Kelli & Mitch: Beauty out of the Ashes (Isaiah 61)

Mitch’s “year-in-review” for everything has rubbed off on me, I guess. Although it’s not technically a year, since Easter was so late last year, it being Ash Wednesday got me thinking about all that God has done for us since this time last year. Ash Wednesday was the day we found out we were pregnant with Eli. I love remembering just how ecstatic and surprised I was when I saw that the test was positive and how overjoyed and shocked Mitch was when I told him. It was such a fun and happy day! I’m so grateful that we have a lot of good memories of that time, along with the not as pleasant ones.

When MWW realized it was a shirt for a baby and NOT the dog... :)

I’ve shared before how the Lord was faithful to me over the summer. He continued to be gracious to me as Eli’s due date approached in November. My due date was on a Tuesday and the Friday before, as Mitch and I were on a flight coming back from Tulsa, I felt Whitley kick for the first time—not just once, but several times! And she never quit, it seems. I’ve felt her all day every day since then. Mitch was out of town the whole next week, so it was such an extra special blessing for me to be able to feel her kick during that bitter sweet time. But I was reminded every time I felt her that if we hadn’t lost Eli, she wouldn’t be alive within me now. Mitch got to feel her kick for the first time a couple of weeks later. (Back in Tulsa, ironically!) There were other things, too… I had picked out a tree over the summer to be planted in Eli’s memory at our new house. It “just happened” to be delivered and planted that week—I love that God orchestrates even the minute things in our lives; nothing is too small for Him. He also protected me from idolizing the tree at all, since the tree originally got planted in the wrong spot and later had to be moved.

It has definitely been a year of ups and downs, but I’m thankful for the way that God has strengthened our marriage through all of it. We have gotten to take several trips together and have a lot of good discussions. I’m excited to see how things change as we welcome Whitley to our family! I don’t know how people without Christ in their lives cope with things, but I’m so glad that we are not stumbling down that path. We also have amazing friends and family who have been there every step of the way. Even though today was bitter sweet, I feel so blessed that we are where we are today and I’m excited to see what the Lord has in store for us in the next year—I know it will be a mile marker one as well!