Monday, October 26, 2015

It's Okay to Cry


“A CT scan is scheduled for Monday.”
When our pediatrician discovered an abnormality in our 13-month-old daughter’s abdomen, I drifted home in a state of shock. After walking through the front door, I locked myself in the bathroom and ran water in the tub as hot as I could stand it. I sought a safe place to cry, where only God could see.




Y'all, I'm a guest blogger with my dear friend, Norma Brumbaugh Wieland. 

If you'd like to read more of my story, please head over to her website
Blessed by you,
Shelli

Wednesday, October 14, 2015

From Broken to Mended


It's been pressing on her for a year. Painfully.

That metal piece of whatever you want to call it--expander, though I've called it every name in the book that starts with an "e" and ends with an "er"--served its useful purpose. It broke her. It really broke her. Even her allergies improved.

But boy, it was painful. The piece of metal made it hard to eat. She couldn't feel the roof of her mouth. Did she have any space left in her mouth at all?

It weighed on her heavily for a whole year. A whole year.

"It'll come off next month."

"No, it'll come off next month."

She sat down ... lay back. Hands of relief surround her.





"It's coming off today. It's really coming off," they say.

Feet up.




Relief at last.

Little girl smiles. She feels around in her mouth ... space she forgot she had.

"We won't do anything else today. We'll give it time to heal--see what movement takes place."

Little girl jumps up, leaving all behind, to brush her teeth ... brush all that was broken ... the roof of her mouth ... and rinse. Cleansed. 

She feels the cuts--where metal bore down into flesh, impressing, changing. But she can feel. She can feel once again.




Sometimes we have to be broken before we can mend.

Necessary change. And we wonder when we'll find relief.

And then we hear spoken, "Today's the day."

Sometimes we have to fall back into the hands that are capable.

We leave all behind ... all behind that hinders, binds, hurts, cuts.

We feel the impressions, the change.

But we can feel. Really feel.


Tuesday, October 6, 2015

Just Be You


Hello! I've had the sweetest blog interruption by the name of Jennifer Major. She's my dear Canadian friend who came to Texas for a writer's conference and stayed with me a few days in the name of research. 

I met Jennifer two years ago and love every invitation to Skype with her. So spending time with her in real life was such a blessing. Why? She's Jennifer. She's real. She doesn't try to be someone she isn't ... she's the real deal. She makes me laugh. She tells it like it is. She loves to tease me about my accent (don't tell her, but I love the attention). She loves God. She treated my girls like they were her very own. She's been a huge encouragement to me on my writing journey. And I'm just so thankful to God for her. She even went to church with me ... and I almost had to pinch myself ... Jennifer sitting in church with me. 


This video is just us being flat out silly. But I hope you enjoy it anyway. I can't watch it without giggling. 



Our expressions here are priceless.

On her first night at our home, she was braiding my daughters' hair when we heard fire trucks pass by. We live out in the country, so we knew something was wrong. Our neighbor's home burned completely to the ground. We were all in shock and can only imagine how that precious family is feeling. Please keep the Rogers family in your prayers. And pray for our family as we seek to approach them, serve them, and pray for them through this time.





Then, we went to Mexia, Texas, for Jennifer's research at Fort Parker State Park ...




We played Scrabble, and hands down, Jennifer is the queen of Scrabble ...




We met our dear writer friend, Becky Wade, at a book-signing and had dinner with her. She is amazing, and I just finished reading her book, My Stubborn Heart ... I read it and then re-read it ... it was so good. So good! I can tell that she'll be one of my favorite authors.




Lastly, the American Christian Fiction Writer's conference was everything I ever imagined. I have so many great photos, but here are pictures of two of my writer friends, who are sharing this journey with me. They encourage me every single day. Meeting them in person was the highlight of my year, no doubt. 

Jeanne

Jennifer

So, I've had a busy last three weeks. And it's been glorious. 

What did I learn? That God always shows up to meet you right where you are. You don't have to be a best selling author for writers to love on you or help you. 

You just be you.