Goodness gracious, May has been an EXTREMELY busy month. Since I finished college, I really haven’t felt the weight of the “end of the school year,” but this year – oh my – I’ve felt it!! I can’t believe I’m typing this, but all of our siblings (Hayden and mine) are out of high school. It’s a little surreal because I met Hayden before my senior year of high school, and this summer, we will have been together for NINE YEARS!! Hayden’s little sister Halle was only in the fourth grade. It’s just insane! We now have Loralai (our sweet sister from the gift of adoption), and both of the girls graduated last weekend.

Like any major life event, it’s made me pause and really think back on different parts of my life. Here are a few of my thoughts:

• High school can be a really rough place, and once you leave, you realize a lot of what you worried about really doesn’t matter in the grand scheme.
• Life moves really, really fast. It’s true what Ferris Bueller said, “if you don’t stop and look around once in awhile, you might just miss it.” I’m clinging to that because it’s SO truth. The days might be long, but the years can definitely be short.
• There is a time and a season for everything. Ecclesiastes 3:1, “For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven.” It makes me think of many different things, but one is that we’re only in a season for a period of time. Whether difficult or joyful – you can realize that it will only last so long. I’ve really enjoyed having the girls home and near by, but I also am eager to see how God will use them in this next period of life.
• Childhood is like a blip. My dad used to always tell me to be little as long as I could. He’d remind me each year “be 8 as long as you can be 8,” “be 9 as long as you can be 9,” etc. I used to mentally roll my eyes, but now, I’m like BECKHAM STAY LITTLE WHILE YOU CAN. Adulthood is not for the faint of heart – there are so many big and real issues in the world. I used to think turning 18, living out in the world, and making alllllll my own decisions sounded like a dream. I now know sleeping in during the summer, having parents pay all my bills, and never worrying about big life decisions was really something amazing. It’s too bad we often don’t realize how good things are until we’re in the next stage of life. So, I’m officially over half way through my 20s now, and I’m determined to make these next few years be the best they can…because I’m sure as soon as I’m 30 I’ll think “man, I wish I knew how good I had it in my 20s.”
• Good things grow through hardship. This is a lesson I learned in my childhood through years of struggling with friends and feeling like I fit in. What I didn’t realize is that those hard years would prep me for the life I’m living today and how I’m able to help others. One thought that has greatly impacted my life is “be the person you needed when you were younger.” This thought has changed where I serve in my church AND how I serve those young people.
• My current favorite song is “I’m So Blessed” by CAIN. If you ask me for a recommendation…that’s probably what I’ll give you. My favorite line “on best days, I’m a child of God, on my worst days, I’m a child of God, oh every day is a good day – and you’re the reason why.” Lately, I’ve had a lot of both: best and worst days. It’s been a great reminder that no matter what my day holds – I know who holds ME. I’ve never had my faith tested like it’s being tested, but friends, that’s what makes faith, faith. Without action – my faith isn’t faith – it’s dead.

So, it’s been a big month with lots of celebrations and lots of fun. We still have a little bit more with Memorial Day weekend coming up. I am overjoyed about summer – it’s usually when I feel the most “me.” I’d love to hear about your month. Leave a comment or shoot me a DM on Instagram.