Just Us

"Yellow!?!?"  One of my favorite greetings to hear at the end of the line coming from a sweet lady aged in her years.  It makes me laugh every time, but so thankful that some things never change.  "Well...Derrica-Do...how are you?"   The next thirty minutes we share recipes, talk about the kids, the weather and things to come.   I pray for the right words to say to bring comfort and encouragement for the storm she is facing...in reality the storms we are all facing.  I come up short, my words feeling inadequate.  And then she reminds me of a story and I am reminded.  "You remember how you told me that story about Reid...riding in the car with you when it was raining really hard?"  Her words bring back a simple, sweet little story I had shared with her awhile back.  I was driving with the twins through one of those fierce, pouring rain kind of storms.  Trying to hide my own fear, I became very quiet, gripped the wh...

Our friendship began sitting across the room from one another in a woman’s Bible study.  There was Danielle with a beaming smile, kind eyes, and a spunky, bubbly personality.  I listened to Danielle talk that first night….sharing stories of Sudan, the story of how God brought her to small town, Glenwood, Iowa, and most importantly her desire and passion to share her Jesus with everyone she met.  How very quickly did I admire the young woman before me. In the following few years, we spent time together going to garage sales and thrift stores, hanging out drinking coffee, planting flowers and just talking.   During this time, Danielle shared many things---her passion for teaching, a love for crafting, and a desire to be a woman of grace.   She truly was a remarkable woman that taught me many things by the way she walked through life.   She taught me to laugh more, love fiercely, and not take for granted all of God’s sweet little blessings each day. ...

Well...it's been about 5 months since my last post.  But I have been meaning to write this one for awhile...just struggling to organize my thoughts.  The past few months have been super busy for the Hutchings' clan.  School...work...potty training....holidays...2 year old attitudes...painting...etc...etc.  In the midst of all this chaos, however, God has actually been teaching me a lot about slowing down to be thankful.  I know....slow down!??! Do I really have time for that?!?! It started shortly after the holidays.   At the time, there just seemed to be so much going on, so much that needed my attention, prayer, and energy.  If you are like me, you sometimes find yourself on this survival treadmill.  Ya know...the kind that never stops and you try to be ready for what's to come...yet what's right next to you always seems to go by in a blur.  Being a mom is like this at times.  We have so many responsibilities and roles to play each a...