As I get a little older, I am amazed how much faster time seems to go by. Sunday at church a couple of friends commented on how much my daughter Rylee has grown. It is true, and sometimes I stop and look at her and I am in disbelief. How can she be 13? How can she be going in to 8th grade in a few weeks? I am remembering with a mixture of emotions what I was like at that age. Hormones are raging, intense confrontations over the littlest things occur more often than Ryan and I would care to deal with, and somewhere along the way our little girl is blossoming into a lovely young lady. I keep thinking God has done an amazing work in her life because we can only thank Him for how she is turning out. I know we wouldn't be the parents we are without the example and influence of our parents. Junior High was a difficult time for me, because we moved and I was forced to face some fears--new school, making new friends, finding our place in a new city, new church, new world. Going from southern California to southwest Missouri is in itself a culture shock for sure. God is good, He provided and somehow I lived through those years, made new friends, fell in love with our new church family. I see my daughter making strides as she faces challenges in her life, overcoming fears, standing up for her faith and finding new confidence in herself. I am so proud of how she has found her way, and that our efforts to support her, love her, guide her and dedicate her to our Father God will keep her moving on the right path. I realize already there are times in this life I have to let her go, let her find her way in the world among her peers, teachers, mentors, friends and family. Thank you Lord, for the path so far. I look forward to what lies ahead.
Joy and Light
Early Tuesday morning January 2, 2024, I got a call that my Mom was slipping away and the family should come. We knew she was not doing well these past couple of weeks as she had developed pneumonia and covid, and she was struggling just to manage breathing. When I arrived, the nurse brought me in to Mom's bedside, and quietly stepped out to give me some time alone with her before my Dad and my brother arrived. I cried like I have never cried before in my life, and went to my knees beside her, resting my hand on her arm. I have no words to describe what it felt like in that moment, the finality and the reality of it. My brain understood she was gone, no longer there. But my heart, regardless of how far gone Mom had been for years now..... my heart was suddenly flooded with the feelings, the sounds, the memories of her across my entire life, rushing through my head in that moment all at once. It felt like time kind of stopped, so I could have a moment to take it all in, co
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