in-law and Anna to pick up Bear. After we got him, we would go to Tractor Supply and give him a bath. Finally, we would pick Chris up at the car rental place when we were done.

We picked him up and found out he had done eh. He didn't like all the noise and he wasn't very happy. We continued on with our plan, though cause he needed a bath. We arrive at Tractor Supply and I scope out everything before we take him in. I text Anna, that they can come up, and they start walking towards me. Just as they get to the front door, a HUGE beautiful Black Mastiff steps out the door. Bear stopped and quickly started trying to retreat. He managed to retreat right out of his collar and headed towards our car. A guy started chasing him and Bear took off. There was absolutely nothing we could do to convince him to come back. (For the record the Mastiff behaved perfectly and did not provoke Bear in any way.)

The place where we were was on one of the busiest roads in the area. We were terrified! We tried to follow him, but he is fast, and well, I am not! We lost him pretty quickly and it was as if no one had seen where he went. Anna called Chris to tell him what happened, and had an anxiety attack. Chris couldn't understand what she was trying to say and was terrified. I took the phone and told him what was going on. He ended up catching a taxi to us and we drove around, went into stores, talked to anyone available, went to animal control, and called anyone we could think of. We even called our prayer warriors, because God cares about all of the things in our lives. Chris was determined to find our Bear! He did most of the leg work, while we drove around trying to determine which direction he went. It all began before noon and by 6 we were no closer than we had been. We stopped for dinner and we made some flyers to be printed out. We went back around to businesses to see if they would allow us to hang them. I had given my number to some people we talked to and Chris had given his out as well. It was dark and we were going home empty-handed. That was the longest night of my life!

The next morning, before sunrise, Chris was on his way back to the area. You see, the hardest part was knowing if we did not find him before about 3 that afternoon, we would probably have to leave him there. We needed to get home as we had to work the next day. So Chris was out there trying to retrace steps and determine some course of action. I received a text from someone who said they thought they saw my dog. They were someone I had talked to the day before, and she had gone for her morning walk. She went in the direction I had told her we had been and she said she saw him. Not long after that I received a picture of him from someone else. They said they had seen our flyers and had been looking around. They were not able to get him to come to them, but they told us where they had seen him. He was going into the yard of an abandoned house. They sent me information on what to look for so I sent that to Chris. He was reluctant to go because he wasn't sure what he would find there, but he went. He didn't find Bear. He did start concentrating his search in that area though. He talked to some roofers that said they had seen him near some junk cars. Chris called me when he got to the junk cars. They were behind a fence and he was afraid Bear would get spooked. Bear typically comes to me and Anna better than he does to Chris, so he wanted Bear to hear our voice. He puts me on speaker phone and we don't hear anything for just a bit. I keep calling him and all of a sudden I hear him! I was sitting on my sister-in-laws couch yelling through the phone and tears pouring down my face. Chris had found Bear! Now he just had to get to him. He was trying to figure out how to get Bear over the fence. Bear disappears for a moment and reappears on Chris's side of the fence and jumps into his arms! I wish I could've been there to see it! It was almost exactly 24 hours from the time we lost him, until we found him.



That 24 hour time period I learned a lot! Here are a few of those things:

1. Chip your pets! IF they are taken into animal control, that is the only way you can guarantee that you will be able to find them. That was probably the worst part of our experience. We went there Saturday afternoon and I had been keeping it together because I was driving and because Anna needed my strength. I walk into their place and I start crying. The girl at reception laughs at me! Not cool!!! Then she says we can walk through. He was not there. She then told me they do a 3 day hold for any pet that comes in and then they start testing them to see if they are "safe" to be adopted out. If they show any food aggressions or any other aggressions, they are put down. I am not sure how Bear would react. He isn't aggressive at all, but if he is scared, how would he react? I just don't know and I don't want to find out. He has now been chipped!

2. There are still good people out there! Sometimes I watch the world around me and I do wonder what is happening with humanity. That weekend I knew God placed the people we needed in our path. Almost everyone we talked to was kind to us. People genuinely wanted to help us!

