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University of Georgia football has a way of breaking your heart. Win, win, win. Get to the big game and watch it all fly out the window. BUT, we had a great time as a family together on our very quick trip to ATL.

We slept and woke up to walk around and take in all the excitement.

By far the greatest part of the game was getting some time with my friend, Heylem. We met up at half time. I loved seeing her. It was like a little piece of heaven!!

Then we endured the second half and walked back to the hotel wondering why we even came in the first place. 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 not really, but maybe.

So am I tempted to give up on UGA? Yes. I am. Every year. But Georgia is home. Josh is UGA alumni, former first baseman and co- Captain of the baseball team. So we will keep cheering for the Dawgs despite the likely heartbreak.

Kids had some friends over to decorate some gingerbread houses. It was a friendly competition. Carter and Molly won first place.

A few guys stuck around and finished our puzzle. Well, except for the two pieces Rolo ate!!!! Silly dog.

I am grateful for an OPEN home where life can be enjoyed with those we love!

So grateful we got to be with some family this year for Thanksgiving. We missed my older sister and family!!! But we will take whoever we can get😊

Cousin time was super fun. Lots of laughs and jokes and late nights. Aunt Cacy and Ruby shared a bed. Kaybeth and Molly stayed in her room. And Jud got my new little guest nook bedroom.

It was a sweet few days of being together! Thankful to God from Whom all blessings flow.

Just a reminder that God is gentle. He knows we are but dust. He knows these days are challenging. He knows we are broken people walking around a broken planet. This season is fun and exciting and full. It’s also sad and overwhelming and a big fat reminder of all that is missing. So if you find yourself in a funk, as I did just this morning, remind yourself that God is gentle with His children.

I repeated no less than fifteen times, “This is the day the Lord has made; I will rejoice and be glad in it” before my feet ever touched the ground.  And even then I was dragging myself out of bed. I started laundry. I kept moving. I loaded the dishwasher. I took the dog for walk and prayed the whole time. And I was grateful that God isn’t crossing His arms, shaking His head and telling me to get it together already. 

Kind of like recently when one my kiddos was feeling overwhelmed and so very tired and saw no end in sight. Tears came. I hugged her, let her cry, and we came up with a plan for some rest. I took it easy on her. I could see she was waving the white flag. She needed understanding and some help with her perspective. 

I need that kind of response so often. And I bet you do, too. I am grateful that I always have that in the Lord. He is gentle. And good. And kind. And patient. And loving. And faithful. He tops my list of what I am grateful for. How about you?

I wouldn’t dare suggest that God doesn’t know what He is doing. Seriously, I wouldn’t. And at the same time—I am not sure I’d encourage young couples to have kids as close together as possible. And I am certain I may never give parenting advice, like ever. Three teenagers ain’t no joke. Two drivers, two new drivers’ insurance, three opinions, three speeds of getting ready, three very different students, three different opinions on movies, on sports, on restaurants, on EVERYTHING. It can be daunting. Kudos to all of you who have raised kids. Mad respect for each of you! How about some photos of late?

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You might say, “Kristy, you have more photos of your dog than your kids!” Yes, I do. She is nicer to me. 🤣🤣

I close my eyes, clutching the devices in my hand as I sit on her couch about to begin my fourth session of EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing).

She reads outloud what I have written from my homework assignment to recall ten good memories from before leaving home. “Age 7 or 8—salvation at church. You say about this, ‘I am loved and belong.’”

I shake my head signaling to her that I am ready, and the buzzers I am holding start vibrating back and forth, back and forth, forth and back. My memories from that moment flood into my mind. 

The buzzers stop.

“What do you notice?”she asks calmly.

I tell her about my blue dress with the red anchor on the skirt. I recall visualizing Jesus on the cross for my sins and being convicted and also feeling very loved. I remember walking down the aisle of the small baptist church to tell the Pastor. I remember stomping the yellow shag carpet in my room because as a little girl I thought of the devil’s head as any part of the ground. I took it quite literally to stomp the devil out of my life. 

Earlier in the week I was reading in Hebrews—bible reading is a way to keep stomping the devil out of your life— and was struck by how chapter six describes HOPE. It’s very different from how hope is often used in our everyday life. “I hope the Braves win the World Series.” “I hope my online order arrives in time.” “I hope it doesn’t rain today.”

