Today, I am thankful!

Admittedly, it's been a long road. Mitch and I moved to Wheaton with a dream of a great, fairly comfortable life. We were newlyweds, we were fresh out of undergrad, fresh off our honeymoon, and I was heading into a job as Mitch was heading into a Master's program at the one of America's most prestigious Christian universities.

A couple years into marriage, $50,000 in students loans and few mediocre jobs later, we were praying Lord WHY did you bring us to Wheaton? It's expensive, we don't have family here, Mitch hasn't found full-time work as a counselor, and though we are thankful for insurance, our deductible is insanely high and our medical bills are out the roof (thanks to 2 births, complications for me during Elianna's birth, which led to months of physical therapy, 3 ER trips, tubes for Jameson, the list goes on)... Lord, WHY?

Jay, in scrubs waiting for tubes.

But today, we are at the end of the why, we are at the end of that long road, and a fork in that road has begun. I can stand here today, looking back on the long nights, the tears, the worry, the "why God" questions, and now I see why. You see, without the long road, without the hurts and the sleepless night, I wouldn't have learned. God taught us many lessons, He blessed us with many gifts, He granted us new insight on life, all because of the hard road. Today, I am thankful for that long road, it led us to today. And today, I am thankful!

1) I am thankful for a husband who promised, "for richer or for poorer, in sickness and in health" because he meant it.

2) I am thankful for a husband who lives each day with integrity, who doesn't "use" the system because "it's there to be used" but instead took on three, count them, 1-2-3 jobs, working 60+ hours week in and week out to help our family make ends meet.

3) I am thankful for a faithful husband, for an adoring father.

4) I am thankful for two healthy children, who teach me every day how to see life more simply and how to love more deeply, as the Father loves His children.

Our little loves, fall 2010

5) I am thankful for a home the Lord provided for us nearly 4 years ago, our first house, my children's first home.

6) I am thankful for dear friends who have flowered our lives in Wheaton. Church friends, college friends, neighbor friends, c0-worker friends. We are blessed with the gift of great friends to share life with.

Two of my dearest friends, Laura & Dar!

Something good did come out of Taylor University Theatre!

7) I am thankful for a faithful God who knew our needs and met each and every one of them along the way. They may have not been met in our timing, or as we would have wanted, but he met them in a perfect way that only the Creator God could do, in a way that a loving Father God knew was best for our family.

8) I am thankful for our parents and family who have been ever so supportive of our time while we've lived in Wheaton and now as we transition out of Wheaton.

9) I am thankful for the church family God provided for us, First Baptist of Wheaton, which walked with us through our first years of marriage, through the births of our children. It will hold a dear place in our hearts as we thank God for the people He has ministering there and the many lives they are now impacting. Dear WAVE/CAUSE students, don't forget to thank God for the blessing of a safe "home" like FBC. They love you! Love them in return!

10) And finally, I am thankful for a fresh start, for a new journey, as I keep saying. Waynesboro, PA, Crosswalk Church, a new job for both Mitch and I, new friends, new community, new students to walk with, ...newness just waiting to be explored.

Pray for us!

1) We move Tuesday, March 20th and travel a little before settling into Pennsylvania on the 31st. Pray for our kids during the move. We are thankful to my in-laws for the immense help they are to us during this time.

2) Relaxation. Mitch and I are taking a much needed, mini-vacation, to de-stress and recoup after our time in Wheaton. Pray for us to experience "refreshfulness," especially for Mitch, before beginning a new ministry.

3) For Mitch's ministry at Crosswalk church, pray for a great start. Lots of learning and growing are in our future, pray for patience both on our part and on the part of the church as we learn to know each other, grow with each other, serve one another, and love one another. We're honored to be used by God in this manner. May we be faithful to His call on our lives.

4) And please, please continue to pray for the sale of our home on Appletree Lane. God has a buyer already in place, He just needs to bring them to our doorstep. Our God is faithful to see even this, through the the end. Pray this would happen sooner then later : )

Oh friends, thankfulness does not seem strong enough a word for what I am feeling. Overwhelmed by God's faithfulness to our family, His goodness in all the blessings we've received these last six years, and the joy we've experienced during even the hard roads.

Jesus, thank you for the gift of life, of love, of friendship, and for teaching us that though the road is long, sometimes dark, and sometimes never seems like it's going to end... you are there, you are faithful, and you are upholding us until the light finally shines through.

Thank you, Abba, for the light!