I know, I know. It has been a hot minute (10 months to be exact…) since I have posted anything. Which is completely not normal for me. But hey, I’ve been really busy and overwhelmed. There will be more on that real soon, I promise. I have a couple posts that are in the works because I have finally had some time to breathe and write. But for now, here’s a really short story about where I’m at and what God is doing.

Tuesday morning, I woke up & remembered the dream I had that night so vividly. Which is very unusually, because honestly, I’ve only ever remembered maybe 3-4 dreams in my life.

In my dream, I was with a family who I’m close with. We were somewhere I did not recognize. I was playing with their kids.

When I woke up, I thought that’s weird-why were they in my dream?

I immediately felt like I should pray for them. So I did.

Then later during the day, I start thinking about them again. At some point during that afternoon I check my email and had an email update from them about a trip they just went on.

So, I decided I should send them a message and just let them know I’m thinking about them & praying for them & ask about their trip in more detail.

(We communicate via Voxer so it’s like a walkie talkie and can share longer stories when we talk.)

Wednesday night as I was listening to their stories of their trip & my heart exploded with thankfulness about the healing it brought to them. A few minutes later, God simply reminded me of the date. Late October. And it hit me on exactly why they were on my mind.

Two years ago, our lives changed forever.

Two years ago, I was supposed to be stepping on a plane & traveling to do life with them for the next 3 months in a country where they had called home for over 9 years. But instead they had 9 days to pack everything & move back to the states. And I was unable to even enter the country.

Our lives were completely turned upside down. And it was a hard season. Each day brings a little more healing. But somedays, sadness and questions still.

But as I continued to listen to their update, I thought about how I’m grateful for this friendship and how even through the healing we’ve grown closer. I’m thankful for how God is still using them in my life, and how God is still at work in both of our lives.

Reflecting on the past 2 years, here’s what I’ve learned;

1. God will bring healing in ways you never thought about.

2. God is faithful.

3. Although your life looks completely different than what you thought it should look like, joy can still be found.

4. Sometimes, the valley is deeper than you ever imagined. But God is always with you.

5. Just because you think you’re finally “okay”, doesn’t mean grief won’t come back & sneak in.

6. Christian clichés are the worst, please stop comforting people with them. It’s honestly better to just show up and be there than to actually say anything.

7. I don’t need anyone to “fix” anything, when I talk to you about what I’m going through most of the time I just need someone to listen. And then simply encourage.

8. God is so kind.

I’m grateful for the reminders that help me be intentional.

“Healing is not an overnight process, it is a daily cleansing of pain, it is a daily healing of your life.” – Leon Brown

Thanks for being on this journey with me the past 2 years (well, it is probably closer to 3 since most of you started walking with me during my preparation time) and thanks for your continued support & prayers. Keep an eye out for what’s to come- I promise more is coming soon! (hopefully you’ve been waiting and wondering what happened to me! Ha)