sisters

I know I have said this many times before,

but I just have to keep saying it...

God has truly blessed me.

Blessings of which I do not deserve in the least bit.

And even though I do take them for granted sometimes, I am so grateful.

Some of the biggest and most recent blessings I have gained, via marriages, are two beautiful, amazing ladies.  I realized recently that I haven't really introduced them, which means you are missing out :)

Meet Erica Casey.

photo taken right after Avery proposed in September of 2006

I am not quite sure of when we technically met but I would say I have known Erica for about seven years.  It took us awhile to get to know each other because we are the same kind of person I believe.  She is pretty shy and reserved but once you are around her for awhile, she opens up and is truly a beautiful person, inside and out.  Did you know that she is a life saver?  Literally.  Erica works at Vanderbilt Childrens Hospital as a nurse in the Pediatric Critical Care Unit.  So that means she takes great care of children who are very sick or very injured, and she excels at it.  On my last visit to Nashville, I saw a notecard from a set of parents whose child was in the PICU and had Erica as her nurse.  I teared up as I read the parents words, thanking Erica for her kindness and determination to help their child, along with taking the time to answer any questions the parents had.  I cannot imagine how difficult it must be to see some of the things that Erica sees on a daily basis - heart-breaking and tragic.  But God has directed her in a path where He has used her for such good and I'm thankful that she listened.  She is a Proverbs 31 woman, which is something I respect so much.  As I have recently begun a marriage of my own, I have discovered it is not quite as easy as it seems to be that woman God calls me to be.  She is a helper and supporter to Avery, and that is something I can say I have prayed for all of my life.  Most recently, Erica has entered into a new role as a mommy to Grace.  And even though we only got to be around that precious new family of three for a day, I could see that she is a phenomenal mom already and will be a wonderful role model for Grace to follow as she grows in Christ.

I am so thankful for Erica!

Meet my other blessing, Shelby Erin Stewart.

posing with my then-boyfriend, fall of 2008, at the homecoming bonfire at Harding

I met Shelby in the Fall of 2008, when she and Meg came to Harding to visit Devin for his birthday.  I had so much fun with them that weekend and will always remember when we decided to play Apples to Apples and Meg forgot what the word "amputation" meant.  We all laughed and laughed and it has been an inside joke that I have treasured with them since.  The first time Shelby and I really got to spend together was when I spent the summer in Denver in 2009.  She really impressed me because every night she would faithfully sneak away to read her bible, and that kind of dedication out of 16 year old inspired me to read more of the Word.  She always has a smile on her sweet face and her laugh is genuine and contagious.  As an 18 year old, she has faced more hardships and trials than most, and has done so with faith, grace, and dignity.  Around her graduation from high school, she learned that Meg, her mom, had pancreatic cancer.  Over the summer of her 18th birthday, she lovingly encouraged and took care of Meg, and a few weeks before going to Harding in the Fall, she lost her mom and best friend.  But the cool thing about Shelbs?  She not only has held her head high and pressed on, but has decided to use her testimony to reach out to others.  In June, she will be going to Africa to spread the Gospel of Christ and I could not be more proud.  I will miss her for those two months but I know she will be in God's hands :)

I am so thankful for Shelby!

"The Lord remembers us and will bless us;"

Psalm 115:12