Thoughts
Date Night ~ Paint Night
For my birthday one of my mother-in-laws gifted me with a Paint Night Gift Certificate for my husband and myself.
Neither. Of. Us. Are. Artists. Not even close. We can not even stay in the lines when we color with our three year old.
We quickly found out that we did not need to be artists to create something we actually liked; all the while laughing our way through a fun date.
SO CAL BATON HAND OFF – IT’S MY TURN
It’s been a while since I ran relay in track…
A. LONG. WHILE.
However, like riding a bike you never really forget how to pass and hold on to a baton, right? Scratch that. Those handoffs do take a lot of practice.
Fortunately, the baton I’m holding today is all about covering some Southern California ground while taking photos and posting them on Instagram… SHEW!!
Julie over at Girl on the Move is hosting the SoCal Baton and today is my day to share some of the San Diego area via photos. I plan to carry the SoCal Baton to two of my favorite locations to view America’s Finest City and maybe I’ll stop in at a couple other of my favorite places along the way.
Happy Father’s Day to all the heroes referred to as Dad, Daddy & Step-dad
Five Minute Friday: “Messenger”
Messenger. That is the word chosen this week by author, Lisa-Jo Baker, for Five Minute Friday. And so the clock begins ticking as hundreds of bloggers participate in our weekly free writing flash mob…
Messenger brings to mind the great Pastors I have been blessed to know and receive the word from.
Dr George Tolman was the messenger of my childhood who was soft spoken, had an infectious smile, offered the best children’s sermon and had an impressive collection of Snoopy ties. He pastored my family through weddings, baptisms, funerals and everything in between. Dr Tolman was a Godly man who shared a biblical message in everything he did.
The Reverend Frankie Oliver counseled me through a difficult adolescence. Her unwavering love and most forgiving heart was one that my family counted on. Frankie taught me to rely on God and helped me to truly understand and believe that ”with God all things are possible”. She is a Pastor, a Counselor, and a Friend.
In more recent years my messengers have been two congregational Pastors. Both with amazing gifts to share scripture through relatable stories and with engaging animation. Pastor David Shirey was my Granddad’s best friend. He dedicated and baptized my oldest son, baptized my husband, counseled my family through the loss of my Granddad, and officiated at our wedding. And Pastor Brian Frederick-Gray dedicated my youngest son and continues to energetically serve our home church in Arizona.
These messengers have offered me weekly sermons, shared hugs & giggles, dried my tears and have been there in my life’s most memorable moments.
I thank God for these messengers.
– T
Summer 2014 Bucket List
This 2014 Summer Bucket List was created by both myself and my three year old;
the fluorescent pedicure is for Momma however if my tot has any say in the color I will likely have ten different neon colored toes!
1. Visit Family
2. Make a Tie Dye T-shirt
3. Water Gun Fight
4. Find the perfect spot to view more
than one Fireworks show on the 4th
5. Go to Disneyland
6. Make S’mores
(and then make them again)
7. Pay for a stranger’s tea or coffee
8. Go on a Family Picnic
9. Visit three different beaches
10. Go to a Baseball Game
11. Discover a new Splash Pad
12. Build an Elaborate Sand Castle
13. Buy & Fly a Kite
14. Bike Coronado Island
15. Run through the Sprinklers
16. Send a gift card & a drawing to
someone unsuspecting
17. Get a Florescent Pedicure
18. Skip a Rock
19. Watch the Sunrise
20. Create a new Dessert that
tastes like Summer
We were able to cross a couple items off our summer bucket list when my sister was here the first week of June. We will continue to post photos on Instagram as we make more memories from our bucket list including my pedicure that may or may not make next summer’s list.
What about your list? What fun summer plans have you made? Comment to share!
Here’s to sunny days and memories made.
– T
Linking up: Treasure Box Tuesday
Five Minute Friday: “Hands”
It’s that time of the week when hundreds of bloggers log on to their computers to participate in a free writing flash mob hosted by Lisa-Jo Baker.
“Hands” is the word. And the very first thing that came to mind when I read the Five Minute Friday prompt for this week was one of my favorite songs as a child, that I now sing daily to my little guy and one that I sang repeatedly to his big brother.
