Although Too Short...

I initially sat down at the table with my Bible & study materials in hand in order to study, think over & pray about the lesson I will be teaching tonight. As typical when I study, I pushed "play" on the CD player. David Nevue happened to be in & as his beautiful music started to play, my mind went to blog mode... :) Bible study materials await me... :) Excited to dig in & be refreshed by the renewing power of The Word...

Last week was absolute craziness with really no sense of schedule or normalcy so this week has been geared toward refocusing & getting back on track. Most of us in this family function best with a set routine so by Monday morning, some of us were kind of a mess.

MaKayla & Mal were gone the majority of last week taking care of these precious wonders...

Nearly 40 of them not including their momma's...

Busy week...
Full week...

Stretching week...

Puppies to bottle feed...
Puppies to put in with their momma's...
Pens to clean...
Baths to give...
Shots to administer...
Farm animals to care for...
Eggs to gather...

It was a non-stop several days & in the end they were T-I-R-E-D! Although it is a great responsibility, Kyle & I are so grateful for the opportunity our girls are given to learn, grow & be stretched under Christian headship. We see it as a tremendous blessing. A gift from God.

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A week ago this past Sunday, I received a text from my bestie...
"I will be coming home soon. Aunt Jill is not doing well... I will let you know..."

Renee' & I have been friends for years upon years & since she lives many miles away, the times we have together are few & far between. I was sad & sorry for the circumstances she & her family found themselves in yet the thought of her coming "home" was like a drink of fresh water on a parched tongue. ♥

Within two days I received another text...
"Aunt Jill passed away last night. Audrey & I will be flying in today..."

When Renee' comes home, I have to mentally prepare myself that "sharing" is key...
She has other friends...
She has family...
I'm not the only one...(although I have tried to convince her from time-to-time that she needs to come back, not tell anyone & just hide away here with us...)
Sometimes I default to the fact that it would be better for her to stay away rather than to come home...
Good-byes are terrible...
For both of us... ♥

My grandma told me many years ago, "It's really a good thing that Renee' doesn't live around here... It wouldn't be beneficial to your family..." She knows me all-too-well & I know what she is saying is the absolute truth. I mean, in our younger years (before MaKayla & Mal arrived), before Renee' moved away, we worked together, would grocery shop together, go on short road trips & spend most every free moment with one another.

She sets me straight...
Encourages my heart...
Reminds me who I am...
Is always there...

I want my girls to know her...

For Valentine's Day, she sent me this... ♥

Although our time together seemed so short, I am grateful...

We laughed together...
We cried together...
We did suppers...
And lunch...

We talked about faith...
Life...
Struggles...

We shared...
We remembered...
We shopped...

We dreamed...

She's been there...

Through thick...

Through thin...

Through every place in between...

When our babies were born...

When I've lost someone I loved...

During good times...

During bad times...

For always...

Forever... ♥

Although too short, I am grateful... ♥

“If you live to be a hundred, 

I want to live to be a hundred minus one day so I never have to live without you.” 

An Unexpected Surprise...

Yesterday right before lunch, the mail lady pulled up in our driveway. This is always a sign that we have received a package that won't fit into our oversized rural mailbox. Typically, any time we receive something of this nature, we figure it's from my high school best friend, Renee'.


The mail lady, handed the box to me and I immediately looked at the return address label. Nope, the name and address listed didn't ring any kind of a bell within my head. The books that I had ordered for Kyle had been delivered so it wasn't those. The books that I had previously ordered for MaKayla had arrived earlier in the week so I knew it wasn't that either. Hmm...

I brought the package inside, opened the box and found a card that said:

To say good-bye to a special friend is to lose a little piece of your heart.
It hurts to lose such a devoted,
trusting and loyal companion.
This memorial was created
in remembrance of
Fletcher
by your friend,
Renee'

Immediately the tears began to well up in my eyes as I opened this:


Renee' has a heart for animals and her own Saba is the love of her life...literally. I mean, she even has health insurance on this canine companion of hers. Any time she has been back here to visit, she has loved on and enjoyed Fletcher so much therefore her heart broke right along with ours when we lost him just a little over a month ago.

We have some pictures of Fletch sitting on a little table in our dining room where his memorial rock will rest for now...it's just too special to put outside where the weather might damage it.


With spring days visiting us more often, we really notice his absence all the more. He isn't there when Kyle is cooking something on the grill or when I have clothes on the clothes line or when MaKayla takes walks or when Mallary is out jumping rope. We REALLY, REALLY miss him!


It was an amazing unexpected surprise and we were so touched by her thoughtfulness and love.

Thanks Renee'! We love you much!