30 Days of Thankfulness - Day 5: My Mom

Day 5 goes to my mom. I'm so very thankful for my mom. My mom and I used to butt heads a lot while I was growing up, but her kindness, gentleness, and servant's heart have always stuck with me. She has been such a great example of the wife I wanted to become and the mother I hope to be to my daughter and other future children.

She's one of my best friends after I started living on my own. I enjoy all of the conversations we have and the photos of the funny cats she sends. I look forward to having her visit and getting to meet her granddaughter as we share the joys of being mothers together.

I love you, Momma! Thanks for being a great mom and friend. I wouldn't have turned out to be the person I am without you.

Oh the Places You Go

First day on the road (WA State)

People always ask us why we made a decision to move to Florida, which seems so drastic. I feel like now that Josh and I are a little bit settled down in Florida (and I have a day off work) I can share how God brought us to Florida.

This past year we celebrated our first year of marriage. In that year, God has allowed us to refine our family vision that we started talking about when we were dating and figuring out whether the life we hoped to live would match up. Thankfully, our visions were and still are the same. Because family is important to the both of us, we've been listening to God's call and felt his pull to move to Florida.

How the Idea of Moving Came to Us

Church with a huge cross in Texas we passed

The idea of moving to Florida wasn't a moment where we closed our eyes, spun ourselves in a circle, and then put our finger on a map. Our move to Florida is a work of God. God came to us individually about this and we both wrestled with this internally before we shared this with each other. Neither of us initially wanted to move because it would mean we would be leaving Josh's family and it didn't help that my cross country move to Washington was pretty traumatic even though I've never shared that publicly online.

We felt like God was calling us to move for many reasons one of those being the atrociously high costs of the Washington housing market. We wouldn't be able to afford buying a home for several years if we stayed and I would have to continue working despite our decision for me to homeschool our children. Florida has the potential for us to not only buy a home, but also build one that is a multi-generational home where we could end up taking care of our parents later in the future but also use our home as a ministry. 

Despite knowing this fact, we came to the conclusion that if God is truly calling us to move we would give time for the decision, continue being open to the idea that He wants us to move Florida, and seek counsel from our loved ones and others affected by this decision. Over the course of a year, God has given us some of the biggest signs that would be clear to us that He wants us to continue pursuing this move.

Family First

Red Cat Café menu board in Birmingham, AL

It was important for us that both our families were onboard with our plans. If they weren't onboard, we knew this was a clear sign that God did not want us to pursue the idea of moving away from family. We were honestly surprised with their responses. It turns out Josh's parents and grandmother want to move as well, but it'll probably take them about 3-5 years once Josh's dad is able to retire.

With living on the opposite side of the country from my family, it's hard to find affordable plane tickets from Washington to Pennsylvania. If we fly from Florida, it's a third of the cost on plane tickets, which makes it much easier to see my family. For visiting Washington, we can probably make it cheaper for us when Josh's company flies him out and pays for a hotel and car rental for us. All we'd have to pay is for my plane ticket (and "lap child" tax).

Work-Life Balance

One of the other concerns where we thought God might cause a red flag was our jobs. My job I was currently working at the time wouldn't have been a problem, but my new job was more than happy for me to be thinking about moving to the same time zone. It was Josh's job that we weren't sure would be on board with us moving to Florida. It turned out that Josh's company thought the move was beneficial for them since they needed IT presence in the east coast.

And Now We're in Florida

Made it to Florida!

Several other pieces aligned for us perfectly, too. With my new job, it doubled my income and allowed us to save exactly what we needed to get movers to ship our stuff across the country and to get us there. He has given us peace, especially for me, during a time that isn't easy. The road trip was as safe and easy as it can be, which was something I had wrestled with for weeks before this move. And despite being at the end of my second trimester, God has given me good health where I feel fairly normal and I am functioning during all these changes.

In front of our new home

God has blessed us immensely and has been reminding us in the last month with continued blessings through His provision. When we look out our windows in our living room, we have a clear view of a giant cross a few miles away, which gave us peace knowing that God has been with us and continues to be with us.

