Kristin Hill Taylor

Seeking God as the Author of Every Story

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Thursday’s Thought

January 16, 2009 by Kristin Leave a Comment

I’ve learned a lot about community since moving to Murray in August 1997. College is a kind of community that is unlike any other phase of life. It’s a transition. Yes, I feel like I really started growing up in college. But I also know college is where I gained independence from what I had always known and where I learned the value of interdependence on people. I made some life-long friends in college who grew along side of me. Since then we’ve gotten married + some of us have kids.

Of course, I also have my family who has known my awkward and ugly phases better than anyone + continued love me all the same. I’ve grown closer to my brother + sister since I moved away, giving them space at home. I call my mom regularly to talk about something or nothing.

These little communities of friends + family sustain me, influence me, encourage me and amuse me in so many wonderful ways.

But then there’s a larger community in which I live. Calloway County, Kentucky, where Murray is the biggest town, is home. Our Pier 1, Hallmark and Dawahare’s have closed in recent years, and Goody’s isn’t far behind. But we’ve gotten an Applebee’s and Tumbleweed since I graduated college in 2001. We have a couple cute gift shops. And I know my way up + down the aisles at Kroger, thanks to grocery shopping trips to another Kroger with my mom as a kid.

We enjoy our church, like going to the two parks on days warmer than the below-freezing temperatures like today, wish there were sidewalks down our street, appreciate the convenience of heavy traffic really not being much traffic and realize we do have a choice between Subway + Quizno’s. I could use a Target + a hairdresser. But we’re only 45 minutes from Paducah, two hours from Nashville, three hours from St. Louis and 3 1/2 hours from Louisville. Not bad for a town that is supposedly in the middle of nowhere in far western Kentucky.

And, you know, I wouldn’t trade my life right now in this place for anything. Greg + I were driving through campus tonight reminiscing about the conveniences of our college community, and I told him that I wouldn’t want to go back to college. I loved being there, but I was ready to move on. I moved on to Louisville, then Lexington, and wound up back in Murray.

But it’s different this time.

My friends live in houses, with garages, and their kids. Not down the hall. Jaclyn + I bundled up our kids earlier today + met for lunch. It takes a little more work than saying, “Hey, let’s go eat.” But it’s worth it. She knows me. She knows how much I missed Greg when he was studying in Germany the semester after we went on our first date even though we technically were taking a break. She told me about the night she started falling in love with the guy who would become her husband. We planned our weddings the same summer. We had trouble having babies. Then she had one, a precious boy, and gave me all the hope I needed to wait on Cate.

Another part of my life is involvement in our bigger community, the one that on paper may lack some retail outlets and restaurants. In addition to being involved at our church, I volunteer with the American Red Cross as a board member for our local chapter. Today we kicked off our annual fund-raising campaign with a breakfast that informed local businesses, governments, churches and civic groups how they could help.

I know lots of people in the community because I used to walk up to them with a notebook in my hand + ask them on-the-record questions. But, you see, we talked off the record too. I developed relationships with people. When I’m at things like the Red Cross breakfast, I see some of these people. This morning a couple people asked me about the newspaper: Did you miss it? Have you written anything for the Ledger lately? Are you working now?

No. I don’t miss it. My daughter is way too much fun.

No. I’ve freelanced for the Ledger once since Sept. 14, 2007.

No. I’m not working now. I’m volunteering. I happen to have my camera because I like to take pictures with it and I figured the Red Cross would like some photos.

I’m involved in this community. This is where I grew up. This is where I live. This is where we’re raising our daughter. We want to do what we can. Even if that’s snapping a few pictures + writing some press releases.

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About Me

Telling stories is my therapy and I love sharing them with friends on my porch.

The main characters in my stories are my entrepreneur husband, our ninth-grade girl who never forgets, our have-no-fear sixth-grade boy, and our joy-filled kindergarten girl. As we live out our stories, we seek God as the author of them all.

Learn more about my story here.

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“Writing is what makes me happy. Writing, even, “Writing is what makes me happy. Writing, even, is how I feel I contribute to the world. Reminding people of what’s important. Letting them escape the harsh parts of life, even if it’s just for a few hours. Helping them feel happiness through watching happily-ever-afters unfold. Remembering truths. Recalling their self-worth. Loving others. Living well. Learning. I want to do that.” 

And, let’s be honest, love stories about writers make me happy too. “Meet Me in the Margins” was cute, predictable, and a good way to escape for a little while. 

#KHTreads #bookstagram #booklover #authorlife #librarybooks #poolpeople #weekending
This is the only picture I took tonight. You can’t tell, but there was a porch full of people talking, more kids playing basketball, and another group around the kitchen table. We covered a lot of ground in our conversations. Nobody cared that I didn’t have hot dog buns or tomatoes for the burgers. I ran out of paper plates and am happy to hear the dishwasher cleaning all the “real” plates. I’m grateful for come-as-you-are community, where we share real life. 

#88daysofsummer #PorchStories #livingfaithfully #morethangroceries #choosingJOY #bettertogether #reallife #hospitalitymatters #poolpeople
While Ben had a great week at @memgrizzyouth camp While Ben had a great week at @memgrizzyouth camp with some school friends, the girls and I soaked up some more of summer with our friends. 

