Single Moms and the Friends Who Love Them

It has been quite some time since I have written anything. Today, I felt the LORD nudging me to write this post so here goes :)

I have been a single mom for many long, hard years. It is the toughest thing I have ever done. 

God knew it long before me....He already had encouragement waiting for me long before I knew I would be faced with needing it.

I want to tell you about those who have loved me ....

I have friends who have prayed fervently for me, even when I didn't know it or ask for it.

I have friends who bring me lunch to work on a really difficult work day and make the day so much better.

I have friends who have provided lunch for me on a day I just didn't have lunch because of a bill that was due.....these friends had no idea :)

I have friends who given me or mailed me gift cards when I was counting change to buy groceries.

I have friends who have ordered me tools for my homeschool and paid for it and had a sweet note posted on the order for me to see.

I have friends who have let me cry, scream and almost fall on the ground from being so tired and have been there to literally catch me.

I have friends who have studied God's Word with me for years and still want me to lead them even in my "not so perfect" life.

I have friends who make me laugh so hard I snort and snort and snort!

I have friends who I can share my deepest struggles with and never feel like I am crazy.

I have friends who love me and my kids unconditionally no matter what things look like on the outside.

I have friends who have come to my house to repair and replace the AC, helped me spring clean a disaster, and have completely replaced a leaking door and floor for me.

I have friends who have called or texted me in the middle of the day to tell me that they just prayed for me.

I have friends who have blessed me with some beautiful heartfelt gifts that remind me of Who's I am daily.

I have a friend, who is now with the LORD, that walked to my car outside of the church just to give me $20.....she had no idea that I was sitting there about to cry because my car was dinging the empty fuel light sound.

Each one of these friends followed God's lead and were obedient. Most of them had no idea at all what I was facing or about to face. That is totally God!

My God placed everyone in my life that I mentioned above at just the perfect time. That is how He works. He planned it that way.

Being a single mom was not a choice for me. It is not a life I would choose or wish on someone else. It is hard, cruel at times. But God....He is faithful and has carried me through many storms, trials, heartbreaks, and tradegies....and I am confident He will continue to do so.
 He is bigger than my single "mommyness"....He is on the Throne and He reigns in my life no matter where I find myself. Do I always understand it?....No.  Do I trust Him?....what other choice do I have? He is my absolute Strength in Covenant with me. He loves me with a love that can never be outdone. He has never left me wondering if He loves me.

Are there those that judge and try to analzye?....Yes. Mostly because they cannot begin to understand what my life is like....by Grace, they do not understand and for that I am thankful.

 My amazing God and the friends He blesses me with, keep my chin up and cause me to press on.
                                                           Why?
                                                         Because.....
Some day, I will no longer be budgetting like crazy to make sure bills are paid and food is on the table.
Some day, I will no longer weep.
Someday, I will see my True Love Who has never left me.
Someday...........

That makes todays and tomorrows as a single mom way okay with me  :)


I am so thankful to you friends above who have supported me and loved me reflecting the Love of the One Who equips me.  I am shouting out....GOD IS SOOOO GOOD!
You may not even know the impact you have had on me. I am praising God for you!

Fresh Mercies

One of the most amazing things about my God is His new mercies!! He waits for every new day to cover me in them.....even when.....I don't deserve them. Instead, I deserve a good old "doe-pop" for all the crazy, spastic, ignorance from the day before.

 Ever had one of those "day before" moments. When you remember that you yelled at your teenager, smirked at the car that cut you off, huffed at the lady with a basket full of groceries when you only had a loaf of bread and about 5 minutes to spare.....and worse yet, passed over and opportunity to share Christ.

Who deserves mercy after that??? Not me....but my God, through His Grace, showers me with it. Sometimes I can hardly grasp that the God of the Universe, of everything, loves me that much.

I want to live every moment of my life for Him...how could I not. Will I mess up.....YES!!! Will He give up.....NO!!!!


His mercy awaits me......I'm His beloved : )

Still Blessed Even In Storms

It feels great to blog again. Life has been a bit rough lately in my house.

We've suffered greatly these last few months and we have grieved the separation of part of our family. That's the heartbreak that I never imagined.

Only through the Grace of my precious LORD am I still standing. I have learned to cling more deeply to Him, much tighter actually : )
He has turned the tears to laughter when I never dreamed He would.

I have learned to keep on godly muzzle when I just want to scream out in defense. My peace is this....My Ancient of Days is keeping me, my EL Roi sees all, and my Ebenezer will never leave me. That is my strength : )

We are still travelling this road, but I am more assured now than ever before....I can finish this race by keeping my eyes on the "Author and Perfector of my faith".

I am looking forward to writing more about what God is doing through this journey.

Have a blessed day!!!!

The Joy of My Constant Hope

I have not written on this blog in quite some time. I have missed pouring my heart out on this amazing tool :)

My family has been in a whirlwind for months now, house is a mess, my kids are going and going, I am still crazy busy....but, it's okay. God has slowed my thinking down to Him, even in my busy-ness. He has been faithful to continue to hold my head up on the difficult days, even when I am kicking and screaming, and dances along side of me on my joyous days (He's the One with the rythm).
and I am shouting this out...He has NOT left me or FORSAKEN me. WOW! I understand that better now than ever.

