Week of joy

I didn't post a "joyful" post last week because we had so much going on. My dad had surgery to remove a cancerous tumor from his liver. He is at home now, but he is sore. My husband's grandfather passed away. I ended up missing a week of work and then having to play some pretty intense "catch-up." It's not that I didn't find any joy in the week, because I did, I just didn't have time to write about it.

When my heart is overwhelmed, lead me to the rock that is higher than I.

My dad learned a few weeks ago that his colon cancer had spread to his liver. The spot was small and in a hard to reach area of the liver. We met his surgeon at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center. He delivered the bad news that my dad is now considered stage four. Nothing will prepare you for how you'll feel when someone tells you your dad has stage four cancer. I honestly felt like someone had pulled a rug out from under me.

As stressed and overwhelmed as we feel at the moment, we have to look at the blessings. My dad was originally supposed to have his tumor removal in mid-February, but a cancelation enabled him to have that surgery today. Exactly one day after his consultation. By one of the top one hundred doctors in the nation. He's also a Christian man. Blessings.

My dad is resting well, although he is in pain. The doctors believe he may be home by Friday. He will likely have to have more chemo, specifically for preventing reoccurance.

So many people have called, emailed, texted or just simply prayed. Our wonderful pastor sat with us most of the day while my dad was in surgery. I read and was deeply encouraged by the book "Fight Back With Joy" by Margaret Feinberg as I sat in the waiting room. Blessings.

Please keep us in your prayers, especially my parents. Our journey isn't over yet.

Today, I will choose joy.

If you follow me on Instagram, then you may have seen my post this morning. I have noticed lately that I am becoming bitter and angry in the wake of all we have experienced in the past year. I don't want to be a person who is bitter or angry, so I decided to make a personal choice to look for the joy that is already present in my life, rather than focusing on loss and pain. Circumstances are often temporary, and I don't want a difficult season in my life to stop me from experiencing true joy.

2014: A Year in Review

I wrote a similar post to this one on my house blog, Organized and Simplified. You can find that post here.

What I am going to talk about here is less house, more personal. 2014 wasn't the greatest of years. In January, my dad was diagnosed for the second time with cancer. This time, a routine scan revealed he has stage three colon cancer. He went through chemo for the second time, and radiation for the first time. His port became infected and he was hospitalized. He is now awaiting more news to see if he may have to undergo more chemo. This summer, we finally got pregnant with our second child, but sadly, we lost the child two months into the pregnancy. We buried three of my relatives, and two of my husband's relatives were hospitalized. One is doing well, the other is still in the hospital as I write. To say it has been a trying year would be an understatement. In spite of all the storms, there are a few rays of sunshine we can be thankful for. It almost feels like a cop-out to write this, but it is something for which we are thankful. We are all alive and, for the most part, healthy. We have good jobs that provide well for us. We have a home we love and appreciate. My dad is still with us. We have a new nephew whom we love and look forward to spoiling.

Life isn't about waiting for the storms to pass- it's about learning to dance in the rain. -Unknown.

We've seen our share of rain, and although it has taken its toll, the Lord blessed me with a husband I can lean on and will be there when the waters get rough. And more importantly, through Bible study and daily devotions, I can feel Him working in my heart again. Is it well with my soul? Not completely. But I can definitely say I'm feeling more encouraged and more hopeful these days.

I thought instead of writing my typical "end of the year" narrative, I would share some pictures of my favorite things that happened this year. My nephew is certainly on the list, but I don't like to share pics of other people's kiddos without permission. These are also in no particular order.

1. Emorie and I took these pictures as a surprise Father's Day gift for Michael. She spilled the beans less than 24 hours later, but he did a good job acting surprised. And he loved them!

2. I ran three 5Ks and was signed up to run a half marathon, but had to cancel. I was bit by a dog, had to get stitches, and couldn't run the race with stitches in my leg. I will be running more races in 2015. 

3. Emorie brought home a gorgeous school picture- probably the best one ever. 

4. Fall was absolutely gorgeous here this year, 

5. I got a new sister-in-law when Michael's step-brother got married. This handsome man accompanied me to the wedding. 

6. The cutest little Elsa, ever. 

7. This. No description needed. 

8. The year of the selfie. I must have a hundred of these things. Geez. But I did have fun taking them. 

9. We went to the park for a fun afternoon and got caught in a torrential downpour. 

10. This pretty little girl makes every year special and wonderful, but our Mama School experiences this summer made some lasting memories. 

I'm not stupid enough to sit here and say "2014 was pretty awful and 2015 can't be much worse." It could be a lot worse. Instead I am going to say "2015 will be a better year," Why? Because I know who holds tomorrow. And tomorrow is, you guessed it, 2015.

"Better than a Hallelujah"

"We pour out our miseries
God just hears a melody
Beautiful, the mess we are
The honest cries of breaking hearts
Are better than a Hallelujah"
-Amy Grant 


I'm trying, folks. I really am. Prayers are needed and appreciated. Thanks. 

A laugh for you.

Source: Things children do that are unacceptable for adults to do by epoddle on Rumble


I can totally relate! My daughter is three and I have experienced all of these at some point. Enjoy the laughs.

Gettin' philosophical: dreams don't work unless you do.

"Dreams don't work unless you do."

A co-worker of mine has this displayed in her classroom. This is not only excellent advice, but it directly relates to my life. Many people in my family were taught while growing up that nothing good comes easily. If you wanted it, you had to work for it. And if it was worth getting, working hard wasn't a problem. Hard work was heavily valued, and so was determination. Both of those things go hand in hand.

Hard work played into my life majorly. I knew as a child I wanted to be a writer, but I had a persistent, almost nagging voice in the back of my mind trying to persuade me to be a teacher. I managed to convince myself not to listen, that I wanted no part of teaching. I never could completely silence the voice. After two and a half years as a journalist, I realized I truly wasn't happy and the only think that could make me happy was to teach.

So, I became a teacher assistant so I could catch a glimpse of what I might be getting myself into. I also enrolled in NC State University's Master of Arts in Teaching program. After working hard all day at the elementary school, I'd drive to Raleigh and work hard in class until 9:30 at night. My two and a half years of grad school were some of the most stressful, overwhelming years of my life. I worked hard. As a new wife, I often didn't see my husband until 10:00 at night. It was tough, but at graduation, I knew I'd done the right thing. My first week as a student teacher? I knew I'd made the right choice.

Ten years ago, if you had told me I would teach middle school English, I would have laughed at you. If you had told me ten years ago, I'd be married and be the mother of a little girl, I would have laughed at you. But, here I am. And I couldn't imagine my life any other way.

I've come a long way so far. First and foremost, the love of a patient God and his hand guiding me had everything to do with it, but some other things also had positive affects. Hard work had a lot to do with it. Determination had a lot to do with it.  A supportive family and supportive friends had a lot to do with it.

The entire purpose of this post was to expound on how far I have come and how grateful I am for having gotten this far. I am not bragging, I am simply reminding myself to be grateful for the journey.

It is my hope these same core values that are ingrained within me will also be ingrained in my own child's being. Dream big, but understand that unless you're willing to work for it, it isn't going to happen.