Persevere and trust

The weather has finally turned cold.  Not too cold.  But cold enough to remind me that the one season, the holiday season, I have not been looking forward to is upon us.  When I found out last year the guys would be leaving, my mind quickly went to wondering how we would survive the holidays without them.  Eric and I spent Thanksgiving apart in 1987 when he was stationed in Georgia for AIT.  Other than that we have been fortunate enough to have spent every Christmas together for 25 years.  Many people take that for granted.  But being a military family, I know we are very fortunate to have never faced this before.  There are military families who have endured multiple holiday separations.

I have been wondering if we should do something different or follow through with our same traditions.  And knowing, too, that it will be even more difficult for them without any family while we still all have each other.  Eric did tell me he received a small Christmas tree and a Santa hat in a care package...(we'll expect to see you in that hat when we skype on Christmas day!).

After Tuesday evening, I realized we would simply trust and persevere through this as well.  Ayden and I were fortunate enough to hear Father John Riccardo speak in person Tuesday night.  He is one of my favorite radio station talk shows.  In fact, one of his messages completely changed my views as a wife and ultimately changed my life.  His message this time was simple: trust.  It is a message I hear over and over again.  Why are we sometimes so slow to internalize what we know? I can trust in our heavenly Father and Jesus his son to carry us through anything we have to endure here on this earth because my salvation rests in them.  This is my peace as I am guided by the Holy Spirit to understand, know, accept and be exactly where I am supposed to be each moment of my life.

Trust is leaning on something so completely that if it was taken away we would fall over. We lean on people, jobs, cars, or our health.  And all of those things fail us at one point in our lives or another. 
I don't ever have to worry about my God and my Savior being taken away and this is where I will continue to place my trust.  This is my peace for this holiday season.

So we continue.  We will have Thanksgiving dinner and head straight into Christmas without stopping.  And January will come and we will be 6 months in for Eric and 5 months in for Brady!

Thank you for your continued prayers for Eric, Brady, and our family!
God Bless!
Love,
Monica

If you would like to hear Father John Riccardo, check out programming on KWKY.com and listen through live streaming or check out the You Tube link below for a sample.

 Father John Riccardo