The Least of These

I am ever so close to completing my third decade of life. You got it right… I am almost that dreaded ( drum roll please ) * DIRTY THIRTY *. I am only weeks away from the big three-zero ! & what a ride it has been! As I reflect on the past 10 years of my life, I feel an emotion that is hard to describe. I feel happiness & contentment because so much GROWTH has occurred in this decade. But I also feel deep sadness because it took a lot of HURT to get where I am today. These past years have held the best & the worse moments of my life. (Insert dramatic music here!) In those years, I had an on & off relationship with Jesus. Much like the boys I spent my time with prior to meeting my husband. I was in a toxic relationship.   I sought happiness in the wrong places. Everything I knew about my family & life was ripped beneath my feet. I met the love of my life. I graduated LPN & RN school! I pushed God even further away. I held so much anger, unforgiveness...

I recently went to a quick mountain trip in Boone, NC. It was supposed to have been a trip for me & my husband but things didn’t go as planned. Instead I brought my boys & some friends. One of the first things I did when we got there was walk down to the river. A sweet sound it is to hear the water flowing over & around the rocks. I slipped my feet into the ice cold fresh water and savored the moment. I felt God all around me. A tangible feeling. All 5 senses in use.   The sweet sound of the water in the creek & the birds singing. The beautiful scenery of the mountains & the water flowing. The cold water & rocks underneath my feet. The smell of the fresh mountain air. The taste of North Carolina’s second most clean creek in the state. [It was SO refreshing!] Yes, God was all around me. It was like He was saying “I know things are not how you wanted them to be right now but I am with you still.” It was such an overwhelming feeling.. those ...