Tag: joy

Posted on in Fear, Faith, and Moving Forward book, Gratitude, Journey of Grace, Life is Short, MARPE/Orthodontics, Miscellaneous, Wisdom, Worship

Cheers to Another Year!

Today, I am celebrating another trip around the sun!! I am really grateful for all the ways God blessed me over the last year! Last summer, I sensed that He had something special for me. Soon I recalled that I was about three years old when I decided to follow Jesus… So, essentially, this was my fortieth year of walking with Him!

Here’s a quick recap of some of the highlights:

Last Fall, I finally had some landscaping done! It took me years to get around to it (to have the money, set it up, and make the decisions). But the Lord helped me follow through. No, I have not added any plants yet, lol. But, truthfully, I just love how the rocks look, and so the plants are not my top priority right now!

From September to May, I completed two semesters of leadership training at my church. This was a comprehensive class where we met once a month for teaching and did some online coursework. It covered many important topics and gave me more confidence in sharing my faith. I am excited to see what God has in store for me next!

After years of avoiding it, I made the decision to widen my palate and start orthodontics in January! I will get the metal MARPE device out in the next couple of months and then finish with more aligners. I am still hoping to avoid double jaw surgery, but I am happy with my progress so far!

In March, I went full-time at the VA, after years of being classified as part-time! I am grateful for all the ways God has provided for us since Dave died in 2013. He continues to be a wonderful Provider. Somehow His math always works out!

In May, Lydia and I flew to Chicago to see family and attend a barefoot shoe expo. Spending time with my sister was just what I needed! We hadn’t had that much time together – just the two of us – in many years! It was a fun trip and helped us get through the thirteen-year mark of Dave’s death. The Lord has been so faithful!

I have continued my journey to relieve pain and tension in my neck, shoulders, back, and hips. I’ve changed my workouts, practiced mobility exercises, gone to the chiropractor, prioritized sleep and rest, and said ‘no’ to better manage stress.  I can’t take good care of others if I don’t take care of myself! One specific praise is that in June the Lord healed my neck on the spot at a prayer event. I was surprised but gladly received His personalized gift.

I joined a book club at church, and it has been such a joy. Books + deep conversations about faith + friends = a few of my favorite things! Pretty much any book or genre is fair game. So far, we’ve read Murder, Motherhood, and Miraculous Grace by Debra Moerke, and also Seeking Allah, Finding Jesus by Nabeel Qureshi. Our current book, The Winning of Lady Wisdom, is by a North Dakota author, Sarah Dixon Young!

Over the last few months, Lydia and I have visited with several Caterpillar families. It’s really special when we meet up with friends who actually knew Dave when he was at his best. I appreciate how these dear ‘CAT guys’ still reach out to connect with us. Thank You, Jesus!

This year, I have greatly enjoyed watching Lydia grow in confidence and faith. She got her driver’s permit last fall, and it’s been fun watching her learn the rules of the road and put them into practice. I can’t believe she will start Freshman year in a couple of weeks! I’m extremely grateful for how God has gotten us to this point!

Finally, I’ve seen how God continues to use my story to help others. I have had the opportunity to share my book and, in some cases, to get together for coffee to encourage people: widows, moms, etc. After all, the highlights above don’t overlook the real struggles and sacrifices of the last year, but God’s goodness and grace triumph over them.

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Heavenly Father, thanks for Your faithfulness in my life. It is a privilege to walk with You every day and move Your heart. May I never take it for granted! Help me continue to be a blessing to others so they may know You, too. In Jesus’ Name, Amen

Questions: As you reflect on the past year of your life, where do you see God’s faithfulness? Have you thanked Him for all He has done for you, or are you focused only on the lack?

Task: If you’ve read this far, the yellow roses in the picture were sent to me at work yesterday!! It was a timely reminder that God sees me – and it felt like a capstone to finish off an amazing year. My kind, generous friend was simply obeying what God told him to do, and we had a good chat about all that He is doing in our lives. We don’t always know the outcome of our obedience, but as Dr. Charles Stanley always said, “Obey God and leave all the consequences to Him.”

