Living a Blessed Life

Today I write with a heavy, yet Joyful heart. On October 29, 2021, my father-in-law, Jerry Schwarz was welcomed into the loving arms of Jesus. It's hard to believe that two months have already passed since that day. Finding the words to express my thoughts, emotions, and sentiments has been incredibly challenging, which is one reason it has taken this long to write the tribute I wanted to write at least six weeks ago. Jerry taught me many lessons in construction and yard / plant care. He spent countless hours over the 12 years we have lived in our home, remodeling and replacing nearly everything. Between my own father and Jerry, our entire house has been reconstructed and/or refreshed. If not for many selfless gifts, we would likely not be living in our home. That being said, it is difficult to look around without being reminded of Jerry. Every room has his fingerprints, and we are thankful for that. While that is a special reminder, it also seems to prolong the grieving proces...

Romans 8:28, “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.” (ESV) COVID snuck in and tried to wreak havoc in our home over the past few weeks. I’ll be completely raw here and say that we have experienced attacks physically, emotionally, and spiritually, that were completely surprising to us. It all began with a fever. My husband had been experiencing a low grade fever that would come and go for a few weeks prior to all of this. Finally, this fever was not subsiding, and I, too, came down with it. We were achy in our upper back / neck area, but nowhere else. It was really a strange, uncomfortable ache which caused me to sleep on a heating pad for a few days, just for a little relief. That, coupled with a fever (that I was trying desperately to avoid taking anything for), had me feeling terrible. We were anxiously optimistic that this would pass, as we had a trip planned to Disney World, which we had b...

School is back in session and fall is in the air again. I am grateful that our kids are back in school full time, in person! All three of them enjoy school, but the girls really, really LOVE IT! The start to our school year has been pretty smooth and I hope it has for those of you with children in school as well. I am changing course with this post, compared to my usual. I do promise to update my health status and so much more another time, but my heart is leaning another direction today. TOBY! Toby is our 10 year old son and he is in 5th grade this year. He is often times described as an outgoing, sweet, kind, thoughtful boy with an intense love for all things dinosaur! He is polite and respectful, and enjoys playing baseball and flag football. This summer, something great grew in Toby. You see, he attended FCA junior sports camp in Waseca and was challenged on the final day of camp to start with the 4 gospels in the Bible and read one chapter a day. This was a challenge that h...

I know I dangled a carrot out last time I wrote regarding a big announcement coming soon. Well, you have been patient, and if you are not on social media today is Your Day to hear the big announcement! 😀 My dear friend Chrissy and I have launched a new business called  'between Two gardens.' Today is our first Farmer's Market, in Chaska, MN, and we will be selling our gourmet succulent arrangements. Our mission and vision behind this venture is to spread hope and increase joy in our community and world. We both have powerful stories of hope and overcoming seemingly insurmountable obstacles that we wish to share, in an effort to encourage and spread joy to those in need of it.  Let's be real - everyone could use some extra joy in their lives and we have all gone through seasons of life where hope was hidden. You can follow us on  Instagram (@betweentwogardensmn)  and  Facebook (@betweentwogardens) We will soon have our website up and running: www.betweentwoga...

 Happy May - Almost June! Can we believe it is nearing the end of May and we are headed into summer? I can probably speak for many when I say that we thought this past year was never going to end, but then look. Here we are, almost halfway through 2021, and life is feeling more "normal" every day.  This past Sunday we drove to Britt, Iowa to watch and experience my first nephew's high school graduation. What a fun, emotional (I'm not crying, you're crying!), and special time we had as a family. Toby, Carina, and Makaiya enjoyed the ceremony and were especially excited to spend some brief time with their eldest cousins. We have not seen them or spent much time with them over this past year, and it felt SO SO good to go to an event, mask free, and sit near other people without fear of proximity to one another. The band played, the choir sang, and the ceremony commenced. Congratulations to the West Hancock graduating class of 2021, and an extra special congrats to ou...

