She carries herself with grace and beauty – therefore she was sometimes seen as weak. But the Strength my mom carries with her makes her strong. Her body has never seemed frailer, but her spirit has never been so unbreakable.

To hear my mom teasing again, to see her smile again, to watch her moving around the house is a gift from God. God has turned our mourning into dancing, made beauty from ashes. Joy has come from sorrow. Every day is still a struggle – a struggle to walk up and down a flight of stairs, a struggle to look at a plate of delicious food but to almost see it as an enemy, a struggle to stay positive and patient. But we have seen God with our eyes. As Job proclaims “I have heard of You by the hearing of the ear; but now my eye sees You” (Job 42:5). We have seen God work in very desperate circumstances. He has proven His power. He is displaying His riches.

While some days are good and some days are bad right now, we thank God for every day that we are alive. We thank God that He has made every day – we rejoice and are glad. He has shown us that He follows through on his promises. He promises to never leave us or forsake us – He hasn’t yet. He promises to give us peace beyond all understanding – He has completely. He doesn’t promise that struggles won’t come, but He has promised to be there every step of the way. And through this journey, He has revealed Himself to be an ever-present, faithful God, true to His word.

We keep walking, keep trusting, and keep believing. God has been faithful – now it’s our turn to return the favor.