Come what may--and love it!

I want to talk about the women in two of my favorite books.

Caroline "Ma" Ingalls in the Little House series.

And Stephanie Nielson, the author of Nie Nie Dialogues and "Heaven is Here".

(And let me apologize to people who know me in real life and are sick of hearing me talk about "Heaven is Here". I just read it for book club and it was a life-changer, for sure!)

You might wonder what those two women have in common. I admire both of them so much for the happy homes they built for their families, but especially for the joy they chose to have in their lives despite the tremendous trials they faced.

Ma Ingalls left everything she knew in Wisconsin--her home, her family--to live on the edge of the frontier just because Pa wanted to (it turns out he was kind of wishy-washy). She didn't want to leave her home(s), but she did, and she made each and every home a joyful place for her children.

Stephanie Nielson's whole world fell apart when she and her husband were in a plane crash. It took time, but they rebuilt their lives together.

Life does not go according to plan.

And at the end of the day, all you can really do is choose to be happy with what you have been given.