When you go off the beaten path (by taking a leap of faith or by what you have been dealt in life), you will find beauty in surprising places if you are looking!  Noelle found this beautiful miracle in a field of weeds while we were on vacation earlier this month.  I would’ve never seen such an incredible creation, because I wasn’t wandering in the weeds, or even looking for beauty in such a broken, lifeless place.  May we all learn to look for beauty in our unexpected places… even if the places we end up finding ourselves in are downright broken and difficult beyond measure!

New blog coming on the sidebar soon about my decade-old journey with fibromyalgia.  I’d like to continue to keep pondfam.com as my happy place, and my daughters’ online scrapbook, but I’m taking this leap of faith to start a new blog to open up a part of me that has been hidden for so long, in the hope that it will encourage those who suffer with their “something,” be it fibromyalgia, another ailment, or something entirely different; because everyone has something.  I’m planning to share lots of funny things that make me laugh, because we all know that laughter is such great medicine; I’m going to share my struggles, my hopes, my dreams, my heart-aches, and lots about the people and faith I have in God that keep me falling forward, when I cannot walk forward.  I hope you will be encouraged and realize that you are not alone in battling your something!  We’ll see what happens!  I’m nervous and excited!

Melissa