Wouldn’t it be great if we could just dance easily through life without a care in the world?
Today, as we celebrate the 28 day Birthday Beach Bash and Book Tour for Dance With Jesus: From Grief to Grace, we are honored to have Renee Kinlaw guest posting. Renee is a native of Conway, SC. She was raised in a Christian home and in Bethlehem Baptist Church where her husband, Rev. Mike Kinlaw, now serves as Pastor. Renee and Mike met when he came to Bethlehem from St. Pauls, NC to serve as Youth Pastor. In November of 1996, Mike was voted in as Pastor, just one month before the two were married. Ministering side by side with her “soul mate” has been a dream come true for Renee. She truly believes that God hand picked Mike just for her.
Renee and her husband Mike had been married for 10 years when God blessed them with a beautiful little girl they named Jayden Noelle. Jayden is a very special little girl who loves to sing and dance for Jesus.
Wouldn’t it be great if we could just dance easily through life without a care in the world?Reality, though she means well, will never let us.
Life is hard.
Life is tiring.
Life is stressful.
But life is also fun and joy
to those who choose to see it that way.
I wish I could say I face each day of life joyfully, but to my despair, most days I don’t. And on July 23, I felt this way. It was the day of Jayden’s return visit to her GI specialist. After several visits to many doctors now, I have grown accustomed to the feeling of being let down. My heart was not up for it again.
The long ride did nothing to enhance my mood. Did you know we had a very limited supply of Pediatric GI Specialist? Neither did I until January of this year. That’s why we drove 3 1/2 hours for a less than 30 minute exam. When you add heavy traffic and hundred degree temps you have the perfect recipe for a big slice of irritability.
When we arrived our motel room after the appointment, all Mike and I wanted to do was take a nap. Our 8-year-old social butterfly had a different plan though. We tried to discourage her at first then my mind went back to an article I had previously read on Carolyn Mallon’s Distracted Mom Blog site titled, “Building a Strong Relationship with Your Child.” (I’m not going to go into great details about the post, but I do ask you follow the link at the end of this blog and read it for yourself. It really made an impact on me and reminded me of several truths I already knew. )