A Note from Lisa

Hi all. Happy Saturday.

First I want to say THANKS for all of your prayers, comments and words of encouragement along the way. I appreciate so much.

You are the first to read the words of my journal that I wrote ten years ago. Until last year, I had read a sentence or two but would always close it and plan to read another day. Last year I took this journey and read each post on each day.  It was difficult but I'm glad that I had my journal to help me look back and remember.  This year I felt that God wanted me to share my journal with you. Thanks for taking this journey with me.

The next few weeks of posts may become more difficult for you to read. I may give more detail than you want to know. I'm trying to be sensitive but Jared's story is just that... Jared's story.  All of these things happened along the way.

Over the years, I've had people tell me that they could not walk the journey I've walked.  Let me tell you that God is faithful and He will always be with each of us along whatever journey He plans for us. Will we always understand? No.  Will we always respond the right way? No. But God is always there to lead us and give us the strength and courage to make it.

In the movie The Help, the maid, Aibileen tells the little girl that she takes care of that:

"YOU IS KIND. YOU IS SMART. YOU IS IMPORTANT."

Let me tell you the same.  You are kind. You are smart. You are important.  And you are loved.

"This is how much God loved the world: He gave his Son, his one and only Son. And this is why: so that no one need be destroyed; by believing in him, anyone can have a whole and lasting life. God didn't go to all the trouble of sending his Son merely to point an accusing finger, telling the world how bad it was. He came to help, to put the world right again." John 3:16-17 (The Message)