I wrote this a few years ago, but felt led to share it again because it’s still valid. Maybe even more so as we have come another full year of everything traumatic about Covid, are looking at a humanitarian crisis from a dictator creating a war, and always uncertainty about the future. We are not alone in any of this, and God is a constant source of help in times of trouble. Sometimes He heals through our prayers and laying on of hands, and sometimes He chooses for us to do the hard work of counseling and medications, but He walks with us (and our kids) either way... ... 🙏🏼😞🙏🏼 When a child is hurt physically, emotionally, sexually, or in combinations of ways, damage is done much deeper. It doesn’t have to be someone hurting them intentionally, even the death of a parent (or other beloved family member), standing on the sidelines watching your parents fight through divorce, or witnessing a traumatic accident or event, can cause injury to their fragile brains and bodies that can ex
Such a busy week of vacation, spent working around the yard since it wasn’t freezing or muddy! We still have scoops of dirt to rake into the yard filling in low spots, then planting grass seed and praying for it to grow all over. But as we sat on the back patio this evening it felt so good to have planted these 21 trees and shrubs, and Mark was so glad to have the front planter finished! Yay! Every place we have lived we plant new things. Trees, bulbs, shrubs, grass, a vegetable garden. Only a few times in the last 12 years have we been able to see them through a full year—usually we have a new job opportunity for him come up and we pack up and move, leaving things behind. The last house we were able to stay in for 3 years! We saw trees grow, bulbs bloom, and had to prune shrubs. Some things I was able to move with me (roses that we replaced before listing with a different variety) and the last several houses I’ve managed to repeat plant the same (or similar) varieties of plants in eac