Hello, my beloved friends!! How are you? I am so bewildered that it’s ALMOST FALL!! How in the world has this year zipped by? I hope you’re doing well. I have missed you so much! There has been so much happening in my life and I know that’s probably so true of you as well! Leave a comment and let me know what you’ve been up to this Summer and a lesson you learned this season!

First of all, we had a very fruitful summer. We didn’t travel as much as last year, and in some regards, this was a huge blessing! I am naturally a homebody and love being home! But I do enjoy the outdoors and we got plenty of that this Summer! We did go hike in Tahoe! Visited my husband’s family in SoCal. When to a Surf Camp for Father's day and had our annual trip to Forest Home with some friends from church and it was a blast to enjoy time away. This year we have a few things we are being super focused on; That our girls are being covered by prayer and feel supported in their NEW season of being in 4th grade and Middle school. Lots of changes in this house are happening right before my eyes in my Not-So-Little GIRLS!

We camped at Manresa Beach for Father’s day to celebrate my King under my King! We love love love this campsite. It’s practical for families because you don’t have to think about cars driving around it. The downside is that you have to haul your entire camp from car to camp for set up and tear down. For us is worth it for the sake of being chill the whole time we are there! My husband, Doug, loves to surf so this is a great spot that has walking (less than 5 minutes) to the beach from the campsite! It’s so fun. We made sure to watch the sunset every evening. It’s these moments of REST and stillness that fill my cup up to come home and go back to the ordinary moments of life!

I had the pleasure of taking my 12-year-old daughter, Madelyn with me on a weekend away to do the curriculum from Passport To Purity. It’s a worthwhile endeavor if you have girls starting middle and High School. It talks about the importance of relationships and how they affect our lives, good or bad. It encourages you and your child to choose ahead of time, how they will deal with the peer pressures at this stage of life like; alcohol, drugs, sex, and pornography. Giving them an exit strategy they can implement when they inevitably get faced with the peer pressure of trying out these NEW and dangerous situations. It talks about the importance of allowing the parents/caretakers to be a part of choosing when it’s the right time to date. And how sex is a huge blessing from the Lord for the right time and keeping that for the covenant of marriage is not only a privilege to our spouse and honor to one’s self and body. I loved being able to press into this “uncomfortable weekend” for Madelyn’s sake so she would know all these things from me (and her dad) and hopefully build trust with her to be an open door for any future conversations on these matters.

I did feel so embarrassed at a few points in the weekend but that made it more raw and real for my daughter. She said to me that it was nice seeing that I wasn’t perfect and that my mistakes would be a platform for her to learn from. What a tremendous blessing!

I loved taking my daughter away because even if she doesn’t remember the curriculum, she’ll hopefully remember I cared about HER so much that I took time out of my schedule to be present for her emotional well-being. That’s a big deal to a kid. And it’s a miracle that I have the desire for that because that’s not what I experienced growing up. Thanks to Jesus for always knowing how to answer my, “God in Heaven, I don’t know how to reach this child, please help me to know what she needs from me and help me to raise them with love that will cultivate a love for you and others.” prayers! I know some of you have had great relationships with your parents and can bring what you learned to your parenting. There are some of us who feel frustrated at not wanting to repeat some of the things we experienced growing up. And for me, it was just a need to be seen and felt like someone actually showed that they cared about what I was going through internally.

God has given me so much grace for my parents because I understand their story now and I can see why they behaved the way they behaved. There was a lot that got missed for me emotionally growing up and my hope with my daughters is that I wouldn’t be so busy or that I miss out on supplying their emotional needs. But even when some of my needs as a growing young woman didn’t get met, God has restored me now through his word! And I have compassion for my parents and their story! I can understand now that it wasn’t that I was unlovable or unseen. They just didn’t know how to connect with me on a deeper intimate and emotional level, thanks be to Jesus for KNOWING how to relate to us JUST in that way. Jesus’ love for me has healed me and now I appreciate and SEE all that my parents did give me! And think about it. They didn’t have “google”!

Nevertheless, as I heal from some of the things I lacked as a child; God has restored and healed my heart and because he is miraculous, he is allowing me to share what I learn with my kids.

We visited family in Socal and loved every minute of connecting and getting to see everyone in person. It never amazes me how different it is to be in the proximity of loved ones. Zoom calls, phone calls, FaceTime, and e-mail are all great inventions and have been key and crucial, especially through this world pandemic. However, being close and actually, in someone’s presence, can not be fabricated by any technology. I urge you to get out and see people! I urge you to be back in the community with others. It’s not healthy for our minds and soul to be isolated at home and afraid of others. I promise you that the God who made this earth is with you and he decides your last day on earth, not a virus. We can’t add numbers to our lives by hiding. I believe we are in a time of so much fear and anxiety. Fear only closes your life off. If you bow down to it, it will crush you. But FAITH will expand your life in more ways than you can imagine! If you’re feeling worried you can memorize the scripture below and say it to yourself out loud when you’re struggling with fear! Watch the word of God be the medicine you need right now!

“For me to live is Christ and to die is gain.” Philippians 1:21

“God did not give me a spirit of fear but one of love, power, and a sound mind.” 2 Timothy 1:7

“For the mountains make shake and the hills be removed, YET his unfailing love for me will never be shaken, nor his COVENANT OF PEACE be removed, says the Lord who has compassion on you.” Isaiah 54:10

Thank you so much for reading this! I am so looking forward to what the rest of 2022 has to offer to us! Press into what God is showing you, he will never lead you in a way that isn’t his best for you!