We've only tried one church out the past 2 weeks and the sermons series that the pastor is sharing is all about hearing and listening to God. It has been validating to us as we've had some moments of "Is this really God or is this our own selfish desires?" In yesterday's sermon, the pastor listed off how to determine if a decision is God inspired or if it's our selfishness, which included

• Your thinking aligns with God's Word (2 Corinthians 6:14-16)
• Your thinking aligns with Godly counsel
• Your thinking aligns with time - Don't be in a hurry
• Your thinking with God's purposes (Romans 8:28, 11:36, James 4:3)
• Your thinking aligns with peace (John 14:26-27, 16:33, Philippians 4:6-7)

As we listened, we both took in all that the pastor said and both felt comforted that what the Bible says we're following God's, and He wants us to know not to be downhearted about missing family and friends we left in Washington for this move since we'll still be able to see them again when we visit.

The birthing center where our daughter will be born

Finally, I was able to quickly get into the birthing center that I researched like crazy so that I could get the best care for me and our daughter during these last few months. It's honestly a God thing. Thankfully, it didn't cost a fortune for the rest of the care and labor and delivery fees, which are all paid. I know a lot of new moms are afraid of childbirth, but I walked out of my consultation with confidence and peace with our decision. I'm surprisingly at peace with the idea of childbirth and plan to use this experience as a way to thank God that He has given me a body that has cared so well for this baby despite how much my health suffered in the past. I'm enjoying every little kick and tickle this little girl gives me as we count down the weeks when we can finally meet our daughter and take her home with us.

Mother's Day Tribute to a Warrior of a Woman

I decided to write this on Mother's Day because I thought it to be the most appropriate. I believe that I grew up in a family that would be identified as warriors in this time and age. We do hard things and we don’t give up when times are tough. It seems that people always mention my dad’s side of the family being warriors because there are so many more than my mom always had. I have always seen that my dad’s side as having more visible ways of showing our warrior qualities but not intentionally because that’s how we all grew up. We learned to have integrity, be respectful, rise above any challenge, and love the Lord in all we do. When I think of a warrior, my first thought is always my mom. She is what I call a “silent warrior.” She is shy and very soft-spoken who loves to serve and be there for you when you need someone to talk to, but she has this silent strength that not many people see in her.

I know that Mother’s Day is one of the happiest and saddest days for my mom. It is one of the happiest days because she has three children who she adores. But, also the saddest because she hasn’t gotten to spend this day with her own mother for the past 31 years. I see the picture of my maternal grandmother, who I have never met, every year that she shares on Facebook wishing her a Happy Mother’s Day. I can’t imagine life without my mom so I can’t imagine how she feels on Mother’s Day. My heart aches for her.

My mom has so much strength she hides through her quiet and loving personality that people don’t realize what a warrior she truly is. Over the years, I have heard her testimony in different snippets of my life. I am in awe of the love and trust she has for the Lord despite everything she’s been through her entire life. I have been through some difficult things in my life, but when I see my mother or think about her, I realize that she has been through much more difficult circumstances and still follows the Lord faithfully today. She is one of my heroes that I look up to in life.

I am not at liberty to tell her testimony, but I would love to be by her side when she shares it with others because despite all she has been through she is the kindest most giving person you can meet. I know that my mother started to really learn how to be strong, courageous, and love the Lord with all her heart through the short 16 years my mother got to spend with her mother. My maternal grandmother had such an impact on her life that my mom had decided that her first daughter would be named after her mother, which is the reason why my name is Marilyn. Sometimes I think about how much weight my name carries to my family, especially to my mother, so I try to carry it with as much integrity, respect, perseverance, and love for the Lord that both my mother and maternal grandmother have. It is extremely humbling that I was given such a name of high importance for someone who is very close to me. I would have loved to meet and get to know my mother’s mother, but I know this life is temporary and there is something so much greater waiting for me where both my mother and grandmother will be waiting for me with open arms.

My mom around 7 or 8 with her mother, Marilyn, and grandmother, Marion.

One of the many things in common that my mom and I enjoy is playing the violin. This was after one of my high school string concerts.

It always seems that my mom is the happiest when she has a little baby in her arms. This picture is when my little sister was a newborn, which is one of my favorite pictures of my mother.