When you look back on your life, events can play out like scenes from a movie. There are moments in time that may be filled with incredible joy and happiness and other moments when joy and happiness are hard to find. Isn’t this the tapestry of life?

My mom and I had precious times together that will be forever etched in my memory. As a child, I thought she was the most beautiful person I had ever seen. She had long, dark hair and was mysterious in her ways. And her creativity was never-ending. My mom loved the holiday season and would go out of her way to make sure those times were unforgettable. Perhaps she was trying to recapture some of the things lost in her own childhood that she never wanted me to experience. Some of our best times were spent at the beach in Southern California when she would visit a few times a year. Even today, I still go to her favorite beach and, in my mind, I can almost see her peacefully reclined in her beach chair.

We had a rhythm in life that, at times, went off-kilter. Imagine a big balloon filled with air and, as you let go of the balloon, all of the air comes out and it deflates. Honestly, that is how our relationship had been when we weren’t in those “precious moments.” Even so, I thank God for every moment because life is a balancing act.

When my mom started having physical challenges in 2017, I truly believed things would be okay. I was keenly aware that she was getting older and there would come a time when she would enter into those “golden years.” But I did not imagine anything less than golden happening for a long time. You can read more about this in Chapter One, under the “Shift Happens” subheading.

In the midst of the shift, God confirmed that He would be present in the changes that were coming. As I prepared to travel to another state, far from home to help my mom, He was there.

I invite you to journey with me to discover how God is present in all of our moments—precious or difficult. Perhaps you need comfort or the reassurance that He is with you. I needed that too.

God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble ~ Psalm 46:1