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More Precious Than Rubies We are thrilled to present our guest, Jackie Perry. Jackie shares her and her husband’s story of struggle, faith, and hope transforming into their greatest gift. We hope her story blesses you! “I call you mother and I call your husband father.” These are the words that God whispered in

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Our Story: Finding Purpose In Life’s Imperfections - The greatest gift our parents gave us was each other. Childhood Growing up, we were six sisters scurrying around in second hand clothes riding bikes through potholes like we were one of the motorcycle cops on the TV program, Chips. We’d race through fields of dandelions—or maybe it was just our

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Have you ever wanted something so badly, yet could

Have you ever wanted something so badly, yet couldn’t have it?

My husband and I lived with infertility for thirteen years before we became parents. That was not in our plans! After marriage, my husband and I were immediately open to starting our family. Month after month we hoped to be pregnant.

Nothing happened. No amount of drugs, doctors, or money made me pregnant. I prayed, but nothing changed. I couldn’t understand why this was happening to us. I had assumed for so long that starting a family would be easy and that it was my God-given right to carry a child, give birth, and become a mom.

I was wrong! It is definitely a gift, but not a right. I had to learn this the hard way. After many years and tears of frustration, sadness, and anger I learned to accept what I could not change and change what I could. I was able to make peace with myself and the outcome of my story.

My husband and I did become parents of two beautiful children through the gift of adoption. There’s more to share about how that came about in a later post.

Through the tumultuous process, I never gave up on being a mom, yet I had to accept that It may not come about the way I expected it to. The moment I did this, hope arose and God opened the door needed for His plan to break through in my life.

Life doesn't always go as we expect. Sometimes we don't get what we want. Yet it's so important to hold onto our dreams, especially when we know they are in line with God's plan for life. The kicker is we must remain open to how He sees fit to work out that plan in our lives.

We may not get what we want the way we expect it, but we can trust.God knows us best and loves us most!

#lifeisagift #lifematters #trust #hope #adoption

We like to be in control of our lives, yet trust i

We like to be in control of our lives, yet trust is letting go of the outcome.

Sometimes life doesn’t work out like we planned it. Life comes and it goes too often when we least expect it.

In these unexpected events, we have an opportunity to trust the giver of life, lean into grace, and recognize all as gift.

We’re talking about life as pure gift this summer. The gift that comes greatest packaged with surprise, struggle, and sacrifice.

The gift we claim when we tear off the inconvenience of its packaging and trust for that redeeming outcome.

Dandelions, Potholes, & Wrinkles exists to help women find purpose in life’s imperfections so that, together, we can boldly live out our stories.

Don’t miss a thing by subscribing ➡️ @dandelionsisters4 (Link in Bio)

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We said two, maybe three children. After two we de

We said two, maybe three children. After two we decided on the third to complete our family. The thought was all it seemed to take with our first three children—we thought about having a baby and we were pregnant. We never considered a forth.

Life was just as we had planned it. Until I found out I was pregnant again. An initial wave of distress washed over me. Our plans were thwarted.

It’s natural to consider how a child will change our lives for the better when we’re an intact family. Yet this would change our family’s needs and lifestyle—the size of our house, car, vacations, schools, college…everything. I knew these were my husbands concerns, as the provider of our family.

I tentatively shared the news with my husband and his reaction was as distressed as mine initially. It took about a day for the news to settle in, both quietly contemplating and shifting mindsets.

By morning, sitting next to my husband in a pew at church, the excitement hit. I was carrying our child. We were going to have another baby! It hit my husband, too. From that day on, we were rejoicing!

Going from three to four children did change everything, and it definitely wasn’t easy caring for two humans in diapers and occupying two cribs for nearly a year. But you know what? We did it. And we’re doing all the hard and beautiful parts of parenting still. And I’d do it again because we cannot imagine our lives without our “unplanned” forth surprise.

