FAMILY IS EVERYTHING

FAMILY IS EVERYTHING

We spent Labor Day weekend at my sister-in-law’s house in Kentucky.

She and her husband were in a horrible accident back in June, and he was left with no feeling from his waist down and is wheelchair bound, for now. We're praying and believing for God to heal him and for him to walk again.

Before they could come back home, their house had to be made wheelchair accessible. Let me tell you—there is a lot that goes into making a home accessible for someone in a wheelchair.

Their entire master suite had to be gutted and revamped, all the way into the master bathroom and shower. Doorways had to be widened. Two new doors had to be added at entry points with another entry door stilling needing to be replaced. They had to have two entry and exit ramps installed, a ramp in their great room had to be installed, with one more still needing to be added at another entry. It’s not just about making things convenient. It’s about making sure he has a way to get in and out of the house safely, especially in an emergency.

Everything from their master suite had to be removed and put into storage bins and bags, which were scattered throughout the house wherever there was room.

Their formal dining room had become a disaster. There was just enough room to squeeze a wheelchair through, with things piled everywhere.

So, that’s what we spent our weekend doing—working through the mess left behind by all the construction and workers and putting things back where they belonged.

Below, I’m sharing the after pictures of the two spaces that were probably the worst.

Imagine the dining room being so crowded that you could barely squeeze a wheelchair through it, with stuff piled everywhere. Now look at it.

A vast improvement from what we saw when we arrived.

The other space I’m showing you is their hangout space—the place where everyone gathers. The pool table was covered with stuff, and buckets and bags were piled all around it, filled with things that needed to be sorted through. Even the pinball machine had things piled on top of it.

Now look at it.

A much more organized and usable space.

And honestly, that was our goal.

We wanted my sister-in-law to be able to walk—or, in this season, live and breathe—in her own spaces without feeling overwhelmed by everything around her.

We wanted her and her husband to feel comfortable in their home again.

That was why we went to Kentucky this weekend.

And honestly, there was no place we would rather have been than right there, helping our family.

Because Family Is Everything!

Family is there when life gets hard. Family steps in when there is work to be done. Family doesn't always wait to be asked.

We do for one another because we love one another.

There is nothing we wouldn’t do for our family, and we know there is nothing they wouldn’t do for us either.

That’s love on display at its deepest level.

That’s walking love out the way God intended.

We can all talk a good game. We can say we love people. We can say we’re there for them.

But are we actually walking the walk?

Because walking the walk means being there when it counts. It means showing up in ways that only you can show up.

You are unique.

And what you bring to your family is unique, too.

So don’t ever take your place in your family for granted. Don’t convince yourself that what you have to offer isn’t needed.

You are needed.

God placed you in your family for a reason.

And while you have the opportunity, love your family. Show up for them. Do for them. Make the memories. Say the words. Be there when they need you.

Because the truth is, we aren’t promised tomorrow. One day, there may be things you wish you had said or done, but the opportunity will be gone.

So love them while you can. Serve them while you can. Help them while you can. Don’t wait for tomorrow to show someone you love them when you have today.

Sometimes love looks like a hug.

Sometimes it looks like a prayer.

And sometimes it looks like spending your Labor Day weekend cleaning out rooms so someone you love can finally breathe again in their own home.

That’s family.
That’s love.
That’s walking the walk.

Happy Labor Day!

I know everything is still green right now, but it won't be long before the saying in the picture above holds true:

“As the greens of SUMMER give way to the reds & golds of AUTUMN, here's wishing you a beautiful & relaxing LABOR DAY!”

Summer is beginning to wind down, and autumn is quietly making its way toward us, bringing with it the beautiful reds, oranges, yellows, and golds that make this season so special.

There is something about this transition that I love. The changing of the seasons reminds us that life is always moving forward. One season gives way to another, bringing new beauty, new opportunities, and new memories to be made.

As you celebrate Labor Day, I hope you and your family and friends have a wonderful and blessed day.

May the weather cooperate with whatever adventures you have planned, whether you're heading out somewhere special, gathering with family and friends, firing up the grill, or simply enjoying a quiet day at home.

And don't forget to take some time to relax.

