I Can Do Hard Things.

I have found myself being super pensive as of late.  Not that there is a time in life when you are not asking big questions, but it seems like lately these are the only kind.  Forget about what is for dinner, my mind has been reeling with questions like: What will our family look like in five years?  More kids?  Same house?  Same jobs?  And more poignant questions like: What do I want my girls to remember about me? What are my passions?  What are my gifts?  These all are real and really good questions.  However, I just have had a difficult time coming to terms with any real answers.  Sometimes I think that is okay though.  My girls have been teaching me something--per usual.  I snapped this picture a few mornings ago and it has been haunting me ever since.  Not haunting in a totally going to pee my pants kind of way, but haunting in that I couldn't rest until I figured out why it was so moving. 

There is just something about this photo that screams bravery--we're in this together--we can do hard things.  Do you see it?  I think it is their eyes, so serious and unafraid.  Or maybe it is how tightly they are holding hands, big sister and little sister.  It could be the dogs, one tucked securely by each of their sides.  Or maybe it is Sockie, a place of security and peace.  Perhaps it is Bear, stately in the corner watching over them.  Whatever it is, it captivated me this week.  It beckoned me to be strong.  It encouraged me to hold tight and hold on.  It reminded me to be brave.

So, as my mind wanders and ponders those infamous big questions that I don't quite know the answers to, I can be confident of one thing.  I can do hard things.

Thank you Lord for these outrageous gifts--better teachers than I'll ever be.