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| Me with Preston, our youngest grandson |
I was married at the age of seventeen with a baby already on the way. Not something to be proud of, but the truthful beginning to the story of "us". My nineteen year old groom and I celebrated our 37th wedding anniversary this summer. We had six beautiful children along the way. Yes, we were asked many times if we knew what caused that! I can tell you with all my heart, that having a large family was the smartest thing we could have done. When they were growing up, there were times when I wondered what on earth were we thinking! I was frazzled and overwhelmed more times than not, but now, my kids and their spouses, are our biggest blessing by far. They have given me thirteen wonderful grandchildren so far, eight of them age four and under! It is loud, wild, crazy, messy and extremely fun when we are all together, and we wouldn't trade it for anything in the world. My daughter Karen gave me a picture of the six of them one Christmas and across it is says, "Mom & Dad, of all the things you could have given us growing up, we're glad you chose siblings instead of things." It is my favorite present of all times.
But before I make it sound like a Norman Rockwell picture perfect existence, let me assure you this is not the case. I have and still do make many mistakes and have had many failures as a person, a friend, a daughter, a wife, and a mother. If it wasn't for the faithful guidance and love of Jesus Christ, some of those mistakes could have been devastating and life altering. Jesus has pulled me out of the "slimy pit" many times and has given me a firm place to stand and put a new song in my mouth. (Psalm 40) Like everyone, I can look back and see the mistakes are where I have learned the most in my life, hence the name of the blog.
I started this blog with the encouragement of daughters who kept telling me one should write a book about our family. If nothing else, it will be a way to "get deep" as my girls say and to record family stories that get lost with time. It will give us something to read and way to remember the times of our lives.
