Happy Independence Day!
Freedom has a Cost
Freedom, such an interesting word...Freedom. According to Google, freedom has three definitions: 1) "the power or right to act, speak, or think as one wants without hindrance or restraint." 2) "absence of subjection to foreign domination or despotic government" [dictatorial government]. 3) "the state of not being imprisoned or slaved." Freedom can mean so many different things to so many people. To some, freedom is the right to have their voice be heard, coming out of their comfort zone, or standing up for what they believe in...without repercussion. To some, it's being set free from bondage and captivity. No matter how freedom is viewed, in the end, it all comes down to the same concept; the act and feeling of being "free".
However, ironically, the act of being "free" and having freedom comes with a cost. Freedom is not something that is just freely given, there is a price to pay. This has been proven multiple times. Wars, destruction, violence, sacrifice, and death flood our nation's history, as well as other nations. In fact, most, if not all battles were fought due to some degree of freedom. There are hundreds upon hundreds of literature that talk about such battles, dating way back in the biblical times. It's clear that freedom is one of the most important necessities in life.
Two hundred forty one years ago, We The People gained our independence from Great Britain, and became our own nation. How exciting and exhilarating that must have been for those who lived to see that beautiful day come! Can you imagine the energy that boasted from that Philadelphia room when it became official? Maybe there was complete silence in respect as our Founding Fathers signed the Declaration of Independence, and declared our freedom from Britain. I can just hear the scratching as the quill pen touched the parchment as each one scribed their name on the document that read, "life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness" by Thomas Jefferson. Or, maybe there were shouts of joy and proclamation that filled the room and streets. Either way, what a glorious day that must have been.
Tomorrow may be the Fourth of July, but in all honesty, we as Americans should choose to be grateful for our nation's independence every day. People fought for and lost so much for that freedom. Today, I am thankful, but everyday is a day worth of being thankful for the Declaration of Independence!
However, ironically, the act of being "free" and having freedom comes with a cost. Freedom is not something that is just freely given, there is a price to pay. This has been proven multiple times. Wars, destruction, violence, sacrifice, and death flood our nation's history, as well as other nations. In fact, most, if not all battles were fought due to some degree of freedom. There are hundreds upon hundreds of literature that talk about such battles, dating way back in the biblical times. It's clear that freedom is one of the most important necessities in life.
Two hundred forty one years ago, We The People gained our independence from Great Britain, and became our own nation. How exciting and exhilarating that must have been for those who lived to see that beautiful day come! Can you imagine the energy that boasted from that Philadelphia room when it became official? Maybe there was complete silence in respect as our Founding Fathers signed the Declaration of Independence, and declared our freedom from Britain. I can just hear the scratching as the quill pen touched the parchment as each one scribed their name on the document that read, "life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness" by Thomas Jefferson. Or, maybe there were shouts of joy and proclamation that filled the room and streets. Either way, what a glorious day that must have been.
Tomorrow may be the Fourth of July, but in all honesty, we as Americans should choose to be grateful for our nation's independence every day. People fought for and lost so much for that freedom. Today, I am thankful, but everyday is a day worth of being thankful for the Declaration of Independence!
This Little Suburban Girl's Dream
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Ever since I was a little suburban girl, I dreamt of having a farm house to live in and some acreage to live on. I had it all mapped out in my head of what it had to look like and have. For instance, the house had to actually look like a farm house with a large porch, plenty of windows for sunlight to come through, white siding with colored shutters. A house that would be custom built. A house that would be my first and my last. A house that would be in mine and my future husband's names for a very long time. The land had to have plenty of acreage for farm animals to roam around (especially a horse), and to drive a 4-wheeler on. Willow trees, fruit trees, and flowering trees had to be there. There had to be a tree to put a tire swing on it. Mountains had to be part of the view. Water had to be somewhat near it. Gravel road or a gravel driveway had to be there to be able to listen to the crackling sound of tires hitting the rocks. Birds and deer needed to be common visitors. Hearing the joy of children's laughter fill the air had to be there. Basking in the stillness and peace of God's Presence had to be there, also. Little did I know that those dreams were actually going to come true....
