Jake is growing. It is evident just by looking at him. But if you don’t know Jake or if you don’t believe he has grown, just look at his knees. There seems to be new stretch marks popping up every week. You can also tell when he complains of his knees and ankles hurting…growing pains!

Growing pains normally happen in your adolescent years, but I am learning that they can also affect us in our mid-30s! Living in a tight-knit small, loving and caring community, I had been struggling with the guilt of not being a good enough kind and loving mother. I had also been faced with the reality that I like making goals, but I am not goal oriented enough to meet said goals.

However, in the midst of my pity party, I was reminded that the people I was comparing myself to, had (and some still have) parents who encouraged and taught them how to be succesful adults and parents. Since my mother passed away when I was 14 and my dad was so emotionally effected by her death, I wasn’t as fortunate. Now, this isn’t a bash on my dad or an excuse for me, it’s just the facts.

Now, common sense and the grace of God have allowed me to raise a pretty good kid and I would consider myself a pretty honest and genuine person. But I can’t help but think how much better we would be if we did have the examples to teach us how we could be more goal oriented, keep a budget, be kind and follow God?

Thankfully, we live in a small town and have a Heavenly Father who is in the restoration business, so we have the opportunity to find out! Albeit painful, when the pain is over, we will both be stronger, taller and have the stretch marks to prove it!! 😉