Despite the cry lodged permanently in my throat. Despite the incessant ache in my heart. I have been left to carry on without the only love of my life, my sweet sweet Dennis.

A year ago, the picture of my family looked much different than it does today. Today, Dennis is gone and in his place is our little Ellie Grace. Yet still, this portrait is not complete. God is deliberately etching more faces into our family portrait. A portrait not by my design, but solely by His!

Gods plan for a beautiful union of broken and tattered souls. A melding of lives and hearts designed to complete His will with colorful illustrations of mercy, and unyielding love. Each of us, brought together in a bouquet of withering lilies, still splattered with the mud from our walks in the valley, yet stretched upward and taut, reaching desperately for the warmth of the sun provided by the heavens.

Ultimately, His painting will be a masterpiece. A work of art unusually laden with broken hearts. Individually a tangled mess yet collectively, a sight to behold. My family, as He intended it with He at the helm as the masterful father leading us to green pastures.

Jesus has the reigns of my life. My life truly and willfully is not my own. And although my knees are weak and my hands no longer strong, steadfast I stand in hope of an eternal tomorrow!