Lately, I have been wanting to get back to blogging. But, after posting only once a year for the past several years, I feel a bit out of touch. I have so much that I want to share, but you need to know what my family is doing these days. So, today I want to start with an update! Hopefully I can begin posting more regularly after this initial update.
The family as a whole -
We are living in south-central IL. Paul and I have been married 24 years. The 7 kids range in age from 21 down to 5. We have 3 boys in public school. Only myself and the 5yo go to church these days. I still hold on to my faith despite the many painful church encounters that we have experienced. I am sad to say that some of the other family members were burned one too many times, and now they avoid church/christians like the plague. Others in my family may still hold onto a shred of faith, but don't really care to set aside time to go to church. As you can imagine, this situation causes me pain. I have been grieving this secretly for years. But, this situation is a major part of our family life. And, I have no doubt that the issue will come up in my writing in the future.
The kids (this is going to be abbreviated to protect their privacy. They don't really love when I share things publicly) -
Rebecca (21) is at a state college in a nursing program. She also works in mgmt at a restaurant.
Nelson (20) works full time as a cook at a restaurant.
Lydia (18) works full time at Walmart. LJ still has some health issues that are a daily trial for her. But, she is stronger than she used to be. She may need to drop down to part-time, because her body is always so tired. But, I am ridiculously proud of her for sticking with full time hours for almost 3 months now.
Joshua (16) recently left a part-time job that he started when he was 15, and he is looking for a new one. He withdrew from public school to do school online.
Josiah (14) is in public school 8th grade.
Jeremiah (12) is in public school 6th grade.
Nathaniel (5) is in public school preschool for a few hours each day.
Me and Paul-
Paul is still working in an Illinois state prison. He is a "corrections officer," a guard. His interests are reading and listening to podcasts. He really loves time with the kids, especially the 5 year old. (Nathaniel thinks Daddy is the best person in the universe.) Paul also enjoys deep thinking and questioning everything. He can be a bit philosophical and at times it hurts my brain. But, I try to keep up.
I am not working at any paying jobs. But, I am involved in ministries at my church. I teach the college and career age group on Sundays. I am currently teaching a short-term ladies' Bible study on Wednesday nights. And, I am a greeter. I truly love my church. It is the healthiest, most stable church environment I have been in for years. It's a big church, and in the past I have been hard on big churches. But, I am thrilled to be a part of First Baptist Maryville. It has been a safe place for my heart to heal from past church hurt. Aside from volunteering at church, I am also trying to write more. Maybe some day I will actually get something published.
Here are some photos.
Soccer season - fall 2023. Jeremiah is our soccer player. As many of us as are able attend each game.
Context for the last photo. I went from years of physical disability to remission. And, this fall I was able to play an entire soccer game with my boys. It was a really big deal!!!
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