We live in such a busy world. There always seems to be something that needs to be done, somewhere we need to be, or someone who needs our attention. Sometimes we can get so caught up in the busyness of life that we forget to simply slow down and enjoy the moment.

So today, be intentional about making time to rest.

Put the to-do list aside for a little while. Sit outside. Enjoy a good meal. Laugh with the people you love. Take a walk. Watch the sunset. Or simply sit back and breathe.

Whatever you do, I hope you take the time to enjoy this day and make memories that you will cherish for years to come.

Happy Labor Day! 🇺🇸

May your day be filled with beautiful moments, good weather, laughter, relaxation, and the people you love.

And before we know it, those beautiful greens of summer will be giving way to the magnificent reds and golds of autumn. 🍂

(my concept but AI made it look better)

Happy Birthday, Dad

This year, your birthday falls on Labor Day.

And like so many years since you passed away, I find myself thinking about all the moments that have been missed.

You never got to meet or know Tim. He’s an amazing young man, and I know you would be so proud of him. He has your eyes. I’m reminded of you every time I look into them.

So much life has happened in the 24 years since you’ve been gone.

There are many things I’m sure you would be glad you weren’t here to see. But there are also so many things I wish you could have been here for. Milestones. Memories. Changes. The ordinary, everyday moments that somehow become the most important ones.

Life was never easy with you, Dad. There were things that happened that left wounds, and there were things I didn’t understand when I was younger.

But through it all, all of us kids still loved you.

And as I’ve gotten older, I’ve come to understand something I couldn’t fully see back then—you had a hard life, too.

You lived through things that most people probably wouldn’t have been able to survive, and somehow, you did. The things you experienced shaped you. They impacted the way you lived, the way you loved, the way you responded to life, and so many of the choices you made.

Looking back now, I can see some of that much more clearly.

That doesn’t erase the hard things. It doesn’t change the things that hurt. But understanding more about what shaped you has given me a different perspective. I can hold the good and the painful memories together and simply say, You were my dad, and I loved you.

I often wonder what you would think of my life now.

I wonder what you would say about Tim. I wonder what you would think about the woman I’ve become. I wonder about all the conversations we never got to have.

I pray that you are in Heaven celebrating your 77th birthday with your mom—the woman you loved so much and talked about so often with us kids.

I wish I had known her.

I hope she is there, too, and that someday, when I get to Heaven, I’ll finally have the chance to meet her.

One thing I’m especially grateful for is the Cherokee heritage you and she gave me.

Knowing who you are and where you come from is important. It’s a part of my story—a part of where I came from—and I’m thankful to carry that with me.

Twenty-four years is a long time.

Yet sometimes it feels like yesterday.

There will always be things I wish had been different. There will always be questions I wish I could ask. And there will always be moments when I wish you were here.

But today, on your birthday, I choose to remember.

I remember the good.

I acknowledge the hard.

I’m grateful for the life you gave me.

And I love you, Dad.

Happy 77th Birthday.

Until we meet again.

Less Stuff. More Life!

It’s amazing just how much stuff we accumulate over the years.

My husband and I got married in our late 30s. By that time, we had already lived a lot of life and collected a lot of our own stuff. Then we brought those two lives—and all that stuff—together under one roof.

Recently, after losing both of Scot’s parents, we’ve realized just how much stuff can clutter your life and, ultimately, leave behind a huge mess for your loved ones to deal with.

It’s been over a year since Nan passed, and we’re still working on getting things done at his parents’ home so we can put it up for sale and settle the estate. Of course, we have our own lives to live, so we’re trying to deal with everything there whenever we can find the time.

But going through their home has really made me take a closer look at our own.

How much stuff do we actually have?

How much of it do we really need?

And more importantly, what are we leaving behind for our son to deal with someday?

That last question really hit home for us.

We don’t want to leave Tim with a house full of things that he has to spend months—or even years—sorting through, deciding what to throw away, what to sell, and what to donate. We don’t want our stuff to become his burden.

So, we’ve started sifting through our own home and getting rid of things.

Some things get thrown away. Some things get donated. Some things get sold. And sometimes we simply stand there holding something and ask ourselves, “Do we really need to keep this?”