Posted on in Apologetics, Books and Movies I Like, Fear, Faith, and Moving Forward book, Finding Grace Weekly Recap, Gratitude, Journey of Grace, Kindness, Life is Short, MARPE/Orthodontics, Miscellaneous

Finding Grace #544

You may have seen the acronym GRACE as God’s Riches At Christ’s Expense. Grace is also God’s unmerited favor, or God doing for us what we cannot.

I find grace overflowing with God’s love, joy, peace, blessings, mercy, power, provision, protection, and wisdom. Thank You, Jesus!

Where did I find God’s love and favor—His abundant grace—this week?!

This was a great week, and I felt God’s grace all around me.

On Sunday, after church, we stayed to serve at OASIS. I’m glad we did, because some of the ‘regulars’ who serve were not able to attend. Later, we enjoyed family Zoom.

Monday was quite a full day! Work was busy, and then I left early for an orthodontic appointment. I am on track with my treatment plan, though I still have a long way to go to get my teeth in correct alignment. Hopefully, at my September appointment, I will find out more about when I will get the MARPE device removed!

Monday evening was fun because I went to my small group/book club at church. We shared our thoughts on Nabeel Qureshi’s Seeking Allah, Finding Jesus and other facets of salvation and our walk with the Lord. It tells the story of his conversion from Islam to Christianity before his death in 2017. I learned so much about the differences between various Muslim sects and how they think vastly differently than we do in the West. One important thing to remember is that the Bible stands on its own when compared to any other book or religion. We need to know what’s in it and how to live it out, but God is the one who changes hearts. It is on us to develop friendships with people and share His Truth mixed with grace and love.

Work was once again very busy, but good. I had a full schedule with patients and meetings, but also had almost no cancellations or no-shows. This is really good for my patients, though, and I enjoyed seeing them. Many of them were quite friendly and had fairly easy issues to work through. So, while I had a lot of charting, at least it all went fairly smoothly! We also celebrated one coworker’s birthday, and I had a good conversation with another about my story. They ended up buying my book, so that was really cool!

The weather was amazing this week! The mornings were much cooler (in the 50-60s on some days!), and it was great walking into work. The afternoons were warm but not hot, which is just about perfect. That said, it is an early indication of the changing of seasons! Fall will be here soon!

Today, I met a newly widowed single-mom friend for coffee. It was nice to finally get together in-person. I listened to her tell her story and encouraged her in her faith. We talked for nearly three hours, and we both were grateful for the time together!

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These are only a few examples, but God’s grace never runs out!

There’s grace in every situation—we just need to look for it. God promises if we seek Him, we will find Him (see Jeremiah 29:13)!

Posted on in Finding Grace Weekly Recap, Gratitude, Kindness, Miscellaneous, Parenting

Finding Grace #542

You may have seen the acronym GRACE as God’s Riches At Christ’s Expense. Grace is also God’s unmerited favor, or God doing for us what we cannot.

I find grace overflowing with God’s love, joy, peace, blessings, mercy, power, provision, protection, and wisdom. Thank You, Jesus!

Where did I find God’s love and favor—His abundant grace—this week?!

This was an interesting week! 

On Monday, I left work a few minutes early to deal with a washing machine issue at home. The repairman came on Wednesday, and as it turned out, a little facecloth had clogged and cracked a pump. So, that was a fairly easy fix and not too expensive. He said my toploader should last for a long time since it is well made and easy/cheap to fix. He implied I should keep it as long as I can since it “actually gets the clothes clean, unlike some of the newer models.”

On Wednesday, I worked a half day and then took off the rest to be available for the repairman. I used a “time off award” I earned last year. The repairs didn’t take very long, so I was going to do a couple of projects, but then I ended up taking a nap for almost two hours. I was still so exhausted from wringing out all those towels on Monday! It was glorious!

Today, I was on-call and had to go in for one patient. While I was gone, Lydia had a driving lesson. She is doing really well. We did a few Saturday things, and then we babysat a friend from work’s kids for a couple of hours. They invited us to stay for dinner, which included Asian-style salmon, veggies, and rice. It was delicious and very generous of them!

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These are only a few examples, but God’s grace never runs out!

There’s grace in every situation—we just need to look for it. God promises if we seek Him, we will find Him (see Jeremiah 29:13)!