Both my boys share my fondness for this song…
I washed my hands this morning,
O, very clean and white,
And lent them both to Jesus,
To work for Him till night.
Little feet be careful
Where you take me too,
Anything for Jesus
Only let me do.
I told my ears to listen
Quite closely all day thru,
For any act of kindness
Such little hands could do.
I told my eyes to watch them
About their work or play,
To keep them out of mischief
For Jesus’ sake all day.
At the start of each day when my three year old and I say our morning prayer we pray that we “make it a good day”.
My hope is that me & my boys always remember to lend our hands to Jesus so that we may do good deeds for others which will undoubtedly make our days good.
Might we remember the words in this song and share our hands & hearts for Jesus sake.
And my hope for you, my readers, is not only that you be on the giving end of acts of kindness but might you also receive the giving works of others through their hands and their hearts.
Happy Friday.
– T
Note: I copied/pasted the lyrics to the song above however I found two separate authors noted; L.M. Bateman & J.H. Rosecrans are both given credit for writing I Washed My Hands This Morning.
Five Minute Friday: “Nothing”
Nothing. There are moments in life when it feels like everything has been ripped from us. Moments in which we forget all of our other many blessings and even our reasons to live. Moments when nothing else seems to matter.
My Granddad died seven years ago today. I was on vacation in Maui when I received the phone call from my Aunt. Her call woke me on Wednesday, May 30, 2007 and interrupted a dream that I was having about not being able to find my Granddad. In what was really a nightmare my Aunt and I were searching high and low trying to find him. Nothing will ever wake me up faster than a phone call before the sun rises.
I said “Hello?”
She said “Honey.”
I quickly responded “NO!!! No. This can not be happening. This is not ok. That’s why we couldn’t find him. NO!!!!”
She replied “I’m so sorry.”
And then we cried. For a long time. Holding our phones. Knowing there was nothing else we could do. It was unexpected. The heart attack took him in an instant. My Aunt never said the words that my Granddad was gone. She didn’t have to. I knew it without hearing them.
Nothing will ever fill the hole in my heart that my Granddad’s passing created. 
Nothing will ever feel like his hugs and smell like the scent of his skin when he hugged me or soothe my soul like the sound of his laughter. Nothing. And I’m ok with that “nothing” because it reminds me of “something”. Something so great – someone so important.
My five minutes are up. Click here to read more Five Minute Friday entries from our blogging community free writing flash mob on Lisa-Jo Baker’s site or search #FMFparty on Twitter.
– T
Summer Reading List – Sarah Jio
It is almost summer and in most places it already feels like summer which has me thinking about my books of choice for afternoons on the beach. Author Sarah Jio just released her sixth novel, Goodnight June. And because I countdown to Jio’s book releases like a six year old counts down to Christmas I know better than to add this book to my “summer reading list”. I will most certainly have Goodnight June finished before our beach day this weekend however I have decided that this summer I will reread all of my favorite Sarah Jio novels which includes every book she has written.
My best friend gifted me a signed copy of Sarah Jio’s first book, The Violets of March, when it was released by Plume (Penguin Group) in 2011. Being that my best friend knew Sarah Jio through her then salon in Seattle she was aware of the plot and knew that Jio’s writing style would be one that I enjoyed. My bff could not have been more right and I am extremely grateful for the introduction to these novels. I have been a fan of Sarah Jio’s ever since reading her first book. Jio’s writing style makes for such an easy read. The setting of her books include my favorite era of 1930s/40s/50s and her dual storylines often touch the late 1990s through present day. The plot of each book typically has a connection to her beloved Pacific Northwest and there is mystery, suspense, and romance all tied into these fictional novels. They are engaging making it hard for me to put them down once I start reading and as mentioned I believe they will prove to make the perfect repeat read this summer.
If you happen to be looking to add to your summer reading list I recommend Sarah Jio’s books in this order:
– The Bungalow (released 12.27.2011) set in 1942, engaged Anne Calloway joins the Army to serve as a nurse; she meets a soldier whose mystery peaks her attention and begins consuming her time as they create their own story.