More often than not, the answer is no.

I’ve heard it said that a cluttered home can lead to a cluttered mind, and I can definitely relate to that. Personally, I have a hard time concentrating and feeling settled when my surroundings are cluttered. And honestly, I have so many other things I’d rather be doing with my time (like blogging for instance), than constantly moving, organizing, and decluttering the same stuff over and over again.

That’s why we’re embracing a new mentality:

Less Stuff. More Life.

We want less stress.

We want to reclaim space in our home.

We want to be able to enjoy the spaces we live in instead of constantly feeling like we need to organize them.

And most importantly, we want to make more room for what matters most—our family, our friends, and the life God has given us.

Life has certainly never been boring for us. Raising a very active son kept us incredibly busy for many years, and there were plenty of things that simply got pushed to the side because life was happening.

Now that Tim is grown, we find ourselves in a different season of life. We have the opportunity to focus on some of those things we let go by the wayside—including our stuff.

So, little by little, we’re going through our home.

We organize.

We sell.

We donate.

We throw away.

And then we do it again.

Because the funny thing about decluttering is that once you start, you begin to see even more things you don't need.

Our goal isn't to have an empty house or to get rid of everything we own. We simply want to be more intentional about what we choose to keep.

We want a home that feels peaceful instead of overwhelming.

A home that has room to breathe.

A home where the things we own serve a purpose instead of taking up space just because we’ve always had them.

And eventually, I believe we’ll get there.

We’ll have our home the way we want it—less cluttered, more organized, and filled with the things that truly matter.

Because in the end, it’s not really about having less stuff. It’s about making room for more life.

And I, for one, am really looking forward to a home that is less in stuff but more in life❤️.

To My Athlete

I hope someday you understand just how much I want you to know this—not just as your mom, but as someone who has had the privilege of watching you grow, work, struggle, overcome, succeed, and become the young man you are today. 

I know that I don't say these things to you enough.

As your mom, I spend a lot of time talking about the next goal, the next competition, the next lift, the next thing that needs to be done. We talk about numbers and training and injuries and what comes next.

And sometimes, in all of that, I probably don't say the most important thing nearly enough:

I am proud of you.

Not because of what you can lift.

Not because of the medals or the trophies.

Not because of the PRs or the competitions you've won.

Not because of what you might accomplish someday.

I was proud of you before any of it began.

Before you ever walked into a dojang or a gym.

Before you ever stepped onto a TKD mat or touched a barbell.

Before you ever knew what a PR was.

Before anyone knew what you were capable of.

You were my son, and I was already proud of you.

I love watching you pursue something you are passionate about. I love watching you work hard and discover what you're capable of. I love seeing the discipline, determination, and dedication you've developed through this journey.

And yes, I am incredibly proud of the athlete you've become.

But I want you to understand something even more important: 

Your accomplishments are something you do. They are not who you are.

There will be day when you win, and there will be days when you don't.

There will be days when the weight moves easily and day when it doesn't.

There will be seasons when your body allows you to do everything you want to do and seasons when an injury forces you to slow down.

There will be moments when you surprise yourself with how strong you are and moments when you question whether you're strong enough.

Through it all, I hope you remember:

You never have to prove yourself to me.

You never have to put a certain number on the bar to make me proud.

You never have to win a competition to make me love watching you do what you love.

And you certainly never have to be perfect.

I believe God gave you an incredible athletic ability for a reason. I don't know exactly where He will take you with that gift, but I believe there is purpose in it. Maybe the purpose will be found in the competitions you win. Maybe it will be found in the people you encourage along the way. Maybe it will shape you for something completely different that God has planned for your future.

Whatever He has for you, I pray you never lose sight of the fact that your worth was never found in your performance.

You get to enjoy this.

You get to chase big goals.

You get to work hard and see what you're capable of.

You get to stand on a platform and give everything you've got.

And you get to enjoy the incredible feeling of accomplishing something you once thought might be impossible.

But you don't have to accomplish those things to be worthy of the joy.

You are already worthy.

So lift the weight. 

Chase the goal.

Dream bigger.

Work hard.

Celebrate the victories.

