Mother’s Day

This is the second Mother’s Day without the man who made me a mother.  it is also Neal’s birthday this year on Mother’s Day.  i look back to the years we had together and feel so blessed for the time we had.  I look to my children and the future and also feel so blessed.  I have four grandchildren and one more on the way (Whitney and Ty in November).  I have the freedom to go help in Whitney’s classroom, babysit my grandchildren, go out last minute with my friends or volunteer at Hospice.  My journey is all about how does my life fit into God’s plans not how does God fit into my plans?

I recently did a bible study by Jennifer Rothschild called “Missing Pieces:  How to Have Peace When Life Doesn’t Make Sense.”  (I highly recommend it).  One comment she made that really hit me:  “By loving Jesus in our pain, we allow him into our pain.  It opens up doors to the blessings God wants to pour into our lives.  We will come to a place of increasing gratefulness for the journey of our lives, both the joyful times and the sad times….My struggles, my failures, my grief, my joy are molding my soul into something beautiful.  Eternal.  Good…I can fight it or yield to it.”

I would not have chosen this journey but I am grateful for what I have learned about God and myself.  I choose to yield to God’s plans.  How about you?

On the journey,

Trish

This was taken at Collin's after prom the May before Neal died.
This was taken at Collin’s after prom the May before Neal died.

Love Notes

I have been doing some remodeling and purging in anticipation for a garage sale.  This week I was cleaning out my jewelry armoire and came across this note from Neal:  valentine from neal

Last week I came across this one when I was cleaning out my coffee drawer:

Cookie Monster valentine

Don’t judge, I know it has been 20 months since Neal died, there was a lot of cleaning to do!  I had let things go for a few years.  I had a good excuse and I’m sticking to it. 🙂

Neal, out of his great love for me, had these notes hidden all throughout the house.  Even in his death he was thinking of me, not his situation.  I thought it was timely that I found a note this week since we are focusing on the meaning of Easter.  God, out of His great love for us, sent His Son to die a brutal death on the cross so we could have forgiveness of sins and have life forever with Him in heaven.

“But God demonstrated his own love for us in this:  While we were still sinners Christ died for us.”  Romans 5:8

“But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment  that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed.”  Isaiah 53:5

Neal demonstrated his love for me through these love notes.  How much greater did God demonstrate His love for us by sending His Son, Jesus.  As we celebrate this weekend, let us take time to thank God for His incredible demonstration of His love for us.

I wish Neal was here so I could tell him how much these notes mean to me.  These are the notes I have found so far:

collection of love notes

Thank you Lord for showing us Your love.

On the journey,

Trish