5 years and a Hurricane Later....
Well, as the header says...it's been 5 years since my last post. It took me nearly an act of congress to figure out just how to login to this blog....I forgot my password . I'm thankful for the security of many websites and such, but goodness gracious...don't forget your password!!! Anyway, I'll try to catch up the best I can. Ahem...
I think I left off where Ayden started Kindergarten LOL he's now in the 3rd grade. KG was a little rough going for a while. He started a new school and I started a new job. I worked front desk at his school, Deer Point Elementary. I still work there only I am the data clerk now...I won't go into the details of my job right now because it's a little nerdy...state reporting of stats and such. Anyway, we found out that my baby needed glasses in KG but I put it off. By the time he was in 1st grade Ayden began having issues with behavior and reading. I found out that baby couldn't see... so we got him glasses. Finally, he could see and began learning in school LOL only he was so far behind that he couldn't catch up (or so I thought). In second grade my Ayden was diagnosed with a learning disability. It's slight, but he most definitely needed help in school. He finally received that help in the 2nd grade and is doing phenomenally in the 3rd grade!! I am so incredibly proud of him. It's been a long road, but well worth the learning experiences along the way.
Cade is now in the 7th grade (gosh....really?). Yes, 7th grade and middle school. He just turned 13 yesterday and is currently still sleeping (it's 11:14 a.m.). I can't complain too much about his progress over the past 5 years. He is and always has been such a compliant child. He is respectful and so loving. His heart is soft and his mind is sharp. He doesn't seem interested in girls yet, or so he tells me. I have no doubt that it's coming, though. He is a sweet kid and I'm blessed to be his mother. He doesn't struggle too much in school. Despite scoring low in 5th grade on the state testing he was accepted into the pre-AP academics program at his middle school. This is a huge honor for him and I'm proud to say he is doing so incredibly well. Math, of course, is a hurdle we have to figure out at times, but he is ultimately doing really well.
Hiland Park BC is blessed by God as one of the bigger churches in our area. The student ministry has grown and the church itself has extended itself into the community as a mission-minded church with campuses in Parker and Kingswood. I am truly blessed to be a part of something that God is doing in and through Hiland Park. It's so much fun to work with this church staff and singing in the music ministry is a blessing to me. I could go on and on about how wonderful our church is, but it's not really all about the church. It's about my God. My God is the one doing things here in our community. So let's talk about Him for a while....
I should start by saying that we had a major category almost 5 hurricane hit our city in October. Thankfully, my family and I were not here to witness the horrors of that storm. We were on a cruise...which we can talk about later LOL. It was a terrifying experience for those that rode out the storm here in their homes. I can't even imagine the sounds and sights that people must have heard and seen. I've heard stories from people of how they sat huddled in a closet with their families and pets and saying their goodbyes to each other because they just knew this was the end. I can't even imagine what went through their minds as they sat holding each other just waiting for the whole thing to end. I listened as my friends told me of sheltering in the church and watching as water rose inch by inch inside the building and ultimately listening to the roof peel off the top of the sanctuary exposing the inside to wind and water damage. These images will forever be burned into the minds of each and every person that endured Hurricane Michael, I have no doubt. The loss has been immense. However, all I can think of is, "It's all going to be ok." I'm sure this is not something many people like to hear or want to hear. Many would rather wallow in self-pity, kicking rocks and eating worms because nothing is going their way. Many of us will fight with insurance companies and roofers and contractors trying to put our homes and lives back together. Some will say, "I wish we could just go back to the way it was before the storm." However, my God...Almighty God...the Creator of all things (even hurricanes) says this, "Look not to the past...behold I am doing a NEW thing." Wow...a NEW thing. What is that new thing? Well, I don't know the answer to that. Only God knows. He is doing a NEW thing and I'm excited to witness what that will be!
There have been many hurricanes I have endured. Hurricane Katrina, Hurricane Rita, Hurricane Ike...which were all cat 3 and above. Although I wasn't living in TX Hurricane Harvey was a devastating cat 4 storm that ravaged much of my hometown with flooding. Each time I see something like this happen and watch the destructions that these storms leave behind, I return to my hometown to visit and I see the hand of God at work. It's beautiful there, now. "Behold, I make all things new..." God doesn't make bad things happen...but he CAN and WILL bring something new from the destruction. I KNOW IT. It's all going to be alright....take heart, friends, Jesus has overcome the world!