Posted on in Finding Grace Weekly Recap, Gratitude, Kindness, Life is Short, Miscellaneous

Finding Grace #541

You may have seen the acronym GRACE as God’s Riches At Christ’s Expense. Grace is also God’s unmerited favor, or God doing for us what we cannot.

I find grace overflowing with God’s love, joy, peace, blessings, mercy, power, provision, protection, and wisdom. Thank You, Jesus!

Where did I find God’s love and favor—His abundant grace—this week?!

This was a week of a fun mix of planned activities and a few surprises! 

On Sunday, dear Caterpillar friends visited from Illinois. We met Mike and Becca when they moved to Fargo when Lydia was around six months, about the time Dave got sick. They were a huge blessing to us, and you can read about them in my book. Now, they have four kids and live near Peoria, so it was really sweet to have them over to our house.

On Monday, Lydia went to church camp in Devils Lake. She took a friend, and they had a blast at Senior Camp. I picked them up on Friday, and Lydia spent the rest of the day resting. I am glad they had so much fun!

On Tuesday, I stayed an extra hour at work to give a presentation to a different Veterans organization in Minot. I recognized a couple of people from the VA services we provide, and they told everyone how great a speaker I am. That felt good, and I was glad to teach them about an anti-inflammatory diet to deal with chronic pain!

The weather was hot and even a little smoky due to the Canadian wildfires. On Wednesday, we had an employee picnic at work, and God blessed us with a little cooler weather and no smoke in the air! By the end of the day, the smoke was rolling in, so I was really grateful we got to enjoy the time outside. I also saw several monarch butterflies in the healing garden, so that was extra special.

Today was fairly relaxing. I went to the bank and Costco, cooked a bit, did the usual Saturday things, and took Lydia for a driving lesson to practice parallel parking. Later, we met some friends at the splash pad in our neighborhood, and then they came over for an hour or so to visit. The little kids had fun, and I hope they come back again soon!

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These are only a few examples, but God’s grace never runs out!

There’s grace in every situation—we just need to look for it. God promises if we seek Him, we will find Him (see Jeremiah 29:13)!

Posted on in Finding Grace Weekly Recap, Gratitude, Journey of Grace, Miscellaneous, Personality

Finding Grace #539

You may have seen the acronym GRACE as God’s Riches At Christ’s Expense. Grace is also God’s unmerited favor, or God doing for us what we cannot.

I find grace overflowing with God’s love, joy, peace, blessings, mercy, power, provision, protection, and wisdom. Thank You, Jesus!

Where did I find God’s love and favor—His abundant grace—this week?!

This week was just what I needed. It was both peaceful and productive!

Work went well on Monday and Tuesday. Not much new to report there. I took off Wednesday and Thursday, just because. Originally, I thought Lydia and I might take a trip, but then we ended up staying home instead. It was awesome sleeping in and not waking up to my alarm!

It was wonderful to have a low-key time at home with no major plans! I really should do that more often. We decided to reorganize the house a bit, since it has been a while and things were feeling cluttered. We donated, put away, and repurposed various items. We worked in every room in the house, though we still have a few more spots to go through, such as the pantry. It feels so good to have more clarity and space!

On Thursday, I had two routine health appointments. Then, on Friday, I got a massage. It was wonderful, and I did not realize how tight some small muscles in my back were. 

This week, we also had fun watching movies and cooking. We watched ELLE on Amazon Prime and really enjoyed it! I made a slow cooker pot roast with a delicious gravy. I’ll definitely have to do that again! I might even make a fruit pizza for tonight.

We are planning to hang out with friends to celebrate Independence Day. I don’t know if the weather will cooperate, but we will have fun anyway! Happy 250th, America!

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These are only a few examples, but God’s grace never runs out!

There’s grace in every situation—we just need to look for it. God promises if we seek Him, we will find Him (see Jeremiah 29:13)!

Posted on in Finding Grace Weekly Recap, Gratitude, Journey of Grace, Life is Short, Miscellaneous, Personality

Finding Grace #538

You may have seen the acronym GRACE as God’s Riches At Christ’s Expense. Grace is also God’s unmerited favor, or God doing for us what we cannot.

I find grace overflowing with God’s love, joy, peace, blessings, mercy, power, provision, protection, and wisdom. Thank You, Jesus!

