30 Days: Day 24, Day 25, and Day 26 - My Mom, My Faithful God, and My Pen-Gwen

I needed a blogging break yesterday, so I decided to do another double post!  When I went to post yesterday, I discovered that we had some technical difficulties, so it'll be a triple post today!

Day 24 - I have a friend who lost her mom a few years ago, when we were freshmen in college.  Her mom died rather suddenly and she came to my mind (and my dreams!) on Friday night.  Thinking about her made me think about how awful it would be if I didn't have my mom to share all of those wonderful moments of life with - my wedding day, the birth of Aynsley, holidays.  I can't imagine her not being here, and my heart aches for those who have lost parents.

If you don't know my family situation, you are welcome to ask me about it sometime, but I won't go into the whole long story here.  I don't necessarily have a happy or stable or picture-perfect childhood (not by a long shot), but my mom was the rock in our family.  I always knew that I was loved and cared for by my mom, no matter what the other circumstances.  I don't think I ever doubted her love; I knew that there was nothing that I could do to lose it.

My mom has continued to be one of my biggest supporters, encouraging and loving me through difficult circumstances and helping me in more ways than one.  I'm so thankful for my mom and glad to have such a wonderful example of how to be a mother.  I am so thankful for my mom!

Day 25 - After a little bit of a rough day on Saturday, I walked into church today with a heavy heart.  I was encouraged and lifted up by the rest of our worship team and was grateful for the opportunity to worship Christ with my church family.  My stomach had been in knots for most of Saturday, my heart had been aching, and my spirit was crushed.  I was reminded that God is bigger than my problems, bigger than my circumstances, and able to do anything.  I prayed about the situation and searched my heart for my wrongdoing.  I found much hope during my time in prayer on Sunday morning and I continue to pray that God will answer soon.

So I'm also thankful that, no matter what the circumstances, the God I serve is alive and cares for me.  The silly things that take up so much of my time and effort will not matter in eternity.  I will do my best to live up to what Christ calls me to and I will have to leave it in His hands.

I am so thankful for my God!

Day 26 - I have been so blessed to be able to care for Gwen!  I'll never forget holding her in the hospital, baby-sitting her when she was still little, and then getting to spend all of my weekdays with her starting when she was about four months old!  Now she is nearly two and a ball of fun.

I am glad to be able to be home with Aynsley, and watching Gwen makes that possible.  I love watching her learn new skills, listening to her talk, and playing with her.  Matt and I get a kick out of some (almost all of) the things she says, and I love to see her with "Baby Ayn-see."

I could go on and on about Gwennie (I talk about her like she's my daughter sometimes), but I'll try to keep it brief.  She's a blast to be with and I love seeing her as she experiences new things.  Being with her has been amazing preparation for my own little baby and her parents are so wonderful for letting me care for her!

I am thankful for my Pen-Gwen!