– Morning Glory (released 11.26.2013) set on Boat Street in the boathouse community of Seattle; after present day Ada Santorini leaves her broken life in New York she discovers a trunk & Boat Street secret in her residence (houseboat #7) belonging to Penny Wentworth from 1959.
– The Violets of March (released 04.26.2011) is set on Bainbridge Island in Seattle where Emily Nelson discovers a diary dated 1943 in her Aunt Bee’s home that involves many of the residents and a long time mystery that she feels obligated to solve.
– The Last Camellia (released 05.28.2013) another dual storyline set 50 years apart when Addison, a garden designer, uncovers the story of misguided Flora Lewis who traveled to England in 1940 to earn money to help save her family’s bakery.
– Blackberry Winter (released 09.25.2012) set in Seattle in 1933, when single mother Vera Ray’s three year old son is abducted during a night shift in which she had to leave him home alone; this tragedy and mystery was solved many years later in another dual plot. (This book was by far the most difficult for me to read as my heart ached thinking of my own two boys with a lump in my throat and great sympathy for Vera as she longed to find her presumed dead son.)
Tonight I’ll know more about Goodnight June (released 05.27.2014) which is another mystery set in the 1940s. The next release for Sarah Jio is set for November 25, 2014 titled The Look of Love, Jio’s seventh novel and another Plume book. I am already counting down! (181 days.)
Happy Summer & Happy Reading…
– T
Note: Sarah Jio tweeted me! Writers everywhere can imagine how exciting that moment was for me. It’s not everyday you receive a shout out from your favorite author!! I’m still beaming. See photo; if you follow me on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter you’ve likely seen it.
Linking up:
Works For Me Wednesday
Work It Wednesday
All Things With Purpose
Weekend Re-Treat
Weekend No Rules Blog Hop The Little Things Thursday
© 2014 All opinions are my own. www.tagsthoughts.com
I did not receive goods/funds/sponsorship to write this review.
Five Minute Friday: “Close”
It’s Five Minute Friday and the word is “Close”. The question: is it “close” as in physically or emotionally close OR is it “close” as in the closing of a door?
My immediate thoughts go to the photo I posted on my Instagram account for Throwback Thursday. The picture I posted embodied “close” in all forms I question above.
One year ago, my baby boy graduated high school and closed the door on his high school years. He graduated along with his childhood friends that he’d gone to school with since kindergarten, his best friends who shared everything, his football teammates who fought through four years of adversity and triumphed their senior year, and our sweet cousin – his very first best friend (pictured). These two cousins were born six weeks apart and their relationship like their age is the definition of CLOSE.
As I posted that graduation photo for #tbt my thoughts were those of the bond these two young people have. I reflected on their infancy, and their giggles at age three, the friendship they shared at ten, and their loyalty throughout their high school years. I thought about how close their thoughts are for the future. Both studying to serve their community & make a difference in their own respective fields of nursing and firefighting. And, of course, I thought of that door closing a year ago. That night was filled with hope & so many happy memories; that night was filled with the love of close friends & family; and that night was filled with a promise of tomorrow and the friendships that were so close that different colleges, states, nor time will break them.
Close. To close the door. Close. To be close. To the memory and to the future of both.
– T
Note: My other baby boy is the photo bomber in this picture. I pray he experiences the same closeness his big brother and his favorite girl cousin share. The ‘bigs’ most certainly adore him as much as he does them and in such a way that the sixteen year difference does not matter.
Million Dollar Spaghetti
My favorite meal as a child was Spaghetti. And I did not discriminate when it came to meat sauce or meatballs as long as it included red sauce that would stain my face I was ready to partake. Spaghetti has always been my ultimate “comfort food”.
<< That’s me over there sharing a Spaghetti Dinner with my Granddad at age nine months.
For those of my readers who have their family’s secret red sauce recipe for traditional Spaghetti & Meatballs this post might be a hard one to swallow. Just stick with me because as a girl who has loved Spaghetti since birth I kind of feel like I’ve earned the “expert” taster status when it comes to Spaghetti. This baked Spaghetti dish that is filled with creamy goodness is called Million Dollar Spaghetti and it is worth every penny. In fact, it would likely be worth a lot more if you omit my suggested cans of Spaghetti Sauce and replace them with that secret family red sauce recipe!
