"Can we please come back here?"

As we approached our 20^th Anniversary Celebration my mind began doing somersaults. I noticed I was recalling random memories from not just the past twenty years, but my entire life. It was like a constant movie reel of things I had not thought about in many years, if ever. I finally decided to pay more attention and see if there was a common theme. Were they all related to some challenge I overcame that helped me at Blue Monarch? I thought I was onto something until I had the memory of wandering to a nearby creek as a four-year-old, scooping up tadpoles and swallowing them to see if they might turn into frogs in my stomach. Guess not.   

 

This incredible milestone walked simultaneously with the release of my new book, From My Front Row Seat, which has been another mind-blowing experience for me because it reveals personal experiences, some rather supernatural, that I have never shared in public. (My privacy bubble is quite large.) Was I the only one having nightmares of being naked on the playground? 

 

So, it’s been several weeks since our 20^th Anniversary Celebration, the random memories have ended, but I realize I have been avoiding writing about that day. As I scan through the photos from this magnificent event, I am aware of why the delay. It’s so dang emotional.

 

Twenty years is an eternity - and it is the blink of an eye. I remember thinking I wanted to do something to mark such a milestone, but “let’s keep it simple and laid back.” Ha. It turned into quite a production with an enormous tent (at the very spot we hope to build a multi-purpose building soon), hundreds of chairs, a string of food trucks, a dozen golf carts, an afternoon and evening full of activities, and a million details that I dumped on poor Deanna, with nearly 425 in attendance throughout the day. But that event will be the “happy place” in my head for quite some time. It was spectacular and this photo says it all. Just look at how the clouds dropped out of the sky and nearly landed on our tent - and I’ll let you come up with your own theory about the interesting cloud in the corner that doesn’t match the others. Yes, it’s fun to speculate.

 

I thought I’d take you on a stroll of these photos through my eyes - in no particular order.

 

Let’s take this one of Howell Adams. My word, this man believed in me when there was no reason to, and nearly a thousand women and children have been served since that day when I was nothing more than a stranger with an ambitious plan on paper. “Thank you” will always feel completely inadequate but we keep saying it anyway.

 

Our campus is named after Howell and his wife, Madeline, and through the generosity of key individuals and lots of generous folks, it has grown from 50 acres and 3 homes to 108 acres with 14 homes since we opened in 2003. We were excited to offer a first-ever tour of our entire property. Our residents were so proud to host our guests at each stop along the way and show off their beautiful home. 

We had guests who traveled many hours from numerous states to share this day with us. One was very special to me, personally, and came all the way from Chicago. Alicia was my very first assistant in 2014 and she always encouraged, okay pushed me, to write my Blue Monarch experiences in the form of a blog. It was exciting to hand her a book that includes a collection of powerful stories that I am now grateful she inspired me to record. I was moved by the people who wanted a signed copy of their own and hope they will be blessed by what they read.

 

While I was signing books, someone came up behind me and gave me a big bear hug. Before I could turn around, he whispered in my ear, “Can we please come back here? I felt safe here.” It was a boy who had lived here in the past with his mom and siblings. The whole gang had come to celebrate the day with us and as the one who has probably been the man in the family from time to time, he was looking for a way to keep his family safe. It struck me how Blue Monarch creates a sense of family that stays alive as long as the ones who leave want it to. No doubt, this boy will someday be a protective father and strive to create a home like he had with us. As I looked at this young man with his siblings I was reminded of the impact they had on our program. We now have better accommodations for larger families with almost two generations of children. I made a mental note to follow up and make sure there wasn't more to that comment.

 

This was just one example of the families who returned to visit that incredible day - because Blue Monarch feels like home. In fact, this young lady and her mom surprised me and showed up. They lived with us in our first year. As this beautiful young woman sat here waiting on our program to begin, little did she know we would show a video from our first year and her four-year-old spunky self would be in it. I remember her family's struggles back then and it is so great to see them both doing so well now. Oh, my heart.

I am grateful for my “front row seat” but I wanted to be surrounded by our incredible staff and my husband who share that front row with me. There was even a seat for Alicia, of course. We had a blast! There was an almost giddy sense of joy in the air, all of us were on the verge of tears at the magnitude of the day, and we simply had loads of fun and lots of laughs. I even cracked myself up sometimes.  

Jeannie shared her experience as one of our first residents and now serving as our Program Director. Lauren described her journey at Blue Monarch that not only resulted in her serving as our Director of Case Management, but also gave her the confidence to become a pilot. And Savannah, who is currently in our program and recently regained custody of her three children after a long, painful separation, shared her story with a standing ovation. When I looked at the photos from the day, there were many of Savannah getting hugs by lots of people congratulating her afterward. 

Of course, we took the opportunity to lift up the amazing women of Blue Monarch and I think the look on Taylor’s face says it all. Just look how proud she is - and for good reason. Blue Monarch is not for sissies.   

Even from the get-go I wanted to make sure we gave God all the glory for the hundreds, perhaps thousands, of miracles we have seen at Blue Monarch over the past twenty years. We ended the day with a powerful praise and worship concert and Natural State Band helped us do just that.

 

Thinking back over the past twenty years at Blue Monarch, there is only one way to ever understand it. Glory be to God. Nothing else makes any sense whatsoever and that brings me great peace as we face the next twenty years.

Now glory be to God, who by his mighty power at work within us is able to do far more than we would ever dare to ask or even dream of - infinitely beyond our highest prayers, desires, thoughts, or hopes. Ephesians 3:20