Living It.

My sister Lydia, son Anthony, and I had the incredible privilege to visit my

cousins, the Stockmans and Lehrkes, in Minnesota for Easter this year. We simply

had a ball visiting with one another, thrift shopping for our new babies, and sharing

stories of one special lady who played an important role in all of our lives and our

faith journeys.

To me, she was my mama. She was my biggest fan, my steadfast supporter,

my truest friend, and my faith mentor. She taught me all I know about being a

mother, wife, and friend. She held my hand through the darkest and brightest of

days, praising God for each and every one. She was so kind and compassionate, but

stood strong and fearless against any obstacle that life threw her way, knowing that

God was her ally. She said, “I love you” a lot and took even more pictures because

she knew time and memories are such precious things. She believed with her whole

heart that God’s got this… and she showed us the power in that motto.

When I was in 5th grade my father was diagnosed with thyroid cancer and

multiple myeloma, a cancer in plasma cells. Our parents weren’t totally transparent

about the seriousness of his disease, as they had no idea of the battle we were about

to face. This was the beginning of many hospital stays, rounds of chemo, and just

plain hard days. The toll that a parent with cancer takes on a family is unlike any

other hardship, but all along our mom kept telling us that God’s got this.

Within the next two years, my mother was diagnosed with throat cancer and

later down the road, breast cancer. With this diagnosis, you can imagine the

devastation in knowing what was in store. In the meantime, my father had to

undergo a complete bone marrow transplant, leaving him with literally only several

white blood cells and cooped up in a hospital bed for over a month. Their battles

raged on until my Daddy and lifelong hero died in February of 2012. Still my mother

persisted, “God’s got this”.

My mom continued to defy the odds and hold true to her mantra all in the

name of living for her girls. She was selfless until the end, jumping through every

hoop that the doctors could think of if just to spend another day with us. She would

pour back the poison she knew was killing her from the inside out if she thought it

might lead to one more kiss goodnight, one more family dinner, or one more hour

shared together. She never let her disease prevent her from what she wanted to do,

from volunteering at our local pregnancy care center to disobeying doctor’s orders

and going on that Disney vacation. She didn’t just say, “God’s got this”, she lived it.

So of course, when the doctor’s had ventured down every avenue and found

there was nothing more that they could do, my mother did not fret. She told those

doctors what she had said all along… “God’s got this”. And He did. She went to meet

her Creator, the one who she so faithfully loved, on August 29 th , 2016 and we knew

that God had her.

This movement means so much to my family and I because it sums up my

mother’s faith, which was so incredibly strong. It’s a reminder of her trust and

courage in good times and in bad. It is something to strive for, to live for, and to

have faith in. I encourage everyone to see where this simple phrase can be applied

in your everyday life. God’s got your battles too, big and small. God’s got you.

Happy Mother's Day Momma G!

-Ashleigh