In September 2015 I began attending a MOPS (Mothers of Pre Schoolers) group near my house. It was hosted by a local church, but not the church we called home. I attended for about a year (well, 2 semesters), but in May 2016 when the year ended, the leader stepped down and a new leader could not be found (and MOPS appeared to have taken several steps away from their roots as a gospel-centered ministry), and the ministry at that church disbanded. It was then that I began to realize I couldn’t possibly be the only mom at my church who felt the need for this vital ministry and fellowship.

November was a busy month of travel for us. My husband was out of town for work for almost a week, and then immediately after he returned, I traveled by plane across the country to visit my sister who I hadn’t seen in almost 2 years. After we returned from that flight, we all packed in the car and traveled by car 9 hours to PA for Thanksgiving. In hindsight, busy doesn’t even seem to be the right word for all that traveling madness… I’m glad I didn’t have to do all that traveling alone with two kids!

Before I had Nora, I traveled alone with Claire quite a bit. I mostly flew, and each time I got better at it. I used what I learned from traveling alone with 1 to hone in on what I would need traveling with two kids, and that became my starting point.

Happy NEW Year! “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come!” 2 Corinthians 5:17 (ESV)

* / / b e h o l d / / * . . The old has PASSED AWAY. The NEW has come. Bye, 2017: good, bad, ugly, indifferent. Bye, old you: broken, shattered, torn. BEHOLD: newness. New you, a new creation in Christ. New year. New possibilities. New opportunities. Newness. Because of HIM. Praying as this year closes and the new one comes, that you learn His new mercies every morning. His great love for you. His fullness. His grace, upon grace, upon grace. New. Because of Him, newness comes. And soon, one day, eternity with Him. No crying, no tears, only joy. Until then, behold. . . #theoldhasgone #newhascome #newyear #newcreation #becauseofjesus #grace #mercy #believe #faith #happynewyear #2018 #behold #resolution #bibleverse #hny #nye #newyear #newyou

A post shared by cαιтℓιη ✿ wαℊηℯr (@caitielin34) on Dec 31, 2017 at 10:56am PST

What newness are you seeking this coming year? Are you a new creation?

The other night I had dinner with the sweetest couple whose son was stillborn in August. Their desire to show compassion to others, their new outlook on life in spite of their grief, and their growing love for each other were inspiring. My heart was heavy, yet full. I cried when I stood in his nursery, complete but never used for its intended purpose.

They are living my nightmare, yet they are more than surviving. They are healing, at their exact right pace, and they are doing it with grace. I intended to bless them with a meal and friendship, and in their tragedy, they ministered to me. Grief is funny that way.