Boy, sometimes I am so surprised how life can change and how fast it happens.
I’m sitting there and the next thing I know our children are grown and getting married and then we are grandparents, when it seems that it was only yesterday that we were training them to use the toilet.
I really don’t know where the last 25 odd years have gone, and sometimes I don’t remember much about them either.
I don’t remember washing my firstborns nappies too much, but I know that I must have. Disposables weren’t really that popular back then.
I don’t remember much about No 2 Sons early years, and I need to look back on some photos to see how cute he was.
Now I know that in the last 25 years we have fitted a heap in . We have moved house 6 times in that period. (I’m happy to stay put now).
We have changed and grown, we’ve been in debt and out of debt and God has blessed us with more children than originally planned. We have tried numerous business ventures, some have taken off, some have failed.
My husband and I have seen eye to eye and have fought too. Now we have come to a place where we are so together it makes me want to cry.
![IMG_0264[1]](http://darlingdownsdiaries.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/IMG_02641-e1414582009279.jpg)
He led us to homeschool and to give our family planning over to Him. He has aligned us with some beautiful families to help us on our journey and He has helped us through times when we thought our hearts were broken for ever.
I sit here now with tears in my eyes as I remember the really hard times, the times when I thought it was all over. The times when there was no encouragement from anyone with what we were doing, when the only encouragement we had was from each other.
I thank God for his continual hand on our lives, I thank Him for the good and the bad, because without any of it we wouldn’t be the people, the couple, the family we are now.
Isaiah 41:13 For I am the LORD your God who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not fear; I will help you.
This post is linked up here…
A beautiful story of how we are all growing no matter where we are in life.
Thanks for your thoughtful comment Deborah, blessings
Time does rush on by so fast!
Just yesterday I was a girl, learning how to be a woman from one of the best.
Just yesterday I was a bride, learning a new life and remembering fondly an old one.
Just yesterday our girls were but a secret and great news to share with our family…
Love you Mum!
xxx
Love you too xxxx
I am thankful for the gifts that God has readily available for each of us. Your story is familiar yet different but the thread of similarity is the hand of God in our lives. Visiting you from Holly’s place. Blessings!
Thanks Mary that is so true, different journeys same God. Blessings
I’m going through a bit of this myself. Not so much in the looking back way but just how quickly life can change. Thanksgiving morning (Nov 27th) my little cousin died in a car accident. Then my daughter started having some scary (yet not life-threatening) medical conditions. And now I’m having some medical issues. Just 4 weeks ago, life was boring and easy. It changed so, so quickly.
Oh I’m so sorry Julie for all you are going through, Praise God that He is there with you as you go through this difficult period. Blessings to you and yours.
I think it’s so important for us to occasionally look back over things like this. It shows us how God was indeed working and guiding us, at times when we couldn’t even see it. So much can happen in 25 years! And in the next 25 years as well. Thanks for your openness.
Thanks Lisa for your comment, blessings.
I so agree – I am so thankful for the hard times because God used them to do amazing work in my heart!
Thanks Jennifer for your comment, blessings.
You’re right–time flies by so fast, it seems like one minute we’re young and playing with toys, and the next we’re getting ready to watch our own kids move on to their own lives! The details of my bio son’s early months are fuzzy, which I think is God’s way of making the good memories better and keep some of the harried days from casting a shadow over the good. His early days were in the neonatal intensive care unit for 3 months, then tons of intense work at home for over 3 years (he was born with multi organ failure, lack of oxygen, and 3 months premature at 1 pound). Those early days right after birth, and then again as a single parent, they’re a blur, and honestly, I’m grateful.
We’ve fought and fussed a lot over the past years too, I think it’s part of having two strong personalities together. We have our good days and bad, which is part of life, and part of our world of special needs. Our good days are great, our bad days can be exceptionally bad, and the in between ones are the ones I prefer the most, the ones on an even keel with no real waves and bumps one way or the other. We’ve been together 8 1/2 years, married 6 1/2, but blended family.
You have a beautiful family there, you should be very proud!! 🙂
I really admire your attitude and how you deal with things in your life. You seem to have so much going on and yet you still manage to see God in it all. Thank you for sharing your thoughts and the past with your son, it must have been really hard. Thank you for your comments about our family, it makes me appreciate them more. Blessings
(((hugs)))
I heard it said before that we have to thank God for the good and the bad, because we really don’t know the difference. I love that you are doing that!
Sometimes it is hard to be thankful at all times, but we endeavour to be. blessings to you and thank you for your comment Sarah.
I have noticed too that life changes “quickly” and its worth looking around and seeing how God is working step by step!
Thanks Helene for your comment, blessings
Beautiful testimony. When we seek God’s help and follow his guidance we are given the strength to follow a path that is different from our culture. I too feel very blessed by God’s hand on our family.
This morning I received a Christmas from a daughter, who now lives in another state, hundreds of miles away. The faith, joy and thanksgiving in her letter blessed my heart.
Thanks Carol and it sounds like you have a lovely daughter, have a wonderful blessed Christmas. Blessings
This is a beautiful testimony. I could say the same about our life together and especially about being alone in our journey without encouragement along the way. Merry Christmas!!
Thanks for your thoughtful comment Judith, and Merry Christmas to you and your family. Blessings.
I love how you are trying to see the themes that God has written into your story. Blessings to you and your family, and praise God for the last 25 years. Thanks for this encouraging message.
Thank you so much Karen and blessings back to you and your family this Christmas. May you feel Gods presence in your life.
Congratulations! This was one of the top posts from the link up last week! Please come link up some more of your great posts.
By the way, did you see the post on my blog with Taylor wishing everyone a Merry Christmas? She continues to improve. I am so thankful for all the prayers. Thanks for featuring her the other day.
God bless.
Chris
So Much At Home
Thanks for the feature Chris and I am so glad that Taylor is improving and getting better each day. Thank you for hosting the link up as well. Blessings to you and yours.