the deep end

I love this old picture of Jay and I. My how things have changed since then. For starters, that "lovey" he has in the his mouth is now a beautiful shade of grey. So gross. Not sure what I was thinking when I bought a cream colored lovey. Joke's on me!

At least he finally grew into his head. Jackson, not the lovey.

I wore that little yellow sweatsuit when I was small. I also grew into my head eventually. Life is good.

My hair was a lot longer then. I miss it.

This picture was taken when we lived with my parents for 18 months. Wowza. It was a tough season to be sure. We moved out a couple weeks before Dad's diagnosis. Now, those 18 months are a beautiful gift of time.

I spent the morning with a new friend who has quickly worked her way into my heart forever. I am not going to tell her that b/c I don't want to sound weird and scare her away, but what a gift this morning was.

We have a lot in common. She has 4 boys, I have 3. Not a girl among us. In the course of about 2 1/2 yrs, she lost both of her parents and now her only sister lives an ocean away.

Wrap your big head around that one. Wait, you grew into your head too. It's completely proportional. Promise.

While our boys ran circles around us this morning and ripped her home apart, bit by bit, we shared war stories, we cried, we compared notes, we laughed. We're both working through the same Beth Moore Bible study in our mom's groups (Mercy Triumphs) and are finding that it's speaking volumes to us as we process grief.
 
It's nice to find common ground with someone. Its nice to be able to dive headfirst into the deep end. Its nice to be ok with jumping out to fetch a sippy cup before plunging back in. I love the deep end, I live for the deep end. That's where God-sized dreams start as a merely a glimmer, where relationships are established by a short, meaningful conversation, where our weary hearts can be refueled by a cup of coffee and rest.

Ah, the deep end.

Its where God is calling us, whether we know how to swim or not.

I'm not a big swimmer, but at least my head will keep me buoyant while we float around in the deep end. Let's do it together!