However, it was not so easy getting to this point. Due to having this dream and envisions built inside of me at a young age, I always had this deeper feeling that one day I would be able to live out those dreams that I had as a little girl. I think it was God's way of telling me that it was going to happen eventually. So, having that "feeling" of knowing that, you'd think that it would have made it easier for me to be patient in waiting for that dream to unravel, but in reality, it did quite the opposite, especially once I was married.
When we were married, crazy me thought that my dream home was going to appear out of thin air and be given to us right-a-way...but guess what...it didn't! So this lead to me being very unsatisfied with anything and everything else that we looked at, and it brought a lot of discouragement and me asking God why...a lot.
After about 5 years of searching and searching, praying and praying for the right place to grow our little family, the more disappointed we became due to things not working out. I even tried to set aside my dreams for a while and see if we could find a townhouse or even a condo that would work, but even those were a no. As the no's kept coming, the more fed up with it we became, so we decided to take a break from searching for a while. During this break, my mom, grandma, and I were driving back on the 4th of the July this past Summer from visiting another family member and I was sharing with them how hard it has been to find our own place to live. My mom asked me how far we had our realtor looking for places to live, I told her, and then she mentioned asking the realtor to further the search area just so we didn't limit our place of searching. So, I texted Brandon to do just that, when I did, he responded back that he had actually seen this land for sale that he was interested in but he didn't want to say anything to me about it because we were supposed to be taking a break from searching. The more details he was sharing, the more interest I was becoming in it, also. As soon as I got home from the trip, I told him that I wanted to go see the land in person right then and there. He agreed, and off we went...all before watching the fireworks that same night.
We were very anxious, excited, and nervous on the drive to the land because as much as we liked the information we had seen online, we also didn't want to get our hopes up if it didn't work out...again! Before even reaching to our destination, we were mesmerized by the beautiful drive to the land. And then we finally came to the property. We fell IN LOVE with it! We both had this instant pull towards it, as if we belonged there..as if it was home! I made a comment to Brandon as we were leaving the property that if this really is the right place for us, then it's just God showing off. Sure enough it was and is the right place for us! The purchase happened so quick and smooth, which was another confirmation that this land is in fact the right one. And the cool part is, is that when my mom told me to further the search on the way back from my trip, it was also about the same location as our land is at.
We are completely blown away by God's grace and blessing with this land. It has everything our heart's desires and more. It's 10.8 acres which is plenty of room to have the things we want on it; it's road frontage on a back country GRAVEL road; there is a nice stream up the road some; there are trails in the woods part for horse back riding or 4-wheeling; birds, deer, and other wild life visit it often; and so much more.
So now as we are living with my parents for now, we are able to enjoy our piece of property any time we want and at the same time brainstorm the house that we would like to build on it. We are so grateful for God's blessing that our number 1 focus with the land is to give it ALL back to God. Allow Him to use the land and us in mighty ways. Our prayer is that He will anoint the property with His presence, so that anyone or anything that touches the property that they will feel and see Him, the one who created this property and gave us this property, and not us.
Even though I had to wait a few years to start living out my dreams as a little girl, it was all worth it in the end. Sometimes we have to let go of ourselves so that God can step in and make a move. So many times our human minds get in the way, and God has to remind us to step down from ourselves to allow Him some room to do His work. Until then, He waits for that right moment, and when that moment comes, you better watch out, because He is going to do amazing things! He has proven that to us over and over again, both individually and as a couple. God is good! And, God is faithful!
However, it was not so easy getting to this point. Due to having this dream and envisions built inside of me at a young age, I always had this deeper feeling that one day I would be able to live out those dreams that I had as a little girl. I think it was God's way of telling me that it was going to happen eventually. So, having that "feeling" of knowing that, you'd think that it would have made it easier for me to be patient in waiting for that dream to unravel, but in reality, it did quite the opposite, especially once I was married.
When we were married, crazy me thought that my dream home was going to appear out of thin air and be given to us right-a-way...but guess what...it didn't! So this lead to me being very unsatisfied with anything and everything else that we looked at, and it brought a lot of discouragement and me asking God why...a lot.
