A Season of Change

The past year of our lives has been one of never-ending change! Some have been hard, some have been fun, but all have been needed and ended up blessing us beyond what we could have imagined.

The first change that occurred is Keith's job. He now has a full-time, benefits included, real-world, non self-employment J-O-B. It's been a HUGE change, especially for him, but such a blessing! We have more time together as a family now than we have ever had. The Lord even worked it out schedule wise for him to be off every Sunday, so that we can be involved in our church TOGETHER every week. We've never had that on a consistent basis before. We love it!!

Change is, of course, a constant in your life when you are raising children. But we have noticed a particularly strong surge of change in our children over the past year. This change has actually taken place more gradually than that. It began two years ago when we answered the call God placed in our hearts to homeschool them. It struck me quite pointedly this past week when Riley went with my Mom to Arizona for a week. Never before had my boys missed their sister so much! They have truly become not just closer as siblings; they are really best friends with one another. It is amazing to see how removing all that peer pressure to be cool and fit in and meet social norms (yes, even in elementary school) has freed them up to truly love one another. Don't get me wrong. They are not perfect, nor will they ever be. They still bicker over toys or games and get gritchy with one another sometimes, too. But all in all, the overflow of their hearts is love for each other and it is an awesome thing to witness.

The foremost change on my mind today involves my brother Drew and his family. They are moving. Drew has been offered a job at Keith's place of employment and has decided to accept this new challenge. He will begin a training program there on Monday and will be bringing his wife and baby to our home to stay until we can find a more permanent arrangement for them. This will inevitably inspire more visits to Brownfield from my parents. And who knows what will happen next? The prospect of the possibility of my parents living even closer and having my brother and sister-in-law and nephew close as well is very exciting to me, as well as challenging in some ways. I am so hopeful at the potential for growth in all our lives, in many aspects. This is the first time Drew will have really taken himself out from under the protective wings of Mom and Dad and tried to fly totally on his own. I am so proud of him, and admittedly, a little anxious as well. I so want him to succeed and be truly independent. These things can be especially difficult for those with the special needs and considerations he and Ashley face, but I believe that with faith in God and a heart willing to follow His direction, they will beat the odds.

So this season of change has brought me to a "bring it on" attitude. I'm ready to face whatever tomorrow brings, knowing that I'm not at the wheel, God is. And I'm never, ever alone. That's His promise. And I'm forever grateful.