Deer Hunting

"Somewhere in between the beauty and the tears, this is where we live our lives..." (Steve Green & Doug McElvey) My dad's diagnosis of ALS has brought a lot of sorrow to our lives, but God continues to remind us of His love and faithfulness with beautiful, undeserved gifts. Our kids have grown up hunting, but having lived in Montana for the past 14 years, they've never gone hunting with my dad (who has always been an avid hunter!). This year, all three of our children who hunt got to go hunting with my dad and Dan, and my Dad got to help each one of them get a deer!! It felt like such an incredible gift from God to have all three of them get to have these precious memories with my dad. How often, even in the midst of trials, hard things, and tears, God gives us more than we could ask or hope for. Two days, three shots, three deer, and more blessings than we can count.

Autumn in PA

It's hard to describe just how it is to be back in PA during the fall season after being gone for 14 years. We lived in a part of Montana with very few trees, so being back here and being able to experience the beauty of fall feels like such a gift. The subtle scent of the fallen leaves, the ripening cornfields, my kids playing in piles of leaves they've raked up. Crunchy leaves that have fallen and dried on the porch, beautiful colors right outside our school room window, the mountains all around us turning red, golden and orange. Memories of my childhood have flooded my mind these past few weeks, stirred by the loveliness of autumn that I've not experienced here for so long.... my dad picking corn with a single row cornpicker and my sibilings and I riding along in the gravity wagon, jumping into piles of raked up leaves, baking snickerdoodles with my mom. The smell of woodsmoke when my dad started up the furnace for the winter, going deer-spotting on chilly fall evenings. It's good to be home again.

A New Season

This picture sums up how I feel... my heart is full. A year ago today, I wished my dad a happy birthday from 1800 miles away, never dreaming that this year I'd get to celebrate his birthday WITH him. What a gift it is to have this time with my dad, and with all my family. God has led us on an interesting journey this year... from our beloved home in Montana back to our roots in Pennsylvania. It's been challenging, filled with both sorrow and joy, amazing.... God has been so good to us, caring for us and providing for us in ways that we couldn't imagine. We're grateful.

Joshua's birthday is the day before my dad's birthday, and it was so fun to be able to celebrate them together this year.