Here we are on the brink of 2018 and off to make new memories. I believe the New Year is always a bitter-sweet time as we leave behind those precious moments of the year before that we will always hold so dear to our hearts. Like memories of our littles reaching milestones that for a lot of us, were told would never be possible, but instead became a reality this year. Miracle after miracle God has been faithful every. single. day.

Some of us have lost family members in 2017 that will not be with us to celebrate the blessing of life and all that it brings in the new year (myself included and I lost my dad in 2016). They will be absent from our photos this coming year, but will forever remain in our hearts. We’ve even lost some of our most precious tiny angels and have mourned and prayed with our friends both locally and abroad for peace and strength-I can’t even imagine the unexplainable pain they are going through. We know how sacred each breath is, and we hold tightly to our memories of those moments when they were with us. We know the importance of making the most of each moment even on days we don’t really feel up to it because we never know when our last ‘New Year’ will come. So throw that ball just one more time, read just one more bedtime story, give one more butterfly kiss, add just one more scribbled masterpiece on your already covered fridge, go ahead and taste that amazing dish thingy they made just for you that looks and smells like your new puppies poop, and in my case, I’ll play that dreaded ‘Let it Go’ song from Frozen for Hannah Grace, just 5 million more times and pretend this isn’t the 2987th time I’ve heard her sing it because of how she lights up when she belts out all those notes I’ve never heard before.

I’ve seen miracles this year I never thought I’d see. God has opened doors that only He could open (and closed a few too). In hindsight of years gone by, it still amazes me where the Lord has brought me and my daughter from, the lessons He’s taught me, and how my faith in Him has grown because of His unending grace. A lot of you know some of my story, but that’s only one chapter. Perhaps one day I’ll write a book so you can see the the full testimony of God’s grace throughout the years, and I know all of you have stories of your own. It’s always good to reflect on what we’ve gone through to remind us of Gods faithfulness. Just 3 years ago, I was on WIC, had no home to call my own, and someone told a local charity group about our story of abandonment, and bought Christmas gifts for Hannah Grace because I wasn’t able to. Today I still hold to the charm necklace they gave me as a constant reminder so that I’ll not forget that God is not just the God of the good times when everything is going smoothly, but He’s the God of darkest times when we’re broken and hurting that brings us to the other side so we can be a blessing to someone else sharing His love through us in the ways He has gifted us to do so. It seems that in the darkest of moments and most unexpected places is when He shows up and performs the greatest of miracles even if we don’t fully understand it until years down the road.

All that I have is His. Every breath, every penny, every moment, and even Hannah Grace. He knows the number of hairs on my head, my worries (that greatly reduce the number of hairs He has to count, lol), my doubts and fears, my imperfections, my failures, and my heart. And even still as flawed as I am, the God of the universe loves me in spite of all that.

In this new year I pray blessings for all of my friends and followers in other parts of the world. Put Jesus first making Him the center of all you do and actively thank Him for the blessings you have right in front of you. I can’t wait to see what 2018 holds for you all! I’ve got to sign off and play that awful Frozen song just one.more.time. lol! God Bless!

Here’s a little recap of our year if you haven’t seen this one floating around yet <3 Might just make your heart melt a little <3