I say unplanned because *we didn’t intend on having a forth child. Yet the child we don’t intend on, God does intend and prepares for in advance. We just have to trust that His gifts are always good. He works all things together for good to those who love Him and have been called according to *His purpose. (Romans 8:28)

As we’ve trusted God with our four beautiful gifts, we’ve realized just how equally intended each one of them are, in spite of ourselves.

—Theresa

“We can make our plans,  but the Lord determines our steps.” Proverbs 16:9

(Photo taken last summer)

#lifeispuregift #lifeisagift #lifematters #hope

“Sometimes choice is not what we need, but rath

“Sometimes choice is not what we need, but rather the perseverance and faith in knowing we can overcome when given the opportunity to face and conquer our obstacles.” —Maureen

Did you take the opportunity to read Maureen’s story this week? From the moment she learned she was pregnant at nineteen to the day she gave birth was only a 2-month duration. Learning her reality at five months pregnant, she didn’t have the option to abort even if she had wanted to. Her testimony of giving birth to a premature baby and cultivating family with her child’s father, their next two children, and now going on three grandchildren is a beautiful witness to the gift of life.

Maureen now works as the Executive Director at her local pregnancy center, Legacy Pregnancy Center, for the past thirteen years, advocating for life. To visit Legacy Pregnancy Center go to www.legacypregnancy.org

We are incredibly honored to name Maureen our strong, determined, courageous sister, boldly living out her story.

Dandelions, Potholes, & Wrinkles exists to help women find purpose in life’s imperfections so that, together, we can boldly live out our stories.

Follow us @dandelionsisters4

Don’t miss a thing by subscribing to our blog ➡️ @dandelionsisters4 (Link in Bio)

I am grateful my window for choice closed. I was

I am grateful my window for choice closed.

I was convinced I had an ovarian cyst, so my mother took me to the doctor. To my surprise, a couple of tests proved I was pregnant. I’m not sure why I was surprised. I hadn’t been living out my values. I was likely in some state of denial of the choices I was making.

“Are you sure?” I asked the nurse.

“Yes, 110% sure.” she responded.

I was already five months pregnant and 19-years old. Clearly still in shock, I laughed when I shared the news with my 20-year old boyfriend of a year and a half. We knew we loved each other, but hadn’t made plans for our future. Now we were having a baby with less than five months to prepare.

Looking back, I am grateful I didn’t have a window to contemplate my choice to keep or abort our baby. Had I learned earlier I may have felt overwhelmed and uncertain. I hadn’t been living out the values or the faith I was raised with.

I’m thankful I assumed I had a cyst on my ovary because it caused me to tell the least likely person I may have told if I had suspected—my mother. Yet my mother immediately sprung into action, scheduled a doctor appointment, and stood by me throughout the pregnancy. It was crucial that I walked through my pregnancy in the light and not in secret.

Angels were certainly protecting our baby girl, who arrived only two months later at just 29 weeks. (The rest of this story I will share in a future blog post.)

My boyfriend, Ryan, and I did marry at the age of twenty and have grown up together over the past thirty-two years—still learning and growing. Our greatest blessings have been, and continue to be, our three children. And now their spouses and grandchildren, too.

The Legacy of our family would have been forever changed and maybe never existed had I learned I was pregnant any earlier. Sometimes choice is not what we need, but rather the perseverance and faith in knowing we can overcome when given the opportunity to face and conquer our obstacles. Life hasn’t been easy at times, but it has been worth the challenges and the joy-filled moments weaved throughout them!

I am and forever will be grateful my window for choice closed.

-Maureen

#lifeisagift

We’re continuing to focus on the gift of life he

We’re continuing to focus on the gift of life here on social media, through beautiful real life stories.

Did you miss this past weeks posts? Scroll back one or two days. You’ll be inspired reading about the purpose in one woman’s miscarriages @sarahdamonjesus and the beauty in choosing life at fifteen by our guest, Hannah Dunaway @thereispeaceinthechaos (on our Facebook page only).

Do you have a transformative story highlighting the gift of life? Let us know. We’d love to share it!

Dandelion‘s, Potholes, and Wrinkles exists to help women find purpose in life’s imperfections so that, together, we can boldly live out our stories.

