Happy Memorial Day

To all the men and woman currently serving all of our military forces.

To all those that served in the past.

To all those who lost their lives defending our freedoms at home and abroad.

To my Grandpa the Marine who fought in the South pacific in WWII.

To all of my friends who have traveled to Iraq and Afghanistan to risk their lives in a sometimes unpopular war.

To all those who have lost loved ones, today is a day of reflection of your good memories.

Thank you to all the men and women who serve, we take you for granted so today we give long overdue thanks and appreciation for all you do!

Hunting

I don't think I could ever kill any animal. Except maybe a snake, or if an animal was trying to kill someone I loved.

However, I love the hunt of shopping. It could be grocery shopping for all I care but I especially love clothes shopping.

I love digging through sale racks searching for that cute top in my size at 75% off. I love all the colors, it is particularly dangerous for me when stores are arranged by color like Charming Charlie's. It appeals to my need to organize and it is beautiful to the eyes! I love picking out an item of clothing in a store and seeing the whole wonderful outfit it will become!

Clothing is my game and cash is my weapon! :) Happy hunting this Memorial Day weekend my fellow sale hunters! I'll see you there!

Thankful

John 14:27

Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.

Psalm 63:6

Because Your love is better than life, my lips will glorify You.

Zephaniah 3:17

The Lord your God is with you, He is mighty to save. he will take great delight in you, He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing.

Psalm 71:14

But as for me, I will always have hope, I will praise You more and more.

Thankful:

For the best husband in the world. Whose love and spirit of service have upheld me this week. His trust in God has helped me this week when I have not believed. I love you.

For a loving and supporting family and friends. Your love, support and prayers have been felt by both of us this week.

For laughter

For our home which was another thing that I had to trust God with and in the end He blessed us more then we expected.

For spring time, everthing is new.

For tears.

For jobs that allow us to not only bless others but also to give us access to the wonderful doctors we saw this week.

For God who has sustained us through this week and will continue to do so.

A Basket of Roses

I got a basket of roses today. It was from my parents.

It seems to me all I have heard about lately are people that are hurting and people that are going through excruciating emotional and sometimes physical pain. I'm a 'why' kind of person. Especially when it comes to people suffering. I wonder why there are babies born into the world, never worrying about food and why some other babies born into the world hungry.

I like David and the book of Psalms. He was full of emotion! And he asked God questions. Sometimes they were really hard questions. God didn't always give him the answers but he did give comfort and peace.

I haven't had a lot of personal experience with death yet. Tuesday morning my world changed. A mom-to-be, I was secretly (some of you knew :)) planning my baby's future when God decided that our time would be short with our little baby. Time seemed to fly and stand still at the same time.

It's hard to explain what you feel like when you lose a baby you have never met. However, the more women I talk to the more I find that this is a heartache a lot of you have been through. It's a very silent pain, you feel isolated and hurt.

Why did God let this happen?

I don't know.

But what I do know is:

God is still good. (Even when my reactions and attitudes are not)

God has a plan and it is good. (Even though we can't see it now and might not on this side of eternity)

God is faithful. (He will not let us be crushed by this)

God loves me. And he loves our baby, who has now never had to know any heartache of this broken world and is in the presence of the Almighty.

I miss our baby. I will continue to miss my little one as we mark the milestones that should have been in pregnancy.

Jay and I covet your prayers as we heal. And we know that God has a good plan for us and that it is to give us hope and a future. We trust that and in Him.

I will watch the rose bush my parents gave us grow and think of the little one in heaven who has no suffering, pain or tears.