Every One of Us Has One

The past several weeks have brought little reminders of why I began blogging.  It wasn't my intent to become a well-known blogger or have 2,000 followers or post so sporadically... well, I have certainly succeeded at 2 of the 3. However, it "was" my intent to share my values, beliefs and some family history for my future generations... I had wanted to post more regularly, but sometimes life simply happens and we just roll with it.  All of this "thinking" has brought me to this post that has actually been in-progress for the past several months

 (and I didn't even realize it).

 

   Have you ever noticed people around you?  It's not a trick question... and I'm not totally off-my-rocker.  This is something that I've tried to be more aware of lately. Of course there's people all around us and of course we notice them.  Now, for the next question... what do all of these people have in common? What do they have in common with you? And with me? The people who are around us... yet are total strangers.  What is it that bonds each of us together even through our differences?

Well... we all do have something in common.

 

the good ... along with the bad

the beautiful ... along with the ugly

the wholeness ... along with the brokenness

 

... and all of these make up our story ...

 

everybody has a story

 

How many times has God placed people in our paths... and we see them... and we smile at them... and they nod back to us... and somehow we all miss it.

 

everybody has a story

 

Over the past few months, I've had opportunities to share our story --

mine & Dan's story... our kids' story... our grands' story.

And you know what? 

It's been real.

Every single bit of it is real.

 

Their story. The day she tried to make normal through worry of the explosion...

the good is real... the bad is real

the beautiful is real... the ugly is real

the wholeness is real... the brokenness is real

 

We all go through hard times.  Period.  No exceptions. 

Every.

Single.

Person.

 

 I've shared our family story of Michael being combat wounded... Tag 11 days old at the time... Lucy staying with us during the week to still have her church activities & dance... our daughter giving back to the children of wounded warriors through her charitable organization...



Getting ready to see her Daddy for the first time since he was wounded.



She was getting ready to leave her family at the military hospital.

He spent 5 months living at a military hospital while his Daddy was recovering.

everybody has a story

 

Dan & I have shared our personal story of our fairytale elopement... that found us in divorce court on our 4th anniversary... to our patchwork reconciliation that ultimately brought us to our beautiful redemption...

and now heading toward our 32nd anniversary in May...

Celebrated our 30th anniversary... redemption is indeed beautiful.

everybody has a story

 

So, when we're out on our daily routines this week... remember that behind every smile and behind every word and behind every action...

 

there is a story that may not be seen in what is visible to us

 

 not everyone needs to know our story

and we do not need to know their story

but we just need to remember that

 

everyone has a story

 

 

May God bless you in your story this week,

my friends!