11.21.13

“It was November--the month of crimson sunsets, parting birds, deep, sad hymns of the sea, passionate wind-songs in the pines. Anne roamed through the pineland alleys in the park and, as she said, let that great sweeping wind blow the fogs out of her soul.” 

― L.M. Montgomery, Anne of Green Gables

there is something about the crisp air and quickly approaching holidays and the promise of twinkling lights that allows you to breathe deep, exhaling the weight of so many things. 

the past few days, i've found myself in a struggle between being overwhelmed with stress and being overcome with thankfulness.

but i want this season of thankfulness to win.
and breed a life of thankfulness in this weary heart of mine.

and with these two, i have more than enough reason to be well on my way.

love.

little bits of lately.

it feels as if we've been laying low and staying really busy all at the same time. but i think that might just be a new part of normal life with two little ones.

and, likewise, pretty much all of the snapshots i've gotten are of them, as well. :)

they are growing so quickly. coen is talking more and more (finally!) and his little personality is so funny. norah is out of control. she is huge, and is determined to be fully mobile as soon as possible (and by that, i mean soon). she loves her brother. and her daddy. and her toys. 

and her cat. he, on the other hand, is still mad that she exists. oh well.

becoming a family of four has brought its share of challenges, exhaustion, emotions and adjusting. but it has brought so much more that is good. we are reminded so often of the kindness of god when we peer into these smiling little faces. we can't help but swell with joy when we see our blessings before us--and how far he has brought us.

how grateful we are that we stand here today, and can attest to god's mercy and faithfulness in such a precious way.

love.

thankful (it's never too late).

With Thanksgiving just recently passed, I've been pondering a lot on what it means to be thankful, and things that I'm thankful for. In doing this, I've realized how often I can fail to see how much there is to be thankful for, and have even been more conscious in looking for things as they arise.

And because of it, my heart is full.

While looking towards this (favorite) holiday season with much anticipation, I've found myself recalling our life last year--last year was riddled with ER visits and hospital stays.

It's times like this when I'm even more thankful for this little blog and the opportunity it's given me to chronicle our lives. This is from December thirteenth of last year:

so again, we wait. we wait until this works itself out, he gets better and we can go back home. it could be tomorrow, or a few days. with everything up in the air, again, life has been put on hold.

some good news is that we're back on the surgical floor, which means we are surrounded by nurses and NAs that know us well and greeted us as warmly as old friends would. in a way, it's a sort of homey being back here (please take "in a way" strongly for as you know, hospitals and homey are in no large way synonymous) and has been much easier of a transition knowing he is so well cared for, by people who know and care much for him.

although this is not what we had in mind for us right now, we are trusting that this is not in vain, that there is a purpose in this. and again, we have been overwhelmed by the outpouring of care, concern and encouragement by you all. knowing there are so many praying for us has been freshly humbling.

what a strange mix of hardship and joy it is to experience so many practical expressions of God's love for us through your calls, texts, scriptures, emails and visits. we are grateful beyond words, and feel utterly undeserving of this love from so many wonderful people.

it has made this ordeal not only bearable, but peaceful. and has made me newly aware of how richly blessed we are.

It seems so long ago that I wrote this. So far away from the reality that we find ourselves in now, and yet this was our life up until just a few months ago.

In reading this, it struck me--if we could be so thankful in such a season, how much more should we be in the present?

Somehow I still find myself lacking thankfulness sometimes. But today, my joy and contentment in this new chapter of our lives has only increased, as I think of all that we have. And that although it is by no means easy or perfect, it is so very full of hope and evident of God's grace.

God loves his children well. For them, there is always hope. And there is always grace.

And that alone is reason enough to be thankful.

love. 

things i'm thankful for [tuesday edition]

i'm back.

and that is one of the things i'm thankful for. but, i'm also thankful for the time away from technology. to have a bit of silence in my life. to enjoy the fresh air in my lungs. and the people that i am blessed to know.

to refocus. to ponder.

but let's be honest. we really missed blue's clues.

so, i'm thankful for the time my man took to find a spare hard drive lying around (because, we have those here apparently) & replace the broken one. all while trying to start his business back up.

speaking of him. he is doing so well. so very, very well. i realized that i haven't updated you about him lately. and lately has been some of the most exciting news! over the past two or so weeks, his recovery has taken a turn for the better. what we thought would be a more difficult process (& started out more painful than we had anticipated) has proved to become much more manageable.

i get to see the man that i married, more times than not, when i look in his bright blue eyes. the man that had been lost in sickness & exhaustion for almost two years. the man that makes me laugh. makes me feel treasured. makes me feel safe.

and now, even has the energy to play with our sweet, sweet little boy.

oh, how he loves his daddy. and oh, how i love them.

i have so much to be thankful for.

love.