Dirty Laundry

When I started this blog, I made a promise to myself that I would be honest with the people who take time to read it (whoever you may be). I vowed to share the good, the bad, and the ugly, in hopes that maybe as I work through struggles in my own life, and in my own marriage, that something I wrote could benefit another person in a similar situation. The idea of "airing our dirty laundry" on here, actually occurred to me while reading another blog. After reading someone this blogger posted, I was able to gain insight and perspective on something I was going through at the time. It was wonderful and I wanted to be open doing the same thing for someone through our blog.

My prayer was simply this: Lord, let our marriage, in good times and in bad, be something that brings glory and honor to You. Let the trial and tribulations that we experience mold us into a more solid couple, and let the things we learn during those times be helpful to other people in our lives.

Now, I know what you're thinking. All you've read so far seems like the "good" times. Well, that's because that is how things have really been. But I wanted to keep my word and give you a well-rounded view of how things are going for our little family, and right now we are facing something that is very difficult and stressful. The situation requires a little bit of background knowledge, so here goes:

For those of you who don't know, a little over a year ago, Nathan was diagnosed with depression. It wasn't something that took us by surprise, but it was a hurdle we overcame together. We were extremely fortunate to find a doctor and treatment plan that was very quickly successful. Since then, he has been taking medication, and it seemed to be very effective in alleviating his symptoms. We both understood that this wasn't something that would ever be completely cured, and that there was always the possibility that down the road he could relapse into depression or that his treatment/medication may need to be adjusted.

Now that you have the history I can explain what has been going on now. Nathan's depression had been under control and things were wonderful for months. However, for the majority of this past semester he was experiencing some of his old symptoms. Thankfully, it wasn't as difficult as it had been in the past, but it definitely took a toll on his schoolwork. All of this being said, the semester didn't go as well as it could have. In fact, we've just found out how "not good" it really was. Nathan recently received a letter telling him that his academic standing was unacceptable and that there was little hope for him to continue on his degree path towards graduation. This is a hurdle that is going to play a huge role in deciding what the future holds for our family. It's throws a huge dent in what was our "game plan" but we know God will be faithful. The most important thing is that no matter what happens with his school, we have each other. We have been, and are continuing to pray for wisdom in how to address this situation. We would also very much appreciate it if you could remember us in your prayers as we try and overcome this hurdle.

We've been given a not so pleasant reminder that no matter how much we "plan" God is ultimately in control. We are working on being flexible and open to whatever is in store for us and will keep you updated on how things work out.