How badly I wish I could go back and talk to my old self. My 25 year old self, a brand new military wife waking up in lower Alabama, trying to make sense of this new life away from everything familiar. My 27 year old self, with a newborn baby, saying goodbye to my husband for a year and facing devastating tragedy while running his FRG. My 30 year-old self, moving out of one home and into another, with two little ones strapped into their carseats, one carload at time while Nick was deployed. My 32 year old self, with four children under four, unexpectedly celebrating Christmas alone after yet another blow-out deployment. Those years were so brutal, though I wouldn’t change them for anything. God is HARD at work on me. I would tell myself to stay strong, and that God has bigger plans for you than you could possibly dream up yourself: One day, you will drop your Emmy off at Jensen Ranch Elementary School for her first day of first grade, in the classroom right next-door to Mom’s. And just a few classrooms away are her best friends and cousins. And your beautiful sister will be there too, to give you a hug and love on you to ease the first day jitters. God is SO GOOD. Rejoicing in my bountiful blessings...