My oldest daughter is due to have a baby anytime now, my youngest is starting high school plans, yes...she is her momma...a planner all the way.. my 16 yr old is now diligently prepping for college classes and excited about it...YEP...you read that right :)
..and my oldest, my son, is going right along in a marriage that becomes stronger day by day because they have the LORD at the lead. Nothing like calling him and hearing him say, "mom,can I call you back, we're doing our Bible study"...YES and AMEN!

School....has not been the norm for us. The girls are doing their work, but more motivated than I ever expected. They are holding themselves accountable. WOW...that is truly a GOD THING!!!

I am learning more and more that even in the craziness, the One Who keeps me, will never let go. How's that for Joy....the Creator of the Universe... The Savior of the world... My Covenant Partner... The One True God... holds me and holds you. We can rest easy every night believing that.

My God is good! I think I hear you echoing those words!!
Have a blessed weekend!!

Captured By Peace

It has been way to long since I blogged. I have had one crazy few months. I could almost sell tickets to my "amusement roller coaster" world ; )
But...thanks be to God alone, on this whirlwind, He has continued to be faithful and has blessed me beyond what I deserve. That is True Love....Amazing Love!

I am looking back and seeing the joy that He has brought me in the last months. He has not let me forget that He loves me and that He is in total control of every situation, complication, interruption, and sees all of my tears, my heart ache, my discouragement. My El Roi sees it all. He knows my life, every detail that has been, every detail that is and every detail that is still to come. I have had to learn to grasp that even tighter. Am I am pro at it...NOPE, but I am a work in progress and can see that when I have clung to Him and His Word, that peace, right smack dab in the middle of the storm, has captured me. The "peace that surpasses all understanding" has kept me. So, why do I still continue to struggle or panic or fret..... because I am still learning to completely trust Him with my everyday life and with my everyday craziness. He knows that, and He, My Ebenezer, will not give up on me. My heart just goes all leapingly excited at that!!!! 

I know that there is a bumpy road still to travel and that I will get side tracked...but...knowing where the road I am on leads, I will press on! My PORTION FOREVER is waiting for me.

God is Good!!  Have a wonderful day in the LORD! Hope to write more soon.

Blessings in Unexpected Places

This has been one crazy emotional wild month, or two or three or maybe four, for my family. WOW! I feel like a crazy lady some days :)

There has been wedding plans, school plans, redoing school plans, work craziness, and yes, even church busyness.... and then the unexpected shows up. My mind is still trying to catch up with it all.

But here's the thing...in the midst of all of this wild crazy stuff, God has placed huge blessings in my life, even in the unexpected places. Places I would have never looked or even want to take a gander at. Here's a little of what has made my mind a tad crazy :)

                                       HUGE BLESSING......                                 
Tomorrow, my 22 yr old son is marrying the wife that God created and saved for him. Two beautiful people that God formed for each other. If you know these two, you know exactly what I mean. This is a beautiful thing for me. My baby boy  is leaving his mother to cleave to his bride. WOW! My heart leaps everytime I think about it. I am so crazy blessed by this. Can you tell???

                                     Now, for the unexpected....
In the middle of these wedding plans, there has been pain in the lives of two of my daughters.

One who, though her pain, has grown in trusting in her LORD as her Father.  Before, she could never grip Him as Father for so many reasons due to her earthly idea of daddy. Praise God for this! It is only something God could have done through her circumstance. Easy, not at all, but overjoyed at what He allowed her to overcome! YAY!!! Still has a journey, but she understands Who she is journeying with now :)

The other daughter, is facing a complete life change, one that she never believed she would have to face the way she is. Did she fall down and grieve, yes. Did she repent, yes. Is her life still changing, yes. Will she press on, yes!!! Will the blessings flow, yes!! The situation was completely unexpected for all of us for sure. But the blessings to come....WOW!

I know that some of you reading this know the things I am writing about and I thank you for your friendship and continuous prayer. Many of you know the situation in the life of one or both of my girls and your unconditional love for them and for me is a gift that I cherish daily!

So as I look back over the craziness....the interruptions and unplanned, unexpected circumstances, I SEE MY GOD IN ALL OF IT. Waiting to bless us, waiting for us to cling to Him, waiting to hold us close as we cry in our storm and rejoicing with us in the morning! How can I know be inlove with my KING!!

MY GOD IS ENOUGH! That feels so wonderful to say. Go ahead, say it out loud. I think you want to :)

Season of Grace

This last month as been quite a journey for my family. We have shed tears, became angry, repentant, loving and healed...still being healed :)

Just a few weeks ago, my world as a mom was rocked quite a bit by the news from my daughter. My beautiful daughter who loves the LORD so much was broken. Her heart was broken over something and I immediately remembered that same heartbreak. At that moment, God reminded me what He had done for me during my time. He held me close, even when I just wanted to shut down and run, give up and almost make the most tragic mistake of my life. Something I would have carried for years. PRAISE GOD for His intervention. It literally saved a life that day :)

So, as I let all of this soak in, I still have those tearful moments that a mommy heart will have, but it is followed by moments of joy and excitement over the new joy that is coming.

 No matter what comes our way, we are held by a mighty hand that will not let me or my children go. NEVER...HE PROMISED!! That alone makes my heart overflow with hope. We belong to Him...because of Christ, we are overcomers!

Kay Arthur said something that really touched my heart....she said "there is always light that follows darkness, there is always day that follows night". So, even in this difficult, crazy time, His grace will be sufficient for us because we are clinging to the hope of our calling as a children of the LIGHT. Nothing else can hold me, or my beautiful child. Nothing, not even a situation or circumstance, can change who we are in our precious Jesus!!

His Grace holds us!