RECENT UPDATE: I became “twice widowed” when my beloved prince, Joel, went to his Heavenly home after a brief and sudden illness on February 12, 2017. I’m in a place of shock and devastation, but I intend to use this format to journal my second widow journey, much like I did my first. It’s my open journal, my electronic oasis, and it’s often the place I find true healing as I allow myself to “come clean” with my feelings.
I caution you in light of these recent events, my words might be more raw and a hint more harsh than ever before. I still am who I am – a daughter of the One true King. Even so…I am crushed. I am bereaved. I am very, very broken, and I’m still trying to figure this all out. Now for the rest about me…
I am a single mom and “bonus” mom of nine (four we adopted internationally and domestically who are all 11-years-old and younger), and Grandma Leah to two of the cutest littles I’ve ever laid eyes on. I’m passionately in love with Jesus. I’ve been widowed twice by the age of 45…the first time to suicide, the second time to sudden illness. I advocate for orphans and children from hard places.
If I had to sum me up in four simple phrases…those listed above would do the trick. Yes, there’s so much more to me than that, but whenever I’m asked to introduce myself or whenever someone says to briefly describe who I am…this is really where I tend to focus. A single mom. Twice widowed. An orphan advocate. A Jesus girl.
That’s the short answer, but if you want to know a little more…keep reading…
For some fun facts…I am a Carolina Panthers fan through and through. I LOVE to travel and pretend I’m a “food blogger” whenever I visit new places. I also love being outdoors…hiking, fishing, etc. However, I am also a girly girl…I love the color pink, girly movies, butterflies, flowers, being pampered, flowers, bubble baths, flowers, “raindrops on roses…whiskers on kittens” …you get the idea…oh yeah…and, flowers! This website began as merely a simple expression of another one of my pastimes — writing. I love sharing, through this blog and speaking at women’s events, the day-to-day happenings in my life and especially how they relate to my walk with Christ. He has been so good to broken me!
But perhaps you’re wondering about the significance of Out of Deep Waters for the name of this website. Honestly, it developed from a scripture verse that God led me to over and over in the book of Psalms:
“He reached down from heaven and rescued me; he drew me out of deep waters.” ~Psalm 18:16 NLT
When trying to pick this verse apart and really dig into what the Lord wanted me to see and hear, I discovered a goldmine of nuggets relevant to my life, in general. Throughout years of dysfunction, abuse, heartache, addiction, abandonment, and extreme loss, God reached down to ME! I didn’t have to go in search of Him — He reached down from heaven and rescued me! Not only has He done that repeatedly in my life, but He continues to do it. After He reached out for me and rescued me, He began the process of restoring me! The rest is up to me. Do I want to be restored? Do I want to be well? Do I want the best He has for me — in spite of the past — in spite of how far He had to reach to rescue me. The answer? A resounding YES!
And so…this place is an attempt to reflect that amazing God of mine..the One that REACHES…the One that RESCUES…and the one that RESTORES. He’s done it for me before, He’s doing it for me now, and He’ll continue to do it for me as long as I need Him to. He loves me that much! And… He loves YOU that much too!
I am not the same woman I used to be. Losing two husbands to (what I deem) early death radically changed me, and I honestly believe I’ve been changed for the better, but I’ll always be a work in progress and will continue to be until the Lord calls me Home!
Click HERE to read more about Chris’ sudden death.
To follow along on my journey of chronicling my walk down Grief Road following Joel’s death, you can start HERE.
Thank you for stopping by. Your presence here at this little corner of my world means so much to me, and it would mean even more if you feel so inclined to comment and leave a word of encouragement occasionally. I pray that my simple musings might ignite something in you! A fire, perhaps, to live a life of victory in Christ Jesus – regardless of your past, regardless of your brokenness, regardless of the personal tragedies that you’ve had to endure. Because, simply put, Christ alone can heal broken hearts, spirits, and souls. And…if all is stripped away…He’s simply enough! I pray that one day; you too, can come to that same realization, because it ushers in a place of peace and joy in spite of our circumstances.
He reaches…He rescues…He restores…