"New Normal"

Well hello there.  Welcome to my new 'journaling' home.

For some time, I have been tossing around the idea of starting another blog.  For those of you who followed my gratitude journaling over about the course of a year, you know I have been rather silent in the blogging world as of late.  I will readily admit, I miss it.  However, I have been feeling the push to start something new, something different.  It has taken me a good length of time to decide to push the 'create a new blog' button and I'll blame it on my slower processing due to sleep deprivation, but I have decided it's time.  After all, so much of my life 'as I knew it' has changed in the past month alone, it only seems appropriate to begin a new blog with a new 'theme' and a new purpose.

So, welcome to my 'new normal'.  The theme of 'new normal' comes from a conversation with my Mom.  We were both trying to wrap our minds around everything happening around us while staying on top of the ever changing details and emotions and she said something along the lines of, "Em, it's okay, it's going to take some time for you to adjust to your new normal".  Talk about nailing it on the head for me in a time of high emotion and feeling somewhat overwhelmed.  Oh the wisdom of mother's!

September 2011 will forever be remembered by me as a really amazing ride on a pretty steep roller coaster of change.  Here is a fairly brief summary of the vast amount of change that has occurred in my life in the past month.    The month began with a great amount of anticipation and wonder.

I was:

-Anticipating the birth of my second son, wondering about how "Little Brother's" birth and arrival would occur and what the shift in our family dynamics would be like

-Wondering how the move of my parents to New Jersey after almost 4 beautiful years of living 3.8 miles from each other would impact me

-Anticipating my 30th birthday and entering a new decade of life while anticipating celebrating the gift of life over and over (because September is birthday month on the "Ridder" side of the family),

-Wondering how our past year of working through our BGC church planter's assessment center recommendations will play out in the coming year

Honestly, the list goes on but those are some of the major life events that were taking place all at the same time.   Throw in many visitors, gifts, and meals to welcome Little Brother into the world and my Mom always managing to bring something else over to my house every time she packed a new box - all blessings -  but my physical house was/is also experiencing a very much 'in the process of recovery' new normal.  With everything (my emotions, home, and family) in a state of upheaval, the month ended with many tears, goodbyes and prayers for my Ridder family as we bid my parents a safe journey to New Jersey and I was left with a lot to process and many adjustments to make in how we do 'normal' around here.

So, as I process our 'new normal' this is the place where I will share the latest 'Big Brother' tidbits (you won't want to miss them as 3 year old logic is astounding at times), I will update you on the 'Little Brother' and how he is growing and never ceasing to amaze us.  I will also chronicle our family's spiritual journey as we process how our family is growing, how God is growing us as parents, kids and kingdom people.  I will attempt to be real and candid about our new reality and the challenges and joys presented to us in our 'new normal'.  As you follow our/my journey, I would love for any of you readers to weigh in about 'new normals' in your life or times when you have experienced lots of these kinds of moments.

Amid all of these changes, the one thing that has been a constant, never-changing comfort to me when I'm up with Little Brother and processing life in the quietness of the night, is God's faithfulness.  It is His faithfulness that has seen me through transitions in my life before and I know He will be faithful to provide for our needs during this time.  I also take great comfort in knowing that I am never alone, He goes before and behind me and will never let me walk alone.  Here are a few lyrics from my 'anthem' for this season, Never Once (Matt Redman):

Standing on this mountaintop

Looking just how far we've come

Knowing that for every step

You were with us

Kneeling on this battle ground

Seeing just how much You've done

Knowing every victory 

Was Your power in us

Scars and struggles on the way

But with joy our hearts can say

Yes, our hearts can say

Never once did we ever walk alone

Never once did You leave us on our own

You are faithful, God, You are faithful!