inspiration

In this journey of parenthood, life, and the pursuit of a deeper relationship with God, I have found inspiration from so many.  Our parents have been such an inspiration to me by the way that they unconditionally love their grandchildren.  They love to spend time with them and often times have much more patience than I do!  I am so glad that our boys are blessed with two sets of grandparents that love them so much

I find inspiration through conversations with my friends.  Silly conversations about the crazy things our kids do and serious conversations about raising them to love the Lord.

I find inspiration my listening to music.  I am SO NOT a musical person, but there are some songs that just touch me to my core.

And one unlikely place where I have found inspiration is here...on the internet.  Reading blogs of other people--the struggles they are facing and the ways that God is using them--has brought unspeakable inspiration to my life.  These blogs are different because they are truly authentic.  These sweet friends don't sugarcoat the trials they are facing.  But they don't complain about them either.  They simply point their readers to their one source of lasting hope--God!  What a powerful way God is using these women.

I think about Jessica, who I worked with at Eddie Bauer Home in college one summer.  Her and her husband Joel lost their firstborn baby girl to cancer when she was 11 months old.  Her blog has touched me (and tons of other people, I'm sure) in ways I could have never imagined.  Reading about their heart-wrenching grief and how God has brought them peace has done more for my relationship with God than any sermon could.  I am utterly amazed at the way Jess and Joel put their trust in God to carry them through such a dark time.  They now have a sweet baby boy to cuddle and love...but I know their hearts will always ache that Levi will not know his sweet sister until they are reunited in Heaven.

And my college friend, Julie, has also been a source of inspiration in my life recently.  Her sweet little girl Calla was born at just 26 weeks gestation.  After months in the NICU, Calla is home and thriving!  Reading about Julie and Ian's constant trust in God and their daily prayers and praises while Calla was in the NICU is humbling.

I found Shilo's blog through Facebook.  She is a long, lost childhood friend who lives in the northwest with her husband and three beautiful children.  After spending some time reading some of her posts, I was so encouraged!  She has a way of challenging me in my walk with God (and I doubt she even knows I read it) while revealing her own struggles in an honest and most genuine way.  This particular post brought a fresh renewal to the way I think about my relationship with God. 

I of course love reading about all of my friend's children and all of the sweet and silly stories!  Kristen, Beth, Mercedes, Emily, Brittany, Kara, Crystal, Kate, Rachel, Sharla, Melissa...thanks for sharing your lives with me (with a few of you...your blog is the only way I keep up with what's going on in your lives).  And for anyone else that I know who reads this...let me know if you have a blog so I can read yours too.  :)

And finally...my sweet, wonderful husband left this rose on our kitchen counter one morning.  It is from our yard.  If you can't tell, the "vase" is actually a baby bottle.  For some reason, I found this picture to be so fitting of our lives right now.  So very beautiful...bottles, poopy diapers, potty training and all!