Coty Terry

November 14, 2020 We were leaving my hometown after a weekend with my family. Joshua came to meet both my parents and my siblings for the first time, so it was a big weekend for him. They seemed to like him, were smiling a lot and being completely themselves, not trying to put up a front just to impress him.  He seemed to like them, answered all their questions and made himself comfortable in the house, not trying to put up a front just to impress them.  They seemed to like each other, but I definitely had to check in with all of them to make sure, starting with him as soon as we called each other on our way back to our respective cities.  But first thing’s first: gas. Neither of us wanted to get stranded during our 3-hour drives home because we ran out of gas.  I led him to the closest gas station to my childhood home (though I forgot how to get there and almost got us lost on a 4-minute drive), and we parked our cars close to each other. Before getting out of my ca...

I’ve been a little chaotic the past few weeks adjusting after Joshua’s surgery. The flow is different and I’ve had to do more than I used to, but God has been using this opportunity to remind me to use my planner. When I have a long to-do list of things I really want to get done but haven’t planned out how or if any needs to be pushed to a different day, I get overwhelmed and try to do them all. Then I want to quit when I realize each thing took longer than I was hoping they would in my head. That’s how I’d been living the past, maybe, couple months - or at least weeks - before Joshua’s surgery, thinking I had a decent handle on my schedule that I no longer needed to plan. Boy, was I wrong.  I keep going through this cycle of planning for a few weeks and then quitting when I think about how much time it takes to plan and I convince myself I can just keep track in my head. I never do well at keeping track in my head. I either forget things or assume something that takes 30 minutes r...

Thank You Jesus For the tacos I get to have some Saturday evenings, For the husband who makes me smile each day, For the hope of children, And the blessing of a loving family, With both parents and siblings who care. Thank You Jesus That You’ve never forsake me, That I’ve never been homeless, That I’ve had food to eat and clothes to wear And have never been without, All by Your hand. Thank You Jesus That You’re always there, When I need comfort Or just a Friend, When I need wisdom Or just a plan, When I need the words to say Or just to hear, When I need Jesus, Just You, Jesus, To be near. Thank You Jesus. I can always count on You To be my source of joy, Of peace, Of kindness, To be my light in the dark, My hope in the bleak, My care in the hurting, My cries when I weep. You are there. You are always there. Help me never to forget that, Amen.