Happy July!

Hello all! I know you simply won't believe this but we STILL have little ones with fevers in our house. Sigh. I so thought we were on the mend when we ventured out to our neighborhood parade and local library. At least we had a great time out of the house for a bit and got some super cute pics. 

I just know we are on our way to some easier, happier days. We so appreciate your prayers for healing of our little family in the meantime. Hope you are all off to a great weekend!

Isla, 14 months & big sister Teagan, 3 years

Shanna & Baby, Dave, Liam and Caleb

Caleb shows off his first car to buddies Grayson, Jackson and little brother, Liam. This picture cracks me up! Oh mon dieu. They will be driving in no time. 

Natasha and Lera having so much fun!

Beautiful Mamas! I LOVE Krissy's dress!

Big love for this sweet family! Natasha, Lera and Daddy Scott!

She Speaks

She Speaks

I love this

She Speaks

....evoking images of empowerment

A message

A woman, determined

Unstoppable

In just a few days I will attend my first ever writing conference. She Speaks 2012. I think for all of the 650 women attending from around the world it is sure to be a blessed time. One we will surely not want to see come to an end. I can't wait for new friendships found, to meet the writers and speakers of tomorrow, an inspiration that will carry me through the weeks and months to follow!

For me? 

It's a declaration

I am putting myself "out" there as God's daughter
Ready to grow His kingdom

On His mission

Whatever that may be 

Full of passion

And hope

In my mother's honor. She so wanted this for me. 

I Am Able

We are STILL recovering from this crazy virus. I thought I'd share a post I originally wrote when I was pregnant with little Isla. It seems like yesterday! Hope you enjoy and are having a great week!

__________

Re-posted from April 15, 2011

Hello friends! Today I am guest blogging on CMF's site and really excited! A big welcome to any readers who may have popped over from there. Teagan's Travels is our family blog that captures the adventures of an Irish father, American mom, our two year old daughter Teagan and the arrival of our baby who will be here THIS Wednesday! Topics include those concerning motherhood, toddler fun, our home, entertaining and our faith. This is a place where I hope others will be encouraged and where I find encouragement from readers too. I hope you will stay a while and come back often!

Recently my pregnant self had a long day where Teagan just simply could not and would not take a nap for any amount of love or money. After giving her a lengthy dinner that included almost as much applesauce in her hair as in her tum it was time for a bath. As I ran here and there prepping her and the tub my husband passed me in the hall and asked jovially, "Are you having fun?" Hmpf? Fun? I grumpily answered sure before making my way back to the bath. I still had bills to pay, the kitchen to clean, laundry to fold, rooms to tidy and a neglected to do list for the new baby's arrival to review before I could even think about calling it a day. Fun wasn't exactly what I was having and I was pretty miffed that (on this particular night) he wasn't helping out! But as I made my way briskly down the hall I felt God giving a powerful tug to my heart that almost made me stop in my tracks. It said simply: I.Am.Able.

That simple phrase took me back to a bible study I had with a great group of mom friends about a year ago where we talked about this very topic while studying Lysa TerKeurst's Becoming More Than a Good Bible Study Girl. The gist of the study focused on how it is hard to stay in the moment at times, to be thankful for a sticky table and endless cycle of dishes to wash. But we talked about the power of reframing our thinking so we could be blessed with a new perspective, one that brings joy and thankfulness for all we have and all we do.

So on this night I was able. Instead of being grumpy I opened my eyes to a new perspective. After all, here I was giving my precious two-year old daughter a Dora Bubble bubble bath which gave her such joy as she splished, splashed, played and giggled with delight. It was my chance to wash her little ears and toes and tummy. A chance to marvel at how big she's gotten on the eve of her second birthday. Sure I was tired after a long day but I suddenly remembered those years when we struggled to have a baby and I would have given anything - any free time, any Saturday night, any amount of sleep just to have a little one look up at me with such joy in her eyes and call me Mommy.

As I settled in for a happy, relaxed bath time with Teagan I began to think of other things I am glad I am able to do. I am happy that I have a home to clean. I am so grateful that I have more than one set of clothes to wash...and while I am at it, a washer and dryer that work like a charm and make it easy. I learned from my days of living in a foreign country how difficult it can be to do one load of wash when you have to boil water on the stove, transfer it to a balcony outside where a low tech washer awaits and then wait for your clothes to dry during on a line...during monsoon season.

And those bills? That night I became thankful for money to pay them when times are tough on so many people in this economy. I became thankful I live in a place where we are safe from danger and war, where we can worship our God freely and without fear that we will be hurt or arrested. And on that night I reallystretched my thinking and became thankful I could exercise my body on a planned walk the next morning. That even in my third trimester state that has me moving at a snail's pace that I have two legs that work.

Now, I would love to hear from you! What sweet friends are you happy you are able to do today?

God, thank you so much for the many blessings great and small that you have given me in my life. Please help me to have a spirit of thankfulness and awareness as I move through my busy days.

A Rest

I hope all are having a great weekend. Our poor house is still on the mend. Days into this virus we still have fevers and have moved on to throwing up. Blah. So today is a quiet day full of reading, puzzles and (please God) lots of naps.

I've wanted to share some pictures we took of the cousins together when we were in town for my mom's service. I only got to edit two photos before the virus hit our house so I'll share those today.

Kade and Teagan are convinced they are brother and sister...and I wouldn't want it any other way.

I love our five year old boy!

Big hugs to all and I pray you are having a blessed Sunday. We could sure use prayer for healing in our house and in my sister, Melissa's house as she and Kade have the same virus. Please leave a prayer request in the comments section below and I will pray for you as well!