Learn from the disappointments.

Get back up when life knocks you down.

And when you stand on that platform, I hope you can look out into the crowd and know that your mom isn't sitting there thinking about what you have to prove.

She's sitting there thinking, "That's my boy."

And whether you are holding a medal or walking away without one, whether you're setting a record or simply doing your best, whether you're sitting on the sidelines because your body needs time to heal...

I'll still be thinking the same thing.

"That's my boy."

Because I was proud of you before any of it began.

And I will be proud of you long after it ends.

I love you, Tim.

Never forget that.

(I made the concept—AI helped sharpen it up)

The Journey Behind the Lift

Tim's plans are to lift at this year’s State Championships—prayerfully🙏. A lot will depend on how his elbow responds to rehab between now and then, but he’s signed up regardless.

Before Tim went to Nationals, he had already started having some issues with his elbow. We thought we had gotten everything lined out with his body guy, but once he returned home and got back into training, the problem got worse.

I shared a little about what was going on in an earlier blog post. If you missed it, you can read it here: When Strength Looks Different.

Thankfully, rehab is going well. Just not quite as quickly as Tim would like😊.

The next step is getting an MRI scheduled while he continues working with PT. At this point, Tim wants to know exactly what he’s dealing with—and quite frankly, so do we. Having some answers would help us understand what’s going on and what the best path forward looks like.

For now, Tim is hoping and praying that his elbow will allow him to compete. If he does get to lift, he’ll be taking a very conservative approach with his numbers. As much as he wants to compete, he doesn’t want to push things and cause further injury.

For someone who loves to lift and compete as much as Tim does, being patient through an injury is not easy. But sometimes strength looks different.

Right now, strength looks like showing up for rehab, being patient, listening to his body, and trusting God with the outcome.

God has blessed Tim with an amazing athletic ability, and we don't believe that gift is an accident. We believe God has a purpose for Tim's life, and we believe that purpose includes this athletic journey he is on. We don't know exactly where God is going to take him through it, but we know that God does have a purpose and plan.

Maybe this season is about competing. Maybe it's about learning patience. Maybe it's about perseverance. Maybe it's about something we can't see yet. Whatever it is, we want Tim to remember that his identity and purpose are bigger than a platform, a PR, or a championship.

We're praying for total healing, answers, and the opportunity for Tim to step onto that platform at State Championships for his 4th straight time. 

Whatever happens, though, we trust that God is using this journey Tim's on for something bigger than we can see right now💪🙏. 

The Most Important Institution in Society is the Family

“The most important institution in society is the family. If we lose the family, we lose everything.”
— Charlie Kirk

Today, many would argue that this simply isn't true. But I know it to be true.

Not only because of my faith—which has certainly added to my understanding of why family matters—but because I’ve had the opportunity in my life to be exposed to other cultures and societies. And one thing I’ve come to believe is universal is this:

The family is the foundation of society.

When the family is strong, society has a strong foundation. When the family begins to fall apart, everything built on top of it becomes weaker.

Think about it. Family is where we first learn how to love, how to sacrifice, how to forgive, how to work together, how to take responsibility, and how to care about someone other than ourselves.

Family is also the reason we do so many of the things we do.

We work hard because we want to provide for our families. We make sacrifices because we want something better for our children. We push through difficult seasons because the people we love are depending on us. We want to build something that will outlast us because we want our families to have a better future.

Family gives us a reason to think beyond ourselves.

And I believe that is one of the things that has made our nation great.

It wasn't simply government, money, technology, or opportunity. It was families who were willing to work, sacrifice, raise children, teach values, serve their communities, and pass those things down to the next generation.

When the family is weakened, those values become harder to pass on.

For me, my faith makes this even clearer. I believe God created the family with a purpose. I believe He cares about our families and wants us to place them in His hands so they can become everything He has purposed them to be.

That doesn't mean families are perfect. They aren't.

Every family has struggles. Every marriage has difficult seasons. Every parent makes mistakes. But that doesn't change the importance of the institution itself.

We don't need to abandon the family because families aren't perfect. We need to fight for them because they matter.

Because if we lose the family, what exactly are we replacing it with?