After about 5 years of searching and searching, praying and praying for the right place to grow our little family, the more disappointed we became due to things not working out. I even tried to set aside my dreams for a while and see if we could find a townhouse or even a condo that would work, but even those were a no. As the no's kept coming, the more fed up with it we became, so we decided to take a break from searching for a while. During this break, my mom, grandma, and I were driving back on the 4th of the July this past Summer from visiting another family member and I was sharing with them how hard it has been to find our own place to live. My mom asked me how far we had our realtor looking for places to live, I told her, and then she mentioned asking the realtor to further the search area just so we didn't limit our place of searching. So, I texted Brandon to do just that, when I did, he responded back that he had actually seen this land for sale that he was interested in but he didn't want to say anything to me about it because we were supposed to be taking a break from searching. The more details he was sharing, the more interest I was becoming in it, also. As soon as I got home from the trip, I told him that I wanted to go see the land in person right then and there. He agreed, and off we went...all before watching the fireworks that same night.
We were very anxious, excited, and nervous on the drive to the land because as much as we liked the information we had seen online, we also didn't want to get our hopes up if it didn't work out...again! Before even reaching to our destination, we were mesmerized by the beautiful drive to the land. And then we finally came to the property. We fell IN LOVE with it! We both had this instant pull towards it, as if we belonged there..as if it was home! I made a comment to Brandon as we were leaving the property that if this really is the right place for us, then it's just God showing off. Sure enough it was and is the right place for us! The purchase happened so quick and smooth, which was another confirmation that this land is in fact the right one. And the cool part is, is that when my mom told me to further the search on the way back from my trip, it was also about the same location as our land is at.
We are completely blown away by God's grace and blessing with this land. It has everything our heart's desires and more. It's 10.8 acres which is plenty of room to have the things we want on it; it's road frontage on a back country GRAVEL road; there is a nice stream up the road some; there are trails in the woods part for horse back riding or 4-wheeling; birds, deer, and other wild life visit it often; and so much more.
So now as we are living with my parents for now, we are able to enjoy our piece of property any time we want and at the same time brainstorm the house that we would like to build on it. We are so grateful for God's blessing that our number 1 focus with the land is to give it ALL back to God. Allow Him to use the land and us in mighty ways. Our prayer is that He will anoint the property with His presence, so that anyone or anything that touches the property that they will feel and see Him, the one who created this property and gave us this property, and not us.
Even though I had to wait a few years to start living out my dreams as a little girl, it was all worth it in the end. Sometimes we have to let go of ourselves so that God can step in and make a move. So many times our human minds get in the way, and God has to remind us to step down from ourselves to allow Him some room to do His work. Until then, He waits for that right moment, and when that moment comes, you better watch out, because He is going to do amazing things! He has proven that to us over and over again, both individually and as a couple. God is good! And, God is faithful!
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A Bittersweet Blessing and Trial
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Sometimes this so-called life can award us, challenge us, suck us in or spits us out. Sometimes life can seem easy to pass by, whereas other times this world may give us obstacles to climb. We have recently experienced one of those obstacles, and we wish to tell you all in hopes that it may encourage someone else who is going through a touch time....
About 2 weeks ago (two Fridays ago, to be exact), my husband and I went to have our normal anatomy ultrasound to check on our baby Noah. Prior to entering the ultrasound room, we were stoked to see our little one on the screen, and figured it would be a quick and easy ultrasound. Little did we know that an expected half hour visit would turn into a 3 hour visit with nurses and the doctor overloading us with information that no parent likes to hear. As the doctor went on to describe all the serious birth defects she saw, the more confused we became. The question that ran through our minds was: "how can our child be so unhealthy when we ourselves are so healthy?". We decided to have an amniocentesis done (which is where they take DNA samples from the baby while being in the womb) to have them be shipped to a lab for further results. Due to all of this information pressed upon us, we left that doctor's office with a heavy heart.
The heavy heart continued in a long-drawn out weekend. Waiting for the results to come in felt like an eternity. Monday finally came, and we met with the Genetic Counselor to discuss more in detail what was seen on the scans. However, they also received the first part of the DNA test results, so we also discussed what those were, as well. In a nutshell, our baby Noah had a very rare condition called Triploidy. Triploidy is when a baby has a whole entire extra set of chromosomes (x,y, 13, 18, and 21). Having all of those chromosomes can cause the baby to have severe birth defects because it is too many for the structure of the baby to understand. It is not genetic nor hereditary; it's just one of those rare pregnancies that occur. We were told that babies with Triploidy do not survive, and often times will end in a miscarriage. So, once again, we left that same doctor's office with a huge burden on our shoulders.
