Serving with Seven

 One of my favorite passages of scripture is Matthew 25. Very early on in my grief journey, I realized God was truly a provider. But moreover, I saw His power moving through others, especially those int he household of faith.  I quickly realized that the God who created the universe with words, our God, Patrick's God, had the power to use the kindness of strangers as well.  Empathy, compassion, and kindness are gifts from our Creator, and I'm grateful for those who lean into that during the best and worst times.  So here is my list of thanks: To those who unloaded and placed present after present under our tree just two weeks after we lost Pat To the friends who awaited my call every day for six days, and stayed at my home with my babies while I visited him in the hospital To those who made sure I never got a bill from the Memorial Home & Gardens To the guides who helped us start and sustain our grief support group in honor of Patrick To the friend who came ...

One of the things we've done this year is joined a Homeschool Learning Cooperative. While it has been a bit of a stretch and commitment, there have been some amazing moments of seeing my kids learn alongside their peers and good friends.  I'll post about that separately.  After her first class, Avielle came to me and looked slightly off. I asked what was wrong, and as usual, she replied "nothing." But as I began to dig her and ask questions about class and the lessons, that's when I hit the mark.  She started to passionately explain, about how no one cared about Mary, the mother of Jesus.  "What about Mary, Mommy? She had to watch her son die on a cross. That's awful! I feel so bad for Mary." Avielle is our little theologian and would always talk to Patrick about his sermons. She loves God's word and has been a prayer warrior from a young age. Her heart is very tender, and for the rest of the day she couldn't focus on anything else but, ...