More than Unbroken

 Dear readers, I wanted to express my heartfelt gratitude for the calls, texts, and, most importantly, the prayers over the last two weeks as my family and I have worked to process through the unexpected loss of my father.  Grief and loss are the reality of our fallen world, and I’m thankful for the God of peace and comfort who has so lovingly wrapped me up through every season, including this one. With this in mind, I find it necessary to take some time to lean into the presence of God. I have decided to take a brief hiatus on the blog as I continue to work through the overwhelming process of grief in a healthy way. An empty cup has nothing to pour out, and right now, my mind and heart are still trying to catch up with reality. I hope you can find encouragement in some of my past posts. My story isn’t over, so I will see you back on the blog soon. And it is all for God’s glory. Smiles, Jill

This is one of the most difficult pieces to write. My dad, Steve, passed away this morning unexpectedly. He was the “Music Man” in my world who made life a song.  Daddy was responsible for putting me on the stage. At two years old, he stood me on the altar at church so everyone could watch me sing “Victory in Jesus.”   At twelve, he was teaching me how to set up equipment and mix sound. As a teenager, we wrote songs together. His love of music is so deeply ingrained in me that I feel a piece of that is somehow missing now. Things were not always great between me and Daddy. In fact, we went for a long time without having contact with one another. I’m so grateful that God restored our relationship in his final years. Neither one of us were perfect in our relationship, but I always loved him deeply. So today, I’m heartbroken. Memories are flooding my mind, and there are so many things I still wanted us to share. I know the coming days will be filled with waves of grief and the st...