In Every Season............

I truly believe that we go through different seasons in life.  Just like gardening, we have seasons of being planted, seasons of rest, seasons for growth, a season for pruning, and a season for harvesting.  Each one of these seasons brings new joys and challenges, and even though I prefer to go from being planted to flourishing overnight, I recognize the seasons of our lives really help us remain balanced.

The season I am in right now is a sweet one.  Life has its ups and downs, but all in all it is a low-key, precious time in life.  Matt and I have been married 10 years this summer, and with each passing day I love him more than I thought I ever could.  I praise the Lord for that, because as we know life can be hard, and often times we take it out on the person we love the most, yet, with God's grace He gave me the most patient, loving, giving, and amazing partner and I am beyond blessed.  

My family is doing well.  We have been facing a little bump in the road with my mother-in-law's most recent hip replacement surgery, but once again I am amazed by our incredible close family, and everyone stepping up and in to help her any way we can.  

My job is going great, and I am really excited about all the exciting things coming up in the next few months.  And, even though we (along with the rest of the community) are facing a few hurdles with local government, I am confident our organization will get through it and end up stronger in the end.  

 And, even in the sweet season, hurdles will still come in our way.  I am still praying for healing to my ankle/lower leg from a nasty fall I took in Nashville in March.  The swelling is still crazy, and my doctor and I cannot seem to find a way to make it decrease. Matt and I are always praying for wisdom in a few decisions we need to make in the coming months.  And, each week can offer a few speed bumps, but overall I am truly enjoying this season. 

I absolutely love being back in my hometown, being able to connect with my family, my church family, and my close friends.  I like the pace of life right now, and I am so thankful for each day.  I find myself stopping throughout the day, and just thanking God for my life.  He has truly blessed me, and I am so excited to see what He has in store for me.  

So in this sweet season of life, I want to remain joyful, content, and most of all thankful.  I know that to cultivate those things I must give of myself more, love bigger, and encourage and lift up those around me. 

So here is to celebrating this sweet season in life, and praising the Lord through even the hard stuff, because in the end I will face many seasons in life, and each season I will praise the Lord. 

 There is a time for everything, 

and a season for every activity under the heavens:

a time to be born and a time to die,
a time to plant and a time to uproot,

a time to kill and a time to heal,
a time to tear down and a time to build,

a time to weep and a time to laugh,
a time to mourn and a time to dance,

a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,
a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing,

a time to search and a time to give up,
a time to keep and a time to throw away,

a time to tear and a time to mend,
a time to be silent and a time to speak,

a time to love and a time to hate,
a time for war and a time for peace.

-Ecclesiastes 3:1-8