"Hello, old friend I know it's been awhile..."

Although technically the beginning to a song by Francesca Battistelli, these words also capture my feelings about the decision to blog again.  Its been a few years since I last entered the world of blogging.  Many things have changed, I'm sure, but hopefully many things have stayed the same.  

My decision to write and share it has been both exciting and hesitant.  This is because I love and hate the written word.  I love it because for me, it is my easiest form of self-expression.  I am almost always able to communicate through written word what I can’t always articulate through spoken word.  Once I begin typing it’s as if a dam to my heart is open and all the thoughts, feelings, and emotions that I keep so close come spilling forth.  On the flip side, I hate it because there will always be a reminder of what was happening at that point in time.  While sometimes this is a good thing, other times it's not so good.  There are many things that have happened in my life that I would much rather forget.  It’s times like those that the words haunt me.  They remind me of all the hurt, pain, and loneliness that I felt.  The feelings of isolation and despair that I’d prefer to not remember at all.   

But I know that at some point, I will want to look back and see, in writing, all that God has done.  I will want to recall all of those sweet moments where God opened my eyes to see Him in all of His glory.  I will want to remember those lessons that He so patiently and lovingly taught me about His love and His unending grace.  I will need to be reminded that even in those dark, desolate valleys, He never left my side.  And perhaps, maybe there is someone else out there who needs to know that they are not alone.  That there is HOPE.  That there is a God who loves them more than they can even fathom.  That He is a God of restoration and renewal.  And that through everything we face, He is working all things together for our good, even when we can't see it. 

I invite you to join me on my journey.  Walk with me as I open my heart to the restoration that God wants to do in my life.  Learn with me as He teaches me more and more about His unconditional love and grace.  Grow with me as He prunes away everything that is not pleasing to Him and as He challenges me to change.  Watch on as I seek to uncover His divine purpose for my life and begin to live out what I was created to do.