New York City: A Wintertime Dream

By far one of the most amazing 3-day trips i've ever been on. There was snow, there was rain, there were warm beverages, there was laughter, and there were moments of just being in awe at how blessed I am. It was the most surreal experience. New York in the wintertime with people you love is the perfect balance between "wow" in the "I must be dreaming sense" and "wow" in the "we are just really this blessed" sense.

The Duality: Joy and Grief

I was sitting in a classroom observation today when the incessant vibrations of my phone continued to buzz against my lap. At first, I tried to ignore it, but then I figured it would be best for me to pick up (thankfully, the class my friend was teaching was on it's break).

All I could hear was my mom gasping for breath in the middle of sobbing as she tried to tell me that my grandpa had died. I had just talked to my mom probably a half an hour just to catch up, so getting this phone call with her in the described condition caught me a bit off guard. Though we've been expecting this for a while, there's nothing that can really prepare you for the loss of such an amazing person. My mom was impacted doubly seeing as how she and my dad were going to visit my grandpa tomorrow. 

When I first got the news, I had no option but to keep it together. I was with students and a colleague. Having gone into automatic mode, I was able to stay that way until probably an hour after class was over. As I was driving home, I broke down into tears for the first time. I have no doubt that these little bouts will continue to come as the truth of it really settles in.

Unable to focus on my work, I sat and prayed for a while. Part of my spirit is so excited to know that my grandpa is home with his Maker. He's is finally home! I can only imagine the celebration that happened in the heavens today as he was ushered into the presence of our God. The other part of my spirit is experiencing a certain level of grief, and then the Lord gave me this:

"The humanity that I know so well is that which causes Me to grieve as you grieve in loss, but My glory is also the glory that rejoices as one leaves the earthly and is ushered into the heavenly."

Yes, there is celebrating today, but the truth of it is, I can also find solace in the fact that Jesus understands my grief. He too experienced the duality of the situation, and I find great peace in that as I'm reminded how much He understands everything that we go through. This aspect of who God is reflects the depth of His love for us. 

Praise you, Father. Our lives are best lived in Your hands. 

 

 

Kiddos Galore

The older I get and the older my friends get, the more we become surrounded with kiddos. At this point in my life, i'm surrounded by theirs, of course :). I'm humbled to know such amazing couples who are also amazing parents. I'm so thankful for how honest these friends are as they are constantly learning to become better and better parents.

The other day, I had the opportunity to hang out with my friend Katy and her two lovelies--Selah and Sophia. It was pretty hilarious; Katy and I were running all over the place just to keep the kids out of the street in order to get some pictures of the kids doing what they do best--be themselves!

Lethally cute: