The last year has brought a LOT of different seasons to our
life. Some have been exciting, but I can’t
lie, many of them have been hard. In
this week of Thanksgiving though, I realize looking back over the past year
that there has been something special to be thankful for in each of those seasons. The faithfulness of God was always visible to
us in each season. (I will apologize
now, this is a LOOONG one!)
Last November, we saw the generosity of God’s people bless
our family. When (A) left ministry,
things had become very financially tight for our family. Our daycare situation had changed so we
actually had more household bills, but a very drastic decrease in our family’s
income. We became excellent budgeters,
and learned that we could get by “without.” Some weeks that was still challenging because
his pay was hugely dependent on the commission of the shop where he worked, but
in his particular job at the shop there was nothing he could do personally to
contribute toward the weekly increase or decrease in that commission. The week of Thanksgiving was one he had warned
me would be tough because being closed for a day was going to significantly impact
his commission. The day before
Thanksgiving, I was out delivering product to Mary Kay customers and had a
lovely visit with one customer who is a dear friend. When she handed me her check she mentioned
she had rounded up her total. I thanked
her, but didn’t look at it until I got in the car. She had rounded up her total by $200. I began crying. When I texted to thank her (I couldn’t call
for the crying) she insisted she just wanted to be a blessing to our
family. When I arrived home from those
errands, I checked the mail to discover an anonymous card addressed to our
family with another $150 cash enclosed and a sweet card wishing us a Happy
Thanksgiving. I was overwhelmed. In one day, God had more than supplied for
the need of the smaller paycheck that week.
There was even a little extra to put toward Christmas. As long as I live, I will never forget how thankful
I was in that week to see generosity.
In December, I was thankful that the love and laughter of
family can light up our home. I have
always hosted Christmas parties and small group gatherings throughout the Christmas
season. Last year however, there were no
parties to host. Much of our social
situation had changed. My husband will
be quick to tell anyone that one of my spiritual gifts is the gift of
hospitality- our home is always open. I
love to entertain, host, feed, and make people feel welcome. My heart was broken by not being able to use
that gift through the holiday season as I had for many years in the past. However, last year both of our families gave
me the opportunity to host our family Christmases. I’m sure that wasn’t easy for our mommas who love
having their kids in their homes, but it was such a huge gift to me. I was so thankful for tables full of family
to feed. I filled their bellies, but
they filled my heart.
In January, I was thankful for a glimmer of hope. (A) came to a town in south central Illinois
for his first interview with a church he was very interested in. I had a whole list of reasons why I didn’t
think it was a good idea, but by the end of the day each of those reasons had
been put to bed and I admitted “I think this might be it.” We knew there was much more to the process,
but for their first time since interviews had begun, we felt hope that God wasn’t
finished using our family in a ministry that we could also love.
In February, I was reminded how thankful I am to be the Momma
of a little cowboy. We celebrated his
second birthday, had snow day adventures, and unseasonable weather at the end
of the month brought some after-school playground dates. Parenting is not for the faint of heart, but
it is such an amazing blessing. He is
funny and sweet and fiercely independent and I am so thankful that God
entrusted him to us.
In March, I was thankful for the chance to make
memories. For Spring Break, I
desperately needed a low-budget getaway, but I also knew (A) could not take time
off work. So I called my Mom to see if
she would be willing to go with (a) and I to visit my grandparents in
Louisiana. (I know that even sounds
silly typing it- she was much more than
just “willing” to go.) As the plans began
to come together, my sisters joined us and my aunt and uncle also came to join
the adventure as well. It was a week
that will go down as one of my all-time favorite trips. We laughed, and made memories, and reminisced
over old memories, and played, and laughed some more. It was an incredibly special week that I will
always look back on with a thankful heart.
In April, we were thankful for new beginnings. God made His call to us very obvious, and (A)
accepted the position of Senior Minister at the church he had first be
introduced to back in January. We began
moving stuff into storage so our Indiana house could go on the market, and with
each trip west, we could feel that God had something new and wonderful in store
for us. That breath of fresh air was
scary, but we were overwhelmed with the feeling of thankfulness that God had
begun something new in our lives.
