Kristin Hill Taylor

Seeking God as the Author of Every Story

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You aren’t alone.

January 29, 2014 by Kristin Leave a Comment

I drove the mini van 94 miles one way to a doctor’s appointment this morning. Us mommas aren’t alone like that very often.

But, you know, I wasn’t really alone on that stretch of highway that holds so much history for me.

After I told them where I was going, my kids would tell you it’s how we go to Grandmom’s. I explained that I turned off that route before I got all the way to my mom’s house. But I thought about my parents and my childhood home they don’t live in anymore and all those trips back and forth from August 1997 to May 2001 when I was a college student. About four hours from the only home and life I had known and my college choice, that road bridged two realities and the transition of me beginning to build my own life.

The same stretch of highway also took Greg and I to where we turned off to head north to meet Cate’s birthmom various times between Jan. 18 and almost four months later on May 6, 2007, the day new life was born both in the literal sense and the way our family was forever changed.

Today the radio and my iTunes playlists played songs that took me back to moments and reminded me of people. So I texted — hooray voice text! — a few friends, called another and Voxed another. Driving on the open reminds me to tell people they matter to me, probably because my journey through this life wouldn’t be the same without them, despite the miles that separate.

I made mental notes and actual notes because driving gives me room to breathe and think and remember and plan and dream.

There weren’t many cars on the road and there wasn’t anyone else in my seven-passenger vehicle. But I wasn’t actually alone. And that’s the way God intended life to be. We were made for community. With him. With our family. With our friends.

So even when I do get some quiet moments alone, the peace that comes reassures me I’m not alone on the open road of life. The memories, the sounds, the people, the destinations, and the silence blend together to create lovely scenery that I wouldn’t trade for any other journey because this is the one God has for me. You aren’t alone in your journey either. 

________

With this post, I’m joining Holley Gerth for her weekly community of encouragement when writers gather for Coffee for Your Heart and Beth Stiff, who hosts the lovely Three Word Wednesday. 

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Filed Under: Coffee for Your Heart, family, friends, life, motherhood, road trips, Three Word Wednesday

Comments

  1. kasmith03 says

    January 29, 2014 at 9:36 pm

    If I have learned anything this past year it is that I AM part of a community and I am not alone in this journey of life! So grateful you are a part of that friend!! 🙂

    Reply
  2. KristinHillTaylor says

    January 29, 2014 at 9:46 pm

    I'm so grateful to have crossed paths with you too, Kristin! Looking forward the real-life hang out … some day!

    Reply
  3. Beth says

    January 31, 2014 at 7:47 pm

    If I ever advance in technology maybe I could start making more connections while driving. Although my husband would tell you I should not be doing anything else other than driving. LOL

    God is revealing the truth of your three words to me more than ever. I'm ever so grateful for community and grateful that no matter where I am, He is with me.

    Much love,
    Beth

    Reply
  4. KristinHillTaylor says

    January 31, 2014 at 8:20 pm

    Community is a favorite theme of mine, so I'm grateful you're experiencing so powerfully these days. Happy weekend, friend.

    Reply

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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 high school girl who never forgets, our middle school boy who has no fear, and our joy-filled first-grade girl. As we live out our stories, we seek God as the author of them all.

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I’ve had a couple of conversations this week wit I’ve had a couple of conversations this week with dear friends who are walking through hard things. I’ve been proud of them and sad about circumstances and weary of the brokenness and yet generally peaceful. 

Honestly, I feel like it’s a hard cycle to escape. Maybe I’m not supposed to. I never know how much of other’s burdens to carry. And how do I carry their burdens when my own feel heavy? 

I sat across the table at Panera with a dear friend who has tear-filled eyes, who has fasted and prayed and sought counsel. I hear another friend express her loneliness in subtle but deep ways. So many of my mom friends are in the trenches of anxiety, both within their kids and within themselves. I hear of tragedies and brokenness all around me. I feel all the pain, forget about mine for a moment, and want to fix it all.

Sometimes solutions are waiting and trusting. Sometimes action is exactly what’s needed. Knowing the difference is hard for me to discern. 

So I keep going. I do the things in front of that need to be done. I sit with my friend and send another text. I pray about them and about me. I hope I teach my kids enough about the right things. I try to rush less because then I miss what matters. 

Through it all, I am absolutely certain we are meant to walk through this life together. God created us to commune with him and one another. 

One afternoon this week we literally stopped on the country road. No cars were around and she wanted to take a picture. While she captures the landscape, I thanked God for a peaceful pause in a chaotic life and asked Him to continue to show His goodness. 

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The historical fiction story offers hope:

“It’s strange how your life can change so quickly, how one moment you can barely eke by, desperation filling your days, and suddenly, out of the unimaginably horrific, a glimmer of something beautiful can appear like a bud pushing through the hard-formed earth. There’s so much broken around us; maybe all we can do is try to fix each other, do what we can to preserve these precious moments in a world where there is so much sadness and loss. … Maybe some would say my dreams are too small. Perhaps they would dream of railroads that go over the sea, great, wonderful things. Maybe others want riches and jewels, a chance to travel the globe. For me, this is enough: A corner of paradise in this wretched world that I am able to call my own.” — Helen in “The Last Train to Key West” by Chanel Cleeton

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I needed this weekend. The UK Wildcats didn’t I needed this weekend. 

The UK Wildcats didn’t win this afternoon like I had hoped. But following our house full of people on Friday night, I’ve spent a lot of time on my couch, under a soft blanket, with a book, while I watch #MarchMadness. 

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I finished it today during commercials and timeouts. And now I’m going to start “When We Left Cuba” as another basketball game also gets going. 

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