So, although the journey is long, friends, I encourage you to look up. Take a walk outside and look UP. Look to the Author and Perfecter of your faith. Behold, He is doing a NEW thing. Take a look around and focus on Him. The NEW thing is going to be AMAZING!! I can't wait!!
I think I left off where Ayden started Kindergarten LOL he's now in the 3rd grade. KG was a little rough going for a while. He started a new school and I started a new job. I worked front desk at his school, Deer Point Elementary. I still work there only I am the data clerk now...I won't go into the details of my job right now because it's a little nerdy...state reporting of stats and such. Anyway, we found out that my baby needed glasses in KG but I put it off. By the time he was in 1st grade Ayden began having issues with behavior and reading. I found out that baby couldn't see
Cade is now in the 7th grade (gosh....really?). Yes, 7th grade and middle school. He just turned 13 yesterday and is currently still sleeping (it's 11:14 a.m.). I can't complain too much about his progress over the past 5 years. He is and always has been such a compliant child. He is respectful and so loving. His heart is soft and his mind is sharp. He doesn't seem interested in girls yet, or so he tells me. I have no doubt that it's coming, though. He is a sweet kid and I'm blessed to be his mother. He doesn't struggle too much in school. Despite scoring low in 5th grade on the state testing he was accepted into the pre-AP academics program at his middle school. This is a huge honor for him and I'm proud to say he is doing so incredibly well. Math, of course, is a hurdle we have to figure out at times, but he is ultimately doing really well.
Hiland Park BC is blessed by God as one of the bigger churches in our area. The student ministry has grown and the church itself has extended itself into the community as a mission-minded church with campuses in Parker and Kingswood. I am truly blessed to be a part of something that God is doing in and through Hiland Park. It's so much fun to work with this church staff and singing in the music ministry is a blessing to me. I could go on and on about how wonderful our church is, but it's not really all about the church. It's about my God. My God is the one doing things here in our community. So let's talk about Him for a while....
I should start by saying that we had a major category almost 5 hurricane hit our city in October. Thankfully, my family and I were not here to witness the horrors of that storm. We were on a cruise...which we can talk about later LOL. It was a terrifying experience for those that rode out the storm here in their homes. I can't even imagine the sounds and sights that people must have heard and seen. I've heard stories from people of how they sat huddled in a closet with their families and pets and saying their goodbyes to each other because they just knew this was the end. I can't even imagine what went through their minds as they sat holding each other just waiting for the whole thing to end. I listened as my friends told me of sheltering in the church and watching as water rose inch by inch inside the building and ultimately listening to the roof peel off the top of the sanctuary exposing the inside to wind and water damage. These images will forever be burned into the minds of each and every person that endured Hurricane Michael, I have no doubt. The loss has been immense. However, all I can think of is, "It's all going to be ok." I'm sure this is not something many people like to hear or want to hear. Many would rather wallow in self-pity, kicking rocks and eating worms because nothing is going their way. Many of us will fight with insurance companies and roofers and contractors trying to put our homes and lives back together. Some will say, "I wish we could just go back to the way it was before the storm." However, my God...Almighty God...the Creator of all things (even hurricanes) says this, "Look not to the past...behold I am doing a NEW thing." Wow...a NEW thing. What is that new thing? Well, I don't know the answer to that. Only God knows. He is doing a NEW thing and I'm excited to witness what that will be!
There have been many hurricanes I have endured. Hurricane Katrina, Hurricane Rita, Hurricane Ike...which were all cat 3 and above. Although I wasn't living in TX Hurricane Harvey was a devastating cat 4 storm that ravaged much of my hometown with flooding. Each time I see something like this happen and watch the destructions that these storms leave behind, I return to my hometown to visit and I see the hand of God at work. It's beautiful there, now. "Behold, I make all things new..." God doesn't make bad things happen...but he CAN and WILL bring something new from the destruction. I KNOW IT. It's all going to be alright....take heart, friends, Jesus has overcome the world!
So, although the journey is long, friends, I encourage you to look up. Take a walk outside and look UP. Look to the Author and Perfecter of your faith. Behold, He is doing a NEW thing. Take a look around and focus on Him. The NEW thing is going to be AMAZING!! I can't wait!!
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