3. Anxiety is real! Remember the anxiety attack I mentioned earlier? It was the first one I had seen in person. I was trying not to have one myself! I was praying my way through it but the struggle was real! If you know someone that struggles with anxiety, just know it is not a crutch. It can really mess with a person. It doesn't mean that they are less than or messed up. They just need a few minutes to catch up and let their brain slow down a little. Give them time!

4. Use a harness! If we had used a harness we could've avoided all of this! It took us almost a full year to get him to stop shaking anytime he heard a lot of traffic! The trauma ran pretty deep for him.

5. We now have a tracker! We don't think he will run again, but just in case we can find him!

6. I am thankful for my people!

7. I am thankful that God protected my baby boy! Yes, I do firmly believe that God protected him. He crossed one of the busiest roads during one of the busiest times of the day. He did not have a scratch on him. Hungry and thirsty but not hurt at all. He was definitely traumatized by his adventure and it really did take us about a year to get past most of it.

Thank you for reading about Bear's adventure. I keep thinking I will write a children's book, like Baby's Day Out. All the different things he could've encountered because we only know a little of what he experienced. If you have a pet lost and found story, I would love to hear it.

When we got him back to Casey's House. He wanted ALL the belly rubs! (His favorite)

The car ride home! He just wanted snuggles!

wordless Wednesday

 Meet Bear! Our 68 pound part Cattle Dog, Husky, and Bloodhound. Full of mischief, love, and sass!

Storm Clouds of Change

This morning I sat on the covered back porch at my house and watched the rain roll in. I was out there with Chris, and of course, Bear was with us. I have not introduced you to Bear. He is our newest family member but we have had him for over a year! He brings a lot of excitement to our lives to be sure! I will go back and tell you about the weekend we lost him later! Anyway, he loves to be outside and we spend a lot of time out there. 

Bear January 2025 (loving the snow!)

As we sat watching and listening to the rain, Chris and I talked about the future and where we would like to be in a few years. We talked about how we want to do something that means something. I mean we do now, but we feel like there is more for us to do. We are praying that God will guide us and help us find His path for our lives. I would love it if you would join us in that prayer! 

And your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, “This is the way, walk in it,” when you turn to the right or when you turn to the left. Isaiah 30:21

Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths. Proverbs 3:5-6

We are leaning into verses like the ones above us. We know that God has a plan and we are trusting Him to help us find it.

Feel free to leave me some scriptures that you lean into when you need guidance from God!

Something to Talk About

All through the past 18+ years, I have felt alone at certain times. I was sure I was the only one experiencing something or I felt like people would think I was crazy if I asked about it. As the years go by I am discovering more and more that if I had only opened up to people far more would have understood than I ever imagined. 

I have started a group at my church on Wednesday night that serves this purpose. We will spend time talking about subjects that a lot of us go through but we just don't talk to people about. I am excited about digging in and helping other moms feel less alone. Maybe even helping them navigate through something I went through - without as many roadblocks as I hit!

So my first 3 topics have been decided but I am looking ahead and trying to find ideas. If you have anything as a mom that you struggle with I would love to hear from you. It will help me find topics that matter!

My first 3 topics are:

Anger - Have you ever been angry at your precious angel? Goodness mornings were rough on me! My non-morning child hated her socks! Yup you heard me! We would fight over her socks EVERY SINGLE MORNING! Some days I would want to scream! Anger... How do we deal with it? Why do we feel it? How can we control it? How do we teach our children to deal with anger?

Being Consistent - Life is a challenge! Sometimes being consistent feels like the hardest thing ever! It can be in the form of punishment, having a life-altering event happen and keeping things "normal" for your children, bedtime routines, or just doing what you say you will do. How can we be consistent? Why should we be consistent? What are we teaching our children through being either consistent or not?

Quality Time! - As a previous stay-at-home mom if you look at quantity of time spent with my daughter it was a lot. If you look at quality of time that would depend on the day. The holidays are a lovely time of year for time spent with family! How can we make our time count with our kids? How can we make sure we aren't distracted when having time with them? What does quality time look like? 

