Not At All How We Thought It Was Supposed To Be

A couple of years ago, I was invited into a Book Club with my cousins and a couple of other girls. We had just moved here with our small children. The Cherubs were just three. Our first meeting that I joined the Book Club was at the Panera Bread Reston. I loved the Panera in Texas so I was eager to check out the one in my new hometown. The Town Center is so well done with its Italian Plaza and Square Fountain. It was an exciting time for our family. Mountain Man had an exciting work assignment here which took him into the city. It was great fun.

The 'Book Club' was virtually a girls night out if we were honest. We were all moms of small children, Believers and seeking the Lord's guidance in raising our children and in our family lives. We were goofy and silly and stoic at times. We chose books, discussed them or not. And always had a full discussion on what restaurant we would visit next on our Club night. It was a bonus for me - being the "newby" I got to enjoy meeting and getting to know the new girls and to spend extra time with my cousins. Cherished times !

Everyone know I am thrilled and blessed to be back in the South again. However, as I reflect on our Virginia days it is with great joy and delight. Not everyone gets to live at the epicenter of the world and partake. There are lots of stories for other posts. Today I am reflecting especially on this time with these girls because I have a heavy heart for one of the girls and her family.

When I joined these girls, they had been meeting for a year or so already, and I eagerly joined. I'll admit I joined for fun. I joined to see "the cuzzies" and I joined for girltime. Laughs. Oh yes to read a few good books. We enjoyed all of the above, we shared our lives, challenges and basically supported and built each other up. I was blessed.

What we did not anticipate was what the future would hold. Isn't that life! There were six of us and over the next few years, even up until this most recent prayer request that has my heart heavy for one of the girls and her family. Here's what we didn't expect and yet these were roads we were called to travel:

- major depression with prescription medication
- miscarriage
- a child diagnosed with a rare and major syndrome with physical and medical setbacks
- Katrina decending upon one's hometown w/family still there
- job loss, husbands parent loss, and
- cancer including mastectomy

Did we see it coming? As Mary Beth said here, "This is not at all how we thought it was supposed to be." None of us can remotely relate to what the Chapman family is walking through and yet, we can each grow, learn from them and be comforted by the song listed below that SCC wrote before their tragedy.

As for the girls and me, we continue to love on each other, pray for each other and share things like these lyrics knowing that God does show up and He does deliver. So whether we expected it or thought it was supposed to be or not. We rest in the Hope of Him, His deliverence. And we will not let go of the hope of His promises. God Bless.

"With Hope"
by Steven Curtis Chapman

This is not at all how
We thought it was supposed to be
We had so many plans for you
We had so many dreams
And now you've gone away
And left us with the memories of your smile
And nothing we can say
And nothing we can do
Can take away the pain
The pain of losing you, but ...

We can cry with hope
We can say goodbye with hope
'Cause we know our goodbye is not the end, oh no
And we can grieve with hope
'Cause we believe with hope
(There's a place by God's grace)
There's a place where we'll see your face again
We'll see your face again

And never have I known
Anything so hard to understand
And never have I questioned more
The wisdom of God's plan
But through the cloud of tears
I see the Father's smile and say well done
And I imagine you
Where you wanted most to be
Seeing all your dreams come true
'Cause now you're home
And now you're free, and ...

We have this hope as an anchor
'Cause we believe that everything
God promised us is true, so ...

So we can cry with hope
And say goodbye with hope

We wait with hope
And we ache with hope
We hold on with hope
We let go with hope