Love in Action Journey

This past weekend I had a real full circle moment in my life, and it is my joy to share it with you. 2 weeks ago marked our little boys 7 year anniversaries of the day he was born, and the following day ... when he got to choose Heaven. As his mommy, I realised very early on that I get to choose how I negotiate such an immense loss. As a wife and mother to my 3 other darlings, my choice has been to be real, honest and true to myself by fully acknowledging the many layers of grief, but in so doing ... to embrace healing so that I can honour my son's legacy by choosing to live, laugh and embrace life this side of Heaven until I finally get to hold him again.  These last 7 years have continued to teach me how Jesus stands closest to the brokenhearted ... and that He is a Restorer to all who allow Him to hold them in His love through the healing process. A huge key to healing for me has been to not suppress the pain, but to work each moment of longing, sadness, anger, regret e...

13 years ago, God gave us the precious gift of a beloved first born daughter. In what feels like a blink of the eye, our "little bear" has stepped from childhood into becoming a precious, beautiful teenager this past weekend. This mommy is soaking in every little cuddle from my growing-up princess ...  And this daddy could not be any prouder of the gem that our Tianna is in all our lives ... I loved watching her soak in the joy of every moment of her day. From opening pressies ... To hanging with her special JHB cuzzies and family ... She appreciated every moment of her day! A total highlight was her "lumo" party that night. These sweet girls danced, swam, chatted, played ball and had SUCH fun. May they never loose their child-like simple joy of life. A "forever" moment for me was having all her family gathered around her to bless her as she stepped into becoming a young lady.  And it meant THE WORLD to ...

I can hardly believe it! Our precious baby boy is a big 1 years old today!  What a phenomenal year it has been, having the privilege of raising this treasured son of our hearts. He has brought nothing but absolute joy to all of us as a family.  He truly is an every-day reminder to us of the great love, faithfulness and goodness of our amazing God.  This little guy had such a fun day! He soaked it all in. From balloons, snuggles and pressies in the morning ... ... To a super special jungle-themed party at home ... I'm sure that finally being able to tuck into a super-yummy piece of cake ... lovingly made by Granny, was well worth the year long wait ;0) And best of all is the love of family! Once again ... from Brett and I, thank you to all of you who have walked with and cheered us on, celebrating God's amazing gift of love and restoration in our lives as a family. We stand tall in Him shouting out that "God IS good!" and th...

Christmas has always been my favourite time of the year. Even as a little girl my parents would entrust my sister and I with the privilege of decorating the tree. (Hats off to my sweet mom! I think I may just have a tad-little-ity-bittie control issues when it comes to the final look of the tree - I have to make myself step back and allow the girls artistic license on the tree ... but when they are no longer looking I confess that I can't help a little rearranging! It just HAS to look balanced, or I can't sleep peacefully! ha ha). Anyway - back to my non-controlling amazing mom who let us decorate the tree without fixing it ... I remember how my sis and I would spend hours going through those little boxes of ornaments, playing with the sweet figurines. There weren't a whole lot of them, and I don't remember us often adding to the collection, but that in itself made it such a sweet memory. Each of those little ornaments carried precious memories with them. I remember a ...

I can hardly believe that it has been exactly 2 years since Zac entered our lives and then a day later went home to Heaven. Yesterday was his 2nd birthday and today his 2nd "angelversary". These 2 days of the year especially allow me to reflect back and remember the moments that continue to impact our hearts. 2 years ago today I could barely breath. For the first time in my life I experienced what desperate longing truly felt like. My son had taken his last breath in my arms as I sang over him. It was the most peaceful, serene moment. There was no fear or panic or trauma. One moment he was looking into my eyes, and the next he was looking into Jesus' eyes. That moment was so sacred ... but it was the pain that came after when I realised that I would never be able to have the privilege of raising him this side of Heaven. There are no words for that kind of desperation. As a parent you would do anything to change things, but it is not in your hands. There are only a few ...

When Gabe was born, very precious friends of our blessed us with a family photo shoot. Thank you so much my special Jess and Brad Peens Photography for these precious pictures we will always treasure.  Our beautiful girls.  They seriously are such wonderful big sisters to their little brother!   Their joy is a beacon of God's faithfulness to restore all things.   I cannot tell you how much this little guy adores his big sisters.  This is one of my favourites. Each one holding a precious place in my heart.    And here are a few of our rainbow baby boy.   Gabriel: "Mighty man of God".  These next two show you EXACTLY what goes on at family photo shoots :) Because of that, they are amongst my faves! hee hee  hee hee hee.   And finally ... a winning shot of all eyes on the camera ;0) You are a hero Brad for all your patience!   These pics are so special to us. I wore ...