It's been twenty-one days since my last post.  A hint of what has been happening here on the homefront, and in my heart and body, I've written about briefly in previous posts.

It has been difficult for me, for my family, and  my friends.  The love that has surrounded me during these weeks has changed me in ways I can not yet put into words.

Today my blogger friend Holly has written about what I  and so many others have experienced.  I share it with you today because we all walk through difficulties in our life, here on earth.
Our lives DO have purpose.

A different kind of "happily ever after" Posted: 08 Apr 2011 06:55 AM PDT
written by Holly Gerth

 I remember staying up late with friends to watch movies that always seemed to close with the same line...
And they lived happily ever after--
THE END

But real life often doesn't work that way. We hope and dream but things don't always turn out like we plan. We face trials, hard times, and we ask, "God, where are you in this story?"
He gave you manna to eat in the desert, something your fathers had never known, to humble and to test you so that in THE END it might go well with you. Deuteronomy 8:16
God's path to "happily ever after"--to all going well with us--looks different than ours. But in all of it we can trust that He has our good in mind, that He knows where the story is going, that He will love us and keep us every step of the way.

Easy? Nope. I've got a hunch many of your stories make Cinderella look like a sissy.
Something we do with a smile on our face the entire time? Not unless you're as unconscious as Sleeping Beauty.
Worth it? Oh, yes, because one day our Prince will come.
Listen, sweet friend, as I take your heart by the hand and whisper these words...
Your story has a good ending. And it's not over yet.

Oh friends, these last several weeks have been exactly what I needed - for they have drawn me closer to my Savior in ways I would never trade a second for.

I wish the same for you, with love.