Off to bed!
Michelle

Look To Me

          
I lift my eyes to the mountains-
where does my help come from?
My help comes from the Lord, 
the Maker of heaven and earth.
Psalm 121: 1-3

Who is with me that June 2012 has been a most trying month?  We’d just returned from my mom and stepmother’s funerals when our house was hit with a pretty fierce respiratory virus.  And just as I thought we were heading into a decent weekend, Teagan and I began throwing up this morning.  While the virus has left our family depleted, it has made us even more grateful for my girlfriends who have so sweetly continued to shower us with love and family meals again this week.

Depleted.

That is a great word to describe my emotional and physical status today.  I admit the grieving process was so much easier at the beginning of this week when I could get outside and run errands in an attempt to get our family back to normal.

With the virus in full swing we’ve been confined at home where I am surrounded by life filled with reminders of Shirley and mom, their absence magnified.  Toys they gave to the kids, pictures, trinkets, treasures…they all somehow remind me of them.

At times I’ve woken from a sleep, panicked at the realization that they are gone from this world.  And I wonder, what is God’s plan for me?  Will it be five, twenty, or forty years before we meet again in heaven? At times I breathe faster thinking, “How can I “do” life without these women in my day???”   And then I admonish myself for not remembering my blessings. Don’t I owe it to God, my husband and children to live in these treasured moments, regardless of loss?  Is it a sin to be so sad knowing the wonderful place they are in?  Shouldn’t I be able to rely on His promise of a glorious eternity with the knowledge that we are just vapours, here on earth for such a short time?

But then, what to do with moments, such as clearing most of the 82 messages on my answering machine? Moments that leave me mesmerized, desperately yearning to hold on to mom and Shirley’s voices forever…

Yes, I’d planned a different post for today.   One that was more upbeat.  Positive me.  Looking forward to a fun July and all of the summer fun that goes with it...but I feel God is whispering over and over a different message to me:

      Look.To.Me

Look to me….when you are physically weak

Look to me…when your heart is aching
Look to me …when you feel lost
Look to me…and I will use this sadness to make you stronger
Look to me…and I will always triumph over worldly concerns
Look to me…and I will show you joy

My mother shared this verse with me after her first surgery.  She loved it and what a comfort it provides to me today:

So do not fear, for I am with you;

do not be dismayed, for I am your God. 

I will strengthen you and help you;

I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

Isaiah 41:10

As our day gets moving, albeit slowly here, will you join me in looking to God?  Will you ask for His help if like mine, your soul needs to be restored?  Will you rely on Him if you have little physical stamina and strength?  Can we place our trust in Him together, knowing that He has a plan for us that is good, and will bless us?

Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.

Romans 12:12

God, please help us to turn to You.  Only you, when our hearts are sad.  Help us to rely on you when we have little strength. Thank you for triumphing over the world, over the lies and obstacles Satan places in our paths during these times to lead us further away from you. 

I am so excited that my senior pastor will be teaching words of encouragement this weekend that will no doubt help during times just as these!! Praise God for His wonderful timing which knows what messages our hearts need most.  In the meantime, if you have a prayer request it would be my privilege to pray for you and your family.  


Please leave a comment below or for more privacy write me at teaganstravels@yahoo.com.

Have a blessed weekend.

Michelle

Here

Come and rest here
Come and lay your burdens down
Come and rest here
There is refuge for you now
You'll find His peace
And know you're not alone anymore
He is near
You'll find His healing
Your heart isn't shattered anymore
He is here

For everyone who has been praying for my family, bringing us meals, offering a hug either physically or spiritually, I can't thank you enough. We feel truly blessed and know God is here in this moment, using all of you to provide comfort. 

My mother, Maureen, passed away on Saturday, June 16th. A few months ago mom told us that there ought to be a word in the dictionary to describe loosing one's mom, for it is unlike the pain of anything else in this world. 

At the same time she assured us that she was not afraid to die. She was God's daughter and knew she would spend an eternity in heaven with him and be ready to welcome the rest of us when our time on earth comes to an end. 

Did you know everything is new in heaven? It is so comforting to picture mom with a new body. Gone will be the one she had here, crippled by rheumatoid arthritis and medicines that damaged her organs, stage 3 ovarian cancer, septic shock and finally, pneumonia. Now we imagine her running, jumping and for the first time in a long time being able to play her beloved music on a heavenly piano. Go mom!


I'll close my post with this beautiful song Here by Kari Jacob that we played in mom's hospital room and again at her her service. Today is a quiet day for me. Home. With reminders of mom, my stepmother Shirley and my dad around me. All gone in less than one year. So I am trying to  make the most of every moment God has given me here. I so hope you are enjoying your moments today as well. 

The "C" Word

There is a word that has invaded my family. It has made my heart stand still. Cold. And scared.

Cancer

I never understood it. And I always feared it. But I reasoned it didn't really "run" in my family and so it couldn't possibly insert itself into my world.

In the last few weeks cancer has taken its toll around here. I understand it now. I can say the word "cancer" without fear of somehow making it magically appear. But none of this matters. In the end, it is a big freight train rolling through our lives that I just.can't.stop.

Cancer took my stepmother's life last week. And now it wants my mother. What a cruel summer. You may think it an odd perspective, but it has also been a time full of blessings. And immeasurable hope. I know God is holding us in His arms, providing comfort. His Truth and the gift of salvation reminds us that we are just vapors in this world. That he has a heaven, glorious heaven, in store where my mother's broken body will finally, finally, finally be at peace. Where she will run and jump. And feel wonderful. Praise God!

And I know one day, I will use this time to walk beside the brokenhearted. I don't know that I would have been brave enough before.

I will be back to blogging soon. In the meantime, can I please ask Teagan's Travels friends to pray for  my mother, Maureen? We still pray she will be healed but above all we can't bear to see her suffer. And please pray for our family that is exhausted and under so much stress at the moment.

My love to all,
Michelle