Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord; seeing that His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence. For by these He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, so that by them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust. 2 Peter 1:2-5 NASU

Tuesday, March 22, 2011

A New Normal

In recent months my little family has undergone huge changes.
Some of you may know me well, and some of you may not... here is a small glimpse into the last year of my life.

                “Mommy this is our new happy life.  We have to smile more, no more crying. “
                “I have 2 great parents and a wonderful family.”
                “The farm is a wonderful place to live and I love the horses, it’s also great that we see daddy.”
                “I love our puppy Enzo, he loves us so much.”
                “It was sad that our first puppy Rosco died but he is in heaven helping Jesus.”
                “Mommy we I didn’t realize school could be so great, our new school is awesome.”
                “Daddy, I hope you catch lots of deer when you hunt.” (he caught 3)
                “We miss Red Deer but we like our new happy life.”
                These were some of the comments that I heard  in the last few months from my 3 boys, and I think that it pretty much sums up some of the details of our last year.  To be honest we are so focused on the present and the bright future ahead that we don’t like to dwell on the past.   I will briefly go over our last year, but I am sure that most of you are aware of our current situation.  The purpose of this letter is to share with you where our little family has been and where we are headed and how we are so greatful and blessed.
The last 12 years have been full of ups and downs.  They were very stressful years.  I was becoming more and more unhealthy due to the toxic stress and he children were showing severe signs that the stress was affecting them as well.  With the strength and help from my family I made a decision that changed our lives.  After a tough summer that ended with me having an emotional breakdown, and my children in dire need of some major TLC, I made the decision to move the boys and I to the ranch.  Please know that without going into much detail that the decision wasn’t made lightly.   
August 2010.  I’m sure this month will be noted in our minds forever.  It was a month of CHANGE!  Good change.  I made decisions very quickly, and literally decided over night to leave and we didn’t turn back.  I made the effort to get emotionally healthy, and prayed for miracles that my sons would heal.  My prayers were answered and I had 3 miracles.  Each of my children were healed of the symptoms that were caused by anxiety and stress.  Praise God!  Mom and Dad graciously offered their basement suite to us to help us get on our feet.  We hope to move into the cabin on the property in the spring.  They are in the time of their lives where most individuals their age are retired and travelling.  They are blessed parents to us and VERY special.  Everyday they are caring for the needs of their children and grandchildren and are selflessly sacrificing their time to make sure we are all ok.  My precious mother and father have given us their time and their love daily.  They have been key in our healing.  The farm has been amazing and the boys LOVE the space, quads, horses and EVERYTHING else it has to offer.  Life is good.  It’s been a long time since I looked at the future with a smile and knew we’d be ok.
The boys and I are building a new life.  The boys love their new school, Olds Koinonia. (the school where my sibblings and I attended.)    They must love it because we leave the house at 7 30am and we arrive home around 4 30pm.  They are long days….but good ones!  I work as a part time Education Assistant.  We are a unique family unit.  Reid visits the boys weekly and we remain a “family”; we visit, and have fun and enjoy supper together.   The boys are happy and understand they have 2 parents who love them dearly and they have a wonderful family. 
Only through God could we have survived this year.  Only through God can we have such a unique family.   God has been good to us.   Did I expect what His blessings would be?  No.  But they are bountiful!   

1 comment:

  1. Thanks for sharing, Barb. You are a strong woman and it is so clear to see God's hand in your life. I praise God with you. Hugs. -Mel

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