the /grace/ between

Welcome friends. My name is Molly. I guess you want to know a little about me. I’m about to tell you a lot.

I am an Army bride, one-time helicopter pilot, and daughter of the King.

I love Jesus most, and this guy just a little less. {You can read about how we met here}.

We’ve lived fifteen plus years of this life together – six moves, an Alaskan adventure that stole our heart, one deployment for me, four deployments for him, seven pregnancies, four babes, and the combat loss of a dear friend. And grace poured out every second. More of our story can be found here. Laughter is soul food and survival, and generally how we cope with everything that comes along with this Army Life. Husband is chief comedian … but my two sisters are a close second. {I have the kindest, most gracious big brother imaginable, but he is elusive, when it comes to my camera.} And for the record, the tears come easy too.

I am an unrepentant extrovert. Along with that comes an incurable case of nervous-talking and a healthy dose of over-sharing. The latter happens here all the time … the former occurs in real life more than I care to admit. I crave relationship, community, and fourth base friends. 

There is probably more coffee in my veins than blood. 

I have a love affair with ellipses . . . and the written word. I devour whole books for the sentences that can steal away my breath. My soul illuminated with flickers of Truth, and Light, and a Saviour,

{Quickly, and in no particular order, my top ten-ish favorite books aside from the Bible: A Severe Mercy, Sheldon Vanauken. East of Eden, John Steinbeck. A Tree Grows In Brooklyn, Betty Smith. The Count of Monte Cristo, Alexandre Dumas. Rilla of Ingleside and The Blue Castle, L.M. Montgomery. Beach Music, Pat Conroy. A Separate Peace, John Knox. A Rumor of War, Philip Caputo. The Best Christmas Pageant Ever, Barbara Robinson. The Giving Tree, Shel Silverstein. The Valley of Vision, the Puritans, and Surprised By Joy, C.S. Lewis. And in a final caveat … pretty much anything any of these authors have written I have loved.} 

I write because it’s how I’m made to worship. I tell my story because I want you to know my weakness, and His strength. To be upside down. To recount our moments of fear, grief, grace, joy, and ultimately, redemption.

My current occupation is ringmaster of the Huggins family circus, (party of six).

Meet the J Girl. She is me in every way. Poor girl.Her hair is … well, I don’t have the words. It is a separate being in this family. Possibly sentient.Her fashion sense is highly evolved.She is our first girl, and we have journeyed hard valleys together. I am so much better for being her mother.

And now, the Wee Man
He does life his way, or no way at all. He is all in, all the time.Our gleeful, rambunctious, dinosaur loving first son. 
He is obsessed with helicopters, airplanes, and space.  His chief delight is torturing his big sister, but baby sister is his and his alone. Above all, he is a mama’s boy and needs to snuggle more than life itself.

And oh, our Second Son. This kid doesn’t just march to the beat of his own drum, he’s got his own band and he is dancing for all he is worth.He loves dinosaurs more than life, and his brother is his best friend. He is kind, and joyful, and hilarious. 

And finally, the Darling Girl who we THOUGHT would be the caboose.I am hers, body and soul.

She is a delight to us all, this last babe with a ready smile and an easy laugh.

We have two more babes – our first, Baby H., and fourth, Cinderella Bug – who are rejoicing with the Father already. We’ve suffered the grief of miscarriages and still we see the goodness and grace of the Shepherd who loves His sheep.

This is us.

{Whew. I told you I was a nervous talker with too much to say.}

So, my dear friends-if you made it this far-here in this space, I am a story teller … because redemption always has a story to tell.

I want to be a story collector.

So have a virtual seat at my beat-up kitchen table. Read my story. Tell me yours. Stay awhile.

~M.