New Beginnings

It's funny how so much can change in a week's time. Last week I was out of town, and I can honestly say it was one of my top 5 worst weeks ever. I spent a lot of time praying and wishing I could just come home. I needed my husband and a hug. I got both as soon as I landed back home on Monday.

It's those horrendous moments in life, the ones that make you feel completely broken, that make you grateful for all the good in life. That makes you appreciate your family and hug them a little harder and longer. That makes you realize how lucky you are to have found a husband who has the ability to calm raging seas in a storm and fight for you and stand beside you always.

But this was a great week. I was home with my family, the weather was amazing, and I didn't spend the week huddled over a computer for most of the day. We played outside, talked to neighbors, went walking, went to the gym, ate better, and spent quality time together talking about futures and goals and plans. It was a week focused on us and our family.

And despite a small setback with a knee injury, a trip to the doctor, and a round of needling, it was a week of healing. A week that made last week seem like nothing more than a distant memory.

It's also a week I think we needed as a family. My husband retires today after more than twenty-five years in law enforcement. To say that I haven't spent the last couple of weeks worrying about him and the upcoming change in his life would be a lie, but I can see the peace inside him and that's a great comfort to me.

We start a new chapter in our lives next week. I'm excited and thrilled I get to do it with someone I love and respect and admire and have fun with. It makes all the bad weeks and trials in life seem inconsequential when you know you have a full partner waiting to prop you up if you start to fall.

It's a week of gratitude, happiness, and contentment. You can't ask for more than that.