Ingredients:
1 lb of Ground Turkey (or Ground Beef or 2 cups Chopped Zucchini for a Vegetarian dish)
1 Box of Spaghetti Noodles (I use Whole Grain)
2 Cans of Spaghetti Sauce (24oz each)
1 Package of Cream Cheese (8oz)
1/4 Cup of Sour Cream
1 Cup of Cottage Cheese
1 Teaspoon of Ground Garlic
1 Stick of Butter or Margarine (sliced into 8-10 pieces)
1 Cup of Shredded Cheddar Cheese
1 Cup of Shredded Parmesan Cheese
Directions:
Preheat Oven to 350*.
Start browning your meat and boiling your noodles and while the magic happens on the stove top begin mixing your creamy goodness.
Mix the Cream Cheese, Sour Cream, Cottage Cheese, and Ground Garlic with a Mixer until it is well blended. I do not have a Kitchen-Aid however my “Toddler-Aid” works just as well and is way cuter than those Kitchen-Aid mixers.
Once the meat has browned add the two cans of Spaghetti Sauce to the pan and let simmer while you drain the noodles – you do not want your noodles to cook more than 8 minutes on the stove; they will continue to cook in the oven.
After you drain your noodles, spray a 9×12 baking pan with Cooking Spray. Take half of the slices of butter/margarine and put them in the bottom of your pan. Then layer half of your Spaghetti noodles on top of the butter pieces. Spread your creamy goodness on top of that layer of Spaghetti noodles. Add the other half of noodles, the rest of the butter/marg
arines slices, then pour the red sauce with meat on top!
Bake uncovered for 30 minutes.
After 30 minutes remove the pan from the oven and layer the Cheddar and Parmesan Cheeses on top, return the dish to the oven to continue to bake 15 more minutes.
Let your dish sit for ten minutes before serving.
Million Dollar Spaghetti makes a great freezer meal and tastes just as good as leftovers. The recipe above can also be split and made into two 9×9 pans if you have a smaller family or one that does not favor leftovers.
Enjoy!
– T
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Linking up: Time To Sparkle Tasty Tuesday The Weekend Re-Treat
A Purple Flower; Making My Mother’s Day
Recently a blog post by Lisa-Jo Baker, author of Surprised By Motherhood, caught my eye. The title of this particular post – How Not To Be Disappointed This Mother’s Day. In this article Lisa-Jo discusses what we as mothers EXPECT; her point on Motherhood being more than a 24 hour period once a year is made clear. She offers eleven ideas to celebrate and honor Mother’s Day by giving to others without the expectation of receiving. Lisa-Jo ends with “Because the thing is, we mother because we’re called to it. We mother because it’s a gift. We mother because God trusted us with these kids. We mother because we can’t not.”
This article really had me thinking. Thinking of the moments I had been disappointed without realizing that what I was really doing was putting an expectation on someone, some thing, or some day. Years ago I read The Five Love Languages and discovered my first love language is quality time and my secondary language is acts of service. So therefore I naturally want to give others those things that I like to receive sometimes forgetting to consider their love language and how they might like to receive a gift. Without fail my little guy and I make a homemade creation for my husband each holiday. In my love language time equates to love therefore it is important to me to teach my little guy this type of giving.
While my husband is a perfect match for me and pretty amazing at a lot of things he’s not so much the “sit down and create something crafty with a three year old type”. He’s more of a “little blue boxes create smiles so I’m on my way to Tiffany’s after bath time the night before the gift is needed type”. Thanks to Lisa-Jo Baker’s blog I decided to take matters into my own hands this Mother’s Day. One day this past week when the time of the day arrived in which I teach my sweet boy a little something & we create with our hands I announced to him that on this day we were going to make his Momma something. We discussed Mother’s Day and Father’s Day and how we give love, hugs, kisses and hand made creations. And to my delight he was all-in! He immediately responded “My make you a ‘fow-yer’! A purple ‘fow-yer’ and ‘well-wo’ sun!! Pwease momma.” (He sometimes refers to himself as “my”.)
