Highlight Real

Oren Paul

Willem Vance

Hazel and her sweet group of friends! ALL of these girls are in the same class this year.

I remember being about 23 or 24 years old and thinking "oh my goodness - life is good" I was getting my teaching degree, and without a doubt knew that was what I wanted to work for. I was working with kids -- what I love. I had just got married. Making connections with some terrific people in Moses Lake was happening then. I was thankful to not be living under my dad's roof. Thankful not to have the pressure of that. Thankful to be able to have a better, more healthy relationship with him.
About a year later my mom died and searching for a "new normal" and finding joy in the day to day took much more effort than it previously had.
About a month after my mom died, Vance and I moved to Boardman, Oregon. Leaving the connections I had made in Moses Lake felt tough and starting over while grieving was not easy. But a lot was to be learned in Boardman and many memories made. The #1 memory being Merit's birth and first year of his life.
I can't believe how lucky I am to be able to find the joy now. I could begin to list why I think I can do that now, but the list is long - which really is a huge blessing.
My dad's visits through the years have been good and hard with some tension.
I will be honest, the last visit was maybe the hardest.

What I took from feeling really down and stressed is that so many people have really hard relationships and very tough times. I am so not alone. People feel at loss or desperate. What we mostly see on social media are people's highlights. The good and the great, what looks to be the good and the great. I have a lot of good and great and I have hard. And for today I choose to express the real.
I have some of the most genuine friends. Friends who confess the hardships, the tough times, the hard words and the victories and blessings. They share good recipes and a child's success. But they aren't afraid to ask me and others to pray over the hard stuff.
So we press forward. I have asked my kids "hey, will you pray about..." or "will you pray for ..." many times they are already on it. This is a huge thanksgiving of mine. 
I meet students every week who face hard things. And I work at being a light in their day. I watch teachers do a fantastic job reaching tough students and they care about kids going through hard times.  I feel thankful for these caring people.
This week was challenging and now today on this gorgeous Saturday I have NO voice. ugh.
But it has still been a pretty terrific Saturday.

 There is something about the colors, the crispness and the feel of Autumn.

If through the years it can be considered a good memory to have worked together - even for just a couple of those involved, it would be good. Time does great things if we use it well.