Skip to main content

About Me

My photo
Janine Claire Robinson
Port Elizabeth, South Africa
Welcome to my little writing corner. I count my many blessings to be a cherished wife and an ever-learning-loving-growing mother to 3 amazing children this side of Heaven and a precious little boy in Heaven. Together as a family we pastor a precious church community called Redeeming Hope Church. I've had the privilege of loving and following Jesus Christ since my earliest memories as a child. No matter what I've gone through in life, He has always been so present. At heart, I'm an encourager ... so this is a place where I get to wear my heart on my sleeve and share my journey of learning to live a life of love in action.

To the Guardian of our Hearts

I think it is safe to say that this week was a week of facing the anger phase head on in the grief process for me. I have to giggle when I think about how elaborately decorated my hubby and girls crowns are going to be when they get to Heaven one day, with all of the mood swings they have seen me go through with the pregnancy and all the hormones since. Yikes!!! Shiny crowns indeed. :0)
It's weird how those grief stages sneak up on you. One minute I am doing ok and then the next minute I am hit with so many different emotions so randomly. I picked up a book on dealing with loss that I was given to read. A few pages into it I wanted to throw it clean across the room because all of a sudden I realised once again that I am "that" mom having to figure out how to deal with living here without my little boy and also having to learn how to help my daughters process and heal from all this loss! In that split second I got really mad!!! I don't want my daughters to be heart broken!!! I don't want to watch them cry for their brother and ask me questions that I cannot answer. (I am seriously considering hunting down one of those Greek restaurants where you are allowed to smash plates ... LOTS of plates!). And then it happens ... peace rushes in like a gentle wave while the anger recedes as the Lord comforts my heart with the truth that He is the Guardian of my daughters tender little hearts and to confirm it, He opens my eyes to the sweet moments of what I do have this side of Heaven ... the privilege of being mommy to two of the bravest little girls I know, who even in the midst of the pain can show me how to laugh and smile as I watch them grow and listen to their laughter and banter.
Tianna and Angelee, you two little treasure girls are a gift from God to me. He has used you over and over to shape my heart & character and to experience the healing touch of our Awesome God. I know that your little brother sees and smiles when the Father allows him to glimpse you playing ... even as daddy and I count ourselves privileged to raise you and watch you grow. Oh how we love you!
And Father God ... thank you for facing each of the crazy emotions (and my reactions to them) with me and for guiding me with love and such tenderness. Even in the anger You do not condemn, instead you reach out and extend grace and love. Each day You find ways of showing me that You are the Guardian of our hearts. Thank you for giving me the most wonderful husband who is a pillar of strength with a heart fixed on You. Your Presence is so evident in our everyday lives ... You dwell with us and are seeing us through. Thank you for getting me through week 8. 
Love Janni xxx





Comments

EJN said…
Janine,
Dear One, wouldn't it be nice to take the most painful parts of life and lop them off? Thanks for sharing your heart, I am sorry that the road you are walking is weighted with grief. Trusting that God will give you more of Himself in the stead.
Grace, Peace and Love,
Jojo
Onlythemanager said…
Janine, I also thank you for sharing so openly. There are so many people living with grief. I think that your honesty makes the path of sorrow a bit less lonely for others.

Popular posts from this blog

Reasons to Celebrate

I am quickly typing this in between trying to pack up for Cape, and while packing I am having this to celebrate :0) What to celebrate you may ask ... well you would be amazed at how many amazing blessings you will discover of how good God has been to you when you start looking back and remembering what He has walked you through. Today I am celebrating many wonderful things! I am celebrating how no matter how dark certain moments have appeared to be, His light has ALWAYS broken through!!! Hope & Love have ALWAYS overcome the deepest of fears.  I am celebrating the precious family He has surrounded Brett and I with and the amazing friends and loved ones who have cheered us on and been praying us through. I celebrate how He has cocooned both my daughters hearts with the same peace He has cocooned Brett and my heart with and sheltered our precious family in constant hope of abundant life! I celebrate that as an extended family He has faithfully taught us all how to walk in victory

We are Seeing the Miracles Unfold!

Precious friends and family ... we are starting to see the miracles unfold! We just KNOW that we are living in the miracle :0) Yesterday we had a scan with the specialist who discovered and diagnosed all of Zac's heart defects in August. It's been about 6 weeks since the day we heard the horrible news. As you may remember, the defects she discovered that day in "that" heart were so complex ... not only one defect, but multiple! There was the issue of only 1 chamber; only seeing one major valve from the heart to the lungs where there must be 2 and then the complication of not being able to clearly see the arch of the aorta. What she saw of it, as well as  several other specialists, it looked too narrow and underdeveloped from what we could understand. When we came back from that first scan and spoke with our friend and paediatrician ... this was one of his biggest concerns. The aortic arch is so important in the functioning of the heart!  So before we went for the

The Day of Promise has Arrived

Precious friends ... The big day has finally arrived! Come 4pm today we will be taken into theater to meet our precious miracle son! Our hearts are filled with the Promises of our Beloved Jesus. This post is our hearts response of praise and adoration to Him because He has faithfully carried us through each day with "heart peace", strength, hope, faith and incredible love. He has coached us in how to stand leaning into His Almighty power, wisdom and goodness and has taken all the fear out of this journey. Today our hearts are soooooo excited. It is the day of promise ... Zac's appointed day to shine forth His Glory. As a family we want to thank each and every person and family who has lavished their love, encouragement and prayers to stand with us in looking to Jesus, the Great Physician in knitting Zac's inward parts intricately and wholly in my womb. We will keep you posted as we rejoice in great expectation at witnessing God's amazing love in action! Our eyes