Some Kiawah Photos

Kiawah Island

We are taking a family vacation minus the boys. It’s super weird to be here without them. Sidge was just returning from his mission trip to Colombia today so joining us would have been hard. Isaac didn’t really to come without his brother (they hang together a lot on trips)

Instead, the girls each brought a friend. Abigail brought her best friend Ella. Hannah brought her cousin Genevieve. 

We are excited to have a few days of break coming up here in Kiawah!

“Suddenly” by Superchick

She feels lost in her life 
Treading water just to keep from slipping under 
And she wonders if she's where she's supposed to be 
Tired for trying to do it right 
Her dreams are just to far away to see how steps she's making 
Might be taking her to who she'll be 

And suddenly it isn't what it used to be 
And after all this time it worked out just fine 
And suddenly I am where I'm supposed to be 
And after all the tears I was supposed to be here 

She feels locked in her own life 
Scared of what she might lose if she moves away from who she was 
And she's afraid of being free 
There's a way she knows is right 
She can't feel the things she knows 
And so each step she's taking is a step of faith toward who she'll be 

And suddenly it isn't what it used to be 
And after all this time it worked out just fine 
And suddenly I am where I'm supposed to be 
And after all the tears I was supposed to be here 

And here where the night is darkest black 
She feels the fear and the light is farthest back 
And through her tears she can't see the dawn is coming 
Skies will clear and the light will find her where she's always been. 

And suddenly it isn't what it used to be 
And after all this time it worked out just fine 
And suddenly I am where I'm supposed to be 
And after all the tears I was supposed to be here

Trying to take care of myself

Wendi post-breakdown has learned a tremendous amount. 

It is imperative that I take care of myself so I can be the best wife and mom I can be. 

And secondarily, I can be there for those in my community who I love immensely. 

I used to not have any idea when I was doing too much or experiencing too much or letting people lean too heavily on me. I had no marker for "too much" in my vocabulary. 

But now I do. 

And yet, how do I determine how to let things go when needs are present. 

It's hard. 

I love fiercely and I love immensely and I want to be there for people. And yet I can't do this without limit. I need to much to protect my emotions. 

I used to be able to go without stopping. But now, I can actually feel it in my body when too much has been required of me. And even if someone doesn't require it of me ... maybe I require it of myself. 

The thing is: once you get stripped to your core, you can never, ever see the world the same way. You can never unsee what you have seen. I can't unsee it. I will always see it. 

So I take care of myself FIRST. I must. It is not selfish. I must care for myself so that I can care for others. 

Always learning ... 

Still in Colombia

 

Our son #2 is still in Colombia. (That's him in the back corner/blue shirt -- tall kids always get relegated to the back unless they quickly squat and take a front row position.) We have not heard from him very much, but from the pictures we are receiving (from other people -- not him) I am assuming it is going well. 

Son #1 has been busy working at his job at Yoder's. We enjoyed having the Harrison's here, and Isaac hung out a lot with their two sons: Walker (17) and Wyatt (14). 

My girls had a wonderful time with their friends here with them. Ella (15) is Abigail's best friend, and Ezri, while younger than Hannah, matches with her really well. 

Still trying to find my footing from a really challenging two weeks, but I'm finding it. :)