Follow us @dandelionsisters4
Subscribe to our blog (link in Bio)!

“True living is not found in one's self or in th

“True living is not found in one's self or in things. It is found in Someone else, in the One who created everything that is good, true, and beautiful in the world. True living is found in God and you discover God in the person of Jesus Christ.” St. John Paul II

At what point does life have purpose? At the moment of conception? four weeks in utero? eight months in utero? What if conception results in a miscarriage? What purpose does the hope for that child have besides grief for the parent?

After four miscarriages, I understand the grief and anger that shapes a heart. Yet I learned to rest in peace and gratitude, and to trust that God knows what He is doing, even when it hurts.

All life has purpose, including the four our family lost. Hidden in the quiet space of the womb, God creates life. Truth, beauty, and goodness reign at its highest supremacy in this unnoticed, untainted holy place. My babies not only changed our hearts, perspectives, and openness to life, they also became members of God’s heavenly court with what we believe holds a powerful intercessory mission. To believe life begins at conception is powerful! I cannot wait until the day our family will all be united again.

#lifematters #alllifehaspurpose #alllifehasvalue #lifestories

Sheridan WYO Rodeo @dandelionsisters4 @sarahdamonj

Sheridan WYO Rodeo
@dandelionsisters4 @sarahdamonjesus @jeannettewilcock @mmetcalf29 @heavenlyglimpses

Three sisters at the Sheridan WYO Rodeo!

Three sisters at the Sheridan WYO Rodeo!

Today we honor our mom—the courageous woman who,

Today we honor our mom—the courageous woman who, as a single mother, made the bold move to relocate six girls from her home state of New York to Wyoming. We honor her for the sacrifices she has made and the blessings it has abundantly bestowed on us.

Happy Birthday, mom!

The Sheridan WYO Rodeo is one of Sheridan’s larg

The Sheridan WYO Rodeo is one of Sheridan’s largest events that takes place every July, drawing locals out and visitors to Wyoming.

Founded in 1931, the Sheridan WYO Rodeo is one of the top pro rodeo events in the United States showcasing some of the best rodeo competition in the world.

Upon moving to Wyoming over thirty-five years ago, this week-long event was very different to us “city girls.”. But oh, how we have grown to love and appreciate the western way of life.

We’re still city girls at heart, but it’s pretty neat to know sweet friends who live this western life to the core. It’s also an honor to do our part in contributing to its thriving community.

The president of the Sheridan WYO Rodeo,, Billy Craft, articulates well in a recent press release the heart of what makes this place unique and desirable, and how we can keep it that way:

“Everyone who has chosen to make this area their new home was enticed by the very things we all hold dear. The incredible beauty, the vibrance of the community and the amazing cultural diversity has been provided by all those people that have given so much of their time, treasure and talent over the years to make this area the absolute treasure trove that it is. We enjoy, to the fullest, the western way of life.

“Let’s make a concerted effort to get all our new neighbors fully engaged in our community. Once they understand what it is that makes this place so unique and so attractive that they just had to make it home, they will come to guard our community’s identity just as zealously as we locals have done for years.” Billy Craft, “Welcome to the Sheridan WYO Rodeo” The Sheridan Press.

What a lovely challenge and welcome for newcomers like we once were! It’s a welcome that has certainly made a difference for us as transplanted eastern girls.

Read about how we made our way west here: @dandelionsisters4 (Link in Bio).

#sheridanwyorodeo

One of the best surprises moving to Wyoming as you

One of the best surprises moving to Wyoming as young girls was the mountains and the wide open terrain. Although most of Wyoming is not graced with mountains, we’re blessed with the Big Horn Mountains right in our back yard. AND about six hours south of us are the spectacular Grand Tetons.

We love the adventures we’ve discovered in our mountains and the way we can peer out as far as the eye can see from just about any point or height.

You have our hearts, Wyoming. Happy Birthday (week)!

