A visit with Faith

Sarah and I were blessed by Faith last night.  She came to town and we had dinner with her.  We poured into her, encouraged her and got caught up on all things.  

 

March For Life

In 2024 the Lord placed it on my heart to become involved with C.W.A.  I had never heard of C.W.A. until Dec. 7, 2023 when I listened to a podcast featuring the CEO and President of Concerned Women for America, Penny Nance.  I was so inspired by the values of CWA and the Lord so clearly had been doing a work in me for years which He knew would lead to where I am today.  On Jan. 9, 2024 I applied to be chapter leader and by May 2024 I had my first meeting in my backyard with just me, Mary (of course) and Kelly.  Nearly two years later my niece (pic above) is an active and involved member.  Next to Mary my sister has been my biggest cheerleader, agreeing to host meetings when it became apparent that it was going to be easier to hold meetings in town vs having them at my house.  On average I have about 5 women at each meeting.  Five may not seem like a lot but as I keep telling the Lord, I'll keep throwing the net out if He provides the fishes.  What is so beautiful about this group of women is their commit to CWA, it's values and our purpose.  It may not feel like we are making any head way some days but when twelve women from central to northern Illinois took off work, showed up, encouraged one another and marched for the most vunerable I am reminded that if we stay on course and rely and trust God, He is faithful.  

Here is my small but mighty group.  Mary, Lauren, me, Jen and Shannon.  Once I was approved to be a chapter leader I spent from January to May dragging my feet.  I had never been a leader before and to this day I still laugh over it but I have learned God doesn't call the equipped he equips the called.  As long as I have breath in my lungs I'll continue to go where He sends me.  Thankfully He always knows exactly what I need and sent me Mary!  I joke that I'm Moses and affectionately refer to Mary as my Aaron.  She often gives me a voice when I have nothing to say.  She gives me ideas when my brain has turned to mush but more than anything she's my encourager.  I'll get ready to ask her something and before I can even finish saying, "Hey Mary, how," she responds with Yes (often before she even knows what it is I'm asking her).  

Watching my niece being involved with CWA has been a true gift.  She is an old soul, quiet in nature but always taking in everything around her.  No doubt the Lord has big plans for her and I pray that every second she has spent involved with CWA will stay with her into adulthood and help mold her into the young woman God desires her to be.  

Here's the entire crew from Illinois.  Many of these ladies drove 3 plus hours one way to the march.  A handful of them went to D.C. this last September.  What a blessing it is to know them.  

 

Weekend with Lindsay

 It was a busy but very fun weekend.  First Mike left on Thursday to visit Mike Ausili in Texas.  I hosted bible study on Thursday night.  On Friday night I went out with Jay's friend parent group - the group of friends Mike and I have had well since Jay was little.  It was nice to get out on a Friday night and socialize.  On Saturday Lindsay came for a visit.  Kim, Lindsay and I went out to dinner and then they spent the night with me.  I always love seeing Lindsay but this year it was really good for Lindsay too.  Her mother is not doing well and it was good for her to break away for a bit and enjoy time with Kim and I as we laughed and just relaxed.  Mike got safely home last night and it was back to reality for both of us this morning.  Sadly we got the usual last minute snow storm last night.  However, the rest of the week looks a lot better.  To say I'm ready for warmer weather is an understatement! 

Motherhood

 Last night I decided to read through some of my blog books.  I grabbed a book from 2013 which quite frankly feels like a life time ago.  In 2013 Jay was 11 and Nick was 7.  All I can say is thank goodness the Lord gave me a spiritual gift of writing.  Clearly I'm not a best selling author but I have a gift for words and I enjoy putting pen to paper and using creativity in my writing, especially when it comes to my boys.  My blogs have proven to be a wonderful source of distant memories, laughter and heartwarming joy.  Having children has given me a small understanding of the Father's deep love of his children.  It is never lost on me that as much as I love Jay and Nick, God loves them more.  From the moment they were born it has been a shaping and growing process of who I am and who I've become, in all the good ways.  Who would I be without my children?  How would I view the world without my boys and most importantly, what would my faith look like without them?  The best part of this life season is enjoying the fruits of our labor.  Jay and Nick are the two of the most amazing humans.  My relationship with them no longer requires me to schedule their appointments or monitor their comings and goings.  It is however a season of reconizing and establishing boundries on my end - knowing not to overstep, giving unsolicited advice and figuring out which media is the best way to communicate with them (Jay, it's snapchat; Nick, it's a good old fashioned phone call).  My mother once told me her wish was for me to have children who would bring me as much joy as Kim and I brought her.  I wish the same for my children.  Motherhood truly was and is the best gift God blessed and entrusted me with.   