However, we wanted to make sure we had a second opinion to verify what the doctor's actually saw was true. So, that Friday, we traveled a little over an hour to a more up-scale hospital to have that other opinion. And to our dismay, the same results remained. To say that was a very long hour ride back home would be an understatement.
Although I wish I would be saying this differently, that next Friday, our sweet and precious baby Noah went to Heaven to be with His Creator. This has been one crazy roller coaster, and it's only been a total of 2 and a half weeks since this process has started. Although we miss him very much, our faith in the Lord is helping us to get through this un-explainable time in our lives.
Through this whole process, our NUMBER ONE prayer was for Noah not to suffer. And although I would have preferred to have Noah healed here on Earth, I still know that our prayer was answered...and in the very best way possible! Noah is now healed completely, and he is with our Heavenly Father, who we as children of God long for. Noah does not have to encounter any of life's obstacles or challenges. He will never know pain or suffering. He is made whole in the arms of Jesus, and for that, we will always be grateful for.
I know there will be moments in our lives where we will miss Noah and wish that he was here in our arms, but having the peace that He is better than okay being in the realm of Heaven is so much greater. Plus, it makes Heaven that much greater for us to look forward to!
About 2 weeks ago (two Fridays ago, to be exact), my husband and I went to have our normal anatomy ultrasound to check on our baby Noah. Prior to entering the ultrasound room, we were stoked to see our little one on the screen, and figured it would be a quick and easy ultrasound. Little did we know that an expected half hour visit would turn into a 3 hour visit with nurses and the doctor overloading us with information that no parent likes to hear. As the doctor went on to describe all the serious birth defects she saw, the more confused we became. The question that ran through our minds was: "how can our child be so unhealthy when we ourselves are so healthy?". We decided to have an amniocentesis done (which is where they take DNA samples from the baby while being in the womb) to have them be shipped to a lab for further results. Due to all of this information pressed upon us, we left that doctor's office with a heavy heart.
The heavy heart continued in a long-drawn out weekend. Waiting for the results to come in felt like an eternity. Monday finally came, and we met with the Genetic Counselor to discuss more in detail what was seen on the scans. However, they also received the first part of the DNA test results, so we also discussed what those were, as well. In a nutshell, our baby Noah had a very rare condition called Triploidy. Triploidy is when a baby has a whole entire extra set of chromosomes (x,y, 13, 18, and 21). Having all of those chromosomes can cause the baby to have severe birth defects because it is too many for the structure of the baby to understand. It is not genetic nor hereditary; it's just one of those rare pregnancies that occur. We were told that babies with Triploidy do not survive, and often times will end in a miscarriage. So, once again, we left that same doctor's office with a huge burden on our shoulders.
However, we wanted to make sure we had a second opinion to verify what the doctor's actually saw was true. So, that Friday, we traveled a little over an hour to a more up-scale hospital to have that other opinion. And to our dismay, the same results remained. To say that was a very long hour ride back home would be an understatement.
Although I wish I would be saying this differently, that next Friday, our sweet and precious baby Noah went to Heaven to be with His Creator. This has been one crazy roller coaster, and it's only been a total of 2 and a half weeks since this process has started. Although we miss him very much, our faith in the Lord is helping us to get through this un-explainable time in our lives.
Through this whole process, our NUMBER ONE prayer was for Noah not to suffer. And although I would have preferred to have Noah healed here on Earth, I still know that our prayer was answered...and in the very best way possible! Noah is now healed completely, and he is with our Heavenly Father, who we as children of God long for. Noah does not have to encounter any of life's obstacles or challenges. He will never know pain or suffering. He is made whole in the arms of Jesus, and for that, we will always be grateful for.
I know there will be moments in our lives where we will miss Noah and wish that he was here in our arms, but having the peace that He is better than okay being in the realm of Heaven is so much greater. Plus, it makes Heaven that much greater for us to look forward to!
