The Only Constant in Life...

 It is said that the only constant in life is change. And holy moly, have we all seen a lot of change lately! It seems every day there are new COVID updates and changes that affect our every day routines and practices. On top of all that, our entire world as we know it seems unstable right now in many other arenas. In the Kisling family, we have experienced many of these changes caused by the state of our world right now. But on top of all of that, August 1st - 23rd (three short weeks!) have brought a storm of changes, both good and hard. I'm feeling kind of tossed about, with no solid place to land. 

August 1st: Angel, our family dog for the last 13 1/2 years, tripped a few times, had a very bloated tummy, slept all day and wasn't breathing right. We took her to the vet, and they let us know she was suffering from cancer and it was her time to go. : ( (sorry- that's the very short version..)

August 2nd: At 7:30 am, we all sat with Angel at the Vet's office as she fell asleep, and breathed her last. Oof! It was such a hard thing!(again - the short version..) But God is good. We were just about to leave for a week of vacation, so it is so good that it happened before we left, and not while the housesitter was there. It happened so fast... no long drawn out process for Angel. All four kids were home and able to be there with her. One week earlier or later and that would not have been the case. We miss her very much. :(

August 3rd: We arrived in Thousand Oaks, CA and attended the first wedding of the Meyers family grandkids. Our nephew Andrew married a beautiful (inside and out!) young lady named Taylor. It was such a beautiful wedding, and a joy to hear the tributes to both of them and the families they were raised in. Again, God is so good!

August 4th: We started the morning catching up with a friend of both mine and Reid's from high school. It was so good to catch up with Rick. Their family is in the midst of some big changes as well.

We spent the afternoon and night with my cousin Hilary's family. The girls all had so much fun together, and we were there during the beginnings of what promises to be an incredible journey for their oldest daughter, Claire. (Check out her song, Backyard Boy! #shamelessplug :) ) Also while we were there, Hilary and I had some really good conversations. She's such a gem!

August 5th: We visited Westmont College for Natalie, assuming it was a non-possibility because of the cost, but worth stopping by since we were in the area. She loved the school, and they have some awesome opportunities, the elementary ed. program seems awesome, and the scholarship opportunities look promising! There may be an unexpected shift in what's possible for her next year!

Then we spent the next two evenings with long time friends, the Linebargers. It is always refreshing, fun and relaxing to be with them.

August 7th: We moved Katie into her off campus apartment in Fresno. So exciting! We are so happy to see her settled in with three other great girls in a brand new apartment not far from all the places she needs to be! But... this marks the end of an era.... Katie will most likely stay there in Fresno from now on... no coming home for the summer anymore. It's as it should be, but, oh! my mama heart! :) I'm so grateful for the extra time we had with her this year since she came home early due to COVID.

August 8th: We returned home from a very fun and full vacation. Cameron (who had moved home while we were gone and will be there until February when he will leave for a year long internship at a Christian camp in France) had let us know that our cat Mimzie had been missing for a couple of days. She never returned and we think a coyote got her. : ( She was my cuddle buddy, so I'm missing her.

August 9-16 was spent shopping, going through things, making check lists, and finishing last minute tasks as we prepared to take Rosalie to ACTS. Busy, busy, busy!

August 17th: Reid's mom Alicia came to stay with us for a few days because she had an appointment in Portland. It was special to have her here for a few days, even in the midst of all the crazy going on.

August 20th: I moved my work equipment from home and went back to work at my George Fox University office. I'm still working more than my usual hours for now, and it is big adjustment. I miss being at home all day with all my people, Moose dog and O'Malley cat. 

August 21st: Reid, Rose, Nattie and I got blizzards and went up to Bald Peak to watch the sunset and star gaze. It was our last hang out time with Rose before she left on Sunday. There was much laughter, beauty and falling stars! 

August 23rd: We drove to Tieton, WA and helped Rosalie set up her room at ACTS, visited with her roommates, ate dinner together, had a time of worship and heard what she will be experiencing over the next 4 months, and then left her there. Ah! How can this be?! It is wonderful to have peace knowing we left her in a place where she will be loved and nurtured, where she will grow deeper in love with Jesus, and is living in such a beautiful place. But it's weird not having her around. There's another girl shaped hole in our family home now. Natalie mentioned that she and Rosalie have never been apart from each other for longer than a week. : o That will be an adjustment for sure!

Also, Austin, our gym coach is moving to Utah this week! For the last year and a half, Austin has pushed, encouraged and guided me and our whole family in all things fitness. I had never really done much for exercise besides walking, so to lift weights, run, do chin ups, box jumps, burpees (yuck!) and all that has been a new, challenging and rewarding experience, and Austin made it fun. :) Now what?!

And so... here we are. I keep hoping things will settle into some kind of routine, but I'm not sure when or if that will happen in the next several months. We're getting a kitten tomorrow. :) Another change, but I'm hopeful it will be a fun, sweet distraction and comfort.

I began with the saying "The only constant in life is change." But I know another constant. And it is this other constant that gives me assurance that I am safe and cared for, even when my world is rocked and it feels like there's no place to land. God is constant. God is MY constant. Constant Comfort, constant Strength, constant Peace, Wise Counsel, Listener, my Rock, my Hope. He never changes. He is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow. I know He's got me. I know He's got my people. I know I'm growing through all of this. I know I will be a better person, stronger in my faith because of experiencing all these changes. God is teaching me, one who loves routine and planning, to live in the moment, to take things one day at a time, to find things to be grateful for in the middle of the storm, and to find joy and look for the good during this tumultous time. Also, it reminds me how much I need grace, and how much I need to extend grace to others. :)