Where did I find God’s love and favor—His abundant grace—this week?!

This was a fairly calm week.

On Sunday after church, Lydia and I drove an hour to Detroit Lakes to spend the afternoon. We walked through a flea market, stopped by a car dealership to dream a little, and then went to a bookstore and food co-op downtown. We were thinking of Dave on Father’s Day and thought going on a little adventure would honor him best!

It was pretty routine as far as work. Lots of patients, some cancellations, and no-shows. I always think it will be a challenge to get everything done, but somehow Jesus always helps me finish all my charting! Thanks, Lord!

On Friday afternoon, I took Lydia to the mall to hang out with friends. I went back to work for a bit, then picked Lydia up. She and one friend wanted to walk around a little longer, and so we did a little shopping. It was fun to hang out with them and listen to them interact. Later, I dropped the friend off at her house, and Lydia and I watched a movie.

I loved the weather this week! The temperatures were mild, not too hot nor too cold. It rained on and off, but it was the perfect mix of sun and clouds. This is a really beautiful season!

Today, I worked on little projects around the house. It was nice not to rush. I do my best work when I can take my sweet time, so I relish the opportunity. Lydia helped me in the kitchen, and we enjoyed the time together!

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These are only a few examples, but God’s grace never runs out!

There’s grace in every situation—we just need to look for it. God promises if we seek Him, we will find Him (see Jeremiah 29:13)!

Posted on in Books and Movies I Like, Food and Nutrition, Gratitude, Life is Short, Miscellaneous, Worship

Summer Lovin’

The best thing about Summer is that everything feels so relaxed. At least in my world. Sure, there are plenty of things going on, but it all feels easier. We don’t have to clear snow or drive cautiously due to ice. We don’t have to wear heavy layers, and if I want to let my hair air dry, I can. It stays light until around 10 p.m. at the height of the season, so I feel like I have so much more time. In fact, because of this, I try harder to stick to a bedtime, but either way, it all seems to run more smoothly in the morning.

With nothing urgent or pressing to share today, I thought it would be fun to make a list of some things I am loving right now. Here goes, in no particular order!

Reading! For my book club, I read Murder, Motherhood, and Miraculous Grace by Debra Moerke. It came out in 2019, but covers a few decades of her life as a foster parent. It was sad but also quite compelling. I was amazed at all God brought her through! Highly recommend!

Skinny Dipped dark peanut butter cups. FYI, I have several foods on the list. I’m a dietitian, so why not? I got these from Costco. Dark chocolate, less sugar. So tasty! I still enjoy Reese’s, but these are a little healthier. 😉

Games with Lydia. We’ve played classics like Clue, Uno, Leaps and Ledges, and a few others. It is great because we laugh and don’t feel the need to rush.

Lemon almond “parmesan.” Not real cheese, but really good. I have been sprinkling it on everything, and it only takes a few minutes to make! Seriously, check it out!

Campbell’s UNSALTED soups. This is long overdue in my opinion. I am thrilled to recommend these soups. There are three that I know of so far. The tomato soup is delicious on its own or in a casserole. I have the others in my pantry to try soon!

AI meal plans to make my job easier. Ironically, I have yet to give any of these meal plans out, but I am practicing in anticipation of using the concepts very soon. Dietitians teach people how to follow healthy guidelines, but people still want to know “exactly” what to eat. This drives me nuts because I see it as a waste of time. Most people have some sort of routine, healthy or not, so they end up not liking it when I tell them what to eat or do.

The Healing Garden at work. This has a variety of colors and flowers from Spring to Fall. I love the peaceful walk through it as I go back and forth to work and home. I sometimes take pictures of the pretty blooms and always look forward to seeing what is new.

Driving with Lydia. We have been all over lately to get her experience and stack her hours. She is actually a good, calm driver (another way she’s like Dave, thank God!), and we have enjoyed exploring new parts of town! It has been fun to see her rise to the occasion!

The animals in my yard. The cotton-tailed rabbits are so funny, and we laugh each time we see them chasing each other. We also see them lounging in the yard, like they have no cares in the world. The only thing that makes us laugh just as much is the family of quail or partridges that runs around the neighborhood. Oh, I also enjoy all the songbirds, but I haven’t seen as many of them since I am gone during the day!

