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a family, an unexpected loss, & God’s love leading their way

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Presence is the Best Present

December 30, 2016January 7, 2017 / Maria / 2 Comments

No one prepared me for the anticipation of my adult children coming home. Giddy is the best word to describe how I felt during December. Giddy that my oldest, newlywed daughter and her husband were headed our way for six whole days! Cell phones and facetime are wonderful, but they can't compare to real live … Continue reading Presence is the Best Present

When You Need Some Holiday Comfort

November 23, 2016 / Maria / Leave a comment

  The approaching holidays are a mixed bag of emotions. They are an intersection of excitement (time with my kids! and extended family!) and sorrow ( I have to do the holidays without John again?).  It is simply bittersweet. Some of you know exactly what I mean. Because time may heal, but it doesn't forget. … Continue reading When You Need Some Holiday Comfort

Strength One Step At A Time

October 26, 2016 / Maria / Leave a comment

In March 0f 2012, my life as a widow was just beginning. With four children to continue raising, I was stunned with the realities of parenting alone, keeping a household running, making business decisions, and comforting our children in their loss. Life needed more from me than I had to give. Everywhere I looked there … Continue reading Strength One Step At A Time

Brokenness Doesn’t Define You

September 30, 2016September 30, 2016 / Maria / 6 Comments

I wake up every day surrounded by broken pieces of a life I used to know. It isn't a novelty. After four years, I am familiar with this unexpected life that greets me each day. I am not alone. If you're an adult, you know brokenness- maybe in yourself or in someone you love. I … Continue reading Brokenness Doesn’t Define You

When Joy Seems Impossible: A Wedding Surprise

September 13, 2016September 17, 2016 / Maria / 10 Comments

The summer of 2016 is now in the Carroll family record book: 2 graduations, 1 wedding, 3 wedding showers, 1 girl's month long journey to Bolivia, 4 birthdays, 2 vacations, 3 girls packed and moved to 3 different places and the grand finale: my son's baptism! All of this was just within our little family … Continue reading When Joy Seems Impossible: A Wedding Surprise

A Fire Hydrant of Joy

June 5, 2016 / Maria / Leave a comment

I am on a wild ride right now! Within two months we are celebrating my oldest daughter's college graduation and wedding, my third daughter's high school graduation, two graduation parties, two of my girls' birthdays, a few wedding showers, and a final family-of-five trip. Then, we are sending my second daughter to Bolivia for a month, … Continue reading A Fire Hydrant of Joy

Easter is My Every Day

March 27, 2016April 13, 2017 / Maria / 4 Comments

Death isn't theoretical for me. It isn't the thing that "might happen one day..." A possible reality off in the mists of the future. It is in my bed. On my pillow. Everyday.  The man I lived with every day for nearly 23 years- skin to skin and heart to heart and dream to dream … Continue reading Easter is My Every Day

Grief Grows Up

March 6, 2016March 6, 2016 / Maria / 12 Comments

My grief is growing up. This week, on Tuesday, March 8, it turns four years old. I happen to be familiar with four year olds. A few years ago I persuaded my teenage daughter and son to help me lead the four year old class at our church. We are with them two Sundays each month. We … Continue reading Grief Grows Up

Christmas Doesn’t Have to be Perfect to be Peaceful

December 23, 2015December 23, 2015 / Maria / Leave a comment

The house is quiet this morning. My four children nestled snug in their beds. Rain is hitting the window of my office as I type. All is cozy. Even though John isn't here with us, there is peace in my heart. I still marvel to find peace in my heart and mind; it is real and … Continue reading Christmas Doesn’t Have to be Perfect to be Peaceful

Umm, How Are You Doing?

December 11, 2015December 11, 2015 / Maria / 4 Comments

It is a question I hear often, and every single time my brain gridlocks. The question is asked earnestly. People care. They genuinely want to know how we are doing- each of the kids, our new house, the upcoming holidays, and the status of my grief's healing process. I want to honor their question with … Continue reading Umm, How Are You Doing?

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