These are more like wishes, slight possibilities, but not guarantees. It’s like we view hope the same as blowing the white, fluffy pedals off the dandelion flower. A light, wishful thought that flies in the wind of the unknown. 

But no. Hope is not described that way or used in such a whimsical fashion in God’s Word. God says hope is “an anchor for the soul, sure and steadfast.” An anchor. An anchor like the one on my blue dress the day I got saved. I had never had a spiritual thought about the anchor on my dress, yet it was embedded in my memory. But after that counseling session combined with my thoughts from God’s Word on how hope was described, I couldn’t shake the personal touch of God in this memory. 

I have needed hope like an anchor for my soul as winds have blown. Whether at 7 years old or 12 years old, 15 years old or 20, any season of my thirties and as recently as last week, the anchor of hope has held me steady in the midst of dark storms. Hope in God and His promises are not equivalent to wishful thinking or dandelion pedals being blown in the wind. Hope in God is an ANCHOR for the soul, sure and steadfast. What comfort. And what a stark difference from the hope we are offered in this world, unsure and unsteady. Taking hold of hope is taking hold of Jesus, our living hope–which is what I did as a young girl wearing that blue dress with the red anchor on the skirt. And when I take hold of Jesus, He will not let go of me.

MORE VERSES ON HOPE TO CONSIDER:

Hebrews 6:19 “This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, a hope both sure and reliable and one which enters within the veil,”

Romans 5:5  “and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.”

Romans 15:13 “Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you will abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.”

Colossians 1:26-27 “that is, the mystery which had been hidden from the past ages and generations, but now has been revealed to His saints,to whom God willed to make known what the wealth of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles is, the mystery that is Christ in you, the hope of glory.”

I Thessalonians 5:8-11 “But since we are of the day, let’s be sober, having put on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet, the hope of salvation. For God has not destined us for wrath, but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us, so that whether we are awake or asleep, we will live together with Him. Therefore, encourage one another and build one another up, just as you also are doing.”

 I Peter 1:3-9, 13 says, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable, undefiled, and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, who are protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials, so that the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold which perishes though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise, glory, and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ; and though you have not seen Him, you love Him, and though you do not see Him now, but believe in Him, you greatly rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory, obtaining as the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls.

Therefore, prepare your minds for action, keep sober in spirit, set your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.”

Walking around the yard with the water hose is a regular pattern for me. Most of the yard gets water from the sprinkler system, but there are some areas that could use a little more TLC and an extra dousing of water.

That is what I was doing while I studied the Japanese Maple that got uprooted and replanted to the other side of the yard during our landscape project. She looked a bit lonely. Before, she was situated between several other types of shrubbery. She wasn’t noticed, but she seemed to be doing just fine tucked in that place.

Now she stands alone. The landscaper said she would do great in her new spot with plenty of room to develop and grow. She would enjoy the extra space, he said.

So as I was watering her, I wanted to tell her that I knew a little bit about being uprooted–physically, but also emotionally. There have been times I was perfectly content to stay among the familiar, to enjoy life as it just rocked along predictably, but God allowed abrupt changes. Traumatic changes even. I wanted to tell her that sometimes my new spot provides a lot of shade and not as much sun as I would prefer. I would tell her I don’t always appreciate the extra space. If I had some concrete hope to show this tree, I would have shown it. But the only thing I can offer is consistent water and a word of encouragement to just trust the process. Trust that the roots will find their way deep and strengthen over time. Trust that the sun she gets is the right amount and the shade provides purpose and protection. Trust that her new spot, no matter the trauma she endured to get there, would in the end be redemptive and good.

“Let your roots grow down into Him, and let your lives be built on Him. Then your faith will grow strong in the truth you were taught, and you will overflow with thankfulness.” Colossians 2:7

Oh my goodness. I have not taken the time to update here or blog anything of significance. We have plenty of stuff going on around here though, so let me see if I can try to fill in some blanks from the last couple months or so.

I find myself in Publix at least once a week with a full buggy and a thankful heart.

Ruby got her senior photos taken. Pretty crazy!

Mack took a couple of friends to a football game.

Rolo and I spend a lot of time together on walks these days. Our yard is under construction so she doesn’t get to roam in the backyard and lay out in the sun unsupervised like she is used to.

