Turning the Page to a Season of Joy

For the past several weeks, this space has been a sanctuary for my broken heart. Writing about Pepper, processing the agonizing silence of her absence, and sharing the battle between my head and my heart has been a huge part of my healing. Thank you for walking through that valley with me. But as I look ahead at the calendar, I feel a gentle nudge in my spirit. While I will always miss my sweet girl, I know I cannot camp out in the graveyard of what used to be.

So, I am making a conscious choice: I am not going to write about Pepper every single week for the next year. Please don’t get me wrong, I will def be writing about her again, she was such a big part of my life and taught me so many lessons which I will share along the way.

That doesn’t mean the love has faded, or that the memories are gone. It just means I am choosing to lift my eyes. Grief has a way of turning our vision completely inward, but God is pointing my gaze forward. And when I look at what is coming, my heart can’t help but skip a beat with anticipation. There is so much good on the horizon.

First and foremost: our family is expanding! We have not one, but two grandbabies on the way. I know right!!!

If you want to know how to instantly inject pure, unfiltered hope into a heavy season, just whisper the word “babies.” There is something so profoundly redemptive about new life. I am already imagining the tiny socks, the soft blankets, and the sweet chaos of holding those precious little ones in my arms. God is literally rewriting our family’s story with fresh joy, reminding us that even after the coldest winters, spring always finds a way to break through the soil.

With these new arrivals, our family gatherings are about to get a whole lot louder, messier, and infinitely sweeter. Family has always been my anchor, but in this next season, we are going to be celebrating like never before. We are entering a chapter of building new traditions, sharing deep belly laughs, and watching the next generation grow right before our eyes.

And speaking of joy…..if you know me at all, you will know that I am already counting down the days to Christmas.

I can already picture the living room lit by the warm glow of the trees (cause you know I have more than one!), the sound of family laughing in the kitchen, and the sheer magic of celebrating the holidays with grandbabies in the mix. Christmas is the ultimate reminder that light shines in the darkness, and the darkness cannot overcome it.

So, while limbo land is hard, and the sting of loss is still deep, the story doesn’t end there. I am choosing to actively look for the sunlight. From here on out, this blog is going to be a celebration of the beautiful, messy, joyful gifts God is pouring into my life, with the odd, sad post, because let’s be real…..hard still happens amongst the beautiful!