We started with a white sheet of card stock that my tot painted blue with a paintbrush. After his nap when the blue paint had dried he used his knuckles and fingertips to create a yellow sun, his finger tips to splotch a stem, “weaves”, & grass, and his hand to create my purple flower. It’s beautiful. My first “homemade for me (by my youngest son) creation.” I framed it! I love how enthusiastically my little guy agreed to give to his momma. I love the act of love & time we shared creating it, and I love the smile on my tot’s face and the sincerity in his voice when he announced “All done! Momma woves purple fow-yers.” He’s right. I love my Mother’s Day gift. Though the real gift in all of this is that I was chosen to be his & his “Bubby’s” momma and that is the greatest gift I will ever receive.
Happy Mother’s Day to you, and to all Mommas and Step Moms, Adopted Moms, Grandmas, Deployed Mommys & Mr Moms, Mothers-in-Law, Aunties and Surrogate Moms, and to all Women who Nurture. I hope that you know and feel love on Mother’s Day and everyday.
– T
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Linking up: The Girl Creative – DIY Inspired Thrifty Thursday Treasure Box Tuesday Skip to My Lou Cupcakes & Crinoline Creative Corner Hop
Five Minute Friday: “Grateful”
It is that time of the week where I meet up with hundreds of bloggers for our five minute flash mob of free writing. Lisa-Jo Baker selected “grateful” as this week’s Five Minute Friday word.
Today is my one month ‘blogiversary’. For that I am grateful.
I read and researched blogging for a solid year before diving in and I explored the idea off and on for years before writing my first post. I am grateful for the internet that I was able to use as a learning tool, I’m grateful for the bloggers who have set the path, and I’m grateful for the books that have been written.
Some of the most incredibly supportive and encouraging family & friends are in my circle. For that I am grateful. There is a large community of bloggers just waiting to mentor and be friends; they are open to sharing ideas, offer encouragement, and share their wisdom. For them I am beyond grateful.
I am grateful for the people and the companies who have reached out to me to collaborate. I am overwhelmed by the interest in my little ol’ blog. And for the readers who click the link on their computer and phone that brings them to my home page I am humbly grateful. My one year Blog Views Goal will easily be met before my two month ‘blogiversary’ In fact, if the pace remains I will celebrate that milestone in three days and that is because of YOU – the person reading this blog entry right now. Thank you. I am grateful for you.
Finally, and most importantly, I am grateful to know a God whose presence reminds me that I CAN try things. I understand some of those things may feel like successful accomplishments and others like learning lessons but either way it goes those moments are part of my story. And I am extremely grateful that I am the author of my story in this life and of this blog.
Thank you for reading my blog…
– T
To learn more about me, check out my ABOUT PAGE
Follow me: TWITTER PINTEREST Google+ Linking up at: Five Minute Friday
Five Minute Friday: “Mess”
This week the Five Minute Friday word is “Mess” and so the time has come for a couple hundred of us bloggers to join a free writing flash mob on Lisa-Jo Baker’s site to share our unedited thoughts on mess. Here we go…
Mess. My heart and mind immediately think of my Grandma and her words “blessed with a mess.” That was the way she looked at chaos when it came to little hands helping unload the dishwasher onto the floor, piles of laundry, and fingerprints on window panes.
The most wonderful perspective a mother of a toddler can hear from someone is one that includes
“it’s ok”. When my oldest was a little tyke I would rush to aid my Grandma emptying the dishwasher concerned that my little man’s tiny hands would only create a mess. Promptly my Grandma would encourage me to go sit down, she’d say “it’s ok” then remind me that she was in no hurry and that she was fortunate to have a dishwasher & blessed to have a grandson who wanted to help. If the little helper’s hands placed the clean dishes on the floor those dishes could easily go right back in that efficient invention that cleaned them the first time.
That view was also my Grandma’s perspective on laundry. She’d tell me she was thankful that she had been blessed with so many clothes to wear and “putting all those clothes through the wash is a good reminder that we have clothes, and God has blessed us”. Maybe it was because she was born in 1928 and she had been through times my mind couldn’t imagine, maybe it was because she raised six children and she knew all too well how fast they grow and move out taking their mess with them, or maybe it was because the truth is that any mess is temporary.
