dear c,

I didn't mean to make you sad.  Here, I post what I'm feeling.  A bit of stressed/depressed/aggravated/agitated.  A good bit of happy, good times.  So, I'm sorry.  My intention was never to darken your day or make you second guess what we're doing.  That's the enemy creeping in.  No, my goal was to say, "I love you, M.S. and we may be traveling 800 miles away, but we will not forget you and my hopes are that you will not forget us.  We do not plan on abandoning your friendship, not for a dag-gum second.  And I will refuse to not be friends or not send Christmas cards, etc. just because we're not in this county anymore.  There's facetime sister.  And I expect to see your bright eyes and smiling face there!"

I believe God has a plan for us.  It may seem complicated right now, but thank God, we don't get to see the big picture, because wouldn't we really feel overwhelmed.  So a while ago, I agreed to take life day by day and while the strange smell wafting through our kitchen is eery and has been for two days now and I may scream from time to time at our children almost daily, I'm just getting through today and I'll worry about that weird odor tomorrow and I'll hug and kiss our monkeys every night and sing songs and be silly until I run out of patience and voice.  No worries.  The smell - It's most likely the full bag of garbage that's been waiting to go outside all week.  The kids - I bought a new CD of sing along fun that we've been rockin' and Miss K and I have been bonding amidst french-braiding.  We'll make it through, you'll see.

So these are for you...

- Ann Voskamp

Romans 8:14

Romans 8:28-30

Romans 8:31

Gensis 50:20

- Mary Coleman

Philippians 3:12-14

Philippians 4:4-9

Philippians 4:11-13

Romans 5:3-5

These are some of the most treasured passages in scripture for me and they always give me reassurance.  I may have to read them over and over and recite them to myself all day, but they remind me of the hope that is found only in our Lord who is all-powerful, all-knowing, and he will not fail us.  So my hope is that you can find reassurance in them too.  Don't forget that God has gone before us and prepared the way.  If it is meant for us to be there, we will be.  Put your worries away and put your trust in him.  And remember, "Don't tell God how big your problems are, tell your problems how big your God is."  I love that.

One more thing, I was talking to a friend this afternoon and she was asking how things were coming along with the job/move, etc.  We talked for a while and she said, "I'm so excited for you guys!  We've thought about moving but, I just couldn't.  Now, with you guys doing this, I think we should just do it, just move."  She's like me - grew up here, never left, everything's familiar.  I thought that was kind of cool.  She encouraged me by saying that I encouraged her, but I never knew I was doing anything besides having faith in God to get us through.  See, his light is shining in us and through us.  Keep your head up. 

I LOVE YOU.