3 reminders

This weekend I was reminded of 3 simple but very important things ...

The Lord gives LIFE

The Lord can be given glory through lost LIFE and ...

The Lord sustains LIFE

Here's how I was reminded of these things.

First, my 2 favorite babies in the world (the ones who beat the odds of growing for 9 months inside mommas who had pretty concerning health issues) were together again due to my extended family being in town. My own little Tatum, and my niece London. Seeing them together was a good reminder of how the Lord has provided for our families and heard our prayers from our sick beds/hospital beds. They are just too cute together! (unfortunately I was sick with a bad cold and bad bout of vertigo the majority of the time, but nonetheless). The Lord gives LIFE!

On Sunday though, Jeremey and I, and the rest of the CCBC campus was struck hard with the news that a student has passed away. With a campus of just around 350 students, for many, it was like losing a brother. He passed away out of the blue due to having a heart attack while playing basketball. Patrick was just 19 years old, gearing up to graduate when the Lord decided to take him home. As a student body/as a family of believers, we know that Patrick is rejoicing with the Lord right now, and as Christians we can take great comfort in that. My husband is working hard this week to put together a film for the memorial service that will be this Friday for Patrick. I am sure the Lord will be glorified even more through the testimonies of his friends stories about the life he lived! The Lord is given Glory through lost LIFE!

And Just yesterday my dear friend Jordyn Wagner who is battling/suffering through Lymes disease, experienced one of her worst pain attacks to date. She deals with this daily. Excruciating pain with episodes that last hours on end and seem to have no bounds. A pain that most will never ever understand. But Yesterday while fighting one of these attacks she stopped breathing, was unresponsive and went into a coma-like state for 4 hours. After waking up she was medicated and sent home again. We nearly lost her. This morning she wrote this on her Facebook status

"I never thought Lyme could kill me. yesterday was different. all my strength suddenly left, i lay limp and saw those beautiful bright lights.I was ready to meet my King and worship Him forever. Although the unresponsiveness didn't last long, in those moments what I've waited for so long came to me...the angels sang their sweet hymn to my failing heart. "Turn your eyes upon Jesus, Look full in His wonderful face,And the things of earth will grow strangely dim in the light of His glory and grace" I was so close, so close to never crying a tear again. and why the Lord would leave me here, I will never understand. But my hope is still in Him even though I feel like I miss Him because I was so close."

I don't know what the Lord has in store for her, how many more pain attacks she will go through, or how many she can even handle. But I do know that she fights through her pain with the Lords strength, and is one of the greatest examples of a God fearing women I have ever known. I Love you Jordyn. The Lord Sustains life.

A glimpse into the future!

I took this picture the other day ... and it reminded of what a long and adventurous journey I have ahead of me in parenting, and how my daughter is growing up way too fast. Recently this is the view I see most often from her, as she is ALWAYS on the run, and often in the opposite direction of where I am ... In light of that, this picture also gets me excited to have another little one someday. NO we are not pregnant (don't get any ideas) ... BUT when the Lord decides its the right time, we will be thrilled ...

Thrilled to discover what our next little ones face will look like, another Jeremey look-a-like, or perhaps a hint of me ...

Thrilled to crack up when another child decides to make a mess as cute as this at dinner time ...

Thrilled to watch another girl or boy dress up in their favorite ballerina or super hero outfit ...

Thrilled to experience God's creation with another curious little mind...

Thrilled to stare at another little angel as they peacefully sleep ...

and thrilled to wake up to another beautiful face like this one each morning ...

A beautiful introduction ...

This weekend I had the privilege of introducing my daughter to my best friend, Jenny Anderson. Big deal right? ... yes BIG DEAL, to ME.

The last time I spent any significant time with Jenny, was my wedding day ... she stood by my side, held my bouquet, gave a speech, and sent me on my way. I didn't know that the next time I would see her, I would be asking if she wanted to hold my 14 month old daughter. But thats just the way it worked out, and it was one of those defining moments in your life, filled with flash backs, deja vu, and "how did I get here" thoughts. It was beautiful and strange all at the same time. One of the coolest moments to date.

I can't really explain what type of friend Jenny has been to me, or how much our friendship has enriched my life. I can't explain how much the Lord has used her to show me how much He Himself loves me, cherishes me and how He will never give up on me. And I can't explain the amount of joy and fun and depth that exists in our friendship. So I won't even try ;) But I will say that one of the most unique things about our friendship, is that even though she has only ever known me as a "sick/chronically ill" individual. She has never seen me that way, or treated me as one. It was almost as if the Lord, from the very beginning, lifted the sickness from her view, allowing her to see who I really am, rather than what my illness had formed me into. How refreshing and rejuvinating. Jenny was a part of my immediate life for just a mere 10 months before our lifes went seperate ways due to living in different states. But in that time,she watched me fall in love with my soon to be husband, she watched me fall apart physically as I had one of my worst bouts of sickness, we both watched each other graduate, and stood by each others sides on both of our wedding days. The truest friend I will ever know.

(the funny thing is, before we ever even met. We had both been told by the same person that when we did meet we would become best friends. We both kinda snuffed it off, only to realize a few months down the road how spot on the previous predictions had been. Even more interesting, the person who told both of us this was my husband ... I married a smart man!)

All that to say. Jenny and Tatum met, and I couldn't have been more happy to see my two favorite girls in the world finally together! Thank you Lord