three purple hearts

Happy Easter from the ”temple” by our Missouri home. We have driven by this place so many times during our time living in Missouri. Ean, in particular, has been intrigued by it and insisted that we take Easter pictures there before we move away. It’s been an interesting few years in Missouri. And as I was reminded this morning, the good news was nonsensical. It was nonsense first to the disciples, so it shouldn’t be surprising that the church still struggles to hear new things that seem unbelievable. As our time in Kansas City draws to an end, I am thankful to have these two boys who serve as daily reminders of God’s faithfulness and the transformative work of the resurrection in my own life. I am so thankful for another sunrise. And even when I go trembling, I will continue to walk into them proclaiming love.

I am so glad that the pain of Friday and the silence of Saturday didn’t linger any longer than they did. And this year, more than ever before, I’m holding out hope for the coming sunrise. Not because of anything that this particular Sunday morning will hold… It’s really more a claiming of and clinging to the hope that not even the worst pain ends. This world is hurting, people are just trying to survive… myself included some days. But the sun rises. Every single day, the sun appears again. No matter how dark the night before. No matter how broken the heart. No matter how long the day felt. No matter what. The sun will rise in the morning. And there’s hope in that. This season has been strange. Change is constant. Loss abounds. The people and places that were safe and stable are different now. Darkness seems to hang on. Through it all, I hold onto the hope of all that is celebrated in the sunrise of the coming Sunday. Keep breathing, dear ones. When the structures you thought would supp...

Sean, his dad, and the boys loaded a truck yesterday, and I headed west. This morning, after a marathon signing session, we unloaded and begin the adventure in Wichita. The babbling brook in our front yard houses a fish the boys have named Cheeto. Flowers are blooming. There’s comfy places to sit inside and out. Life hasn’t fully transitioned yet, but today was a good start. Now we are exhausted. Finishing a project and enjoying the amenities of the home we will come to know and love in the months and years ahead. Then it’s off to bed… for tomorrow, real life beckons again. Thanks so much to Annette and Everett for housing me last night and showing up to help today. Without your faithful friendship my life would be very different.