she's back

this is a "deeper than the surface" type of post for me.  a time i really want to remember...i guess i just have lots of thoughts about this one seemingly simple thing~ Joelle's return to wrestling.  this has all been her choice, actually (like really, 100%,  no pressure from her dad) and after almost two years off recovering from elbow injuries and surgery, she is well aware of the risks that accompany her return to the sport she loves, this time at a university level.  even still, armed with a sturdy elbow brace, prayers from her mother and a year of self-initiated strengthening (and a giant portion of courage~ aka "guts") she set out to train and wrestle with a solid group of McMaster wrestlers and a really great coach who is sensitive to protecting her arm and helping her become better and stronger.  

we recognize this is still no guarantee, so for now we are cherishing "the return" right alongside her, and have been so blessed to see three recent tournaments within a few hours from home.  she now says she remembers how grueling the sport is and how far she'd still like to go... 

she's brave and showing more of her typical grit each match.  she's persisting in the many hours of practice each week, often more than once a day.  i love her "not gonna let life pass me by" attitude.  i doubt that i'd have had such determination or courage.  i'm super proud of her for grabbing hold of life and loving it as she does...and wherever this road leads, we're on it with her.

my runners

almost annually i post something about my dedicated cross country runners.  (i'm a bit behind on this, and still doing my October wrap-up it seems.  at least that's consistent! :))  always proud of their willingness to commit to doing something hard that tests their will and strength and endurance.  

the boys made it to district level with top five finishes at the city meet...

pretty strong and supportive fan base, always means so much!

 Layla also qualified from the city meet to compete at SWOSSAA in Windsor.  she worked so hard and pushed through cold rain and hills and plantar fasciitis too.  she also was the only grade nine girl from her entire school who joined the team.  

below~ race strategy contemplation pre-race maybe? 

just a reminder that clicking on the pictures does enlarge them :)

Adam would have joined as well, but chose volleyball which shares the same season as cross country, and if i was a better mom i'd have pictures of him on the court, but somehow i missed that opportunity altogether.  i must have been living completely in the moment~ yes, we'll go with that excuse!  he also had fun and has improved so much~ which is no less courageous considering he's taken an interest in a sport he has very limited experience in and joined a group of guys who can display literal volleyball magic on the court~ so skilled for sure.  i'd be afraid to face their serves and spikes.  not Adam. 

you know what comes next by now~ winter wrestling! my favourite! 

apple hunting

a few weeks back, right at the tail end of apple picking season, the boys and i squeezed in a fun excursion to locate some apples for the family.  we knew it was nearing the end of "u pick" but were told there was still apples to be found in the orchard, so off we went.

it didn't start out very promising as good-sized healthy looking apples were hard to come by and we were just about to give up on ever filling our three bags. 

until then~ that moment we spotted the Ida Red row of apple laden trees, its branches heavy with large, healthy red apples just waiting for our eager hands to pry them free and load up our bags.

   it was quick work then, and before we could say "applesauce" we were all loaded up with apples galore, even our pockets!

 

some pretty cute helpers i had :)

so it's been fun to turn these apples into sauce and pies and crisps! the kids are a huge fan of all things apple, so that always helps too.  will have to do this again next year and try to get there a few days earlier! love this time of year!

national adoption month

no doubt this is a month near and dear to me, to us~ this family of ours.  adoption has shaped us, stretched us, blessed us, moved us, changed us.  adoption is life-changing all around, in all the obvious ways, obviously :),  but also in sooo many unseen ways.  i'm so certain God's heart bends to the orphan, and i can only imagine how pleased He is with the family in the video link below.  my sister-in-law posted this recently, and while i'd seen it before, it never gets less amazing or any less spectacular.  beautiful sacrificial love that i'm completely inspired by...

An Adoption Story

  sometimes the darkness is so heavy in this world...it's wonderful to be reminded that real ordinary people are out there doing extraordinary things to love well and shine the light of Jesus into the gloom, into the depressing, into the lost places.  and it's always a great reminder to keep pressing on and shining exactly where you are through the daily grind of life. 

hope you are feeling uplifted and inspired!