Teresa's Ponderings

Recently I had the opportunity to run in an inaugural 5K for WCIC (our local Contemporary Christian Radio station). To be honest, I don't even know why the race was being held. Maybe it was for a ministry the station is getting ready to do or it could have been a fundraiser for the station. I really have no idea, but when my friend, Naomi, sent me a text asking if I would run with her during her first 5K I jumped on the opportunity. I have been getting ready to go hike with my husband, Curt, at the end of his Appalachian Trail thru hike and I needed motivation. I signed up and then did zero running in preparation for the upcoming race. Well, that's only partially true. I went and ran a couple miles here and there, but they were halfhearted attempts at best and I really didn't give it my all. My thought process went something like this, "I've been running all summer. I've done strength training. I've been hiking. Whatever I'm able to do, I'll do....

I have to be very careful as I write this blog post. I want to give words of encouragement for many of our friends that are going through difficult times while holding fast to Psalm 19:14. It's a balancing act, especially since some of the lessons we have learned are still fresh events. As I ponder this past summer I do so with fresh wounds and scars, but immense growth. We don't become stronger without resistance and we have seen our fair share of growth recently. I wait with anticipation and longing for what God has planned and will use us to do. In the meantime, I have to keep myself in check and not guess or insert my own thoughts, doing so has gotten us in trouble in the past, but that's a lesson learned I'll discuss in just a moment.... And so, without any further delay, I give you the lessons I (possibly we) have learned this summer. 1) Do not live your life based on what others think you should be doing. This has nothing to do with God's call on our life...

I just watched him walk away. Ugh! This is hard. Of course, I did it to myself. I refused to drive away until the last little bit of him was out of sight and in the dense woods of the Appalachian Mountains, it didn't take long. As he climbed up the mountain I allowed the tears to fall. It wasn't that I had been holding them back by any means, but it was the moment that his yellow cap was no longer in view that I realized, again, how much I would miss seeing him. I just plain like him. He's my best friend. Drat. I'm crying again... As I began to drive away I started grappling with the millions of thoughts that came rushing through. So many things need done. I have a house to pack. One child with a dance recital this week. Another that has been begging me to stop by Shiloh on the way home. One kid to get packed up from college for the summer. And the last kid, man, he's going to kill me. I thought about how many days before we would see Curt again and I began ...

2016 What a year. It's been one of the most bizarre years I can ever remember. Most of America is ready for it to go away, but honestly, I'm not so sure next year is going to be much better. Or the next... Or the next <sigh> I've decided to take a personal look at 2016 and measure it based on memories we have made as a family. If I solely look at 2016 from a national or even global standpoint, I'm not sure I can remain positive, so here is my personal list of memories for 2016 in chronological order. January: My brother-in-law & stepdad graduated from fire school. Now, I'm not even going to pretend to know what the actual title was of what they graduated from, because I have no clue. What I do know; they worked really hard, for many hours, weeks, and months to achieve their goal of this moment. Their families also sacrificed in order for this graduation to happen and my hat is off to them all! My grandpa saw another trip around the sun to ...