100 Posts

One hundred posts since last July. I feel like I should celebrate or post pictures of me wearing a shirt with a big "HUNDO" on the front. Or something. The problem is, I haven't really done, said, or experienced anything too "bloggable" in the last week...hence it has taken me a whole week to sit down a type a blog.

I guess I will look back over the last almost-year and hundred posts, and talk about what we've learned inside the parsonage.

1. I am now dipping my toe into the waters of publishing....anything. I don't mean a book or a devotional or editorial section. I'm not even contacting our tiny local newspaper to see what space they can provide me. But I did submit an article to Homelife magazine, just to see what happens. I can't explain it. I never thought myself a writer, per se. Just a mommy who really, really, really enjoys writing. I am learning that even here in our little town, with my little family, we have things worth sharing. Funny stories. God's lessons. Time management advice (kidding). We'll see...

2. My kid is funny. I don't know if you all think so, but she makes me laugh on a regular, daily basis. My mom has always told me, "Write it down!"...all of these funny stories, so I don't forget. I'm glad that I have, because I think she will enjoy reading them someday. You know, a day far, far in the future, when blogs no longer exist. And I'll wish I had written them down.

3. I'm a very normal mom. I don't have it all together. I throw fits. Sometimes, my kid drives me a little nuts. In fact, she is throwing a fit in her room right now. And she slammed the door (thanks again, Mom, for telling her I did that when I was little). We get through it, and by the time she wakes from her nap, we will be shiny, happy people. (I hope, I hope, I hope...)

4. God sees me exactly where I am. He sees me cry. He hears my pleas. He breaks me so He can heal me. These are all lessons I am in the process of learning, and forget all too often.

5. My husband is wonderful. God forbid that I would ever use this blog as an outlet to make fun of my husband, tear him down, or point out his flaws. If I ever slip and do that, call me out on it. We will celebrate seven years of marriage in one week (June 1st). I love my husband, I love our marriage, and I hope I am a good wife to him. He's pretty awesome.

6. It's been a tough year. We've experienced two miscarriages in our process of trying to expand our family. It's been painful, and some days are normal, and some are not. Some days I barely think about it, and some days I cry. We've seen due dates come and go. We wonder if there was just something wrong with the pregnancy each time, or (oh, I fear), there is something wrong with me. We hope....and hope....and hope.
Paul's mom is still fighting stage 4 cancer, and often times, it feels like the cancer is winning (physically speaking). We feel we are too young for this, that she is too young for this. We have had scares that she was in her final moments, only to see her regain her strength. Every time I see her, I want to say over and over again..."You've done well, Jean. You've raised a beautiful family. You've raised a son who is an amazing husband and daddy. You have so much to be proud of." And we wait...and hope...and hope....and hope.
We are still in the process of selling our house that we moved out of two years ago. We are about half-way through our 18-month contract. It is stressful, and we swear we will either live in a parsonage (we hope) or rent for the rest of our lives.
It's been a tough year.

7. In light of it all, it's been a wonderful year. In the midst of praying to God so many times, "I don't understand....am I just not hearing you, or are you just not speaking?", I am also saying, "God, I love my life. I truly, honestly love this life you have given me." It is precious, and I am thankful.

And so, in a nutshell, that is 100 posts. Of course, I could talk about princesses, sparkly belts, being called names, festivals, weddings and babies, swimming and rain, and unhatched eggs. But I will just look forward to the next 100 posts, loving my life inside this ever-lovin' parsonage.