I don't know what I would ever do without them.  

God has blessed me with a sweet, loving husband (Wes and I have been married for 15 years) and four precious, adorable children: Willow Grace (10), Carlynn Dashyelle (8), Gabriel David (5), and Grayson Michael (nearly two).  Willow, our oldest, was adopted from China when she was three years old; the other three I had naturally (well, Carlynn was born via C-section, but the boys I had the usual, normal way).  They are all beautiful.

Wes works as a welder at a local factory; he works from 5 a.m. until 4 p.m. Monday through Friday; as for me, I stay at home, where I take care of the children (and homeschool them during school season).  Grayson, who is a little too young for school, is usually watched by my mother, Anna, who comes to help while I am teaching Willow and Gabriel.  She watches Grayson as well as Carlynn.  Carlynn has severe cerebral palsy and cannot walk or talk. 

At first, it truly devastated me that our youngest daughter was born handicapped, but then God told me inside my spirit that He allowed this to happen for a reason; the key word here was trust.  Basically, God told me to trust in Him while I was dealing with Carlynn's many challenges.  It is far from easy at times, but I have since learned to do just that and things have gotten much easier to deal with.  I thank God every day for Carlynn, but I also thank Him every day for Grayson, Gabriel, and Willow.  I cannot imagine my life without any of them!

In addition to the above, I thank God for Anna, my mother, as well as my Pop, Ernest.  He comes when he feels well (Pop has cancer and is often in and out of the hospital, so he mostly stays home.  My sister, Jillian, stays with Pop, so that way I don't have to worry about him nearly as much, as I know he is in good hands.  Our brother, Greg, comes to help Jill out if she is feeling overwhelmed.  Pop has gotten so weak he cannot walk without help and he sleeps in a hospital bed, right there in his livingroom, when he is not at the hospital.  He is on oxygen and has to have nurses come help out with his presonal matters.

That Pop has lived as long as he has, even despite the cancer, is a huge answer to prayer.  We thank God for every day that Pop is alive.

God has given us much in the way of mercy and grace.  When we are having a tough time financially He somehow blesses us with unexpected financial help when we least expect it.  He brings people into our lives, people who bring us food, cards, or words of encouragement or comfort whenever we need it the most.  I am humbled by God's goodness to us; we feel we don't deserve it, but God feels otherwise.  He always provides for each and every need.

I don't know what the future holds, but I AM certain of one thing: God will be a huge part of it.  He will see to blessing us; our needs will always be taken care of.  Sometimes it's down to the wire, but we've come to learn that He is never late on His promises!