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Mother's day again and all the things

 Another year with my sweet family of 3. 

Honestly, the pandemic pushed most families one of two ways - to love each other or hate each other. While we had days of both, I will always be so thankful of the extra time I have had with Loren and Ryan. Having Loren in my office for an hour or so every morning to chat and hangout has been amazing and I will cherish those conversations forever. 

Ryan and I had legitimate fights over real things - how to keep our family safe, how to pay our bills, how to keep our family and company afloat. Each one of these fights, we came through together. With better skills for communication and a better understanding of where each other was. 

I battled some serious bouts of depression. Loren faced trauma head on and overcame it. Ryan lived in fear of what would happen if he was to get coronavirus or how he could keep his crew working if someone at work contracted it. We all had some really bad days. 

While I can complain about the good and the bad, we also know ours is one story out of millions that were both so much worse and so much better. We are no different than any other family who did their best to face the complete unknown for 18 months. 

Loren decided to stick with virtual school in January so we have had a lot of extra time together. As much as I have loved getting to make up for time I missed when she was younger, it has also been.... a lot. As we neared the spring, it became clear I needed a break from being here in town. Between work, Loren and other things happening, a weekend away from town was becoming a higher and higher priority. One of my lifelines through isolation were long phone calls with my college friend, Joe. We are in so many ways the same person - our reactions are often similar, we almost always see eye to eye on current events, we attended Bible College together but have both found our way from the conservative teachings engrained in us to a freedom and liberation in Christ. Since he works in both New York and Miami, we knew we needed a weekend at the beach. 

When I realized that the weekend I could meet Joe in Miami was Mother's Day, I did pause. While we have never made a big deal out of Mother's Day, Loren did go out of her way to acknowledge it last year. Ultimately, I knew that the stress and the pain - for both of us - would be alleviated by my going for it and heading out over that weekend.

I am so thankful that I had the time with a friend who understands me without saying a word. The weekend was made all the more perfect by Loren running into the driveway in the rain when I got home late on Sunday to give me a hug. 

All in all, I would say things in the Asher house are going really well. Next up is family vacation! We haven't had a trip together since 2019 - and those of you who know us, know that's a long time without a trip!! 

Praying for you. Loving you all. 

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