Excellent sermons at church. God has been doing a good work in us! You can check out the sermons for yourself here! The Hebrews series was especially good!

Thanks for reading and following along each week! I really appreciate your ongoing support and encouragement. Today, I pray you’ll see God’s goodness all around you!

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Father God, thanks for all You do for me. Thanks for the evidence of Your love in my life. You surround me with abundant grace! Open my eyes so I can see more of You! In Jesus’ Name, Amen

Questions: What are your top ten favorite things about summer right now?

Task: Make a list of all the things you are thankful for this week! Be sure to praise God!

Posted on in Fear, Faith, and Moving Forward book, Finding Grace Weekly Recap, Gratitude, Journey of Grace, Miscellaneous, Parenting

Finding Grace #536

You may have seen the acronym GRACE as God’s Riches At Christ’s Expense. Grace is also God’s unmerited favor, or God doing for us what we cannot.

I find grace overflowing with God’s love, joy, peace, blessings, mercy, power, provision, protection, and wisdom. Thank You, Jesus!

Where did I find God’s love and favor—His abundant grace—this week?!

This was a red-letter week for me, and I saw Jesus work in very personal ways. That said, all week I stayed up late and was groggy in the morning since I had extra activities. Plus, it is easy to lose track of time when it stays light until 10 p.m. in Summer! 😉

On Sunday, Lydia had her first official driving lesson with a professional. She has about 28 hours of driving with me, but I wanted someone else to fill in the gaps of things I might not think to teach her. She passed the first lesson with flying colors!

While she was driving, I had a meeting at church with one of our lead pastors. She’s in charge of the leadership program I finished, and we talked about next steps. I got to tell her about my previous experiences in teaching others, and there’s a possibility I could do more of the same. For now, we are going to have me step into a current system to see whether we can either provide support there or develop it further. I am grateful to serve and feel like God has me right where He wants me.

On Monday after work, I went to the chiropractor and then to a new book club at church. I am excited to share more later, perhaps, but I am excited for several reasons. It is a small group, and everyone there loves to read. We may have others join (men or women), but for now, there are just four of us. We plan to read one book a month, including a couple of suggestions I brought off my shelf at home. It ticked a lot of boxes for me on a personal level and I was praising God after. I am glad to make new friends, read several genres and discuss them, and actually tackle my stack of books!

Tuesday was my blog writing night, and Wednesday was church for Lydia. Pretty normal for us. But being busy every night made me not get around to mowing until Friday night. It was super windy and I got a lot of small dust and grass particles in my face, but I am glad I got it done.

On Thursday, a coworker convinced me to go with her to a dietitian social event at a local winery. It was a beautiful day, and I was feeling pumped with all that had already happened this week. I am so glad I went. It has been about thirteen years (since Dave died) that I have been involved with that group. I met five or six ladies, and we talked all about dietitian things and life in general. They were very welcoming, and I am sure I will go to more events!

Today, we went to Panera for lunch. Lydia was craving a Caesar salad, and we haven’t been in forever! Otherwise, I started my book for book club, started another class for church (on my own), and did other Saturday things. It was a perfect end to a great week!

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These are only a few examples, but God’s grace never runs out!

There’s grace in every situation—we just need to look for it. God promises if we seek Him, we will find Him (see Jeremiah 29:13)!

Posted on in Being Gracious, Fear, Faith, and Moving Forward book, Gratitude, Journey of Grace, Kindness, Life is Short, Miscellaneous, Parenting, Personality, Prayer, Wisdom

Priceless

I was reading in Acts 19 recently, which talks about the Apostle Paul in Ephesus. He spent a lot of time there and grew to know those believers well. Through an interesting series of events, the believers began to radically change how they lived. They threw away resources related to idol worship and sorcery, a value of “50,000 drachmas,” when one drachma was worth a day laborer’s wage.

At one point, the local silversmiths and tradesmen resented Paul’s influence on their businesses. So, they gathered a bunch of ruffians and sparked a riot. The local amphitheater, seating around 25,000 people, was full of arguing and confusion. Eventually, after two hours, they were dismissed by the city clerk. If they didn’t disperse, the Roman officials would come to enforce their rule.