Who teaches the next generation what love looks like?
Who teaches sacrifice?
Who teaches commitment?
Who teaches responsibility?
Who gives a child the security of knowing, “These people will always be there for me”?

Those things matter.

And perhaps that's why the family is worth protecting, worth investing in, worth fighting for, and most importantly, worth placing in God's hands.

Because if we lose the family, we don't just lose a part of society.

We risk losing the very foundation that holds society together.

And I think we are already seeing what happens when that foundation begins to crumble.

When families become disconnected, people become disconnected. When commitment becomes optional, relationships become disposable. When children don't have the stability of a family structure, they can spend their lives searching for the security, identity, and belonging that should have been established at home.

And when the family stops teaching values, something else will step in to teach them.

That's the part that concerns me.

There is no such thing as a value-free society. If parents don't teach their children what is right, wrong, good, bad, honorable, and worth standing for, someone else will gladly fill that role.

Our children are being shaped every single day by something.

By their families.
By their friends.
By their schools.
By social media.
By entertainment.
By the culture around them.

The question isn't whether our children are being influenced.

The question is: Who is doing the influencing?

That's why I believe parents have an incredible responsibility—not to raise perfect children, but to be intentional about what we are putting into them.

Teach them to work hard.

Teach them to keep their word.

Teach them to respect others.

Teach them that life isn't always about getting what they want.

Teach them that marriage is something worth fighting for.

Teach them that forgiveness matters.

Teach them that serving others matters.

Teach them that character matters when nobody is watching.

And teach them that God matters most of all.

Because eventually our children grow up and leave our homes. We won't always be there to tell them what to do. We won't always be able to protect them from the consequences of their choices.

But if we've done our job well, we've given them something they can carry with them.

Roots.

Roots that remind them where they came from.

Roots that give them a foundation when life gets hard.

Roots that help them recognize truth when the world is trying to convince them of something different.

Roots that remind them that they are loved.

And maybe that's what building a strong family is really about.

It's not about creating a perfect home.

It's about creating a home where people know they belong.

A home where you can laugh together.

A home where you can disagree and still love each other.

A home where forgiveness is practiced.

A home where hard work is expected.

A home where dinner around the table matters.

A home where grandparents are valued, children are cherished, marriages are protected, and faith is lived—not just talked about.

Because families don't become strong by accident.

They become strong because somebody decided they were worth the effort.

Somebody decided to stay.

Somebody decided to forgive.

Somebody decided to put down the phone and listen.

Somebody decided that dinner together was more important than another activity.

Somebody decided to take their children to church.

Somebody decided to pray over their family.

Somebody decided that what happened inside their home mattered more than what the culture outside their home was telling them.

And I believe that's where change begins.

Maybe we can't fix everything that's wrong with our society.

Maybe we can't change every law, every institution, every cultural influence, or every decision being made around us.

But we can build strong families.

We can love our spouses well.

We can raise our children intentionally.

We can honor our parents and grandparents.

We can create homes where people know they are loved.

We can put God at the center of our families and trust Him with what we cannot control.

We can do our part.

Because the family isn't just important to our lives.

The family shapes the next generation.

And the next generation will eventually shape the world.

So yes, I believe Charlie Kirk was right.

The most important institution in society is the family.

And if we want to preserve what is good about our nation, perhaps one of the most important places we can start isn't in Washington, D.C.

It's at our kitchen tables.

It's in our living rooms.

It's in the conversations we have with our children.

It's in the way we love our spouses.

It's in the way we care for our aging parents.

It's in the way we show up for one another.

It's in our homes.

Because if we strengthen the family, we strengthen society.

And if we lose the family, we lose far more than we realize.

I Didn't Choose My Childhood, But I Chose My Life

Relatively speaking, we aren't on this earth very long. So why would we want to spend the precious time we've been given living unhappy, holding onto things that happened yesterday, or allowing other people to steal our joy?

We need to make the most of every moment. We need to cherish the people we love, enjoy the life we've been given, and live each day as though it matters—because it does.

Learning how to live a happy life when you've grown up in a very dysfunctional and unhappy home wasn't easy for me. It took some very intentional choices for me to get to the happy life I'm living today.