Mom's 75th Birthday

I'm late in writing about mom's 75th birthday.  We celebrated her birthday on the night of Feb. 28.  We took this picture of all of us.  Mom had such a nice time and we surprised her with Kathy Levins!  That night per mom's request we made hamburgers, hot dogs and I fixed her favorite cocktail, long island ice teas.  I made her own individual helping of apple crisp to take home. 

Kathy Levins and mom have been friends since I was a kid so at least 45 plus years.  They don't get to see each other very often any more so they were thrilled to spend an evening together! 

 Another surprise for mom was on her actual birthday.  Jay has been laid off at work and just happened to be off on nana's birthday.  He surprised her and showed up at L.O. to serve cake with her friends, Faith R., Faith M. and Leslie.  You can see by mom's smile how happy she was to see her oldest grandson.  

Mom continues to live her life with joy and I know her eternal rewards will be plentiful.  She is a bright light to others and has never lost her sense of humor.  Life isn't easy for her but she rarely complains.  I am thankful for provisions God has given her.  

CWA - Cookies for Cops

About six weeks ago I was sitting in church when an idea came to me.  It was an idea to serve our law enforcement and the holy spirit whispered "Cookies for Cops."  Right after church I told Shannon about my idea who was exactly the person I needed to tell first.  Shannon has a huge heart for law enforcement and she helped run with the idea and provided much needed encouragement.  With the help of my C.W.A. ladies we planned for this event and we were able to bless law enforcement.  

Here is Shannon helping serve a local sheriff.  The event itself did not generate a lot of people, however, as all of us said we were obedient to what God was calling us to do.  It was for His glory and He is in control of the outcome, not us.  The beauty is we don't know what seeds were planted that night but what I do know is despite terrible weather that evening (we are talking horrible thunderstorms), six of us ladies and Luke too (ha) laughed together in fellowship and enjoyed serving others.  

After the storm God showed up and gave us a rainbow!  

My sister and Stephanie baked and decorated these cookies.  Not only were they good but super festive. 

Next to my mother my sister is my biggest fan.  She has supported me from the start with C.W.A., even though she didn't really have a heart for it.  All that has changed, she loves being a part of C.W.A. and I would not be where I am today if it weren't for her support and encouragement!  

By the end of our evening we realized we had way too much food left so we delivered the left overs to two local fire stations and a police station.  We were also able to donate chips and coffee cups to church.  Nothing was wasted that night.  As this was our first year doing this we learned a lot and we'll tweak a few things next year but we'll definitely do it again.  One thing we'll add is treats for the K-9's.  One officer brought his dog with him which we loved. 

 

Life these days

 I'm entering week 4 of empty nest.  I've gone through the stages of emotions.  Week one was the honeymoon phase.  Week two was the grief stage.  Week three was the acceptance stage.  I can say with confidence that I'm adjusting better than I thought and I've settled into this new role.  These past four weeks I've had some time to reflect and I've noticed a few things.  First, I would never say I was a helicoptor parent and I'm fairly certain Mike and the boys would agree with me, however, I'm also a typical mom and I think the weight of worry I carried was real and something I wasn't fully aware of until the boys moved out.  I still worry about them but I've noticed I sleep better and I'm not concerned on where they are at night which is quite freeing.  When your kids live with you, no matter their age you are aware of their comings and goings.  For example the other night Jay was in our neighborhood spending the evening with friends.  Since he had been drinking he quietly let himself into our house to spend the night instead of driving home.  He didn't need to ask, nor were we aware that this was his plan, which is fine.  Our home is his home and it was obviously a good decision to stay. I was aware Jay was hanging out with friends but I've noticed I'm better with "let go and let God," attitude when they don't live with me.  I figured that if he had drinking he would make the right decision to stay at our house.  I went to bed and didn't think about it.  Normally I'd be up several times checking life360, listening for the back door to shut, watching for headlights in the driveway.  Between having adult kids that live with you and menopause sleep disruption has been a challenging reality for me but I think I didn't realize the weight of anxiety I carried until the kids moved out.  Mike and I had no idea Jay was even in the house until the morning when we saw his car parked in the drive and the loud snoring coming from the bedroom above ours (ha).  It occurred to me I had slept peacefully through the night.    I know my girlfriends have been praying for me during this new chapter and boy have I felt those prayers.  I am looking forward to this new chapter.