It’s a blustery Friday afternoon, full of loveliness in the best of ways. We are settled in at home after an afternoon away at music lessons, and I was even able to restock my market booth before we returned. We relaxed for a little bit before eating crock pot chili, and then I was able to walk with my husband outside for awhile as storm clouds rolled in.

It’s been heavenly. A little happy breath after a very busy week.

And not just this week has been busy. Shortly after I wrote my last blog post, my mother ended up in the emergency room with several previously unknown heart issues and pulmonary embolisms. After a ten day hospital stay in ICU, she is now back at home on medication waiting for the embolisms to reabsorb before open heart surgery. What an unexpected time it has been! She lives nearly two hours away from us and we’ve made several trips back and forth to offer her our support. If you would send prayers and good thoughts her way, I’d really appreciate it.

My mother-in-law is also experiencing some health challenges. She was diagnosed with both dementia and aphasia almost one and a half years ago. We’d appreciate prayers for her, too.

Life is full of changes, isn’t it? One day, it seems like we have everything figured out. Then things change in an instant.

Health generally does decline as we age, and it shouldn’t be a shock when an elderly person experiences a new health challenge. But sometimes, it is.

Life is very different for our family than it did a decade ago. I’m trying my best to believe that the changes we face are for our good, and there is a purpose in the ebb and flow of life.

Facing the unknown can feel scary, but I’m choosing to believe that God is always walking before us. And while the pain of life can feel unreasonable, there is a purpose in this, too. It can be easy to wallow in pity and have a bad attitude when we experience hardships, but it helps me to remember that this doesn’t help anything.

I’ve found that when I have a difficult time accepting and facing hard things, it’s because I’ve grown too attached to what’s around me, whether it be to this life itself or a small aspect of it. Attachment really can be the root of suffering.

Instead, it’s best to hold this life with an open hand, willing to give all of it back to God. I like the wisdom of Colossians 3:2:

“Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.

Of course while in these bodies we’re meant to fully participate in this life, but we should remember that focusing only on earthly things will lead to heartache. Remembering that there is more to life than meets the eye can help us to process life’s difficulties. Focusing on God helps me most of all.

I’ve been processing how to be compassionate while trusting God with whatever happens next. Oh, sometimes worry and confusion comes, but I try to not be too hard on myself. I think most of us are doing the best we can given our circumstances, and God sees this and so much more.

If you are facing any kind of hardship, I’d love to encourage you to hold it a little looser and simply trust. God has got you, friends!

Thank you so much for stopping by the blog today. If you’d like to check out my books, click here. Oh, and click here to visit my Etsy shop.