Most people who meet me today probably think, Look how great she's got it. She's got a great husband and son. They live a good life.

And they would be right.

But it wasn't always this way.

I grew up in a home with an alcoholic father and a mother who enabled him because if she didn't, she would get beaten. My dad was mean when he was drunk, and even when he wasn't drinking, it was still his way or no way.

It's sad, really, that when I look back on my childhood, the things that stick out the most are the ugly things that happened.

Oh sure, there were good things mixed in there too. There were good memories, good times, and moments with my dad that I remember fondly. I'm not trying to erase those or pretend they didn't exist. But when you grow up in an environment where the bad can overshadow the good, unfortunately, those are often the things that stay with you the longest.

But those ugly things also taught me something.

They taught me exactly what I didn't want my life to look like.

They taught me what kind of home I didn't want to create. What kind of marriage I didn't want. What kind of parent I didn't want to be. And, perhaps most importantly, they taught me that I had a choice.

I didn't have a choice about the home I was born into.

But I did have a choice about the home I would create.

And I do have a choice about how I live my life today.

I live a happy life today because of God.

Having Him in my life has been the compass I always needed and wanted—the compass my parents should have been able to provide for me when I was a child.

When God came into my life, I got to be a child again—to some extreme, maybe. 😂

He showed me how to love and how to be loved.

He wrapped His arms around me—figuratively speaking, of course—and showed me a love I'd never known before. An unconditional love that welcomes me back no matter how many times I fail.

He showed me that my past didn't have to determine my future.

And that changed everything.

I've learned that living life happy is a choice.

Just like living life unhappy is a choice.

That doesn't mean life is always easy. It doesn't mean there won't be hard days, disappointments, loss, or things that hurt.

It means we get to decide what we're going to do with the life we've been given.

We can choose to live with purpose.

We can choose gratitude.

We can choose forgiveness.

We can choose to love the way God has called us to love.

We can choose to make a difference.

We can choose to stop allowing yesterday to rob us of today.

And we can choose to be happy.

I love my life.

I love God.

I love my family.

God and my family are my world.

My life isn't perfect, but it is a life I am incredibly thankful for—and I wouldn't trade it for all the money in the world.

We aren't here long enough to waste our days being unhappy.

So love your people.

Cherish your moments.

Make the memories.

Laugh a lot.

Forgive quickly.

Love deeply.

And above all, keep God at the center of it all.

You only get one life here. Don't spend it waiting for someday to be happy.

Live happy.

Update On Tucker

Update on Tucker

We made the decision to stop Tucker’s kibble because, quite frankly, I have felt for a long time now that processed kibble may be contributing to cancer and other health problems in our animals.

We switched Tucker to homemade dog food made with fresh sweet potatoes, fresh carrots, fresh green beans, ground turkey and canned, unsalted chickpeas—and he has perked up BIG TIME!

We’re also giving him a little honey once a day with his meal. We’ve read about some of the potential benefits of honey, particularly its antimicrobial properties, so we’re hopeful it may be helpful if the nodules he has are fungal in nature.

The biggest thing we’ve noticed is that he hasn’t had any more vomiting episodes. His appetite has picked up tremendously. He will eat every ounce of the food I make in the crockpot—and probably more if I’d let him! 😂

He’s also so much more content now, and that makes my heart happy.

If this is cancer, then once we do his next scan, we’ll continue the course we’re on with him for as long as he has a good quality of life. When the time comes that his suffering becomes greater than his quality of life, we’ll make the hard decision we know we may eventually have to make.

But on the flip side, if what we’re doing now helps heal him, we will be OH SO HAPPY and praising God!

He knows just how much our furry creatures mean to us. ❤️🐾

WHEN STRENGTH LOOKS DIFFERENT

This picture is one of the last times that Tim lifted weight over his head.

I love this quote and included it with the picture because it's true.

After winning Nationals, Tim had been on such a high. He had worked so hard for that moment, and to see all of that hard work pay off was pretty incredible.

Then this...

For weeks now, Tim has been dealing with an issue with his elbow where it won't fully straighten out. He had some issues with it a few months back before Nationals. We thought it had gotten better with his working with his body guy, but after getting back to training, it has gotten worse.