I am so excited about this! Just so you know I don't really have the answers to all of these questions. Some will look different for each person. We will have to find our own answers. It will be beautiful having people sharing what works for them. We will learn so much from each other!

If you could pick a topic what would that be?

18 Things I Have Learned Through The Years

We celebrated our daughters 18th birthday not long ago! That seems so crazy to me! How did 18 years go by so fast? I remember my parents saying that time flies. I didn't really believe them when I was younger but I have noticed that it seems to get faster and faster the older you get. Anyway, in honor of Anna's 18th birthday how about I tell you 18 things that I have learned through the years. 

1. Always be open to changing your mind! The old saying is true: Never say never! If you are open-minded and willing to view things from different angles life is much easier. ie: I was never going to co-sleep - Anna wouldn't sleep if we didn't. Mama needs plenty of sleep so guess what I did!?! 

2. Live in the moment! Don't get lost behind a phone, camera, work, or whatever else can take you away from important and even small moments. I know easier said than done sometimes. I feel like I was very intentional in doing this (even though I wasn't perfect in it.) but I still feel like I missed so much!

3. Be in the pictures! I may not love how I look in pictures but I try to make sure I am in some. One day those memories will be even more important! 

4. Everyone is different! I thought that Anna would be a mini-me in most ways. Turns out she isn't! She is her own person with many differences from me. In fact, she is more like Chris in personality. She has helped me understand him more in many ways. Anyway, I can't expect her to do things I would do because that is not who she is.  

5. My dishes will not need therapy! That was a common thought when Anna was little. As an only child, I was called on to be her playmate more than I ever imagined. I decided that some things were more important and dishes and a spotless house were not one of them. Dishes wouldn't need therapy whereas Anna might if I am always consumed with cleaning. I can now cherish all of the memories of us playing together. Her favorite for a long time was working in a restaurant. It cracks me up that she is now working in a restaurant doing all the things she use to pretend to do. 

6. Discipline is important but it looks different for every child! Anna was a difficult one to figure out but luckily she wasn't naughty often. We figured out early on that spanking didn't work. Time out was eh. We discovered that talking to her and explaining what was wrong and what we expected from her was the best approach. She is a rule follower so as long as she understands the rules...

7. Be involved at school! Anna started homeschooling at 6th grade. Prior to that I made sure all of the teachers and staff knew me (and liked me). I knew that I had many people in that school that would look out for Anna and would contact me if I needed to know anything. I also had many parent friends that were in and out that would keep me updated if needed.

8. Taking walks and car rides are a great time to have serious discussions! For whatever reason it is easier for kids to have serious talks when they don't have to look at you. 

9. Trust your gut! There have been times when I have followed my gut and times when I have ignored it. If I had followed it more often I would've struggled less.

10. They will know what is important to you by the places you go, things you say, and friends you have. Make sure they are things you and they can be proud of. 

11. Speaking of words you say: I have never really had a potty mouth but I had to stop using words like c r a p because it was not nice hearing my 2 year old say it! They will parrot what you say use your words wisely!

12. Friendships! It can be difficult to find friends even for children. It can be a balancing act when they are navigating through difficult situations with a friend. Always encourage them to talk things out and to be honest. If the friendship doesn't make it love on them and remind them that they are loveable. Friendships will come and go. Be sure to fill them with encouragement!

13. Let them be children as long as possible. If they want to believe in make believe things longer than most that is ok. If they want to hold your hand while walking that is great. If they want to play with legos - they make an easy Christmas gift! Don't rush them! 

14. Let them ask questions! In fact, encourage it! We would do random thoughts by Anna. Mostly in the morning. We covered a lot of random topics and it was one of my favoite things we did. Sometimes it would be her telling me what she had learned, other times it would be her asking questions.

15. Creativity is a beautiful way to let them express themselves. Creativity can look different for everyone. Anna loves photography, painting, drawing, and writing. I prefer graphic design, writing, and coloring. Help your little one explore and find how they like to be creative. When you are creating that is a good time to have good conversations.

16. Don't be afraid to be honest with them. They are children and don't need to be pulled into adult stuff. However, sometimes they know something is wrong and the unknown can be worse than whatever is going on. Try to be honest but on their level. You know your child better than anyone, you know what they can and can't handle.

