I have not been writing on my blog lately due to other writing goals outside WordPress. It is a year-long project, and I’m enjoying my time learning and writing.

It has been months of connections and unbelievable God moments. Love does that. I got a message from my oldest daughter that she had stopped for gas in Prince George, and on the gas pump was a rock that I had painted years ago. It had made its way from an art activity from a vacation and placed in a different area from someone else paying it forward. She just had a baby, which makes three. She’s getting into a rhythm, but the days are long, and the years are short, so the message encouraged her beyond her expectations. A God moment.

Yesterday, I met with my youngest’s Woman of Worth group.

It’s spring break from college for them. We had coffee, and my mom came to talk and participate in the fellowship. Laura shared a message on love from I Corinthians chapter 13. We shared stories of our love language, how we have changed through the years, and the importance of intentional love.

One verse caught my heart.

Love does not remember the suffering that comes from being hurt by someone. It is the NLT version, verse 5.

There has been a significant change in my home. A long, long time coming, prayed for, and we could remember the suffering, or we can rejoice in the change and look towards our future. Your mind is a tricky place. It has files of stories that we can pull out on purpose, or sometimes it pops up like those annoying ads on your computer or phone. I’m okay with the stories; what we do with them matters. All emotions are good and show us how to connect, love, and forgive.

A dear, amazing friend shared this podcast with me. Woah, momma. I can’t begin to tell you how powerful this interview is. I hope you can listen. If you’ve recently lost someone, she talks about how, even in death, you can creatively get to know them and intentionally remember them.

From the podcast interview:

“It would be so easy if loving only gave us the beautiful. But what loving demands is that we face the fear of losing each other. That when it gets messy, we hold each other close. And when we can, we defiantly celebrate our brief moments of joy.” (Kristen Johnson)

I don’t know how to close this post because there is way too much inside of me–I’m bursting with moments, mess, and love.

May the God of all comfort show you new things in your suffering, love, and search for meaning. Throughout His Word, God tells us to wait, that He will bring things about in His season and in His way. The waiting is hard, yet the moments along the way and the culmination of those moments are the roots and the stories that change the trajectory of our lives. Never doubt your mess and your journey.

My mom shared at the coffee shop about Valentina’s love for others and the year she won “Student of the Year” because of her love in the school and classroom. A short clip towards the end.

Laura asked us to share a story where someone showed you love. My mom shared about our home and how we intentionally love her. One example was my morning routine of bringing her breakfast, coffee, water, and her medication. She also talked about Parish’s cooking and Valentina’s visits.

I tried to record. For some reason, the audio on WordPress is not working. I’ll treasure the moment in my heart.