I've begun writing this post about 27 times.
This past week we went on our first family vacation.
It was wonderful. My husband planned the entire thing beautifully.
And I will tell you all about it.
In another post.
Flying to the east coast, we experienced our first-ever tropical storm.
Flight delays.
Bad weather.
Stress.
Inconvenience.
Hard things.
And, then, lots of amazing, wonderful things.
I come away from all of that--thankful. Completely and utterly thankful.
I've said this before--blogging gifts me with community.
One of the communities I belong to is Momastery.
It's full of beautiful people, and diversity. Still, there's a universality of the human experience that unites us--binds us together.
There are three standards we Monkees live by:
- We can do hard things
- Love wins.
Love is a harsh and dreadful thing to ask of us, but it is the only answer. ~Dorothy Day
But the greatest of these is love. ~I Corinthians 13:13b
- We belong to each other.
Belonging to others is beautiful and horrible and authentic and real. It cracks your heart open just a little bit more--ushering in equal parts brokenness and joy.
One of the Momastery crew--a Monkee, lost her son in the same tropical storm that delayed our flight.
The 13 inches of rain they'd gotten swelled the creek that ran past their home, and in an instant, Anna's 12 year old son was swept away as he played in his own backyard. Heartbreaking.
In the middle of the night I felt myself compelled to cry out to God for this woman I've never even met.
I belong to this Anna I've never met, and she to I.
If you have moment, and are so inclinded, pray for this Anna.
The agony of her loss just haunts me--I can't imagine.
Too, Anna's loss brings me to my knees in thankfulness, as they are so often intertwined.
...by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. ~Philippians 4:6bHot tears of thanks course down my cheeks. Another day with my girls, and the precious gift of their lives.
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7 comments:
I've re read your post a few times now. Thanks for giving me pause.
I'm horrified, Julia, and yes, I will pray for her family.
A friend of mine lost her son in Feb and I was totally out of it for about a month - I just couldn't fathom.
What a powerful post, Julia. First, my heart goes out to that family. Second, I agree what an awesome togetherness there can be (and should be) in motherhood. Every sense is heightened. We are in this together. :)
I had a moment yesterday where I thought, "Wow, I love my girls." Of course I feel that every second of every day, and I tell them quite often...but it's so nice to just step back in the most common of times and appreciate what we have.
Julia, wow. This post stopped me in my tracks. Thanks for allowing your readers the opportunity to pray for this dear family.
Oh my goodness....I agree with Sara! This stopped me in my tracks!! Prayers and thoughts go out to this family!!
Julia, this is so beautifully stated. I'm honored to be a Monkee and to call you my friend. with love and tears, kristi
Wow. I can't imagine- there are no words. Thanks for sharing this with us.
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