A little over a year ago I remember sitting in this very office, crying, and praying. I just felt alone. Have you ever felt like that? That as a woman, as a mom, as a friend you were just trudging through days by yourself? The thoughts inside my head grew louder than the blessings in my life and I felt trapped. Life gets busy, for sure. And if we don’t have moments, moments with people we love, that force us to stop in our tracks and forget about details for awhile…well (at least for me anyway) I start getting grouchy, unthankful, and whiney. I promise you, this is not the type of woman I want to be.
So I prayed for friends. Lots of friends. Awesome friends. I prayed for the friendships I had to grow deeper and new ones to come out of the woodwork. It was a specific, deep cry of my heart. That was a year ago.
I share with you these pictures below to give you a tangible vision of what it looks like for God to answer prayers. It didn’t happen over night. To be honest, it took me awhile to even realize how massive His answer was. Today may I be a living testimony to how specifically God hears our prayers. How in the deepest recesses of our souls He knows us, loves us, and wants true life for us.
Here I am, one year later celebrating oldness with those nearest and dearest to my heart. Even on this day of celebration I reflected back and thought how unworthy I felt to receive such blessings. Insecurity always does that doesn’t it? It tries to sneak in and snatch the joy right out of a darn good moment! But, its not about me, its about Him and how precious and perfect of a savior He is to always hold us when we need it most, challenge us when we desperately need growth, and dote on us with adoration when we are feeling lowest.
Here is a small glimpse of the joy in my heart…even though I turned old. (I’m kidding about the old part. Kind of.)
- Mom, Dad, and Hubby (Dave).
- What can I say? I kind of really love this picture. It just has “happy” written all over it. This is where my Dad would say, “make sure you give me credit for taking those pictures!” This is Myquillyn, my dear mentor and friend. I learn life by osmosis simply being in the same room with her.
I never had a sister but for 10 years now Dave’s sisters (bottom left) have always made me feel like one. Jon and Noelle (top right) have been loving on us (even though were yankees) since we moved down to NC. Nothing has been better than getting to watch our kids grow up together. Then Katie and Greta…these two really scooped me up and called me “friend” just when I needed it the most.