Fall 2024 and life lessons

Fall has been a very full-of-life time in the Wernet household, and this year was no different! We had months of marching band, soccer, cross country, music and dance lessons, hunting, and a musical. School life is a bit of a hurricane from August to December every year, we helped my dad move his "home base" to an apartment in Grand Ledge, and both boys had a bout of cold/flu and DJ ended up with pneumonia. We lost Pam, then Chief and a coworker or Kevin's. We (primarily Alex, Kevin, and John) worked through the difficult process of managing Pam's estate and several weekends were spent sorting and packing and cleaning at the house. And over and under and through it all was the grief, which felt like a mist that settles into all the gaps and cracks of our lives.

Something I think I knew in my head but really sunk into my spirit this fall was how much joy and sorrow, delight and difficulty can and will coexist. For most of my life, I've seen things in black and white - it's a good day or a bad day, a good week or a bad week, a good season or a hard season. But over and over in this current season, things were wonderful and filled with joy and delight and the same time that stresses were piling up, relationships were challenging, and sadness was deep. And I learned that to live most fully, you can - you need to - lean into both the joy and the sorrow. Luckily, we don't have to do that on our own strength (Psalm 46). Here are a few of the delightful moments from our fall.

Looking through photo albums together at Pam's

Family trip to the U.P.

Robynne joined us and we enjoyed the weather

An artist at the coffee shop offered to sketch their favorite characters

Sorting out candy after trick-or-treating

The Halloween crew

Dad and daughter date to see the marching band state finals at Ford Field (while Annie and I drove to see Taylor Swift in Indy!)

On a day off in November, we have a tradition of going to the bookstore to pick out a book. One of my favorite days! This particular time, the kids all ended up with peppermint mochas instead of peppermint hot cocoas. The barista assured me they only have "a little espresso." 

Then a trip to Impression 5

Some impromptu cousin hangout time. It was impossible to get a good picture.

Annie teaching Eddie how to apply stage makeup in the LCS office.

Turkey Trot date

Thanksgiving - four generations of Tuinstra women! It was wonderful to spend some time with my grandma.

The kids were banished to the basement after Thansgiving dinner so we could clean, so they wrote and performed a play for us. Here, they are stargazing before travelling into space.