A note from my daughter...

Several weeks ago my daughter Olivia absconded with my cell phone.  Upon its return, I discovered the following note:

"Hi, Mom, this is my note to you. You are the most amazing person I've ever met. When I grow up I want to be just like you. You have impacted my life greatly, and I love you for trying so hard to please everybody, even if they don't deserve it. You have been the best mother, role model, and friend I could ever hope or wish for. I thank God for giving me you every day. Love, your daughter Olivia."

There are a number reasons why I cherish this note--the author, the content, the fact that it was written without obligation on an ordinary day.  I don't remember anything about that day, but I know that it wasn't Christmas or my birthday or Mother's Day.  I don't remember if it was a good day or a bad day, but I do remember the way my daughter's note made me feel--loved, admired, and appreciated.

Happy Mother's Day young and old, new and seasoned, past and future...today and every day.

What is God doing, anyway?

A friend asked me this question just last week, and I wasn't quite sure how to answer.  I've been pondering it ever since. To be honest, I rarely feel like I know what God is doing, but I do know that He is doing something. How do I know? Because of my garden.  

Every spring for the last ten years, I have spent a small fortune on seeds and soil, hours preparing and planting, and sometimes weeks watering and waiting, but I always see results...always.  During the watering and waiting time, I have often wondered and even "googled" what the seeds do in the darkness, and the unscientific answer is...stuff...important, necessary, vital stuff. And what does God do while we wait, seemingly in the dark? Stuff. God's the master gardener, remember?  He not only plants the seeds, but makes them grow.

So If you find yourself waiting in the dark, and like me, you aren't quite sure how to answer the big question about what God is doing in your life, just say "stuff", because God is always doing stuff, whether you can see it or not.  And keep watering, watching, and waiting...the growth and the fruit will come!

Ch...Ch...Ch...Changes!

I haven't written since July, and I am not quite sure how to explain why, except to say that A LOT has happened since my last post, and I've been a bit busy trying to keep up with the whirlwind that is my life. Instead of writing an epic tome to bring y'all up to speed, I'll just hit the high points...

In August, I traveled to California to meet my biological father and my grandmother after a 37-year separation. I also met seven of my eight younger siblings on my father's side (six brothers, one sister, with one brother yet to meet).  Talk about life changing...in a good way!

At the beginning of September, I was offered a tech support position with the Lake Washington School District. I accepted, and with the help of some incredible friends, I moved the children and myself across the state. Life changer #2.

At the end of September, my husband returned home after completing a one-year recovery program. Life changer #3.

To say that my life has changed would be a gross understatement, and not just my life, but the lives of my family members--immediate and extended, old and new. I have gone from being a country girl to a city girl (more on that later...), a stay-at-home mom to a working mom, a homeschooling mom to a public school mom, and after a year of being a single mom, I am now a co-parent again. Not only that, but I have gained a whole new family!

I wish I could tell you that all of these changes have gone smoothly. They haven't. But God is good, life is good, and I am blessed beyond measure!