This is the day that the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it. Psalm 118:24 ESV September 3, 2024, Monday. I hear my alarm chiming quietly, and that’s how I knew it was time to start the day. Even though two of my boys were already outside playing (they made a... [Read More] The post Our Seventh Year Homeschooling: What’s Different, and What’s the Same appeared first on Maggie Whitley ..read more

Years ago, like literally 16 years ago, I started an Etsy shop called Gussy Sews. It was 2008 and I had just discovered the handmade scene of Etsy. Etsy was still a new concept, and designing a zipped pouch with ruffles on the front (to hold my purse essentials) was my newest creative project. I... [Read More] The post Introducing: the Glory and Mountains shop appeared first on Maggie Whitley ..read more

We have lived so many beautiful days since my last post, one year ago. There’s a lot to catch up on, and what a gift it is to be able to write this with such gratitude. Is there even an easy way to summarize the last 13 months? If there are just two sentences I could write, to attempt to do such a thing, it would be this: The Lord is so good to me. God has sent the Holy Spirit to cover every fear I’ve had over the future.  As you likely remember, our fifth child, Josiah Solomon, was born with spina bifida. This means his spinal cord was exposed while he grew in my womb for 24 weeks, resu ..read more

We are a family of seven! It’s time to meet our baby, Josiah Solomon. Josiah came at exactly at 36 weeks (the precise date I had prayed for and asked God to make his birth day weeks ago). He arrived Wednesday, June 28th  at 7:38 am – a healthy 6 lbs 6 oz, and 18” in length. Josiah has lots of baby rolls, skin fuzz, and brown hair on his head. We praise God for this boy. On Wednesday early evening, about 12 hours after birth, he had a second surgery on his original incision site. He’s doing very well, and each day brings more progress. We have a few things to plan for as the weeks pas ..read more

In this “thirteen thoughts” post, I gather a variety of thoughts and details from the month of May to describe the little moments that make up my life. I have noticed it’s the little moments that give birth to the big moments, and I like to record them. Click here to read past “thirteen thoughts” blog posts. / / / Feeling so much baby movement, thank you God! I’m hopeful this means great things for Josiah’s legs once he’s born. I’m now 31 weeks along with my pregnancy. Just this week I started noticing an increase in tenderness around my incision (sad!). Now more than ever, I must lean into b ..read more

Last year, I read a biography on the late Susie Spurgeon (wife to the late Charles Spurgeon, English minister/theologian). This biography coincided with a research paper I was writing for my Master’s degree at Moody Theological Seminary. The more I read, the easier it was to admire Susie and the life work she accomplished for the Kingdom of God. For decades, and at an early age, Susie was plagued with an illness that kept her in great pain, and usually home-bound. Susie started a book ministry to encourage pastors with limited resources by providing them with books to aid with their preaching ..read more

Books I’ve recently finished: Hannah Coulter Theology of the Home II Gift from the Sea Good Apple   Books I’m currently reading: Streams in the Desert Writing as a Way of Healing Emotions and the Heart | Bible Study Women of the Word Ellie and the Harpmaker My guess is it doesn’t surprise you I’m currently reading so many books. It’s the bed rest I’m on, for sure, but it’s also the huge “redirect” of my schedule. I have less I’m trying to accomplish each day, which means I have more time to be disciplined with my reading goals. For each of the books I’m currently reading, I have ..read more

Easter Sunday, two days before my surgery My prenatal surgery incision, three days post-op Zack at my bedside, about an hour after surgery Baby Josiah, the day before my prenatal surgery I’m so excited to leave the hospital and continue resting at home :) I’m writing a lot of letters ~ Natalie skips to the mailbox to drop them off for me!  / / / It feels like a miracle I’m here, 13 days after my prenatal surgery, and feeling incredibly well. I’ve been home for one week, with each day bringing more strength and mobility. Through God’s graciousness, my prenatal surgery went better t ..read more

As I write here, the snow has begun to fall in Petoskey, MI. We live about an hour south of the Mackinac Bridge, the only driveable path to the Upper Peninsula. The snowflakes are large and fluffy, and whatever grass was visible is no longer visible. Outside, the pine trees are beautifully flocked and the bird feeders are growing wild beards. Inside, the washing machine is whirring and my coffee cup is now empty. Zack and I drove home late Thursday night from Ann Arbor. We had 12 appointments in total. The sky was clear the entire drive home, and the stars looked like they were falling over u ..read more

While it has been a few weeks since I’ve written here, you can trust God has been doing a lot of work writing on my heart. He has paved many beautiful paths for our family. My time since I last updated here has been kept busy with writing many return “thank you” notes, writing in my journal, Bible study time (Romans 11 this week), me tip-toeing around forgotten LEGOs on the rug, and redirecting my facial expressions to show JOY! Ha ha, that last one makes me laugh because it’s very easy for my face to look a little “stormy” if I’m deep in thought, and I certainly have been deep in th ..read more