Long time no blog

I really can't believe it is March already. The new year seems to be flying by. I would like time to slow down, but I am very anxious for Spring and Summer to get here.

Recently I haven't felt much like blogging. I seem to stop blogging when life gets stressful and trials arise. I need to work on this. My blogs are my journals and family history for my children. I want and need them to know that we have faced many trials in our marriage and each and every time the Lord pulls us through them.

I am grateful for my trials. They help me put my priorities into perspective, they remind me of how blessed I truly am, they help me to grow, and they teach me invaluable life lessons.

Trials are pretty crappy when you are going through them. But for me when I make it through something that seems impossible, I have this amazing sence of gratitude and accomplishment.

These past few weeks as we have had some pretty big challenges and I have really struggled with my emotions. In the past 8 months since my brother Jake's passing I have done everything possible to be a rock for my parents. These last few weeks it's like my walls have just come crashing down around me and I am finally 100% grieving personally for the loss of my brother. It has been painful, devestating, and healing all at the same time. I wish it didn't always take trials in my life for me to let my guard down and turn things over to the Lord, but often times it takes big, huge, difficult situations for me to humble myself and ask for help for myself.

This week I am going to put my trials in the Lords hands. Rather then take on life's challenges on my own, like I normally try to do, I am going to put all of my Faith in the Lords and turn these trials over to him.