Read about “Our Story” here: @dandelionsisters4 (Link in Bio)

Wyoming became the 44th state 132 years ago on Jul

Wyoming became the 44th state 132 years ago on July 10, 1890. The Horton sisters (aka Dandelion Sisters) made their way west in 1985 with their brave mama, born and raised in Queens, New York. They drove across the United States westward to this unknown territory, which they grew to love and has become their forever home.

Happy Birthday, Wyoming!

Read “Our Story” here: @dandelionsisters4 (Link in Bio)

Sister, remember, God is in the business of redeem

Sister, remember, God is in the business of redeeming lives!

Can God be trusted? He said, “I came naked from

Can God be trusted?

He said,
“I came naked from my mother’s womb,  and I will be naked when I leave. The Lord gave me what I had,  and the Lord has taken it away. Praise the name of the Lord!” Job 1:21

Job had it all and just like that, lost it all. Yet through his suffering, he remained faithful to a sovereign God.

Job was not given reasons for his exponential loss and suffering, but we learn from Job that understanding the reasons for our suffering is not a prerequisite for faithfulness amid our suffering.

We also observe in Job that well-intended people can be miserable comforters when they oversimplify circumstances with their own understanding of wisdom or right and wrong.

Through our uncertainties and suffering, God can always be trusted. He is the comfort we’ll find when we rely on his unsearchable wisdom.

Job illustrates that God gives blessing upon blessing when we trust him.

“And the LORD blessed the latter days of Job more than his beginning.” Job 42:12

The LORD gives and takes away. It is not ours to determine who, what, when, or why. However, like Job, we can praise God in our suffering because we trust him.

Life is pure gift. This we will continue to celebrate throughout the summer with stories that beat the odds and brave souls that overcome the noise of culture and personal adversity through deep trust in a sovereign God.

Dandelions, Potholes, & Wrinkles exists to help women find purpose in life’s imperfections so that, together, we can boldly live out our stories.

Don’t miss a thing by subscribing at
https://dandelionsisters.com/subscribe/ (Link in Bio)

Follow us @dandelionsisters4

Does our suffering make our life less worthy? I

Does our suffering make our life less worthy?

I have wondered if harmful circumstances in my life have disqualified me from the beauty of an abundant life. Yet as I peer through the scope of my life—moments of suffering and the blessings abundant today, I see God’s faithfulness through and through.

Not one person in this life will dodge suffering. We all endure suffering to some degree at some point in our lives. If our goal is to map out a life without consequence or suffering, we’ll take any measure to eliminate suffering when faced with it.

This faulty thinking perpetuates a cycle that can unknowingly set ourselves up for deeper despair. Yet when we trust God with our trials, he trades beauty for ashes.

Historically, those who mourned deeply would place ashes over their head. Grief and despair was not a hidden event. Ashes were an outward expression of an inward posture of grief, humility, or repentance.

Have you mourned a tragedy, trauma, or other circumstance? Have you attempted to eliminate consequences that feel too heavy to bear? Have you disqualified yourself from an abundant life due to shame of your or another person’s choices?

Isaiah 61 promises that our ashes of mourning will be replaced with a beautiful crown.

Joy and praise will replace our spirit of heaviness.

No matter where you have been or where you are today; no matter your past choices or the choices that have been inflicted upon you, you have the hope of this promise:

“…to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the LORD for the display of his splendor.” Isaiah 61:3

Will you trust God with your trial today? He is faithful. Comment with an emoji if we can pray for you or a loved one today.

With hope,
Theresa
@dandelionsisters4

Instagram post 18200854582166445

Instagram post 18200854582166445

Do you have a story to share? “The thief’s p

Do you have a story to share?

“The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life.” John 10:10 (NLT)

Sister, this is the source of your hope no matter your circumstance. You are not alone. You are not defeated. Your life is not over.

With the hope of Christ, you will overcome. Moreover, you will know life in its abundance!

Life isn’t about undoing our mistakes, escaping our burdens, or shutting out the pain. It’s about walking through it toward God’s heart with courage, faith, and hope. It’s allowing God to work all things together for our good because we love, trust, and obey Him.

