Come have a seat and join me on my journey!

My name is Elizabeth, and I’m new to blogging, so first let me introduce myself. I am a Christian, a wife, a mom to two adult children (one with special needs and one college student who is learning his way in this world), and by profession- a Registered Nurse. For nearly nineteen years, I worked as an elementary school nurse and I felt it was truly my calling, and the mission field that God had given me to show his love to others through my gifts in my profession. But when I developed a debilitating, and disabling rare condition known as CRPS in late 2020, my world came tumbling down around me. No longer could I do all the things I could once do. No longer did I have all my physical abilities. Those losses not only affected my daily life, but eventually led to the subsequent loss of the job I loved so much. I was dealing with all the stuff- the losses, the chronic, constant 24/7 pain along with all  the other symptoms of CRPS, and yes, all the anxiety, sadness, and other emotions and feelings that come with such a diagnosis and loss. I found myself just surviving, but not really living, and I knew I would really need to lean on God to help get me through all that had and would come my way. I came to realize that living with a chronic illness was going to be one of the biggest challenges that I’ve faced so far, and I knew I couldn’t do that alone. I’ve first and foremost had to learn to trust God and his plan for me through this. I’ve had to learn when to say no to previous plans, when to give my body and rest, and that it’s ok to rely on friends and family and ask for help when I need it. I made the decision that although I will live with CRPS the rest of my life, that I don’t want it to rule me, so each day I make the choice to step forward and do my best to live my life in this hard, new place I find myself in.

When God started nudging me to start writing a blog, at first I felt like maybe I had misunderstood. I mean, who would read anything written by me? It’s not like I am famous. I’m not a writer- I mean other than some newspaper articles and those required college essays, I’ve never written anything in my life. I’m not an online influencer. I don’t wear all the brand name clothing, and most of the time, you won’t even find me wearing makeup.  I’ve often been told that I’m real, and with me “what you see is what you get” so to speak, so I was wondering how could God even begin to use me through this blog? And, although I am known by many in my community, I didn’t feel like I had anything to offer, and truly just thought I was misunderstanding that nudge from the Lord. So, I ignored that nudge for several months, but God just kept sending all the thoughts back to me, and so I started sharing the idea with a few of my close friends, asking them their opinion, and to pray about it with me, so that I could make sure I was hearing Him correctly. I won’t ever forget the first thing that my friend Robin told me. She said “Elizabeth, you may not feel like it, but you are an amazing woman to so many of us, and you have a lot to say that people may need to hear” And that was followed by two other friends who said “if God told you to do it, then you need to listen and do it”. You can’t really get any more direct than that, right?  So I did. I began to pray about it, and they prayed about it, and finally after many more months, here I am, embarking on yet another season in my life, both scared and excited for the journey ahead. For months, I have been waiting until it felt like the right time to start the blog, and this past month, that confirmation in timing was given to me. I told God that I will do my best to write the words he wants me to write, and I’ll just trust him to send the readers my way. Even today, while listening to a podcast, I was reminded that God can use me and has chosen me, when I heard Romans 8:11 again, which states (paraphrased) 

The spirit of God which raised Christ from the dead, lives in me and gives me life. 

I’d love to have you join me on my blogging (and life) journey! I’ll post the things God places on my heart, in the hopes that you will benefit from them, and I hope that my blog gives you a smile, a cry, or even a comfort in the part of life you need it most. I’ll write about all kinds of topics, from things I’ve learned as a woman, a special needs mom, to things I’ve learned from nearly 30 years of marriage. I’ll definitely write about things that God has shown me through my chronic illness, and what I’ve learned through my husbands chronic illness, and so much more! Daily life, just like all seasons, can be so much more fun when you know that someone is right there with you, So I invite you to join me, and walk (or read)  through each blog with me, as I hope to share with you all, God’s words of hope, love, and encouragement, dispersed with some fun and humor from my crazy life! 

Can’t wait to be here with you again soon, where we will start talking about why I named my blog Grace for every season, and what Grace means for us all! 

In His Love,

Elizabeth 

Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need. Hebrews 4:16 NIV

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