Five years ago today, my beloved husband journeyed on to Glory.

So much has changed in that time…yet so much has stayed the same.

When Keith died:

• there were no IPads and the IPhone was brand new
• we had not had an African American president
• Osama Bin Laden was still at large
• Haiti had not been severely damaged by an earthquake and Japan had not suffered a tsunami
• we had not suffered a good-sized earthquake in Northern Virginia
• Kosovo had not declared itself an independent country and been recognized as such
• Facebook, Twitter, and blogs were not commonly used by everyone and did not provide a major vehicle for communication
• the housing market was slipping but had not crashed

In our own family:

• I was still taller than all of my children
• we did not have a dog at all, much less two
• Jackson and Tanner could not read
• Alex did not play guitar and had no interest in being in the praise band
• we were not out for much of anything past 7:30 at night
• I did not get up at 5:00 to spend precious quiet time with Jesus every morning
• we did not have company at every holiday, and any time we could think of an occasion to have people over

Yet so many things have stayed the same:

• I am blessed and  privileged to still be able to homeschool my boys
• I live in the same home, the dream home Keith so lovingly painted with all 17 paint colors I wanted
• I have friends who have stuck by me for these five years, taking care of me and the boys, from the moment Keith died until now
• Our church continues to be a home and a haven, blessing us and allowing us to bless them
• God is still God – in His heaven, in control, in my corner, in my life…each and every day, and in each and every situation
• I am His beloved daughter and by His grace I can stand – each and every day

And because of these blessings…because of this God and His love for little old me, I can have survived these five years.

And, by His grace, I will survive many more. 

As for me, I will always have hope; I will praise You more and more.  My mouth will tell of Your righteous deeds, of Your saving acts all day long—though I know not how to relate them all. — Psalm 71:14-15