My very favorite line about a blessed mess is one that I heard many times from my Grandma. When I began to fuss over fingerprints on the windows, appliances or mirrors she would beg me to leave them. She’d say “please do not clean those fingerprints, they are what get me through the days when my little bud doesn’t come see me, those fingerprints remind me to count my blessings”. (Both her and my Granddad called my oldest their “little bud”.)
My youngest is now three. There are fingerprints all over the mirrors, the windows, and the dishwasher at our house. Some would see a mess when they look at those markings. I see a blessing. They remind me of how I longed for my second baby and how blessed my family is and they remind me of my Grandma, though she wasn’t around long enough to hold the tiny hands of this baby boy she no doubt watches over him from above and sees the absolute mess that he creates daily throughout his playroom and our home. Thanks be to God for children and for all those material things that create a mess. A beautiful mess. – T
*Nine minutes later my “five minutes” are up! Oops. Read more five or so minute entries here.
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Five Minute Friday: “Friend”
Blessed. That’s what I am. Blessed for my circle of friends and the family that I am surrounded by who are the best of friends. And I strive to be more like these beautiful women.
My baby sister is one of the bestest friends any girl could wish for. She believes in me no matter what. She offers the most unconditional love. A love that is second only to my Grandma’s love. I’m blessed to have aunts who are my friends, my role models, and the women God intended to guide me when my Grandmother would no longer be around. And they have. They give me more grace than I deserve. The world’s sweetest friend is my little cousin whose calm brings warmth & peace to my heart; she knows and offers an unconditional love that matches my baby sisters. I’m so grateful for the women in my family who are my friends.
And I’m grateful for my friends who have become my family. My best friend. She shares my past, believes in my future, and always reminds me of my faith. She knows the good, the bad and above all else she knows my heart and I know hers. She is my family. I have an amazing friend who has been there to nanny both my boys, been to church camp with me and offers a smile and an ear that is unmatched to any other. My real life cheerleader in Arizona who cheers for me, supports me and is 100% on my side. Always. Without fail. We share similar parenting styles, tea, tears, and so many laughs.
I thank God for all of my mommy friends (near and far) who have shared the stages of pregnancy / birth / infancy / toddler & beyond with me. They accept me for who I am – a momma with sleepless and scattered thoughts who loves them, appreciates them, wants good for them, and enjoys sharing their tots & this stage of life together.
I want to be the friend to each and every one of my friends that they have been to me. A blessing. My five minutes are up – time to post without editing (eeek). There are so many others I’m grateful for!! Thank you all. You women noted above know who you are. I love you!
-T
Note: Five Minute Friday is where hundreds of people come together in a kind of writing flash mob. We write for five minutes flat. All on the same prompt that is posted by Lisa-Jo Baker, author of “surprised by motherhood” . We connect on Twitter with the hashtag #FMFParty. There is no extreme editing, major grammar or punctuation correction. Just happily free writing. Unscripted. Unedited. Real. And in support of each other. Read more “Friend” posts here.
Happy Easter To You
Our Easter began with our traditional Easter morning quiche, hunting eggs, then over dosing on sugar. To burn off some of the sweets and the extra energy we spent family time walking around the lake and giving thanks for our beautiful surroundings. (Our tot spent his time at the lake on his trike.) Thanks be to God. And thank you Jesus for your sacrifice. He is risen!
It’s nap time now. And as I sit here enjoying my Easter dinner appetizer of wine & jelly beans with the scent of spiral sliced ham in the oven I wanted to take a moment to wish you and yours a very Blessed Easter.
Miracles, Miscarriages & Eternal Life
Last week I received an upsetting phone call from a friend of mine. He called to share the dreadful news that his wife had suffered a miscarriage. This lovely couple has a precious three year old daughter and with their first pregnancy being mostly uneventful there was no indication that Baby #2 would be anything but a miraculous repeat. Now they grieve the loss of the life they had yet to meet.
We’ve had two miscarriages. Both bringing different physical pains and long term side effects yet the same emotions of loss and self blame. Even when you know you did nothing “wrong”, it is very hard not to feel responsibility for a loss such as miscarriage. The doctors may assure you, your mind may know the facts, yet the heart is not always as receptive to facts as it is to emotion. Not to mention trying to make sense that something you wished for and prayed for and nurtured in your body is now gone. Where is the hope and promise of new life in a loss like that?