In May, we were thankful for God’s protection. After leaving (A) in Illinois for his first
week at the new church, (a) and I headed back to Indiana to finish my school
year and get our home packed for the move.
After 3 hours on the road, we were within 5 minutes of my hometown when
we were involved in a car accident. A
truck in the oncoming lane was hauling a load of hay, when the load shifted and
fell off the truck into my lane. As I
tried to avoid the head-on impact, the car behind me rear-ended us. It turned into a complicated matter that took
a couple months to straighten out (one of the other drivers didn’t have insurance),
but all I could think about was how catastrophic it could have been. Instead, two vehicles behind me was a man on
a motorcycle who was a local insurance agent.
He stopped to help make sure and walk me through getting all the
important information I would need and made it clear he would not leave me
until I had some help. I recognized his
name, but that day I was pretty sure he might actually have been an angel. My parents happened to be 5 minutes away and
were able to come get (a), and miraculously, my car was still drivable (even
with over $8,000 worth of damage). Amid
all the frustration I was so very thankful that God provided safety and help
that day.
In June, I was thankful for the hospitality of “strangers.” I never imagined myself as a homeless person,
but in June we were. We closed on our
house in Indiana 31 days before we were set to close on our new house in
Illinois. Thankfully, an incredibly hospitable
church family opened their home and allowed us to live with them during that
time. I can’t lie, I was really scared
at first because I had no idea what to expect and we did not know them
well. But I will admit, by the end of
our time there I felt like a part of the family. The night we moved out and into our own home
a couple of tears slid down my face because I was SO incredibly grateful for
how they had loved us and made us feel at home.
Their hospitality and friendship was a true gift to our lives.
In July, I was thankful for the “family” in the term church
family. We got possession of our new
home on a Monday and by Friday every single wall in the house had a new coat of
paint, new light fixtures were installed, a bathroom was remodeled, and on that
Saturday allllll of our belongings were moved in. I lost track of how many wonderful people
walked in and out of our doors that week.
Members of our church family were there with paintbrushes and supplies
from early in the morning until late at night.
Others showed up with food to fed the work crews and men came in droves
to carry all of our furniture on move-in day.
We could never have begun to accomplish all we did that week without
their help. I would never have enough “thank
yous” to tell them what that meant to our family.
In August, I was thankful for new friends. Leaving my “circle” in Indiana was very hard
and I was scared I would never find friends like that again. While it is true, those friends are
irreplaceable, I knew I had to form some friendships here too if I was ever
going to make it. In the early weeks of
August, before school began I met a teacher across the hall who had a story so
similar to mine. Her husband’s job had
also relocated them and she was far away from friends and family. We quickly realized we had similar classroom
styles and backgrounds in education. While
adapting to a new school setting has had its share of challenges, I am
confident God sent me there to gift me with her friendship. And I am so very thankful for that!
In September, I was thankful for old friends. Our best friends from Indiana came for a weekend
visit and it was the most amazing gift to my heart. We have walked through more life together
than I could ever put into words. Having
a chance to share our new chapter with them was wonderful, but more than that I
was so thankful for their wiliness to come.
It made me feel that we were still loved, that we were not forgotten in
our “old life” and that our friendship was still a priority. We will be forever thankful for what they
mean to us.
In October, I was thankful for family time. A zoo trip, pumpkin patch visit (even though
you may have already read about my disappointment at their term “pumpkin patch”
haha), trunk or treat, pumpkin painting, town parade, and soaking in every last
drop of beautiful warm weather before it was gone. Our little family has clung to each other
through thick and thin, and I am very thankful God gave those two guys to me.
In every season God’s goodness shines, and I’m so THANKFUL
for those blessings in every season. I’m
excited for what the next season will hold.
“All this is for your benefit, so that the grace that is reaching more
and more people may cause thanksgiving to overflow to the glory of God.” 2
Corinthians 4:15