Speaking of the yard—it’s been under quite the transformation! We’re grateful for the improvement! Nine trees taken down started us off. Then, an irrigation system and lots of plants and pine straw and mulch and sod! Then, lights. Yay!

We took down the old fence that cut the yard in half before they came to take down the nine trees. It was hard work! I didn’t get any photos of the girls helping…because they didn’t. 🤨

Mack is playing fall ball on a rec league these days. He seems to like it.

I took Ruby to visit North Greenville University in South Carolina. It was a pretty campus with a really nice admission staff.

She still is not sure where she will end up for college. She’s been accepted at Liberty, North Greenville, and Wingate. We are going to visit Lee University next month. Praying, praying, praying for clear direction from the Lord!

Rolo turned four September 29! She’s a sweet dog. She loves me most of all.

Ok, besides finishing this post with random photos of Rolo or loads of laundry, I think that’s all we’ve been up to around here! One day I’ll be back with thoughtful posts full of meaning and substance. One day….but this will have to do today.

“Everything is hard and Nothing is Enjoyable.” These were the words I confided in Josh with. I may or may not have repeated it about seven times with slight drama in my voice. Maybe crazy eyes were involved, but you’d have to confirm that with him. 

There’s the raising of three human beings who don’t have a fully developed frontal cortex that causes some frustration. Then, there’s the Covid craziness—masks, no masks, vaccines, no vaccines, vaccine passports even being an option considered (!!??!!), and on and on with all of that. Add to these a landscape project taking longer than I hoped and a few other stressful/annoying/frustrating situations and life can just seem complicated. 

“Everything is hard and Nothing is Enjoyable.”  Say it with me seven times fast.

No, not really. That is not the inner dialogue anyone needs running through their minds 24/7. So what do we do with all the complicatedness???? 

I am in the middle of all of this with you, but I know the ONE who is over it all. He is before all things and in Him all things hold together (Colossians 1:17 ). Even when it appears the world is falling apart or our lives are falling apart, God is holding it all together. Here are some things I am doing to help keep me sane and grounded in this upside down world….maybe they will be a help to you.

1) PRAY. I’ve heard anything causing your prayer life to strengthen is a good thing. And I have definitely been praying more, so I suppose that’s a silver lining to all the heaviness. I remember as a teenager not understanding the verse, “Pray continually.” Well, I totally get it now.

2) MOVE. I don’t think I would be sane without the physical exertion of workouts. They just help me release stress and gain confidence in knowing I am doing something for my body to keep it healthy. The benefits of physical exertion and strength training cannot be overstated! I wish I had always worked my body like this. But it’s never too late to start.

3) GET OUTSIDE. As a combination of the above two things, I walk my dog regularly. The sky, trees, birds chirping, green grass, pretty flowers, and wind or sun on my skin is so helpful in keeping my perspective right on life. It is easy to pray while I walk the neighborhood….so much to talk to God about and listen to Him about!! I also try to eat lunch outside as much as possible. Josh and I often take an evening stroll, too!

4) MEET A FRIEND. In about an hour one of my good friends will be arriving, and we will eat chicken salad croissants with fruit and chips and enjoy catching up. We will share some of our woes and also encourage each other on our journeys. I will feel lighter after time with her! I have two more appointments with friends on the calendar in September, and I am already looking forward to it. But even if I don’t feel like getting together with a friend, I try to push myself to do it anyway. Isolation is a scheme of the enemy. 

5) CLEAN HOUSE. There is so much out of my control, but I can keep my little world in order when I clean my house. I am good at laundry. I can dust with the best of them. Sparkling bathrooms, while they don’t last long, give me a temporary smile. Light a candle afterwards and enjoy the made beds and clean floors with the humming of the dishwasher in the background. Be thankful for the small space God has given you to steward…and make it a place your kids and husband look forward to coming back to at the end of their day.

6) PLAY WORSHIP MUSIC IN YOUR HOUSE. Filling my home with praise music is so helpful to keep my mind on things above! 

Six very simple things I am doing to keep moving forward when I would rather sit in a corner and cry over the mess the world seems to be. Here is a song called UNCOMPLICATED. When life seems complicated, maybe blare this one to help you get back to what is important.