#88daysofsummer #boymom #bettertogether #girlmom #momlife #reallife #choosingJOY
I’m getting ready to get in my van again to pick I’m getting ready to get in my van again to pick up a kid from basketball camp. It’s the third time today I will have driven from my house to somewhere else and back again. And this is still Summer Break, when things are supposedly a little slower. 

My friend @marycarver gets me. She knows us moms spend a million hours a week taxiing people to school and sports and church and friends’ houses and errands and appointments. And maybe we linger longer before coming in the house with arms full of groceries and bags and papers and books … because we just need a minute. Or maybe we answer some texts before we pull away from the store and catch up on phone calls while we drive or show up early to pickup to read a book that has captured our attention. 

We spend a lot of time and accomplish much in our cars. Mary knows this and is giving us the encouragement we need in her new book, “Prayers from the Parking Lot.” It’s a perfect size to keep in your car or purse. Each of the 50 reflections are practical and inspiring and meet moms on the go right where we are. 

Preorder this gem now so you have it the next time you have a few extra minutes in a parking lot, school pickup line, or waiting room. It officially releases next week and is available from @revellbooks on Amazon and wherever else you buy books. 

#KHTreads #bookstagram #momlife #reallife #livingfaithfully
20 years married. 💛 I’ve learned a million t 20 years married. 💛

I’ve learned a million things in these adult years, but I keep thinking about this one this today: Celebrate the good things. 

This world is so noisy, decisions and situations clutter our brains, and there’s so much heartache. But there’s also goodness. And our married life falls into that category and is a testimony to God’s faithfulness. It hasn’t been perfect, but it’s been sanctifying and life-giving. 

(And it deserves a second post today.)

We celebrated today with a lunch date, some love notes, the two bouquets he surprised me with a day early, some chocolates I left in the car too long but rescued and restored them from their melted state, and dinner out as a family. I’ll take it. I will take every ounce of goodness on an ordinary day that marks what feels like a big-deal accomplishment. 

#marriage #TeamTaylor #anniversary #bettertogether #reallife #choosingJOY #livingfaithfully #wifelife #momlife
In the past year, I learned Greg doesn’t like pa In the past year, I learned Greg doesn’t like packaged taco seasoning and bought my engagement ring on sale at a pawn shop. This after I’ve been wearing the ring for two decades and made taco meat more times than I could even begin to count.

With that, happy 20th anniversary, husband. I’m glad we can still learn things about each other after knowing each other for more than 24 years and being married for two decades. 

Being in our 40s celebrating 20 years of marriage together seems like such a grown-up accomplishment. But it also seems like exactly where we are supposed to be. Let’s keep adventuring and learning together. Let’s go celebrate, maybe with tacos! 

https://kristinhilltaylor.com/2022/08/20-years.html

#linkinbio #bloggerlife #marriage #TeamTaylor #reallife #wifelife #anniversary
I need to work, but I want to read. 📚 #KHTread I need to work, but I want to read. 📚

#KHTreads #booklover #readerproblems #bookproblems #bookstagram #librarybooks #reallife
I read my 6-year-old daughter "The Prodigal Son" s I read my 6-year-old daughter "The Prodigal Son" story from "The Jesus Storybook Bible" before bed recently, and God reminded me of some things. 

“Jesus told people this story to show them what God is like. And to show people what they are like. So they could know, however far they ran, however well they hid, however lost they were – it wouldn’t matter,” author Sally Lloyd-Jones writes. “Because God’s children could never run too far, or be too lost, for God to find them.”

I was teary when I finished. While this Bible story was retold for children, the words brought to mind when I decided to follow Christ on Jan. 20, 1996, after hearing someone speak about The Prodigal Son during a Chrysalis weekend. 

I nailed some sins to a wooden cross in the sanctuary, representing surrender. I remember thinking of the beauty of the father welcoming his lost son home, understanding how the younger son thought he could hold together his own life, and relating to the older son who stayed and did what he was supposed to and found himself not quite willing to celebrate his brother’s homecoming. 

I told Rachel an abbreviated version of that story of being a 16-year-old girl hearing that story and making a decision that truly changed my life. 

Here more than 26 years later, I’m thankful God welcomes me home over and over again. I’ve surrendered and squandered and sulked, and God keeps opening his arms, which led me to salvation initially and continually prompts surrender. 

Read GOD ALWAYS FINDS THEM #ontheblog at kristinhilltaylor.com. #linkinbio #bloggerlife #livingfaithfully #thirdchild #momlife #faithlife #choosingJOY #bedtimeshenanigans
We had a great visit with these cousins. In a summ We had a great visit with these cousins. In a summer that’s been full of interruptions and bumps, the kids and I were happy to share Venture River — one of our happy places this year — with my sister, her kids, my mom, and my nephew @jaxsonhll. They also swam immediately after breakfast this morning before the cousins headed home. Here’s to soaking in some more summer and looking forward to the next time we’ll be together! ☀️

#88daysofsummer #choosingJOY #cousins #siblinglove #summerisbest #reallife #latergram
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