Kristen Welch

We are THAT Family

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Kristen

I’m Not Going to Say Goodbye, Just See You Later

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Friday morning, we got a phone call, the kind you never want to receive.

We jumped on a plane, my husband first and the kids and I followed, to see my sister-in-law and my dear friend who was on life support, an unexpected complication to her diabetes.

We prayed, sobbed, and finally, we said goodbye.

Watching someone you love take her last breath on earth is heart wrenching. But knowing it means she is with Jesus is breathtaking.

Coming into this world is sacred, so is leaving it. As a room full of people worshipped God and shared memories, my sister-in-law left this world. The family minister with us said in 45 years of hospital ministry, he had never seen a family in more unity or support for each other.

My brother-in-law and nephews, in-laws, family members are heartbroken. We all just wished for one more conversation with her.

I’m walking unfamiliar ground with my kids who have lost someone close to them for the first time. My sensitive son threw up when he heard, my little one attending her first funeral, and my sweet girl, burying her precious aunt the week of her 13th birthday. My amazing husband, so strong through this has lost his big sister who adored him.

I’ve lost more than a sister-in-law; she was a friend, the only other woman I’ve ever asked to raise my children if something happened to us.

Rhonda, if I could talk to you one more time, I’d try to make you laugh, which would be easy since you lived ready to do so. You had the best laugh. I would thank you for loving my children as much as I did, for loving your brother all these years, and for accepting his crazy, strong-willed wife without question.  You were a wonderful wife and a fierce momma who loved her boys. We already miss you so much.

I’m holding my husband and children tighter, my family closer. Can I urge you to make that phone call you’ve been putting off ?Write that letter. Ask for forgiveness. Or accept it. Choose love because life’s too short to do anything else.

As we prepare for her funeral, I’m not great at saying goodbye, so I’m just going to say see you later. Because I will.

Let’s Talk About My Tattoo

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I typed in we are that....into Google the other day, trying to bring up a prompt to my blog so I could check something while I was out of town. Before I could type the word family, Google prompted me with a few suggestions that had been googled, a lot. I laughed at number one. It was we are that family tattoo. I've only written about it once and I closed comments because I'm a good girl and I didn't want to open a can of worms. Here I am ten months post-tattoo and I'm still so happy ... Read More

30 Ways to Keep Christ in Christmas

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Our world makes it challenging to keep Christ in Christmas. Anyone else notice that? Don't get me wrong: I love this season. The lights and festivities. I'm a Christmas baby and I find this time of year magical. I love experiencing it with my kids...the excuse to wear Christmas pajamas days on end, reading holiday books, sipping hot chocolate and eating cookies for lunch... But more than anything, I want to make it meaningful. I want Jesus to be the focus. I want my kids to know what ... Read More

WFMW: Mini Laundry Room Makeover #MaytagMom

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Our laundry room is directly off the kitchen. And by directly, I mean, next to it. Let me just make it plain for you: it's very possible there could be a stray sock in the soup. Thatclose. This has presented a challenge or two, since there are five of us and there's more laundry than food. It's a very small space and my XL Maytag Bravos set takes up the room. The one shelf in the room is too high for me to reach and so detergent and baskets and laundry whatnot are on the floor. We can't ... Read More

“When In Doubt, Choose Change” -Lily Leung

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Back in May, we made a big family decision. Putting our house on the market seemed really spur of the moment to practically everyone in our lives. And it was, kind of. We wanted to move, but were resigned to stay because sometimes easy wins. We just couldn't imagine packing up the house we'd lived in for nearly nine years (and our garage that housed Mercy House) on the heels of our trip to Kenya. Our reasons for moving might not have made sense to some, but when our kids asked to attend ... Read More

Why I Am Taking My Kids Back to a Third World Country

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Would I do it again? This is the question people keep asking. Would I travel across the world with my three young children again? Yes. I'm not a big traveler. I have neck and back issues that make flying and driving uncomfortable, plus I'm really a big homebody and a scaredy-cat. So there's that.  And traveling with kids is never easy. But I will do it again. Here's why: Traveling is temporary. As long as flights and delays may be, you eventually get somewhere. It's ... Read More

DIY Mini Resurrection Garden

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I stopped in my tracks on Pinterest when I saw this photo the other day: (I researched it and I believe it originated on the creator's Facebook page and ended up on Pinterest. Thank you, Melissa Holt for the beautiful idea!) I knew it would be on our list for Spring Break this week. Easter is still three weeks away, but as Christians we celebrate it every day, right? Since I have three do-it-yourselfers at home and I'm a very wise mom, I knew that one Resurrection Garden would lead ... Read More

The Hamsters are Dead and Other Fun Stuff

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Little Debbie died. Hostess is still hanging on.  What? You don't name your fish after snack cakes? My oldest came down the stairs with her limp fish, visibly upset about her beloved pet. We hugged her and said our "I'm sorry's" and quickly changed the remaining fish's water just to omit any further owner-error. My daughter bounced back quickly. Because in her words, "It's a fish." But later that same night we heard a shriek and this same daughter discovered her hamster had gone to Heaven. ... Read More