Almost SIX years later!....

Oh my goodness. Hello old friend. This blog.... something I have not looked at in at least 5 years. How do things change so quickly?!  I remember the night my sister-in-law introduced me to a new app called INSTAGRAM. I'll have to go back and look, but I bet it was right around the time I stopped using this blog, and probably the cause. I became an instagrammer and left this forum in my dust in 2014. .....

It makes me happy to see that my words and page are still here. And now I'm back! 

Lots of life has passed by. Baby Michael is now 6.5 years old and lost his first tooth today, little Claire is 9, Jacob is 13, Ashley 16 and Luke 17, soon to be 18 -- an adult!  They are all doing wonderfully and growing into amazing human beings -- INCREDIBLE human beings -- and it is my honor to be their mother, with a front row seat to their individual lives. 

Revisiting this blog is a time warp. Perhaps it is a blessing I left this thing behind those years ago, not knowing how much I would later need the reminder of years gone by, and of how quickly time flies. There's no mention here of our darling angel, Little Jane Kendall. Last I wrote she was in heaven.... now I write, and she's gone back. 

It was a heavenly 2.5 years having her here on earth with us. She truly blessed us beyond measure and was the sweet cherry on top of this large family. 

For a while I'll leave this blog to sit as it has been. To remain a time-capsule from the past. An archive. The lost treasure that it is to me. 

And then I'd like to update it, add to it and most definitely place a header-photo with all six of our children in it. I'll bring Jane to the party while filling in the blanks from the last six years. I'll save thoughts and feelings and experiences associated with loss and grief and the steep personal growth curve I am currently on. As well as the daily joys of this earth life and the privilege of being a wife and mother. 

Last night I typed in the address: www.hillsteadhappenings.blogspot.com, curious how long an un-used web address stays good for. It takes a second then loads, the yellow appears, and the cherished photo of a time gone-by appears on my screen.  It's a young mom, holding 5 little kids on a small couch in a frozen yogurt shop. Wasn't that just yesterday?.....

Finding this blog feels like a gift this mother needs. A chance to reflect upon family; the passing of time; physical, spiritual, emotional growth; and purpose. This old page is a reminder of my personal purposes -- how far I've come and where I am going. 

Good heavens... what will the next six years bring, and where will we be in 2026?!.... I hope to keep the record!

(This is a recent photo of me sewing face masks for the hospital in an effort to protect healthcare workers from Covid-19.)