We used to laugh and say "Our family doesn't take trips, we take adventures!" It didn't matter whether it was from Ohio to Virginia or just an outing to a park, a family vacation to the outer banks or a day trip to the beach, somehow we always found a way to make it an adventure OR adventure found us! So the family motto seemed like a good title for our first blog, especially in light of the current adventure that the Lord has brought our way. This adventure started back in April with a sudden change of direction in our lives when Mike was involved in a serious accident that left him with traumatic brain injury. The subsequent months have been chronicled on our Caring Bridge website, but I felt that psychologically I needed to make a shift to a different format. One where I can interact more with our wonderful prayer warriors and supporters and just have a fresh start, removed from the sterile feel of white walls and separation. Green denotes life, growth, newness, and just happens to be Mike's and my favorite color. It gives me a feeling of warmth, hope, and new life.  So as we continue on this adventure of recovery and a new normal, I want to turn a corner and embrace the gift of life that God has blessed us with and be thankful.

We have so much to be thankful for: Mike's physical recovery is truly amazing, the great doctors, nurses, therapists, paid and volunteer caregivers, safe apartment with wonderful staff, being close to Keegan & Amy and Carol & Ed, prayer warriors all over the world, cards, notes, calls, gifts, churches in Hope Mills, Fayetteville, Raeford, and Raleigh, NC; Wilsons, VA; Texas, Ohio and more who are praying and supporting us and loving us, family and friends - what would we do without you?  And above all, thanks and praise and honor to our Lord Jesus Christ who is carrying us through this adventure. 

One of my favorite books is "The Practice of the Presence of God" by Brother Lawrence. My copy is starting to fall apart and I'm reading it again for the ? time. I love Brother Lawrence's simplicity and my desire is that I too will practice God's presence every moment of the day with such heartfelt devotion and singleness of mind as he did.  "The worst trial he (Brother Lawrence) could imagine was losing his sense of God's presence, which had been with him for so long a time." "He added that he wasn't afraid of dying to self or losing himself in Christ, because complete surrender to God's will is the only secure road to follow. In it, there is always enough light to assure safe travel." "He said that in order to be sure we were doing God's will, we should simply develop an attitude of faith, hope, and love. We need not be concerned about anything else. It simply is not important, and should only be regarded as the means of getting to the final goal of being entirely lost in the love of God." 

Although this adventure is often rocky and hard, as Brother Lawrence said, when we continue to trust God and give ourselves completely to Him, it will be the only secure road and God will always provide what is needed to travel on it. I pray that somehow through the sharing of our story, some of you will be strengthened in your faith, or if you don't have Jesus in your life, you will come to know and accept him as your Savior. True joy is only found in Jesus.

I Peter 1:3-7
Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God's power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith--of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire--may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.