A Special Note from Joni

First, thank you for joining me and becoming a part of my world in writing. I’ve spent years blogging and loving every minute of it. When I can have an opportunity to express God, His incomparable love, and what He has done for me and for others, I am so honored to have such an outlet. I have been absent for many months but felt that there was only one obvious decision to make. Nonetheless, the Holy Spirit has always encouraged me to write through my pain and I never stopped writing. I have some very special moments and truths that God has shown me that I’m anxious to share.

A Daughter's Diary - Things I Wanted to Say and Never Wanted to Say

Although I speak in the first person and of my own experience, I’d feel amiss if I didn’t include my sisters, my lifelong companions, Julie and Jenny. A sibling, especially sisters, are the holders of your history. God spoke and our personal Genesis began and I saw that it was good (sorry to plagiarize the Bible)! The experiences I share in this were experiences shared by my two sisters as well. This is the story of us … and a few words about our dad. We may have different chapters, each personal and eventful but impactful, nonetheless. I respect their histories, perspectives and the memories they have that I’m not even aware of. We’ve shared so much in life but never wanted to share this in death.

When I saw this photo and the heartfelt words beneath it, I had to share it. It blessed me in so many ways and not just because my daughter is in it! However, her words are my hope for all of us who serve together and for every person regardless of our many differences, skill sets, backgrounds, degrees, titles, giftings and personalities. We should be celebrated and celebrate one another. People in your life should be your greatest cheerleaders no matter if you scored the touchdown or sat the bench. You still practiced, tried, showed up and put on the uniform to be a part of something. I love this line in a song saying, “I’m the greatest fan of your life.” I’ve used that quite often because it’s true. What an honor it is to be on the sidelines while someone else gets the win, an answered prayer, a good report, an unexpected blessing or a divine miracle! How can we not cheer or celebrate? It doesn’t need to be a spectacular event. Someone deserves to be appreciated just for being a good worker, a good listener or a good friend. All too often, we celebrate achievements rather than people. You don’t need to win a Nobel Prize to be great. We need to applaud the effort more and not just the outcome.