Grace and Grit

It has been just over 3 years since my last post here. During this perceived hiatus I had begun writing 4 separate reflections that I just could not seem to finish. They were titled: Forgiveness, Plans Preparation & Purpose, The One About Compassion, and First Steps. I attributed the delay to busyness, lack of motivation, and writer's block, but I don't think those things were actually the cause. I have been going through an emotional and spiritual valley recently. What I mean by valley is that God had orchestrated certain circumstances, relationships, and experiences in my life to come together in a way that brought me to a low or difficult place. I have experienced valleys in my life before and they were always times when God felt far away and I was questioning His goodness and purpose for me as well as resisting the growth He was trying to bring about in my relationship with Him. However painful or difficult these valleys of the past were, I learned from experience ...

If you were a fly on the wall tonight you would have heard some interesting conversation around our dinner table. One of our (or should I say MY) favorite games to play after dinner is trying to come up with the grossest...yet still edible...food combinations we can think of. The winner receives the satisfaction of seeing the hilarious expressions on all of the losers faces as they imagine what the winner's combination would actually taste like. ;-) *No actual octopi were harmed in the making of this cake Tonight the winning combinations were tied between Chunky Lobster Fruit Smoothies and Octopus Topped Cake with Ink Frosting. I guess we were on a seafood kick. You're welcome. Chunky Lobster Fruit Smoothie anyone? :-) Also, sometimes kids misunderstand things in very unique ways. I submit for your enjoyment the following conversation: Me - "Would you like some boysenberry jam on your toast?" *child looks at me appalled* 5 yr Old Girl - "No thank y...