The "All Things"

 Does anyone else look to a new year with a little fear.  Probably not.  I have been overcoming fear, it seems, for all of my life.  Maybe it started when my little brother got killed when I was 14 years old.  Until that time, I believed the verse, "All things work together for good..." to mean that "all things that work together ARE good."  Believe me, I'm not without faith and I've come to understand and appreciate the "all things" because I've seen that evident in my life. It is an evil world.  God is in ultimate control and He is Good.  Today, I'm learning to speak faith over fear!  I've learned that the "all things" do come together and we are made stronger and able to see God for who He is, Jehovah Jireh, Our Provider, Jehovah Rapha, Our Healer...

Just today, I learned about the passing of Linda's son.  My heart is so sad in hearing this.  In our blogging world, we come to love each other as family, a relationship that is completely real and open and vulnerable.  

This has been a year of change as I heard the Lord say, "Move."  It has definitely been a year of change from the beginning.  We moved back to Georgia in January.  I continue to grieve that loss even though I'M THANKFUL to be back to small-town living.  

There were some good memories made in that.  

A highlight of the year was our boys getting to attend the championship game in Atlanta between UGA and Alabama. They lost and one little boy was upset. But hey, it was a great day with Dad and Grandy.

This was the year for Wins in GEORGIA sports! Didn't the Braves make it happen!

The kids made it to Georgia a couple of times. 

We enjoyed beach trips with both families. 


So many good things. A part of the "all things" that was good. 

Then there were things that we are walking through in trust in God's goodness. 

We lost a young niece in March and another one in May.  David's niece that died in March was my daughter's best friend growing up.  She had been sick with kidney disease for years and although the news was devastating, in some ways we weren't surprised. Our other niece's death was tragic and still we do not have answers.  She was declared missing after 24 hours, when her daughter reported that her phone went to voice mail.  She had left suddenly from dinner with her daughter and family. This was Friday.  An investigation was started on Sunday evening.  A community prayer vigil was held on Thursday and she was found on Friday.  Her body lay in a wooded area in 100 degree heat for 7 days.  We didn't know at the time that she was meeting her ex-boyfriend.  He was very controlling.  As in most abusive relationships, she loved him and continued to seek out the relationship although it was not healthy.  They were not married so he moved in and out of her life. He still sits in the local jail, no hearing, no trial date, no answers.  He has been charged with concealment of the body, breaking his probation for drugs, and false testimony.  We have been told that he will not be charged with murder because there is no evidence to support that.  The autopsy was inconclusive.  The district attorney and his lawyer keep moving the date of hearing.  It has been moved probably 6 times.  The family is devastated, and I am seeing my sister-in-law deteriorate before my eyes.  I ask for you to pray for answers in this new year and soon.  

Yes, please, out with the old!  

We've continually made trips to Nashville as I have a 2-day job in the middle of the week that allows me to take long weekends.  But, it's never easy to leave and I leave my girls crying every time.  

I believe that God is up to a new thing in our lives.  I refuse to believe that the state our country and world is in, will last forever although some believe it will never be the same.   I continue to believe, knowing WHO is in control, that things will turn things around if we pray.  I'm not a political person.  I hate it, but I'm realizing that we must stand up for our freedoms or they will be taken away.  

In hope, I look for an expected end.  I'm believing the verse that says that God's purpose is not to harm us, but to give us hope and a future.  In faith, I am declaring that God will work ALL THINGS out for our good.