Thoughtful Thursday: Rainbow in the Sky

I'm beginning to think that yesterday was somehow a symbolic representation of my whole life -- or maybe just the motherhood portion.  But things were just so incredibly challenging all day -- by the end though, hope was restored for a better tomorrow.

A Word of Thanks

Today was an awful day! No, seriously! I had no patience, we skipped our walk and I think I've yelled at pretty much every kid at least once -- and one of them, way more than that. 

But there's something especially sweet -- even on the hardest of days -- when after finishing up the last "class" of the day (much later than we should have, but everything got pushed off because of ... well ... life), one child cleaned up her school supplies and then paused to look back in my direction to say, "Thank you, Mama, for teaching me today."

Blogging on a Tuesday

Not much to say, unfortunately, but found a couple spare moments and I thought, "Hey, I'm going to post to the blog for no particular reason."  It's not a theme day or even a day when I have something especially creative to share ... I'm just here.  Checking in with my readers and letting you know I'm surviving.

Just a Side Note

I'm realizing that my sister's suggestion that I use some theme days to inspire my blogging to be more regular has helped ... although, in some ways it's been constricting me.  Also, on days I don't have a theme set up, I'm still struggling to come up with something.  Life is so full right now!  I don't want to create 5 or 7 theme days and box myself in too much ... but I don't want my readers to think I'm only going to blog on Mondays and Thursdays (theme days) either. 

This whole blog thing is a journey in progress and I hope you'll continue to extend me loads of grace till I get a better feel for what works for me.  Thank you so much for your time and your patience.  Your ideas and comments are always appreciated!

Monday Mastery: School Year Kick-off

I don't know how well this fits into my "mastery" category, but it's been a busy day, so it'll have to do.  We'd planned to start school the day after Labor Day as we do each year, but my readers know how I spent Labor Day this year (hint: not finalizing my lesson plan for the first week of school).  So instead, I used the past week to plan a lesson (or five) and we began today.

Thoughtful Thursday: David, the Rock Star

I was driving with our son, H, the other day and a song came on the radio (I listen almost exclusively to K-LOVE in the car) and it was a fast-paced, slightly harder rock song (I can't remember what it was exactly, though for the story, it doesn't matter).  This is pretty unusual since K-LOVE tends to play softer, more easy-going songs for the most part.  We enjoy something a little bolder now and then.

Monday Mastery: We Got Her

Our daughter is home again thanks to countless hours of research and time on the part of friends and family -- civilians.  God is pretty amazing in the way He uses regular "Joe's" to accomplish mighty works.  We are truly blessed.

Thank you for prayers, which sustained us all and kept our daughter safe.  Ultimately, I know it was everyone's prayers that brought our daughter home.  We'll all need continued prayers as we heal from this experience and grow stronger as a family as a result.  Thank you in advance for any you are willing to offer up on our behalf.  They will be heard.

Keeping the Faith

While I continue to experience a wide range of emotions during this time of self-discovery for our teen daughter, I have tried mostly to keep smiling and to stay strong (in the Lord) because I know that how I respond to challenging times is a witness (either really good or really bad) for other people who learn of this thing we're experiencing.

Nothing Yet

These past couple of nights and days have been a whirlwind.  I can scarcely keep up with the incoming texts, calls and emails with prayers and encouragement for finding S.  We are so blessed by being surrounded by so many wonderful, caring people who love S and who love our family.

Thoughtful Thursday: Missing Daughter

Our oldest daughter left the house last night and has not returned home.  From the looks of things, she has run away (not the first time and not uncommon for children with attachment issues as she has).  We believe she may have caught a ride with someone she arranged in advance, but have yet to discover any clues about who that might be.