Welcome to Hope That Soars, where together, with my husband Ryan, we navigate the messiness of life by pointing people to the HOPE found in a relationship with Jesus.
Our journey is filled with heartache and the daily struggle of chronic illness, scripted by a loving Creator.
It is through Him we find LOVE, JOY, and STRENGTH to press forward.
I pray you will join us as we share life lessons gained through mishap, adventures, and everything in between. Perhaps somewhere along the way, you too will find, a HOPE that SOARS!
A group of grade school boys raced by as one shouted out his stinging remark… “Don’t let the ‘Goodyear Blimp’ on the swings, she will break them.”
I hurriedly brushed the tears that escaped while trying to muster every ounce of courage I felt and shouted over my shoulder. “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me.”
Boy was I wrong!!!
“Mrs. Brooks,” I heard loudly from the back of the room for what seemed like the twentieth time in the half-hour Music class period. I aimed a look of warning at the inquisitive student for not raising her hand, but that didn’t stop the unexpected question from slipping out of her mouth…
“Are you Brooke’s mom; she looks just like you?”
My cheeks heated with embarrassment as the snickering began and I cast a glance at the shy fifth-grader in question.
The song she conveys in her desperation caught me off guard; as the lyrics propelled the character to place one foot in front of the other by choosing to do the next right thing.
I sat holding my breath, my watch vibrated indicating my heart rate had elevated matching the crescendo of the music. At the exact moment, lost in my pity-party of emotion, my niece reached over grabbed my hand, and sweetly held on for the remainder of the movie.
Anyone who has spent time with me during this season knows that decorating for Christmas has always been at the top of my to-do list. My excitement for the holidays is rarely contained beyond my September birthday. This allows me to fully enjoy the twinkling lights and adorned rooms for months on end.
My love of the holidays dates back to childhood as my sisters and I helped our mom prepare a Christmas inspired theme for each room of our home.
