In every season of life, through the mountains and valleys, God has always been faithful… and He always will be.
Updates on Life and Blogging.
It’s been a while. I’m back, and have a little bit of catching up to do before I jump into the series of posts I’ve got coming your way.
When I first started this blog many years ago, I titled it “Fifteen Minute Musings.” My vision for it was to be a space where I could share my heart in small chunks while also grow in self-discipline by writing just fifteen minutes a day. I would set a timer and write, often with no clue what my topics would be.
I abandoned this endeavor not long after I started it, because I found myself stressed out by the pressure of creating something that would be worth reading in such a short time. Those posts are still available here on my blog, and they served their purpose at that point in my blogging journey.
Then in 2017, when my marriage of fourteen years ended, I re-purposed this blog to be a place where I’d share about my life with family and friends. My twins were just seven months old and my firstborn was nine when I first became a single mom. And although I only published a handful of posts here during those 4 1/2 years before I remarried, I still often used writing as a way of processing what I was going through. Writing too vulnerable to put in a blog, so it was wisest to write in the privacy of my own journals… raw words best kept between me and God as I trudged through the absolute hardest years of my life.
Despite the hardship, that time was completely saturated in the peace, love, joy, faithfulness, and kindness of God. There are so many stories I will share here about how He continually provided, protected, and guided us – and those private writings with God will serve me well in remembering when I start sharing my divorce/single parenting journey.
But now here I am, seven years post-divorce, living a life that I still cannot fully wrap my head around because of how much everything has changed:
– I met and married the most selfless, supportive, creative, and kind man I’ve ever known in 2021. I am eager to share our love story here, as documented in my journal that year! My sweet Joseph.
– In late October 2021, a week after we married, my then-90-year-old Dad moved in with us. We had the honor of taking care of him for his final two years and three months on earth. He passed away in our home three months ago, on January 26, 2024, just 20 days after turning 92. It is actually this story of my Dad – and my journey through the grieving process after losing him – that I will first be sharing here in this space, almost exclusively by sharing with you my journal entries from December 2023 until recently.
– We had our wedding ceremony and reception in early November 2021 at the home we bought together, surrounded by family and some friends.
– Since then, I’ve been momma to a fourth precious daughter that I gained when I married Joseph.
– Gracie and Brolly, my two shih tzus that were great sources of comfort and delight to me and my three daughters, passed away after fourteen and sixteen years of life with me… Gracie in December 2020, and Brolly in November 2021.
– Now we have a sweet and spunky golden doodle named Honey that turned three last month.
These are just some contextual details that will help the upcoming posts make more sense. There are additional beautiful and painful moments to share since 2017 – and in time they’ll show up here, because the new purpose for this blog is to share writings from my prayer journals that weave together the multiple stories of God’s faithfulness in my life.
When I am sharing direct quotes from my journals, you will know because they’ll appear boxed like this.
And the date of the original writing will appear below.
Most posts will be direct quotes for the foreseeable future of this blog. This is great news, because my memory sucks, so I’m glad to have my journals to lean on when sharing my stories. New posts will be here every Monday, and on some weeks I may post a little extra.
I’m glad you stopped by. I hope reading about my journey through life’s mountaintops and valleys inspires you to remember and record the countless ways God has been faithful to you in yours.
I’m glad you’re here. I’ve been calling Birmingham, Alabama home since 2013. I’m happily married to the sweetest, most selfless man I’ve ever known. Prior to meeting and marrying him in 2021, I was a divorced mom to three daughters for 4 1/2 years. When I remarried, I gained a fourth daughter.
On January 26, 2024, we lost my Dad. He had just turned 92 on January 6. He moved in with us the week after Joseph and I got married in October of 2021, and we had the honor of being his caregivers for the last 2 years and 3 months of his life.
I currently work full-time as a Fitness Director at the most wonderful country club, where I also have a full load of personal training clients. This is a job I have enjoyed since 2019. Prior to entering the fitness industry, I was an elementary/middle school tutor.
I have been a follower of Jesus Christ since I was a child. God showed me that He was real and that He loved me in powerful, unmistakeable ways during some very dark and difficult childhood years. As an adult, my theology has changed quite a bit. As life circumstances crushed me, I began holding all of the things I had been taught as a child, teenager, and young adult up to the light of scripture. As a result, I deconstructed my faith before deconstruction was really a thing, but never abandoned my faith in the process. After living through harmful teachings that were founded on misuse of scripture, I am passionate about the integrity of God’s Word. Nothing boils my blood quite like seeing scriptures used for selfish gain, abused, and taught out of their intended context.
I have been journaling for 25 years. This is my space of the internet to share the ways God has been faithful to me as evidenced in my journals, as well as anything else that is placed on my heart to share. I hope you find something here that positively impacts you in some way. All are welcome here.
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