The crowd never did lay their hands on Paul, but they did rough up some of his companions. After that, in Acts 20, Paul left Ephesus (modern Turkiye) for other towns to encourage more believers. What stuck with me, though, was the 50,000 drachmas…

I had Lydia help me try to wrap our minds around this. It could be 10 days’ worth of money for 5,000 people, or any other combination. The amount is worth around $6 million dollars in today’s value!

I imagine it would take several of my neighbors and me selling our modest homes together to raise that much cash. The Ephesian believers, at least at that point in time, had their priorities straight. You can read more about them in Ephesians and Revelation 2.

Jesus is greater and more worthy. Following Him is costly, but the rewards are priceless. He is our Lord and King, but He takes good care of us, too. Similarly, we buy good things for our children and sometimes bless them as God has blessed us.

On Saturday, I bought Lydia a brand-new viola. I rented for the last three years and had a store credit to put towards buying one for her. She had some concerns with her rental viola, showing she knows the difference between what is working and what is broken.

I knew it was a matter of time before I had to make a decision, since many high schoolers transition to their own instruments. With it being summer, our schedule is a little more open, and it’s a good time to get comfortable with a new instrument before school starts up again.

We spent two hours at the store, and Lydia tried out five violas! We took notes on each one, and she played each one a couple of times. The last one literally came alive when she played, and she was all smiles. Of course, it happened to be the most expensive!

Still, I learned so much and considered the cost as an investment in her. She has a good ear for music, and she understands things more intuitively than some of her peers. It seems that some students cannot discern the subtleties among notes, problems, instrument quality, and the like, but Lydia can.

Oddly, choosing the right viola felt like a personal test for me. I have faced times where spending a little more money was the wise thing to do, but I went back and forth over whether it was worth it (and if I was worth it). Can you relate?

For example, thirteen years ago, when I was buying my new Subaru, I was unsure whether paying extra for a better backup camera was worth it. In my grief, I wondered if I could get by on the lesser one. But, through prayer, reflection, and some wise advice, I made the better choice. Now, I use my car’s backup camera daily!

When I realized what God wanted me to do on Saturday, I welled up with gratitude. I have learned a lot about how much God values me. I wanted to emphasize that to Lydia, too. She is a priceless treasure and worth way more than the cost of the new viola!

The amount was close to what I expected and planned for, just a little stretch. And I know there will be days when Lydia does not want to practice. I told her that if she decides to quit later in high school, then I get to keep the viola for myself. I don’t have much musical talent, so the thought of me screeching on it is enough for Lydia to take me seriously!

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God, thanks for showing us how precious we are to You. You are worthy of all our praise and adoration. Help us reflect all Your goodness and give You all the glory. In Jesus’ Name, Amen

Questions: How has God been stretching you lately? What stood out to you in the post above?

Task: Next time you are faced with a costly decision, think through what is really at stake and how you can trust God to make the best choice. Also, watch this insightful archaeology documentary on the seven churches of Revelation, including Ephesus (17 minutes in)!

Posted on in Finding Grace Weekly Recap, Gratitude, Life is Short, Miscellaneous, Parenting

Finding Grace #535

You may have seen the acronym GRACE as God’s Riches At Christ’s Expense. Grace is also God’s unmerited favor, or God doing for us what we cannot.

I find grace overflowing with God’s love, joy, peace, blessings, mercy, power, provision, protection, and wisdom. Thank You, Jesus!

Where did I find God’s love and favor—His abundant grace—this week?!

This week turned out better than expected! It was rather low-key after all.

This week, I covered inpatient for a few days at work. Thankfully, it was less busy than usual. I don’t know if it was because of staff vacations or just God’s grace. But He helped two coworkers and me hold down the fort.

We are enjoying the slower Summer pace. It is easier to run errands since the weather is so nice. Also, Lydia slept in and did some chores, and I took walks at work on my breaks!

Today, we did our Saturday things and then went to a music store. I ended up buying Lydia a new viola! She was ready for the upgrade, and the rental was limiting her growth. Lydia is so grateful. It is fun to see her excitement and hear her play! I am looking forward to seeing what she can do now!

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These are only a few examples, but God’s grace never runs out!

There’s grace in every situation—we just need to look for it. God promises if we seek Him, we will find Him (see Jeremiah 29:13)!