It’s believing that we can love, trust, and obey Him because He first loved us abundantly and always will. It is His character.

You may be in the most difficult chapter of your life. You may not see any way out. If that is you, hold onto this hope: “I have come to give them a rich and satisfying life.”

This is for you. It is for your today and for your tomorrows.

We intend to continue sharing hope through stories of LIFE and overcoming. Do you have a story to encourage our readers? DM us up to 300 words. We’d love hear and possibly share it here.

Dandelions, Potholes, & Wrinkles exists to help women find purpose in life’s imperfections so that, together, we can boldly live out our stories.

Don’t miss a thing by subscribing ➡️ @dandelionsisters4 (Link in Bio)

Approximately two weeks later I awoke with a terri

Approximately two weeks later I awoke with a terrible migraine headache. My husband encouraged me to take migraine meds, which I don’t like to do unless I absolutely need to, so I said I am going to take a pregnancy test first and if it’s negative I’ll take them, but if it’s positive I won’t. I took the test, and saw a negative result right away. Irritated, I tossed it in the trash can and left the room. When I returned to our master bathroom I had this strange urge to remove the test I had just taken from the trash and look at it again. I couldn’t believe my eyes, it wasn’t negative, it was positive! The second line had now faintly appeared, it had just taken a bit longer to show. In my excitement and disbelief I exclaimed to my husband, “it’s positive!” He didn’t know what was going on or that I had checked the test once more so he thought I was pulling some kind of prank on him until he saw it for himself.

It was real, I was pregnant within two weeks of receiving that hug from Jeanne and it was a month and a half prior to the end of the year as she had promised. Ultimately, I believe her promise was simply a sharing of God’s promise as He chose to work through her.

“I call you mother and I call your husband father.” Those were the words God had previously spoken to my soul, and now they were coming to fruition in a whole new way.

Hope had been restored and then transformed into the greatest gift. The following August our sweet baby girl, Ruby Rose was born. Her name was taken from the following translation of Proverbs, which is about… wisdom.

She is more precious than rubies; nothing you desire can compare with her. Long life is in her right hand; in her left hand are riches and honor. Her ways are pleasant ways, and all her paths are peace. She is a tree of life to those who take hold of her; those who hold her fast will be blessed. Proverbs 3:15-18
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This is a final excerpt of our guest, Jacky Perry’s @jackielaughlove blog post. Read the full article here ➡️ @dandelionsisters4 (Link in Bio).

Be sure to follow @jackielaughlove, and continue to be blessed by her beautiful writings!

For the remainder of the day I was antsy to pay Je

For the remainder of the day I was antsy to pay Jeanne a visit. There was a short window of time from when my place of work closed and when The Pearl would then close, so I buttoned things up promptly and headed straight to The Pearl. I must have been a sight to see charging down Main Street, a woman on a mission! When I arrived, Jeanne was the first person I saw and warmly invited me in. She smiled and immediately guessed who I was. We talked for quite some time, I shared a bit of our story, and she shared some of hers. I could tell she was a very spiritual and sensing person, that she did have a unique wisdom, a gift indeed.

In the course of our conversation, Jeanne told me the story of her own son and how he had actually died for a brief time in infancy, much like in the book, Heaven is for Real. She spoke of how that impacted her, and proceeded to share other miracles that have occurred in her life and in her family.

We talked about healing and forgiveness. She asked if I was in a state of grace and suggested that I go to Confession. I realized that I had been holding myself accountable for the loss of our child. I had come to feel my body was not enough, and that I was at fault for the loss of our baby. She reinforced Truth to me and encouraged me to let go of the lies I had been believing. Then she softly and simply stated, “you don’t have fertility problems. You will have babies.” I was visibly teary-eyed as she reached out and gave me a huge hug. After she hugged me, she took me by the shoulders, looked me square in the eyes and told me, “I PROMISE that you will be pregnant by the end of the year.”
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Read the full article on how hope, forgiveness, healing, and the power of prayer led to the most precious gift. ➡️ @dandelionsisters4 (Link in Bio).

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