This past week has been a full one, and it was filled with some wonderful—and not-so-wonderful—moments. I was reminded at nearly every turn of the brevity of life and of how incredibly blessed I am!

Last weekend we had to take Joe to ER (he felt his body “shutting down,” was nauseated, weak…), and while I felt a very real sense of peace as we waited to find out what was wrong, there was also that lingering sense of the unknown and of what that unknown might bring.

They admitted Joe to the hospital and kept him overnight just to be safe. Long story short, we believe the root cause of the issue was dehydration possibly due to some recent medication changes. So, of course, I’ve now ordered every kind of no sugar added electrolyte water known to mankind and am pushing it at every turn. ; ) I’m so grateful to God that he’s better!

Another blessing. . .

On Sunday night, we had the one month reunion of our “all women” Israel group, and it was SO good to see these women again. We beheld the land together, shared a pilgrimage, and these relationships are so precious.

One of the women bought a special shirt for Kristi McLelland—our fearless leader who escorted us to Israel and who is a FABULOUS Bible teacher and professor at a local university—to commemorate our trip together. We’re the first “all women” group Kristi has taken to Israel, and she’s been escorting groups for over 10 years.

A phrase Kristi uses often when describing the Word of God is “Gospel gorgeous!” I just love that! And her.

I’ve learned so much from Kristi and appreciate how she teaches the Bible through a Middle Eastern Lens. Because, after all, the Bible was written by middle easterners. What fresh perspective this gives the Word of God.

If you live in or around the Nashville area, I invite you to attend one of Kristi’s classes this summer. She’s teaching a class on ITALY (I’ll be at that one!) and ISRAEL (which I’ve taken before and it…is…fabulous!). Get more info here.

Next, I’m sooo grateful that, as I drove back to Nashville from Atlanta this weekend, I was able to simply walk away from this accident.

A deer decided to run out in front of my truck…and it didn’t go well. Mainly for him [or her? Admittedly, I didn’t look too closely at what was left in the middle of the road, but the impact definitely killed him/her : ( ]. The windshield shattered and glass went everywhere, but it was safety glass so I was literally able to hop out of the truck and brush it all off. #sograteful

The reason I was coming back from Atlanta is that I got some more time with my sweet Dad again—and it was precious! We laughed a lot and shared some good conversations. He’s had some rougher days since, but that’s all part of the journey. One day at a time…for us all. God is in control!

One final blessing… Well, sort of, LOL. You might remember that we added Murphy’s half-sister, Bailey, to our family almost eight months ago. And she has been a handful!

I love her to pieces, but she’s definitely changed the dynamic of our lives. Her “puppyness” is beginning to wane (please, can I get an AMEN!) and we’re seeing glimpses of life on the other side. ; )

So what are some of your recent blessings? Big or small, doesn’t matter. Let’s share—and give God all the glory!

Tammy