As I sit down to write, I’m not even sure where to begin. Eleanor “Ellie” Love Kropchuk was the most beautiful surprise. In March 2017, my husband Matthew and I were so excited to find out she was on the way to join big brother Timothy (3 years old) and big sister Caroline (20 months). Since I already have two children, pregnancy was nothing new for me. But Ellie was different. I won’t go into all the reasons why now, but even my doctor at one point commented as we laughed together about how active Ellie always was that this pregnancy was just different than the others. Around 7 months into my pregnancy, I felt led to create a playlist that I would listen to during my birthing time. If you know me, you probably know that I LOVE music. Always have. God often uses music to minster to me in very unique and specific ways. My favorite thing to do is throw a bunch of favorite songs into a playlist and then put it on shuffle because He always brings the exact songs I need in the mome...
It's hard to believe I haven't written in 9 months. There's been a lot going on behind the scenes that I just couldn't talk publicly about for a long time. It has been a difficult season of transition for myself and my family. Seasons. That word seems to be a recurring theme in my life here lately. As we're beginning to enjoy the first days of cooler weather here in East Texas, I'm reminded that, once again, we're entering a new season of life. Not just a physical, temporal season. I feel like I've also entered into a new season in my heart and in my journey. My story has been full of pain and heartbreak over the past few years. So many times, it has seemed like I just couldn't catch a break. Just when I'd begin to catch my breath, a new tragedy or difficult situation would present itself. You see, over this past year, I've been quietly going through a divorce. Divorce . It's not really a word that I thought would be a part of my story...