Our oldest walked at nine months — for one day. And then he ran. It was all we could do to hold on for the ride.

Great post, Bonnie, and thanks for hosting this.
.-= Glynn´s last blog ..Eight Months, Three Jobs, New Steps =-.

Bonnie, it was fun to discover in the middle of the night that our hearts were both drawn to consider the first steps of our little ones… but both with unique perspectives. What a joy to hear about your little one’s new discovery! My heart smiled and cried simultaneously at the image of our Heavenly Daddy cheering for our every victory. Thank you for being the encourager you are.
.-= Susan´s last blog ..A Broken Heart =-.

Great post Bonnie. I went a pretty different way on mine, but that’s what makes like awesome – differences. 🙂
.-= Brett Barner´s last blog ..GodlySheep Get’s a Makeover =-.

I don’t have time to write a post, but over the next few days will try to take time to read the ones here. My take? Your son walked once all the crutches (furniture, toys, etc) were taken away. Crutches hold us back once we don’t need them anymore. I need to find and get rid of the crutches in my life.

I think this is the perfect time of year to talk about joy – it’s a beautiful spring day and renewal is in the air! The birds, the breeze, the budding trees are all full of infectious joy.
.-= Rachel´s last blog ..6?! =-.

Did God ever plan for me to read this one, oh yes ma’am! Yes to joy! Thank you so much for this. I love how you state that while some things are beyond our power to change, we have the power to choose joy!

I cannot wait to see how your story unfolds. What a gift you have…thank you for sharing it with us!

BTW, your baby is A-DOR-A-BLE! 🙂
.-= Kristen@Moms Sharpening Moms´s last blog ..Good Friday Reflections =-.

I don’t have a blog, so I assume this is where I enter my ‘next steps.’ It’s funny that you should ask because about 3 ½ months ago, I resigned a very busy well paying, position as an Administrative Secretary to directors in a local hospital. Why? Because I felt God was calling me to come home to read, study and write with Him. There are books stacked on the hearth, falling off bookcases and atop tables, and a list of more I want to ‘get to’ on my computer desktop. I told myself that I could not buy anymore until I finished the ones I have already found and purchased. When the stress at work began to box me against the wall in December 2009, I heard the still, small voice call in a quiet, candlelit Celtic Evensong service one Sunday. It seemed He kept calling my heart home. When I took a few days off to contemplate my decision in prayer and consultation with my husband and good friends, I also noticed that my journals had these yearnings woven through the entries for the past two years. I realized that I could keep directors’ lives organized on Outlook and over the phone on paper…the palms of my hands, race to meetings in the wee hours of the morning and during the day, pulling rooms and media and equipment together, checking to make sure the food or drinks have been delivered and slide into my chair with pen ready to take the notes for the minutes, heart pounding, palms sweating as complicated statistical and medical data was presented and discussed…But I hated that way of life. It made me feel important, but I was totally stressed and miserable.

I’ve been home for three months now and a lot has been accomplished. I finished a writing class the middle of last month. It was good although the instructor asked us to write from our own life. I only found a couple stories that were not painfully sad. I remember happy things about my life as a child—pieces scattered on the floor of my memory along side dark memories—light and dark each radiating its own special feeling in my heart. So the class was hard for me, but I got some good stories from it.

As I travel this road of renewal, I feel Abba’s presence beside me most days, but some days I doubt I heard a call. But I’ve recorded my feelings and thoughts in journals, so I can reread where I was and pick up where I am and pray when I cannot move any further. Renewal is a long road, but I have found writers who are companions along this road. Several Christian bloggers are helping, but one particular author’s depth helps so much. Sue Monk Kidd’s honesty in her writings encourages me to be honest with myself and God and dig deep into my soul and rout out the debris that needs to come out and plant the new seeds of love, truth and strength that need to go in.

I’ve investigated volunteer activities to give me time with those who need me on their journey. So far I have decided that I will work at an animal shelter because caring for animals feels healing and gets me in touch with happy feelings. I may drive cancer patients to their appointments because helping sick people gives me pleasure and peace and I know how to face tough battles. I’ve investigated CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates) and am still contemplating this possibility.

One last step of my renewal is finding a church where I can serve and be nurtured. I have begun looking into a local Episcopal Church since this discipline seems to fit me better than the church I grew up in. The Episcopal Church seems to have a gentler approach, and my ragged soul responds better to this. I have thought that my childhood church has too many ghosts of past memories, and this may be another reason for my choosing a different place to worship. Sights, sounds, smells, word phrases all can keep one feeling rooted in the pain of the past. Making a total break feels healing.

All of this is just the beginning, and the largeness of this process sometimes overwhelms me, so I take it one step at a time knowing God will guide me and in the end I will be stronger…sturdier…free to be myself totally…not living within an image that someone else fashioned out of fear.