17. Go make memories! I know sometimes money can be tight and you worry about how much things will cost and if you can afford it. There are so many free options out there that are just as much fun if not more! Look around in your community, town, near you for things to do. Sometimes just going to the park to play can be fun. Finding a trail to hike on, Going to the water (pond, river, creek, ocean, lake) and stick your toes in or go swimming if it is warm enough. Go do sidewalk chalk outside, watch the leaves dance, have a game night. There are many options! 

18. Having a child is a huge blessing and a HUGE responsibility! I often say being a Mom has been the best thing I have ever done but it has also been the hardest. Just when you figure one phase out and how to navigate it, they are moving into a new phase. It is a juggling act learning how much responsibility to give them and how much to let them stretch their wings. The decisions we make will set the course of life they will start on as a young adult. That is a HUGE responsibility. Sometimes I feel like I did well and other times I feel like I didn't do enough. 

My job as a parent is not done even though she is 18! I am moving into the next phase. Now I get to be on the sidelines while she continues to learn how to navigate this big scary world. I will be her loudest cheerleader and coach. I will be here whenever she needs me and hope to continue doing some of the things on this list like Random Thoughts with Anna. I will miss some of her earlier phases but I am excited about this new one! 

I will give you one last lesson I learned: find something good about each phase. It makes those difficult phases a little easier to bear. Your little one won't stay with anyone else - it is because they feel safe and loved by you. My 2 year old is throwing a tantrum - they are learning to communicate when they are unhappy or mad. etc... Each phase brings its own set of challenges and its own set of rewards. 

PS. Anna said no one would even know what I meant in #17 with leaves dancing, so I thought I would explain it. She has a tree outside her window and the slightest breeze would make the leaves twirl and bounce. She thought they were dancing and loved to watch them. She would doze off after watching for a short while. 

Grief sucks!

Some days I feel like I am beginning to feel "normal" such as it is and everything will be ok. Other times I feel like a wave has crashed over me and I can't seem to find my breath. I do know that this too shall pass and ultimately I am ok. I also know that grief sucks! It doesn't just magically go away at the 6-month mark or 1-year mark. I have heard grief described as the ocean. Sometimes you are in between the waves and sometimes the waves are crashing over you. I feel like that is the best description of grief that I have seen. 

A few weeks ago I had my birthday. I have always loved my birthday and would celebrate as much of the month as I could, lol. Of course, now I have to share the month with my daughter, but she was the best gift ever! Anyway, this year was the first year that I didn't have my parents or at least one of them call me and sing me "Happy Birthday". I don't know why that hit me so hard but it really did. One of the highlights of my day was always Mom singing off key and Dad singing as loud and proud and goofy as he could. It hit me I will never get that again! Honestly, my birthday was rough! I am blessed with great co-workers, friends, family, and an amazing daughter and husband. They all worked very hard to help me feel special, appreciated, and loved! Don't ever take for granted the love of your parents! Soak in those moments and make memories because you don't know when your last will be. 

I feel like I should add I do have some of the best in-laws too! My Mother-in-law never fails to find the perfect card to make me laugh. She has a way of knowing what I need a lot of the time! My Sister-in-law is the absolute best! She is the sister that I never had and didn't realize I needed! I cherish these relationships! 

When I am under the wave and can't find my way out I try to remember the people that love me, need me, and, want me! I also remind myself of this verse!

I am not walking through this grief alone! My God is walking with me. Sometimes He is in front of me (leading the way), sometimes beside me (holding my hand and encouraging me as I go), and other times behind me (probably shoving me through). I honestly don't know how someone would get through the mountains of emotions we call grief without knowing God! 

I will continue my journey each day with a prayer and trust that God is in control even when things feel out of control! I will look for joy in my journey and always look for the good around me! I will not think of my grief as a problem to solve. I will look at it as a blessing because without great love, I wouldn't have such deep grief!

Leave me an encouraging scripture in the comments or in the form on the side! I love seeing what verses lift others when they are down!