Hello Lovely,

How has YOUR week been?!? It's Friday and I sure am thankful for that. We're sitting here watching Nature Cat, the pool man is cleaning the yard, our complex is still very desolate from the hurricane and I've been thinking a lot about survival this week. 

{ It's easy to survive a week, it's not easy to thrive in a week }

It's easy to maintain, it's easy to get up in and start the buzz of your day, it's easy to get tasks done, keep the kids from killing each other, put laundry in, prep dinner, rush here rush there, it's easy to get caught up, it's even easy to survive a natural disaster because our survival instincts and adrenaline kicks in and we do everything in our human strength to stay alive. We can be in the middle of the ocean being weighed down by a bag of bricks and we can fight to stay afloat, we can fight to survive. 

It's not easy to thrive.

For the first time ever, I could legitimately be terrified of the presidential elections and be scared for my life. I could easily kick into survival mode.

But I honestly don't think God wants us to just survive or live in fear. He sent His son to die on the cross so we could live abundant lives and thrive. 

I just hate when I get to bedtime and feel like I'm coming out of some kind of cloud from the day as if I missed the whole day. The goal isn't to get through the day alive and get the kids safely into bed every night. I so desperately want to be a mom who teaches my kids about the world around them, loves them deeply, speaks kindly even when my patience has run out, exudes the peace only Jesus can give me, chooses joy that only comes from putting my hope in Him. I want to be a mom who takes my kids on adventures and one day when they grow up they have memories of a mom who loved life and truly thrived. Jesus help me be that mom today and everyday. Let me have grace on myself when I screw up. Let me have grace for my kids when they need guidance. It's in You we put our HOPE. 

When the world is crumbling around us and our kids are falling apart, we put our hope in Jesus Christ.

My HOPE is built on nothing less than Jesus blood and righteous
My hope is built on nothing less
than Jesus' blood and righteousness.
I dare not trust the sweetest frame,
but wholly lean on Jesus' name.
On Christ the solid rock I stand,
all other ground is sinking sand;
all other ground is sinking sand.
When Darkness veils his lovely face,
I rest on his unchanging grace.
In every high and stormy gale,
my anchor holds within the veil.
 
One day He will come and sound His trumpet but for today we can be brave mamas who lean on Him. We took the kids to Shrimp Fest and survived the crowds but thrived in eating the food. Today I may be surviving our last week before house closing but I will thrive and take the kids out to enjoy nature. I will ask Jesus to fill me with His peace and joy and ask for help to speak kindly. Are YOU with me?

 <3 Love to you,
from the Island


Letter #6 Bee Brave in motherhood