Friday has arrived again, and we pause to reflect on the good gifts God has given us this week. Today Sarah Trent shares with us a few things for which she is thankful. Sarah and her husband Shawn are transplants from Ohio. They moved West after they got married and now consider Oregon their home. Sarah works sales in the tech world, but her heart and passion is for animals. She majored in equine studies in college and continues to work with horses. She and Shawn have attended UFC for about seven years, and Sarah regularly sings with the worship team. We love many things about Sarah, but just two are her beautiful smile and good hugs.
Time with my husband Shawn! Being housebound since March has not just increased our time together, but has inspired more communication, more affection, and more quality time together. We have also had the opportunity to speak together about our daughter’s schooling and what that should look like. Many of these conversations have never happened before. We are truly living life together, and this time is a blessing.
Emily and Friends. Emily has this figured out. She cuddled up with her stuffies this week to watch a movie. I love seeing her antics up close as she learns how to be joyful in the midst of loneliness, which our family faces at times. Currently, Emily is an only child, and all of our extended family lives far away out of state. There are times the distance is necessary and times it is painful. We have also said goodbye to two sets of dear friends as they have followed God’s path for them in different states. We are happy for them, but sad to say goodbye. This quarantine has brought more lonely moments than usual, so please believe me, I’m very thankful for everyone reading this! God has reminded me to work on going deeper with the friendships I have, across the miles and locally. We adore our church family and are looking forward to doing more with you in the days to come.
Smokey. Everyday Smokey greets me with a trill and a rub. He’s often purring, and he loves to cuddle. We rescued him in 2010, and he has shown a never-ending spirit of gratitude. His antics and lovingkindness break through the dark emotional storms that can roll through these days and remind me the journey is worth it. The hard work is worth it. God is in far greater control than I can ever hope to be. I’m so thankful for a fuzzy little guy who reminds me that life isn’t all bad when you can laugh at it. In fact, it’s pretty good.
So thankful for our Village! There are so many stories I can tell you about this guy. Ask me sometime! If you talk to anyone who has been around horses, you have heard they are hard work. Much like a child, it takes a village to care for a big guy like this. It took me 10 years to find his trustworthy village. It consists of our coach, our vet, our farrier, our caretaker/ honorary grammy and the new barn manager. Each of these people work with a team in their own right, and the only way I’m not stressed out about not seeing him consistently right now is because I trust his village. I know beyond a shadow of a doubt he is getting the best care on every level because his village has heart.
Butterflies. This week we were very blessed to release some newly hatched butterflies into our garden! A dear friend is a teacher, and her class raised these caterpillars this year. But school closed before they hatched. It was such a treat to let these beautiful creatures stretch their wings in our backyard in between raindrops. We did it as a family and watched as they fluttered away onto a new future. I am reminded that no matter the circumstances, life does continue.