Hey y’all, La here and this is officially my very first blog post! Yay!

I’ve been thinking for a while that I’d document blog-style about certain memory quilts, families, or stories that truly touch my heart. All of the quilts, families, and stories are special to me but there are some that just tug at my heart-strings.

Evan’s Storybook Quilt was definitely a heart string tugger.

A little background about me and my sweet hubby, Cory. We’ve been married for almost 10 whoppin’ years.. yep, that’s a pretty BIG deal! We’ve had so many wonderful adventures along the way and it seems like we fall more in love by the second. I said it after our first date, and I’ll say it ’til the day I die… He is my soul mate! Although the good definitely outweigh the bad, we’ve certainly had our fair share of struggles. See, Cory and I have been trying to conceive a child for nearly 8 years. We found out a little over 4 years ago why we hadn’t been successful.. and in-vitro fertilization is the next big step. Our infertility journey has been completely tear-stained, overwhelming, and down right sad. No one should have to go through this. I wouldn’t wish it on anyone- and if you’ve been down this road, or are going through this now, know I’m praying for you.

I know all about those ‘questioning God’ days.. about those days you don’t want to get out of bed, the days you see a Facebook post and completely lose it, and the tears. I know all about the endless amount of tears. We don’t have a baby yet, but I know with all my soul that we will. God has a plan, and I trust in that plan fully. The ‘4 years ago Lauryn’ would’ve called this statement crazy, but the ‘today Lauryn’s’ motto is … I’m grateful for it ALL. The heartache, the tears, the questioning, the confusion, the anger.. for it ALL. God has been preparing us for the greatest gift. He’s been adding strength to our weaknesses, hope to our hopelessness, and love that we didn’t even know we had. ❤

Back to Evan’s quilt… his sweet Momma had a few quotes and scriptures embroidered to add to his memory quilt, along with all of the wonderful outfits and pieces she’d sent that were full of fun memories. This is the first quote I read.. and this is where the tears started…

And then my soul saw you and it kind of went, “Oh there you are. I’ve been looking for you.”

I know this feeling all too well. The feeling of missing something. The longing, wishing, hoping, and desperately praying. Grieving someone who I’ve never even met. Looking everywhere for this missing piece, only to come up short every month when that familiar feeling in my stomach screamed with emptiness. Empty. Heartbroken. Failure.

Those 3 words consumed me all day, every day.

But there was this small voice inside that said different. It said, “You are beautiful, for you are fearfully and wonderfully made..” (Ps.139:14). It told me, “Don’t worry about anything, but in everything, through prayer and petition with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God.” (Phil 4:6) And it told me, “Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.” (Heb 11:1) And then in 1 Samuel.. Hannah’s story.

Hannah and I have a lot in common. She desperately wanted a child of her own but was denied month after month while the world continued on. She kept most of her anguish inside and prayed silently, hiding the pain from the outside (sometimes cruel) world. She was a faithful woman who never gave up. She pleaded to God, made Him a promise, and God heard her and gave her Samuel- a beautiful son, that she would eventually give back to God. Wow. I don’t know if I could do what she did. After waiting and praying, and suffering for so long- how could I give away my most cherished gift?

“I prayed for this child and the Lord has granted me what I asked of Him.” (1Sam 1:27)

Hannah made a promise to God and He answered her prayers, so why shouldn’t we keep our promises to Him? God was faithful to her, she was faithful to Him, and Hannah went on to have 5 more children after Samuel. Talk about great abundance!

It’s this story that gives me hope, strength, and a positive outlook on what’s to come in our future. I know that we’re apart of God’s glorious plan and He doesn’t just ‘slip up’… this path was meant for us for a specific reason and we will learn and grow all that we can through it ALL. God is faithful, His words are true- He will heal the broken hearts, and He always keeps His promises! ❤

I’m excited to share more with y’all about special quilts, stories, families, and my family… our adventure has just begun and I’m so grateful to be here!

Lots of Love,

Lauryn