What a month it's been! Three birthdays, boom...boom...boom.
We celebrated Calvin's 12th birthday.
And Adelina's 9th.
And a surprise for Selah's sweet 16, followed by surgery, then her actual 16th birthday.
She really wanted a surprise party but didn't think we could pull it off. Haha...there's a challenge accepted! We even were able to have her good friend, Tracy, fly in from Florida! She was super surprised!
Sweet Julia wasn't here for the group photo, so she got a special pose...
Then it was time for surgery...
Four incisions, 32 staples, a created tendon, and a screw to hold it all in place. Two weeks in a "soft" cast for swelling, she's now in a hard cast for the next 4 weeks. At least she has some mobility now, even though she can't put any pressure on it yet. She's looking at 6-9 months for recovery.
She's been pretty bored but the children have been entertaining her.
And then her real birthday (which, of course, Michael and I had Covid for). Sweet 16!
Well, it's been quite the year. While there have been many good things that have happened in the year, it's been largely overcast by sorrow.
Some things I have learned this year...
* Sometimes you make hard mistakes you can't take back, you just have to learn to live with them.
* When in doubt, wait. Don't forge ahead when you don't feel good about it. You can always relent later, but you can't get back what you've given.
* Every heart knows it's own sorrow. Don't compare your grief with someone else's. Death is not the only devastating grief a heart faces.
* Sometimes it is hardest to let go of the life you thought you'd have.
This is not only my final post of the year, it is my final post on this blog. I feel this blog no longer serves a purpose and I really have nothing to say. Or at least that should be said on a public forum. I have enjoyed making new friends through William's blog and finding new acceptance, even from such different walks of life. This year has been especially difficult for me to write on the blog. I pride myself on being open and transparent but I have found that to be increasingly difficult this year while trying to maintain the bounds of Christian propriety. I am happy to continue to build relationships through email, as I have also disabled my Facebook and Instagram accounts.
I want to say thank you to those who have followed our family and loved us through hard times. I hope the Lord has used our lives to bless yours in some way. May 2022 be a year of drawing near to Him, leaning on Him, and embracing His great love. Be Mighty!