He's been strictly doing lower body and core work while we figure out what is going on with his elbow.

Now we're going through the normal ropes to get everything that needs to be done, done. Tim has seen an orthopedic doctor. He's had X-rays done. There's no fracture or OCD changes and his joint spaces and alignment are normal. He's doing everything the orthopedic doctor is asking, along with PT. Next will be an MRI that will hopefully tell us what is really going on with his elbow.

We have to give what the orthopedic doctor is trying a chance first before we can move to the MRI step in order for insurance to pick up the tab.

Gotta love insurance... NOT!

But honestly, this has been a reminder that strength isn't always about what you can lift.

Sometimes strength is being willing to put the weights down when your body is telling you that something isn't right.

Sometimes strength is being patient when you want answers NOW.

Sometimes strength is doing the exercises you're supposed to do, going to PT, following the doctor's instructions and trusting the process—even when the process isn't moving as quickly as you'd like.

And sometimes strength is dealing with disappointment without allowing it to define you.

I know this isn't where Tim expected to be right now. After the excitement of Nationals and everything he had worked so hard for, I'm sure it's frustrating to have to back off and wait and watch others make the forward progress that you want to be making.

But this is just a pause. It's not the end of his story.

That quote says, "You can fake and buy a lot of things in life these days, but muscle and strength aren't one of them."

Tim has spent several years building his strength. He's put in the work when nobody was watching. He's learned that you don't get stronger by taking the easy road.

And maybe that's exactly what this season is teaching him too.

Because there are different kinds of strength.

There is physical strength.

There is mental strength.

And there is the kind of strength that comes from having to trust God when you don't have all the answers yet.

We don't know exactly what is going on with his elbow right now. We don't know how long this will take. We don't know what the MRI will show.

But we do know that God isn't surprised by any of it.

So for now, we wait. We do what the doctors tell us to do. We keep working the parts of his body that he can work. We keep moving forward instead of sitting still and feeling sorry for ourselves.

And we pray.

Because sometimes getting stronger doesn't mean adding another plate to the bar.

Sometimes getting stronger means learning how to keep going when you can't lift the bar at all.

This isn't the chapter we expected after Nationals, but it's the chapter we're in.

And we'll trust God with the rest.

YOU CAN DO ANYTHING

“You can do anything.”

Those are words we have told our son over and over again as he has grown into the man he is today.

Not because we believed life would always be easy for him. Not because we thought he would never fail, face disappointment, or have moments when he questioned himself.

We told him because we wanted him to believe something that is so easy to forget:

Your circumstances don't get to decide what you are capable of becoming.

From the time he was little, we wanted him to know that we believed in him. We wanted him to understand that when something is hard, that doesn't automatically mean you should quit. Sometimes hard simply means you have to work harder, try again, learn something new, or find another way.

There have been times when he didn't believe he could do something himself. But that's when we would remind him:

“You can do anything.”

Those words weren't meant to tell him that he would always get exactly what he wanted.

They were meant to tell him that he shouldn't put limits on himself before he ever gives himself a chance.

You may not be the smartest person in the room.

You may not be the strongest.

You may not have the most money, the most opportunities, or the easiest circumstances.

You may even have people who tell you that you can't.

But none of those things mean you should stop trying.

Sometimes the biggest obstacle standing between us and what we want to accomplish isn't our circumstances. It's the voice in our own head telling us we're not capable.

That's why I think it is so important to speak life into our children.

Tell them you believe in them.

Tell them they are capable.

Tell them that failure isn't the end.

Tell them that falling down doesn't mean they can't get back up.

And most importantly, teach them that success isn't always about winning. Sometimes success is simply refusing to quit.

As parents, we can't walk through every door for our children. We can't protect them from every disappointment or remove every obstacle they will face.

Eventually, they have to walk through those doors themselves.

That's why we wanted our son to carry those words with him:

You can do anything.

Not because we think he can literally do everything without limitations.

But because we want him to approach life believing that he is capable of more than he may realize.

And as I look at the man he has become, I am so thankful we kept saying it.

