On Sunday February 19th, 2013, my precious husband collapsed leading worship at our church, Awaken City. He said he felt something like a shockwave go down his spine. I was helping in the babies area that day, but someone came and got me pretty quickly. By a miracle of God’s grace a nurse with a cardiothoracic background and her husband who is a PA were on the front row, rushed to help him, and quickly called 911. He had symptoms of a stroke from what they could see, but something just seemed off to them. They hoped it wasn’t a dissection (more on what that is exactly later) but they suspected it might be the worst case scenario.

Have you ever seen something so beautiful that it took your breath away? I wish I could transport you all to the moment I took the photo above. The sky was on fire with the brilliant last rays of the sun, acting like a highlighter to the vibrance of the Aspen leave all around me. It’s one of the few moments I remember being truly awestruck. But I wouldn’t be able to see all of that immense beauty if not for something so small and seemingly insignificant: a seed.

For the past year or so I’ve been trying to get rid of stress in my life. I realized a while back that I am often choosing my stress. Now, with five kids (including twins) life can get stressful pretty quickly with just the normal day-to-day things! Even so, I’ve been trying to get at the root of my stress. It’s not good for my body, my family, or my walk with the Lord. After many months of examining, I believe the root of most of my stress comes when my priorities aren’t right.

The seasons are changing here in Utah. Winter has slowly released it’s grip, and Spring has turned up everywhere you look. Our little neighborhood streets are lined with blooming trees, the dandelions dot the green grass with yellow balls of brightness, and the sunlight pours through our windows until almost 8 PM. It always baffles me how quickly the seasons change, and how excited I am to experience the next one. Our family is entering a new season too, and I’m excited to see it start to open us up to something new.

As many of you know, my sweet mama met Jesus almost two weeks ago on January 27th, 2020. As we all sang “Build My Life” around her bedside, (My dad, all six kids, their spouses, all the grandchildren, and even her parents via FaceTime), she left our presence and entered the fullness of the presence of God. With our hands raised and tears in our eyes, we watched her finish her course with joy as we sang. As her last breath left her, she smiled. It’s moment I will never forget. We can only imagine the incredible reward she has now, forever home in glory with the God she loved and served so faithfully.