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Truly Yours, Jen

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To My Friend Who Would Rather Not Do Christmas This Holiday Season

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Hi there! I’m Jen, and I am so glad you are here. I write about faith, family, parenting, friendship, forgiveness, and my own struggles and joys in life (with a few recipes and decorating tips thrown in for fun). I hope my writing is like reading a letter from a friend, and that it brings you encouragement. Life is messy. We are all a little messy. Thankfully, God loves us through it all. Thank you for being here!
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These girls mean so much to me. When they were i

These girls mean so much to me.

When they were in seventh grade, we started meeting once a month in our dining room for a Bible study.

I wasn’t sure at that time if it would last a few months, a year, or maybe more. I wasn’t sire, but I knew this time with them was a gift.

Now, five years later, as they come to the end of their junior year, we are still gathering around this table.

Today, as we talked and laughed and ate and prayed, I looked at each of their faces and once again was reminded of what a gift it is to have this time with them. To be able to hear what is happening in their lives and to be able to pray for them in whatever they are facing.

They have all grown and changed so much over the years, but their hearts have remained the same. They are sweet and kind and loving and they encourage one another when we gather together.

I told them today that next year, when they graduate, I will need a picture of all of them together with their caps and gowns. I warned them I would most definitely be crying and as I said those words I choked back my tears.

I am so grateful they are still willing to come together for this time of study and prayer. It is a gift to have had these five years with them. To watch them grow into the beautiful people God made them to be.

I thank God for these girls.
And for our time spent around this table.

Those are your people. 💗

Those are your people. 💗

This week has held so much. And my heart could no

This week has held so much.
And my heart could not be more full.

One wedding.
My aunt and uncle in from out of town.
A surprise 70th Birthday party for my mom.
A show choir competition
Four Birthdays
A stop at Buc-ee's (always worth noting)
St. Patrick’s Day made complete by my two Patricks.
Time spent in four different states.
One St. Patrick’s Day parade.
34 hours of driving.

It has been an absolute whirlwind. A joy-filled, laughter-filled, candle blowing out, dancing, singing, feet in the sand, eyes on the mountains, traveling circus whirlwind.

Leading up to this week, I thought - How in the world are we going to do all of this?
But we did.
Day by day. Minute by minute. Second by second.

And it was absolutely worth every second spent of planning and every minute spent in the car and every somewhat unnecessary souvenir bought at Buc-ee’s.

These are the moments we remember years down the road.
These are the memories we hold close to our hearts and cherish in the late hours of the night before our heads hit the pillow.

We will never regret time spent in the company of those we love.
We will never regret celebrating the people in our lives.
We will never regret turning an ordinary moment into an extraordinary one with our silliness and our laughter and our arms around one another.

These are the moments we hold on to when life feels shaky and the world becomes a bit unsteady.

These are the moments we return to time and time again when we flip through the card catalogs of our minds.

The moments when time seems to stand still.
Squeezing every last drop we possibly can.

In the precious company of those we love.

When she was a baby, I would place her in the arms

When she was a baby, I would place her in the arms of friends and family members and inevitably hear the words, “I think we are bonding. She really likes me.”

I never had the heart to let people know this was her gift. It wasn’t unique to a certain individual. It was just how she made people feel, and this is how she still makes people feel today.

When you are with her, you feel loved. You feel seen. You feel heard.

She radiates joy and kindness and has the very best, most authentic smile.

When she looks at you and smiles, you can feel her love radiating from her, and you know you are in the presence of someone special.

There was a moment a few weeks ago when I thought I may lose her. It was the hardest thing I have experienced as a parent and has changed my perspective on so many things.

Today we are celebrating another beautiful year around the sun for this precious soul. And I thank God for letting me be a part of her journey. Being her mom is one of the greatest gifts I have been given.

Happy Birthday, sweet girl. I love you so.

🤯🤯🤯 (From @empoweredmomsandkids )

🤯🤯🤯

(From @empoweredmomsandkids )

One beautiful life 💗

One beautiful life 💗

My cousin passed away a little over six months ago

My cousin passed away a little over six months ago.
It still feels so surreal to say those words.

Growing up, our families were together all the time, but over the past couple of decades, life and time and schedules and busyness did the things they do and we didn’t see each other as much as we all would have liked.

Since his passing, that has changed.

Because sometimes when we are faced with tragedy, those things that matter become so much more clear.

And being with those we love has a new sense of importance and urgency and while the busyness of life and our hectic schedules still remain, we know we need to make the time.

We don’t want to miss it.

This weekend, my aunt and uncle flew in to surprise my mom for her Birthday. Being together does all of our hearts so good. When my mom saw her little brother walk through the door, the tears instantly began to flow.

This weekend meant so much.
We were together.
In celebration. In grief. In joy. In heartache.
With those we love.

Because life is short.
And we don’t want to miss it

Instagram post 17955975269298555

Instagram post 17955975269298555

👏👏 Love this 💗💗 from @christine_dereng

👏👏 Love this 💗💗
from @christine_derengowski_writer

These are my people. And I thank God for them eve

These are my people.
And I thank God for them every day. 💕

Today, the kids received an unexpected gift of a d

Today, the kids received an unexpected gift of a day off school. We are expecting storms at some point, but for now it’s just some rain and wind.

So what do you do when you have a day off and the rain is falling, but the storm hasn’t arrived?

You grab your jump rope and start jumping. That’s what!

I love it when my kids play in the rain.
I feel like I can learn so much from them.

Today, I’m reminded that even if a storm is on the horizon - you can still find a reason to smile. You can be brave. You can get out there.

You can find joy.
Even in the rain.

Just by being you 💕

Just by being you 💕

This book should be arriving at my door any day no

This book should be arriving at my door any day now.

I’ve wondered what my reaction will be when it’s finally in my hands? When I open the pages and see the stories I’ve written printed on paper. When I hold this dream realized. Will there be tears? Will I jump up and down with joy?

Probably a little of both.

All I know is that God’s timing is not lost on me.

Sometimes, we get so hung up on our goals and our dreams and the next thing we want to accomplish that we forget to celebrate the milestone that is right in front of our eyes.

This is where I am today friends.
I had forgotten.
And I am returning.

I am anticipating the day when this book will arrive.
And trying not to worry about what comes next.

Because a dream of mine is about to come true.

And that is worth celebrating.

@herviewfromhome

#sogodmadeamother

There are a few things in life I am certain of.

There are a few things in life I am certain of.

I am certain there is a God above and that He loves us infinitely more than we can comprehend with our limited human understanding.

I am certain there is nothing we can do that is beyond His forgiveness.

I am certain that even that thing you feel like nobody can know about that you work so hard to hide is also forgiven. Even that.

I am certain even though people can be mean sometimes, if we stop and pay attention we will see there is actually much more goodness and kindness to be found in the world than the nastiness that we sometimes focus on.

I am certain unconditional love is the greatest gift we have to give. And the greatest to receive.

And I am certain in whatever we face in life, we can always return to our Heavenly Father and He will be waiting for us with open arms. Always.

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