  April 6, 2020 is a day I will not soon forget, if ever. It is the day I had a hemi-colectomy (surgery) to remove a portion on my large intestine where a small tumor resided with cancer growing inside. Some people may call it a second chance while others call it a new beginning. I call it my health-a-versary . One short year ago my (and my family's) world was turned upside down, inside out, and backward. I had a choice to make. We all had a choice to make. Either trust what we knew to be true and follow the promises of the living God, or crawl into a hole and feel sorry for ourselves. Let's be honest, there were moments when feeling sorry for myself seemed legitimate and I don't think anyone would have thought it was misplaced sorrow, but I knew that was not how my story was meant to play out.  This month I celebrate One Year Cancer Free! If I have to say the "C" word out loud, directed at myself, this is the only way I wish to say it.  Cancer Free! Hilton Head...

Her secret is simple.  On her worst days, she prays.  And on her best days, she prays. Hello! Are you ready for another update?!?!? :-) A friend of mine posted those words today and I am in complete agreement! I recently listened to a podcast and the speakers were discussing the concept of suffering well. The point of the topic was to allow God to do His work in us through our season of suffering and complete that season with a period before being quick to share our story - or share the victory. I agree with this statement, but often times find it challenging to wait on God's timing. Longsuffering: "Our longsuffering won't seem nearly as long or nearly as painful when we know God's perspective is to use every single second of our suffering for good." - Lysa Terkeurst I know this topic well - almost too well at this point, however, I do believe there is a lot to say about suffering well and allowing fellow believers and friends to support us along our journey. I am...

This is the second  most wonderful time of the year in the Schwarz home. It is Maple Syrup season!! We were in full swing until the weather decided to tease us with Spring and stop the sap from running. Here's hoping the cooler temps will let the sap flow this week and next. For those of you who know us, you are aware of our love for making syrup from the sap flowing from 5 of our 7  HUGE Silver Maple trees in our yard. The perfect time to tap trees is when the temperatures are in the 40's during the day and dip just below freezing at night. Too hot or too cold and the sap stops flowing. When the trees bud out and leaves begin to form it's all over! We were able to collect 22.5 total gallons of sap so far and have boiled it down into 70 oz. of Syrup! Yum! (The typical ratio of sap to syrup is 40-50 gallons to 1 gallon of syrup) The sad reality for me this year is that I do not get the pleasure of enjoying this delicious treat. I am happy, however, that I can still do th...

 "You give me Joy that's Unspeakable, and I like it!  Your love for me is irresistible. I can't fight it." ~Newsboys It is hard to wrap my mind around the fact that we are already nearing the end of February. Valentine's Day has come and gone. (We did have a wonderful date night out with friends on the 13th. this year. Then, Darek blessed me by helping re-organize some spaces in our home. It was like kryptonite to him, so I am really grateful he was so willing to help me.) The clock keeps ticking and each day passes like the one before. Tomorrow will come, here on earth or in eternity. These are a few thoughts / questions that have started running through my mind lately: *Did I live each day fully?  *Did I intentionally love my husband or did I take for granted how hard he works each day and expect him to come home and "pitch in" without thought of his needs? *Was I fully present for my children when they needed me or was I too busy with seemingly import...

  Sometimes we simply need reminders like this one to help us through our days. My mom gave this blanket to me for Christmas, and I love it! Sometimes I just need a big hug from my mom! Lately I have been procrastinating in scheduling the follow up doctor appointments that I need this winter / spring. I was feeling so good through Christmas and into January, that I was allowing myself to forget the difficulties I faced last year. This was very healing and positive for me, until a phone call one day recently reminded me it was time to begin the appointment train again. I chose not to schedule that appointment that day, but received another call a few days later encouraging me to get this one scheduled. That led to the list of upcoming appointments and tests that I will encounter over the coming months.  I do not want to admit it, but in the past few weeks I started to get an unsettled feeling and have definitely had moments of anxiety try to steal my joy. I have had many moment...

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/217228382013037037/ Surely you have heard the phrase "you are what you eat" more than once in your life. (And what they ate - when it comes to animal proteins). Well, I am here to tell you that unfortunately I have found that to be true for myself, and many know that it ultimate led to cancer in my body. Let me stop here for a moment. I still struggle with saying the "C" word! An uncomfortable feeling rises up in my spirit and it honestly feels like I am swearing or something. If you know me at all, you know that swearing is not part of my vocabulary, so it is a very uncomfortable feeling. It's almost like a paralyzing force, and I have to literally tell my brain that it is okay to say that word in the proper context. I think the reason it is so difficult for me is that I understand the power of the spoken word, and I choose not to give life something so vile and often times deadly. Cancer does not and will never define me! Okay, ...