Because sometimes the words we speak to our children when they're young become the words they hear in their own heads when they're grown.

I hope when life gets hard, he remembers our voices telling him:

“You can do this.”

“Don't give up.”

“Keep going.”

“We believe in you.”

And most of all...

“You can do anything.”

Maybe that's one of the greatest gifts we can give our children—not a life without obstacles, but the confidence to face those obstacles believing they are capable of overcoming them.

And if you're a parent reading this today, don't underestimate the power of your words.

Your child may not always show it.

They may roll their eyes.

They may act like they don't care.

But keep telling them.

Keep encouraging them.

Keep believing in them.

Because one day, they may become the man or woman you always knew they could be—and they'll carry those words with them long after they leave your home.

You can do anything.

Sometimes, they just need someone who loves them enough to believe it until they believe it too.

Tim's Senior Yearbook

 Here are Tim's Senior Yearbook pages from Lighthouse Homeschool Association: 

I still can't believe that we aren't getting ready to go back to school again this year. It hasn't really sunk in yet, but I have a feeling it will once everyone else starts heading back to school.

Tim is taking a gap year.

When you say that, most people gasp because they immediately assume it means the person isn't going to pursue further schooling.

Honestly, I don't know what lies ahead for Tim. But I do know that whatever he chooses to do, he will be as focused and driven as he has always been.

We are so incredibly thankful for the blessing it has been to raise this incredible young man. To say we are proud of him is an understatement.

And yes, I know I said the word proud, and I know what the Bible says about pride. I promise you, that's not the kind of pride I'm talking about.

It's the kind of pride that comes from watching your child walk through hard things, learn from them, grow through them, and become someone you genuinely admire.

Tim has been through a lot in his young life. He's learned a lot, too.

He knows what kind of person he wants to be—and what kind of person he doesn't want to be.

He has dreams and goals that he is going after with all of his heart. And I don't believe there is any amount of anything anyone can say or do that will keep him from pursuing those dreams and goals.

For Tim, living a full life means living life on purpose and with purpose.

For him, being an elite athlete isn't just something he does. It's his job, his passion, and what he believes he was put on this earth to pursue. We believe he will continue to strive for greatness in athletics and in life.

And honestly, if he never accomplished another thing from this point forward, he could still look back on his life and know that he has already done more in his time on this earth than most people do in an entire lifetime.

And that's okay.

Everything hasn't always been great. There have been plenty of ups and downs along the way. But the man he is today makes us smile because when we look at him, we know we did something right.

I love the person he is.

I'd love the person he is even if he weren't our son.

He's just that good of a man.

And getting to watch him step into this next chapter of his life is something I don't take for granted.

I may not know exactly where this road is going to take him, but I know Tim.

And wherever he goes, whatever he does, he'll give it everything he's got.

Happy Heavenly Birthday, Popsie

Birthdays are supposed to be a time of celebration—cake, laughter, presents, and gathering together with the people we love.

But sometimes a birthday comes around and reminds us of someone who is no longer here to celebrate with us.

Today is one of those days.

Happy Heavenly Birthday, Popsie.

It has been 2 years and 3 months since you left us for your heavenly home, and somehow, that amount of time feels both incredibly long and like just yesterday.

There are still moments when I think about you and wish I could pick up the phone, hear your voice, or see that smile again. I wish we could sit together, talk about life, laugh at the things that only our family would understand, and celebrate another birthday with you.

Time may continue to move forward, but missing someone doesn't have an expiration date.

There isn't a day that goes by that you aren't thought about and missed. You left behind memories that we will carry with us for the rest of our lives. Those memories become even more precious as the years go by.

I find comfort in knowing that while we miss you terribly here, you are no longer hurting, no longer growing older, and no longer experiencing the struggles of this world. You are home.

And I believe that one day, we'll see you again.

Until then, we will continue to talk about you, remember you, laugh at the memories, and keep your place in our family and in our hearts.

So today, we celebrate you.

Happy Birthday in Heaven, Popsie. 🎂💙

I hope Heaven is celebrating you in a way that only Heaven can.

We love you.
We miss you.
And you will forever be in our hearts.

Until we meet again… ❤️