Prairie Daydreams

In many ways, I had an amazing life growing up.  I saw different places, met people from a wide variety of backgrounds, and had many unique and incredible experiences and adventures.  My parents provided us with a lot of opportunities and there are great memories of our time together as a family.  I also have memories of stress, of anger, of fear.  Most of my life was mixed between these two states and then something happened that caused our family to break and my parents divorced.  The divorce was a good thing, especially for my mom. But, that final breaking point left me very hurt and very angry because of what occurred and I didn’t really know how to heal or move on.  Unfortunately, I also took these patterns with me into my married life and this cycle continued.  I knew something was missing, something that I couldn’t find, but desperately wanted and needed.  I found the answer almost a year and half ago from a wonderful church leader while di...

  Circling the wagons is an Old West cliché and a historical fact.   Wagon trains would “circle the wagons” around the campfire for protection at night.   Today, the phrase is used anytime a group comes together to defend or protect each other.   There were four of us growing up.   We grew up away from extended family or steady connections.   We were Army Brats and that was fine.   Growing up like that though, you learn to depend on each other in a different way.   You circle your wagons.   We did it often and there were times that we survived because we came together and supported each other.   Life was better, the family was stronger.   As adults, we continue to circle our wagons and support each other as much as we can.   Of course, we’ve added family members since then, a sibling, spouses, and children, but that’s the great thing about circles, they grow. As a teen, the best friends I had where those who came together...