A 16th Birthday & Happy Thanksgiving! . . .

 Thanks be to God for how bountifully He provides for us in all ways, always! I hope you had a lovely Thanksgiving friends. I was grateful today that Livia said she wanted to come to my families’ Thanksgiving and then go to SP’s later (it’s officially “his year” for Thanksgiving with the kids), that’s a new thing as of last year in this broken family situation, and I like it! L1 and W are out living CA so it just filled my heart to have Liv join in today.

And then we got to celebrate her 16th with her! All the 11/20 b-days were last week but they were on a long teaching day and then I got sick so no celebrating till a week later on Turkey Day. This gal has a 3.94gpa, great friend groups, travelled to New Orleans in the dead of summer for a giant Youth Group trip, joined an after school business club (sounds like to round out college apps but who knows, might get a thing or two out of it (-:) and of course…plays lots of volleyball. She just finished her HS season having gone all the way to D1 State Quarter Finals, has two weeks off then starts club practices. I continue to check in with this year round volleyball player and she still says she loves it (club a little more than HS though). A lovely young lady all around!

My bangs and I getting a B-day pic!

79…55…16

♥️♥️♥️

Cherish the days God blesses you with my friends. Even as they bend and blow in directions you don’t expect, He remains a sure and steady foundation of promise and hope.

Thanks be to God!

It’s really on Election Day you know . . .

So, here we are once again. I guess this is where I go, the ol’ blog in November and in May. Today, Election Day, regardless of the date, is the day Ben fell and died in 2016. It was the culmination of everything that started the Tuesday morning after Memorial Weekend in 2015, there is no other way to interpret those 17 months. I joined a hiking group from church this Fall…look back to January and celebrate that with me!! One solo hike, (cause the “group” doesn’t always “group” haha), I thought, “I have a Moth story to tell,” so I spoke into my phone recorder whilst on my journey, it starts something like…”It was the Tuesday morning after Memorial weekend 2015…” I might someday submit a story, and I might not. My friends, I am shocked at how fresh that pain can still be sometimes…at year nine. It can still be shocking to consider that Ben died and can still just stop me in my tracks with grief. But then, I get pulled together and carry on. And outside of this late October/early November anniversary time where I end up rather weepy, I am almost daily overwhelmed by God’s goodness and mercy to me, His provisions and care astound me. So…that’s incredible under the circumstances!

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I still enjoy putting scripture verses on pics I take. This is from my hike this past Sunday, All Saints Day. As I was about to receive the blood of Christ during Holy Communion that morning the choir literally began to sing “Oh How Lovely is Thy Dwelling Place,” from Brahm’s Requiem. The choral piece I chose to be sung at Ben’s funeral and that Ben heard at 4 mos old in Hill Auditorium days after the 9/11 attacks. It was a very meaningful Communion of saints!

I’m still gardening and had a bumper crop of butternut squash, tomatillos and cherry tomatoes. As well as many other delights. The gardens are always slowly reshaping, growing and a great source of joy for me (yet sometimes overwhelming! Haha).

Two hikes ago.

I mean, come on, you can’t not smile right??!!

In the “fend for yourself garden,” I tossed some pole beans and morning glory seeds and, oops…had somewhat of an explosion late in the summer. Beans and morning glories everywhere, could be worse. (-:

This girl is almost 16! Has a great group of friends that she went to homecoming with (one of the moms made these bouquets for all the girls) and I got BANGS to kick off the new school year. They’ve been a fun new look and have given everyone something to talk about, ha!

New this year for the piano families that are waiting for their sibling or child to finish their lesson is the puzzle table. We all FINALLY finished the 1,000 piece bird puzzle, started over the summer. A few times this fall I could actually be found listening to the Michigan game on the radio while trying to find a bird wing or beak into the night. Yep…my life! 

Praise God From Whom All Blessings Flow!