Live, Learn, and Pray

I  have written, more than once, that life in NC has not turned out as I had hoped.  My fairy tale dream of having a relationship with my "half brother" lasted only months after we moved to NC.  My husband and children sacrificed the life they new for the hope of my dreams coming true.  Today, almost 3 years later life is so very different from those foolish, ill-conceived dreams I once had.

One of the biggest mistakes I made prior to moving to NC was leaving God out of the planning process.  I felt as if I knew what was best for my family, and God would bless those plans.  How wrong I was.  What I so desperately needed to do was to pray and ask God if what I wanted to do was the right decision.  If I had prayed and listened for God’s will what would our lives be like today?

God has seen us through many trials here in NC; life here has not been easy.  Our dependance on God has grown exponentially.  Unfortunately, our need for God has also grown.  Life with a special needs child, another child having gone through major surgery, and myself dealing with chronic medical conditions,  are obstacles most other families do not face.  Yet, we do our best to face life everyday with new hope.

As parents of a child with behavioral and other special needs we are always dealing with a tantrums, melt downs, or other, often troublesome behavior, that breaks up the peace of the day.  Despite having a team of specialists for our youngest daughter we still do not have the life of a "normal family".  We are away from family and friends who understand our situation.  Lately, more than ever, I have realized the implication of our move.  

We have learned many lessons in our time in NC.  Most importantly that God is the center of our family.  God will never lead us astray.  God will always love us, flaws and all.  If we are to flourish in our new home we need to continue to put our faith in God and forget the past hurts and disappointments.  

I am ready for a new beginning.  Spring is here and change is upon us.  Although life may be challenging God has confidence that we can overcome any obstacle or 5 year old.  In time, His time, we will find our way to the place we are meant to be.  I believe that our  mistakes are stepping stones to the paths we are meant take.  This time next year we will be well traveled souls on this path called life.