Journey With Jen

She's a Little Bit of Sunshine ~author unknown She's a little bit of sunshine She's a smile to light your day She will steal your heart & keep it With her warm endearing ways She's your precious little girl With a sweetness from above Who will fill your years with laughter And your lives with lots of love. Happy 6th Birthday to my niece, Abby!

"You will stand firm and without fear. You will surely forget your trouble, recalling it only as waters gone by. Life will be brighter than noonday and darkness will become like morning. You will be secure because there is hope, You will look about you & take your rest in safety." Job 11:15-18 There are times when your calm and open. What you need to hear ~ it finds you. God gets it to you and you actually receive it. There's no distractions. This is what I needed tonight. Isn't it just beautiful? To have our troubles a distant memory as waters gone by. Life brighter than noonday. Wow! When have I felt that good in this life?? To look around you and feel safe... To feel that security... To feel that hope . I do feel hope today, in this life. In the mists of the chaos that is our life ~ there is hope . Just knowing that God is in control. God has it covered. The mistakes. The misunderstandings. The hurt. The pain. God walks with us through it all. Isn't that ...

There are those days where you feel like you can do it all. You know, those days where you can "bring home the bacon, fry it up in a pan." LOL Then, there are those other days where you feel like the bacon cooking in the skillet! :) Yesterday I was superwoman with dinner in the oven and cooking pancakes for this morning's breakfast. Today ~ well, I am leaning on God a little heavier today. Not that it's been a bad day. Just some days are harder than others when autism & learning disabilities are a part of your life. It is so hard to watch your children struggle. My son has made it to middle school now. I remember when we started kindergarten with him. The struggles. The fighting the system. Now, he has 7 or 8 teachers and only two are special education teachers. It's so hard to let go . . . I know inside that it's part of growing up. I also know that God doesn't let go. He is there even when I cannot be. Luke struggles so much with reading. He always ...

We finally got some SNOW!! I never really liked winter, but as I've gotten older, I appreciate it. It is a wonderful time to just slow down. We had two days off from school and how I've enjoyed it. No, we didn't do much. No work. No school. No shopping. Just us, together as a family. Digging in the snow to make some snow ice cream. Luke & Faith did some sledding with some neighbors. Mostly ~ we stayed inside and kept our PJ's on until 10 or 11. We played the Wii a lot. (even on the Wii the game of Life takes an hour!) We watched some Animal Planet and Nick. Yeah, there was the occasional brotherly outburst. That just happens with their age I'm afraid and how close in age they are. We broke it up by going to the youth center on Friday and playing some pool. (yeah, we're trying to teach the kids! ~ it's like the blind leading the blind because I was never that good anyway! LOL) I've even been able to get caught up on laundry! Yeah, I know. It's exc...

Next month, I'll be married 14 years. Jeez! Let me think about that. Well ~ maybe I shouldn't! LOL There has been a lot that's happened in 14 years. Jobs have changed. Three kids have changed us. I have discovered the world of autism. Friends have come and some have gone. We have lost my father to cancer. I've learned that marriage can be harder than parenthood. Here are a few things that I've learned through the years. I think about the beginning. I didn't know how to cook. Seriously. I followed the directions on the box of mac & cheese because I might mess it up!! My mom didn't really cook when I was growing up. (there's 6 years between my brother & I) I guess by the time I came along, she made hamburger helper, mac & cheese, fish sticks, you know ~ all that healthy stuff! :) I was determined to learn how to cook. Some of it was really bad, but I tried new recipes all the time to find some keepers. Luckily, my family actually considers me a...

"But I trust in your unfailing love; My heart rejoices in your salvation. I will sing the Lord's praise For He has been good to me." Psalm 13:5-6 It is easy to look around and see things to be negative about. Turn on the news. Look at the bill pay pile. Look at my home that is begging for a spring cleaning. (getting in the mood, just not quite there yet!! LOL) Yet, in all that mess... all those things that can clutter your mind and heart ... I have to just push it away. And rejoice! For God has been good to me. Thank you Lord for loving me despite my failings. Thank you Lord for reaching my Dad and bringing him home to be with you. Thank you Lord for my kids. Even when I was little, I always knew I wanted to be a mother. Thank you Lord for a husband that tries. Tries to support his wife and kids in every way. Thank you Lord for my Mom that helps us so much. Thank you Lord for my nephew & nieces. It's a little like being a grandparent early! :) Thank you Lord for m...

"Listen to the wise and accept discipline and at the end you will be counted among the wise. Many are the plans in a person's heart, but it is the LORD's purpose that prevails." ~ Proverbs 19:20-21 Can I hear an 'Amen' ? How many plans have I made through the years? How many times have I prayed for God to come in and change my circumstances? How many times have my plans fell through? Too Many to Mention! My carefully laid out plans sometimes don't get okay-ed by the Master Planner. God is all knowing. Just think about that. It blows my mind. He knows my past. ~ which I can remember parts here and there. He knows what is happening now. ~ which I can see what is happening from my little perspective. But, He also knows the future. ~ which I have no clue. He knows that if I make that choice or go down that road, what other people it will effect. I can see my little circle. He sees the ripple effect. And, I do believe in Free Will. I can still make those cho...