My heart aches for my friend and his wife. Just as it does for my mommy-friend who’s had five losses one of which required she deliver her baby at 16 weeks. And another mommy-friend who carried full-term; then only shared eight days with her baby boy before CHD took him to be with his Grandma. I cry for my friend who was pregnant with twins, birthed them at 24 weeks, and now snuggles only one of those sweet miracles. I know others who’ve experienced infant loss as well as those who’ve experienced miscarriages including a dear friend who miscarried after having her tubes tied. It most definitely felt like that baby was meant to be, though it wasn’t. How does one begin to make sense of these things? The overwhelming excitement of receiving news of a blessing to the extreme opposite – the miracle gone, the loss, the grief, and the void.
Life is a blessing. Being able to grow another human inside the female body, birth a baby, then nurture them with milk created by the body – that is a miracle. Yet amidst the planning and preparing for the miracle after receiving word of the blessing there are times of heartbreak and loss. A time when some hear those dreadful words and experience the extreme pain of loss.
No one ever wants to hear “it wasn’t meant to be” or “it happened for a reason”. Even if, like me, you believe in a greater plan. Even if you believe that things do happen for a reason. I truly believe that “for everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven”. Those words DO comfort me. Knowing that there is still the promise of new life. Knowing that there is light to destroy darkness. Knowing that there is a God who ”gave his only son” so that I may have eternal life. He gave his son so that my sons will have eternal life. He gave his son for my family and my friends and for their children. Be it a child they never held, held for an hour, or held breathlessly. All of God’s children will have eternal life. That is the promise.
Jesus was crucified and hung on a cross to die. Such loss. Such grief. Such a void. Yet, on the third day he was resurrected. “He has risen.” And that is what gives me hope on this Good Friday and every day.
May God bless the broken hearts of my friends mentioned above and all others who have lost.
– T
Note: April 19th is the International Day of Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia Awareness.
Finally… My First Post
Since 2008 I’ve imagined myself writing a blog. I envisioned myself sitting down with a glass of iced tea or a cup of hot tea and taking a moment to share with my readers something I love. Something like a product, a place, a thing, a simple recipe, small business, play date location, or app that they may not have otherwise been introduced to. Sharing my favorite finds and reviewing products I can’t live without. There would of course be times I shared reviews on something I didn’t love so much or a comparison of something I loved less and then there would be times I’d share part of my journey as a wife & mother. Finally, after six years, I’m doing it. I’m finally writing my first blog. I realize I’m late to the blogging community; in November 2013 Brandon Gaille wrote an article for WPVirtuoso.com noting “a new blog is created somewhere in the world every half a second”.
Fast forward to April 2014, after six years of sitting on my bucket list, I decided (with the encouragement of my sweet little cousin) that it was time for my half a second. In 2008 I had an 8th grader, a full-time job, was a newlywed and we had just purchased a home in Scottsdale, Arizona. I am now the mother of a toddler and a teenager, work from home in San Diego, California and juggle a wonderful life filled with blissful chaos. My boys keep me on my toes and keep a smile on my face. Some days I smile because of the comedy I incur from saying things like “I’m sorry Mickey Mouse Clubhouse isn’t on TV right now, no drinking and driving and don’t do anything stupid” in the same breath. Other days I smile because of the challenge of choosing to laugh rather than cry as my oldest is struggling with his Statistics homework frustrated with me that I didn’t share a math gene, while my youngest is crying because he can’t get his “wegos to fit” then while forcing the Lego blocks together and fighting back tears he suddenly remembers he wanted the red vitamin for breakfast, not the orange one. Here come the tears. And why wouldn’t he cry, who wouldn’t? Red always trumps orange. Not to mention he woke with the plan to go to Disneyland yet the adults in the home did not plan the same agenda on a Tuesday that his parents are both working and his Bubba has college classes to attend. Insert smile.
Thank you for being my first blog readers. I hope you come back and I look forward to hearing from you, my readers, about all the products, people, places, and things you love (and don’t love). Contact me on Twitter.
Now… back to client work & my tea before naptime is over.
– T
to read more about me, check out my ABOUT PAGE
tags thoughts, recipes & reviews 