Blessings

This year has been a year of an equal amount of highs and lows. Both have been substantial and have caused me to do a great deal of reflection. With this year, I have come to depend highly on the people closest to me. I have learned to love and appreciate my family in a whole new spectrum.

This year has been full of some fantastic blessings! I received both a brother-in-law and sister-in-law. Both of Mark's siblings got married and really solidified our family. As I've mentioned before, my cousin, Nick, had a baby boy on September 1st. My other cousin, Andrea, and her husband are expecting a baby in June! And to top it all off, my great-grandma turns 100 on December 17th and she's still going strong! I'm excited to share these upcoming events in my family's lives.

But with all the good, this year has simultaneously been very difficult. While the quantity of uplifting events has outweighed the discouraging, the impact has been enormous. My Grandpa (my dad's dad) was diagnosed with lymphonic cancer. He has undergone chemotherapy and is now in remission. He is recovering well (so I guess I could put that in the blessings category).

In September, my Grandma (mom's mom....in picture above) was unexpectedly diagnosed with squamous cell cancer. My Grandma means the absolute world to me. I think the hardest part has been knowing that she's struggling and going through so much and I'm not able to be there. If you know my Grandma at all, you know she is full of life, she's fun as can be, and she is THE most genuine, caring person I've ever met. If I become half the person that she is, I'll be alright...

It's been a tough year and I've been pretty introverted about it. I've really had to rely on my family and I have come to appreciate them beyond words. They provide so much strength on a daily basis. This has also been a struggle between myself and God. I've been asking a ton of questions and not fully trusting Him. I've come to realize that I have to give it to Him and that I'm not in control (one of the hardest things for me to embrace).

If you think of it, keep my family in your prayers.

As a direct quote of my Grandma "You can't tell your God how big your trouble is. You gotta tell your trouble how big your God is."

My Grandpa in remission with his new great-grandson, Jonathan