Blessings All Around

 Some weeks it is hard not to look around and seeing how blessed we are! This has been one of those weeks. It is not as if everything went great because lets be honest, when does that happen in real life? It was more that I was constantly reminded that God hears our prayers and always makes a way, even when we least expect it.

There was some of our usual stuff....Alex's internship, doctor's appointments, movie watching, family game night and lots of barn time. That alone was all good. Nothing huge from the doctors appointments a few med adjustments, but basically keep plugging away. The only bad/scary was for Maddy early in the week. She had an ocular migraine and the vision changes were very scary. I was glad I had had one once, but we still had to rule out some things that are a much bigger deal that are seen in some of her diagnoses.

I don't think we could love him any more than we do!

Sunday night, the kids and I headed over to church to meet our new Director of Youth Ministry. I have to admit I was a little apprehensive because he is a middle aged man, but he totally won me over. I loved the answers to all of his questions and look forward to having him shepherd Maddy over the next few years. During this meet and greet, they separated the youth from the parents. As soon as they said that was the plan, Maddy started to panic. There were tears and a look of fear, but I handed her off to our Director of Children and families and one of her closest friends at church and stepped away. She did great and when we got in the car she told me something that shocked me. But also may be the thing I have been most proud of in her whole life. When they sat down to eat she was sitting with her good friend and another girl. She realized that another incoming 7th grader was sitting alone so she got up and left her friend and went to sit with her so she wouldn't be alone. Then all 4 girls wound up sitting together. But the kindness and bravery it took for Maddy to leave her comfort zone is astounding. I have always taught my kids that nothing is more important than being kind and serving God and what a beautiful example this was.

Tuesday Alex received a call from one of the scholarships he had applied for. It was a scholarship for students diagnosed with Epilepsy. I really didn't feel very confident because Alex's epilepsy is very controlled. They let him know that they had a few more questions they needed an answer to before they could move to the next round. He was set to call them at 12:30 on Thursday. When I picked him up from his internship (which he is loving) at 12:00 they were already calling. They surprised him...he was one of four to win the top award out of six hundred applications. This scholarship is so timely and so necessary as we were worried about the financial peace for school this year. We aren't totally there, but this is a huge step in the right direction. And an answer to prayer. Not only me, but two of my good friends had been specifically praying over this. What a loving and faithful father we serve.

Thursday night we got to celebrate Alex's good news by attending Hamilton! I have heard so much about it, but it is a show I had never seen. The kids and I enjoyed it immensely. And I love these days of just spending time together and enjoying each other. Oh how I prayed for days like this when the kids were younger and so medically unstable. While the diagnosis and the prognosis doesn't change having a bit of "normalcy" is such a gift and certainly one I wasn't sure I would ever experience.

None of these special moments happen without the friends and family who continue to love us from near and far. Some we are lucky enough to see almost daily and some far less frequently but we couldn't do this alone. We are so grateful to be loved so well.

Thank you for being our village and the hands and feet of Christ in our life.

Ali