God is everywhere, we only need to open our eyes to see.

I love Spring. This spring, not only have I enjoyed watching the beautiful flowers burst forth from the bulbs planted in the fall, I am also experiencing new beginnings in both my civilian and military jobs. New beginnings are never easy. To start new, you likely have to say goodbye to parts of your past. Just like the tulips and hyacinths growing in my garden, it requires change and transformation in order to fully experience these new roles. As my flowers struggled to break through the soil, the conditions and environment had to be just right to enable them to flourish and grow. New beginnings are similar. The conditions are often set to help you succeed, but you have to be willing to break through the soil by meeting new people, learning different tasks-getting out of the comfort of being buried in the soil where it is warm and safe. But when you break through, when you allow yourself to be uncomfortable-look at what beauty comes forth!

One of the amazing things I get to do with the military is travel to Africa with our partnerships. On one of my first trips to Botswana, I sat and watched a cultural night where the artists showcased music and dancing across all the regions and tribes. I fell in love with the country and culture and couldn’t wait to bring my family back. We returned for Spring break the following year and traveled across Zimbabwe and Botswana. Our guide happened to be from the local tribe near the resort. We asked him if we could spend a day with his tribe. As we pulled in, he showed us the remnants of a home and smiled as he told us that he was not strong enough and that was all that remained of his first home. As we continued, I started coming up with solutions. I knew how we could bring power with solar panels, running water and a water tank, and how we could modernize this village. Then it happened, a young girl stood outside her hut and smiled and waved and you could hear her laughter on the wind. Our treasures are in Heaven and not of this earth. “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal” (Matthew 6:19-20, NIV).

This week I am still thinking about the ocean! Rob and I are both scuba divers and we took our oldest daughter diving in Indonesia in celebration of her graduation from high school. We traveled close to three days to arrive at our destination directly opposite to North Carolina on the globe. We were ready to go as we watched everyone around us prepping all their camera gear and continuing to prepare for the dive. We saw all of it! Walking sharks, not one, but many pygmy seahorses. It was amazing. God reminds us that “whoever watches the wind will not plant; whoever looks at the clouds will not reap” (Ecclesiastes 11:4, NIV). Fretting and worrying about what may be coming or focusing on the picture you plan to share with others causes us to miss on living in the moment.

Do you know that feeling at the end of vacation? The one where you know it is coming to an end and your mind starts filling with the dread of having to go back to the day to day routine of work, the laundry that will need to be done, the emails you will have to read in order to catch up. Have you noticed how those feelings begin to rob you of what moments prior seemed like limitless joy? I can look back on countless vacations and recognize the exact moment that these feelings began to invade my thoughts. If I have learned anything in these last two years, it is to be in the moment and not dread or fret about the past nor what is to come…I cannot control any of those things. What I can do, what is fully in my power, is to be present in this moment and to live fully in the here and now. This past vacation I am thankful to share that is just what I, what our family, did!

Loss is tragic, regardless of the age of the one we lose. It feels even more tragic when it is a life cut short in their prime or the loss of one so young that they have just begun to live. God reminds us that “The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit” (Psalm 34:18, NIV) Crushed in spirit, I think that is an apt description for the pain caused by the tragic loss of a loved one. What words of comfort could I possibly provide? I could share the beatitudes and remind them that “Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted,” (Matthew 5:4, NIV) but those words ring hollow in the depth of this pain, it’s too soon. So, instead, I remind them they are not alone, although it may feel very lonely. I remind them of the precious time shared on this earth, and I pray that God speak to them in a way I cannot. I pray that they find a sense of peace where it seems impossible. I pray that they find a way to remember the precious memories instead of dwelling on the moments that will never be shared. I pray they find a way to wake up tomorrow, and the next day, and find a way to live and maybe one day smile again. But not today. Today, I pray they allow themselves to grieve. I pray they not run or avoid their pain, but walk through it knowing that God is with them and will be there on the other side. I pray that as they fall to their knees in sorrow, they know that I am on my knees praying for comfort.

These last few days, I have seen Godwink after Godwink. None of the events have been random and they have definitively been answers to prayers. I have shared multiple times that having a relationship with God differs greatly from having faith in God. These past few days I felt like shouting from the mountain tops “I see you God, praise!” Every morning, I start my day on my knees in prayer. My prayer is usually very similar day over day with an addition of someone needing prayer, but it always starts and ends the same. After this past weekend, my prayers changed and I truly began to pray for those that have hurt me. I prayed for my peace and their healing and grace. I prayed to be able to move forward and to not be consumed by the pain of the past. Today, that prayer was answered in a way I could not have imagined.

I know that title filled many of you with dread, but for once, I’m not being sarcastic! The day started with a roadtrip back from Florida with four teenage girls and Rob driving and it really is a “good time”. How often do we have complete and dedicated time with our kids where they, or you, are not pulled in fifteen different directions? Their friends have become adopted kids and the memories created in a few short days will last a lifetime. On this car trip, the topic of giving came up in an audiobook. It could not have been a more fitting description for this vacation. Since I started a new role, a planned trip to see one of the girls’ favorite artist in concert was turned upside down. Since I could no longer attend, the girls wanted my best friend Lori to go with them. She was “so happy” to be voted as the stand in and it was a non negotiable. She packed up with the girls and one of their mom’s and traveled over four hours to stay in a hotel with a group of girls and watch a concert with screaming teens. How is that for an example of giving? What did she get in return-the joy in knowing that all the girls think she is the absolute coolest and will likely invite her to the next concert!

I am not sure where or when I heard this story for the first time, but it has stayed with me through the years. The setting is usually a study or a room filled with wall to wall books and two comfortable chairs. The room is warm, inviting. The individual occupies one chair, and God occupies the other. In the season of intentional prayer, the individual feels close to God and then life happens. They find themselves going to the study less and less and eventually the weight of the world is a heavy burden they feel on their shoulders, they stand alone. They feel far from the God that they once held close. Eventually, they go back to the study and find God sitting there, in the same chair…waiting. The room still feels warm and welcoming, He had never left, the individual had left. So many times in life I have gone back to this story as a reminder that God never leaves me, I leave Him.

Today was a great day. The official announcement of my promotion to Major General was released and the rest of my day I read every congratulations post, responded to every text message and just sat in awe of this day. As I shared the news with my women’s bible study group, I reflected on the path to come to this day. I walked through the valley for the last two years and stood in faith through it all. My relationship with God continued to strengthen and I became bolder in my faith in spite of not feeling like personal prayers were being answered. Through it all, I remained firm that God had a plan. Today, I am thankful for this season of abundance but I have not lost sight of who got me here.

I get to serve our country as a soldier. These past few days, I have had the opportunity to spend time with many of my fellow soldiers as they both prepare to and serve our fellow citizens. I am so proud of them and their dedication to the mission. To define them as selfless seems an understatement as time and again they leave all that they love behind, all of their possessions, in order to serve in parts unknown. They range in ages from recent graduates from high school, to those that have served over 40 years. They come from all walks of life, some from multiple generations of military service to others that answered the call for the first time in their families. Their reason for joining varies greatly among them, but those differences fade away as they become the close knit units that can defeat any enemy in any place of conflict. They are our sons and daughters, our fathers and mothers, our brothers and sisters, and they are our warriors.