A Living Hope, A Sure Salvation Because of Grace

Where do I begin with this one... Let me start with when people ask me when my birthday is....My answer every time is "the day after Flag day". I get the craziest looks ...and then they ask "when is Flag day?"  My response "you'll figure it out"  I do this for a couple of reasons.  One of them is I like to surprise people with things like their favorite food or dessert or a flower arrangement on their birthday or just because, but I don't like to be startle surprised or to startle surprise my family, chosen family, friends. So when I give the answer of what day my birthday is, I do it because I truly just want a solid friendship and time spent with the people I care about the most and that care about me.  Life isn't about the things one recieves or the gifts given because it's their birthday or it's Christmas... Life is about making the moments count.  If you read the post before this one you got a glimpse into what life has thrown at m...

 "When you are absent in heart but present in reality, you know the slightest bump or jostled by anyone would shatter your ability to hold it together. You'd be nothing but the dust that even a wisp of wind could and would blow away without any sympathy at all. As everything about you goes flying, you'd suddenly and horrifically realize you're helpless to gather the particles that were once "you" back into something of any sort of substance. " But I Am.   I've watched a lot of my family, chosen family, friends grieve hard the last few months. I myself have grieved hard the last few months - over my losses and as I've empathize with those grieving those same losses. Grief never leaves, or lessons... It's always there. It comes in quietly, at the most unexpected time.  And for whatever the reason the world tells us we have to always keep it together and we aren't allowed to show our emotions when grief hits.  So when I read the following in...