I am smiling because there is absolutely nothing new to tell you!  The saying “no news is good news” is true today.  We are enjoying the blessing of routine, everything being the same, no drama, no changes.  Looking back over the journey we are on with Ryan, I have learned to cherish these days of normalcy because I am so aware of how quickly it can be taken away.  And I know difficult days will be coming once again some day as they do for everyone.  But for now, I will cherish the beauty of simplicity. 

The kids are all doing well.  The older three are as busy as ever with football and volleyball in full swing which is fun.  And they have all done a great job of keeping their grades up.  I’m bragging but I have to say it anyway – the lowest grade among the three of them is an 88%.  I’m simply proud of them for working hard and doing a good job of prioritizing and getting their studying and homework done without Travis and I needing to nag and get on them to keep their studies a priority. We have been richly blessed as parents and don’t take a single day with any of them for granted.  They are all growing like weeds and Brad has absolutely nothing to wear once the colder weather comes.  I’m hoping to find some clothes for him at the outlets next week while I am on my girls trip to Branson.  This is the adorable cottage four friends and I will be staying at. 

We leave on Monday and are all very excited to relax and enjoy five days right on Table Rock lake.  We have plans to see some shows, do lots of relaxing and some shopping too.  There is so much to do in the area; I’m sure we won’t run out of things to keep us busy when we aren’t in the hot tub or down by the lake.  And I have to give a huge shout out to Travis for keeping everything going while I leave for the week with friends.  He is a blessing I will never take for granted.

I’ve been reading Sheila Walsh’s book When a Woman Trusts God again and love what she says in the chapter titled Trusting God With Your Dreams –

What has happened to your dreams? Does it seem as if they have been buried beneath a busy life, or do you question yourself as to whether they ever had any validity at all?  Do you doubt they will ever come true?  Do you trust God for their timing?  I think back to the words of my wise mentor Dr. Kirby: Jesus is more interested in what he is doing in you than through you. In our humanity we have timetables in our hearts and, when our life veers away from those, we assume that we are off course or we have missed whatever it was God had for us at one point.  I no longer believe that to be true.  All we are asked is to trust God and keep following him no matter how dark our path gets.

She goes on to discuss the life of Joseph starting in Genesis 30 which is a great reminder that God has a bigger plan than any of us could possibly understand.  And as He so beautifully shows us through Joseph’s life and the restoration he gave Joseph and his brothers, he wants to do the same for us.  I know how quickly and easily I get frustrated that our dreams for Ellisbrook seem to be so stalled, yet I don’t want to miss what God has for me in this moment.  It’s a daily reminder I must give myself to remember that God does indeed delight in me every single day and while we might not get to live out our dream of caring for disabled adults right now, there is much to be experienced, learned and appreciated in the fullness of God’s goodness today just where I am at this moment.  I don’t ever want to miss the blessing of today.