joy

Finding Love Again: Trusting God’s Plan for a New Beginning (part 1)

When I first became a widow, I never thought I would remarry. Falling in love and getting married again was something I was very opposed to. But God had other plans.

Shortly after Jon passed in July of 2009, Jillian, who was 7 at the time asked me, “Are we going to get a new Daddy?” I was completely surprised by this question and wasn’t sure how to respond. It had literally only been a few weeks since Jon passed, and I wasn’t ready to even begin to think about anything like that. 

Of course, in her mind, it was the most logical thing in the world. It just made sense that a family had a mommy AND a daddy. So I told her the only thing I could, and that was for her to pray about it.
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10 Surprising Truths About Being a Widow

Being a widow is a journey that I never anticipated I would experience. I don't know why God chose to put me on this path, but I do know that He has been with me every step of the way. I want to share some surprising things that I have discovered along the way, and if you are experiencing these things too, know you are not alone.

1. It won’t always feel this intense.
The shock of fresh grief can be incredibly heavy. It consumes your entire being. But it won’t always feel like this. I wish I could give you a timeline, but everyone’s grief journey is unique to them. But I can tell you that over time, the intensity will ease.

2. Grief sneaks up on you at unexpected times.
An anniversary, birthday, holiday can all be triggers for grief. But sometimes grief takes you by surprise - a smell, a commercial, a reflex to call your deceased spouse. Grief is not linear. It ebbs and flows and sometimes shows up out of the blue. This is completely normal, although I know it can be unanticipated. 
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A Few of My Favorite Things

Merry Christmas everyone! I hope you had a blessed holiday with family, celebrating the birth of our Savior. 

Christmas is my favorite holiday! I love the lights, the music, the food, getting together with family, and of course, gift giving (and receiving). 

This week, I thought I would do something different and share a few of my favorite things about our celebrations this year.

1. Having my kids home for Christmas break! It's always wonderful to have everyone under the same roof again. They're both adults now, as they like to remind me, but they will always be my kiddos.
 
2. Our tree - we cut her down on Thanksgiving Day at Heath's parent's house. She’s perfect, and her name is Priscilla! We started naming our tree the year Jon died, and it’s been a tradition ever since. This year we named her Priscilla after my grandmother who passed away on Valentine’s Day.
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When Christmas Feels Heavy: Finding Hope in Grief

When Christmas Feels Heavy
Christmas is a season of joy and celebration. We celebrate Christ’s miraculous birth to a world that desperately needed a Savior.

In this season of gladness and festivity, it can be easy to feel depressed and lonely. You see the Christmas decorations and lights and just can’t gather up enough energy to put yours up. You want to be excited and cheerful, but it just feels so hard. Your heart just isn’t in it.

Grief may still be very fresh for you, and the happiness around you may feel impossible to muster. It can be easy for the weight of grief to make your spirit feel heavy, instead of hopeful.
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The Power of Gratitude: Finding Hope When Prayers Go Unanswered

“It’s a funny thing about life, once you begin to take note of the things you are grateful for, you begin to lose sight of the things you lack” (Germany Kent).

It’s easy to be thankful when things are going good or when a prayer is answered in the way you desired. Gratitude comes naturally when the sun is shining, the kids are obedient, and things seem to be going well.

But what about when you’ve begged God for healing, or a job, or wisdom in a situation, and the prayer goes unanswered. Or God chooses to answer differently than you expect - your spouse dies, you continue to be unemployed, or you’re at a loss to handle a difficult situation. What then? How can we be thankful for something that causes us pain or disappointment?
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Meet Lisa Bailey

 
Life hands you things you don’t expect sometimes.  

When I was 33 years old, I lost my husband to cancer after a 3 ½ year battle.  At the time, I had two small kids and was trying to do it all - homeschooling, run a small business, single parenting, make everything from scratch, eat healthy and take care of myself. I was afraid of stopping. I was afraid of feeling.  I was afraid.

Eventually, my body crashed.  I was grieving deeply, struggling physically, dealing with anxiety, and I didn’t know how to move out of that place.  God orchestrated circumstances and placed people in my life to help me deal with these issues through counseling, moving, and starting fresh.  He opened the door and helped me heal both emotionally and physically, and placed resources in my life that have made a huge difference. 

I now feel better than I have in many years and have healed from many things. Grief still shows up, and I have to pull back and work through it, but because I am healthier, it doesn’t consume me. Restoration and healing didn’t happen overnight, but it did happen.

You don’t have to do this alone.  Let me walk this journey with you to hope and wellness. 

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