Thirty four years ago today my last name changed. At 7:00 pm on July 27th, Rob and I made covenants before the Lord as our friends and family looked on. We have lived a lot of life since then, but sometimes it seems like just yesterday we were in our early twenties just starting out together on this journey called life. As I was thinking back on that day and our “mostly” camping and hiking honeymoon in North Carolina I…
As I write this I am sitting in our cabin in North Carolina. The goal was to come up here to get better. Every morning as I look out the window at the mountains I am reminded of the majesty of God. This is truly “God’s Country” and the community here reminds me of Andy Griffith’s Mayberry. This is the first time in almost 34 years that my family is divided. After 20 years of homeschooling my children and…
This past year has been one of the most difficult times in my life. Being sick for months and months and not really knowing why can really wear on you. The title of my website is the Joy in the Journey, and to be honest their have been times in the past year where I have found it difficult to find joy. I am thankful for my supportive family for encouraging me on the dark days. But most of all,…
2018 was a very difficult year for our family. The twists and turns were both surprising and at some times scary. The year started out with promise and optimism, but by February, things began to change. When you are young you take for granted that things will always stay the same. But as you get older, things like your health become more important. February of 2018 began a year of health challenges for me. Thankfully, after months of working…
We have accumulated a lot of “stuff” during our 32 year marriage. In fact we have a garage full of “stuff”. We are currently in the process of converting some of the garage space into office space and during the process we have had to clean out a lot of our “stuff”. We had to make decisions as to what to keep, give away or throw away. Some of those items were old and worn out. Some things my children…
A few days ago my youngest child turned 20. I have mixed feeling about this mark of time. It seems like just yesterday he was a baby. I remember purposing to enjoy every minute of his childhood. Yet somehow the time seemed to go by so fast. He is now a man and is moving on into the future with enthusiasm as he sees what the Lord has in store for him. I must admit for the past year…
I was a young girl during the 1970’s a time when “enlightened” woman were fighting so I could have “equal rights”. During this time, many girls like me were being taught that we could have it all. A career, a family and all of the material trappings that would make us all so happy. Much happier than our poor mothers whom we were convinced were chained to a life of housework. As I made my way through public school, I…
This past week my youngest child celebrated his 19th birthday. As I was looking through some old photos of him when he was little, I longed for what I call “Christopher Robin Days”. Those were such special times when everyday was an adventure! I loved those days. Hours spent in the sandbox, playing with Legos, building forts in the living room and exploring our backyard. My children knew that when their chores and schoolwork were done, the day belonged…
2016 is a year I will not soon forget. This year so many lessons were learned. Many were not very pleasant at the time, but through it all I experienced emotional, spiritual and physical growth that I am so very grateful for. Lesson 1 ~ Good things sometimes come to an end. ~ This year, our homeschooling journey came to an end. For the past 20 years that has been the focus of my days. My “new normal” is still…
Each year we experience four different seasons. Spring, Summer, Fall and Winter. With each season comes new experience. As I think of my own life, I realize I have gone through a few seasons. Spring ~ I was so young and enthusiastic. Life was ahead of me. I became a believer in Christ at the age of 18. A new beginning. I became a bride at the age of 21. Our life together was in the future and we were…