Breast cancer SURVIVOR!

This is the picture I've had on my desktop since February 14th, 2011, my daily prayer reminder.  It's the picture of beauty and strength in the face of something ugly; something totally and completely out of our control.  It is the picture of someone fighting a disease with everything in them, while trusting God to control the outcome.   

For the last eight months Tami's been in the fight of her life and today she is no longer a breast cancer patient, she is a breast cancer survivor.  Chemo, a mastectomy and radiation may have changed the outside, but God has done an even more amazing work on the inside.  He has transformed her from someone who knew about Him, to someone who is passionate for Him.  From someone who loved her life, to someone who loves who she is becoming in Him.  Watching the transformation has been an incredible encouragement to my faith.  Seeing her honestly share her journey, emotionally, physically and spiritually, has bolstered my resolve to live transparently. 

It was ugly.  It was terrifying.  It was painful.  It shook Tami to her core, but at the core she clung to what she knew to be true.  The beauty that has risen from the ashes of her ordeal is an amazing testimony that God uses ALL THINGS for our good and for His glory.  Yes, even the ugliness of breast cancer.

What the enemy intended to destroy Tami and her family has instead served to make them more like their Creator.  It has not destroyed, but strengthened.  It has not torn them away, but brought them closer to the heart of God. 

Thank you Tami for your strength and more importantly your willingness to lean on the One who strengthens you.  Seeing you face these last eight months with your usual feisty spirit has made you more beautiful than ever.  I love you!

Better Homes and Gardens we are NOT

My house was clean...yesterday. 

Today however is a different story.  School books cover just about every flat surface.  My cute fall centerpiece pushed aside on the dining room table is now replaced by the remnants of a science project.  Legos...isn't it always the Legos?...litter the floor.

In years past this would have bothered me - immensely.  I think my post-depression self is a whole lot more laid back about most things.  Thank God for that!  Use to be I couldn't sit down and relax in a room that needed to be picked up.  I've learned that if you prop your feet up and close your eyes, you don't know if it's messy or not!

Seriously though, this is the life of a homeschool family.  We are home together all day.  That's a lot of people around to make messes.  When we're not home, we're running from this practice to that, leaving piles of stuff in our wake.  This is life.  I can let myself get stressed over the fact that things are not always tidy, or I can realize that all too soon the kids will be grown, my time as teacher done and I'll have all the time I want for a tidy home.  In the meantime, I've learned to adjust my expectations, bringing them more in line with my reality.

So yes, my house was clean yesterday.  Sorry you missed it! 

Driveway Divas

For the past year a group of us have been working out together in a friend's driveway.  Hot and cold, the "Driveway Divas" have endured it all in an effort to stay fit.  I've tried going it alone and have learned something about myself - I need the accountability - read that "I won't work out on my own".  These women keep me going.  They keep me accountable.  I know if I don't show up I'll get at least 3 texts or e-mails about it.  They take away my excuses and challenge me to push through when I want to give up. 

It's the same with our spiritual lives.  We need others to come alongside and help us push through the challenges.  Whether those challenges come in the form of hardship, or just a dry period, we need people in our lives willing to speak the truth and challenge our spiritual laziness.  Proverbs 27:17 reminds us that "As iron sharpens iron, so a friend sharpens a friend.".  I am thankful for my iron sharpening friends; for those I can count on to pray for and encourage me or kick me in the butt if I need it...and I often do.  These women have seen me at my worst physically, emotionally and spiritually and loved me through it. 

To all my iron sharpening friends - THANK YOU!  I am incredibly blessed to have you in my life.