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The Gift of Time We are honored to have Shelby and Austin Cowen share their story of how they dealt with their grief after losing their second child. I always knew I wanted to be a mom and couldn’t wait to have my own children. Devastated cannot describe how my husband, Austin, and I

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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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Welcome Fall! One reason we love the season of fal

Welcome Fall! One reason we love the season of fall is because it is when we have our annual sister weekend.

We also have more guest blogs coming as we continue to celebrate the gift of life and then we will move into all things fall and sharing our sister weekend adventure.

Please follow, like, and share our page on Facebook and Instagram if you are finding encouragement, feeling empowered, and are embraced with hope filled messages! 🤍

If you haven’t already, be sure to check out our summer social media posts on the gift of life. You will be inspired!

We want to hear and potentially share your story!

It’s incredibly refreshing to to read stories that testify to life even in the most difficult circumstances through ultimate trust in our faithful God.

DM us if you have a story to share!

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)

https://dandelionsisters.com/

Consider the words you think about others and the

Consider the words you think about others and the words you say to yourself.

Our words shape our thoughts. The words we use can be helpful or detrimental. Choose wisely!

As summer closes and fall nears, we hope you have

As summer closes and fall nears, we hope you have been encouraged by the thoughtful and inspiring stories shared by our guest bloggers. We sure have. We shave more guest blogs coming as we continue to celebrate the gift of life.

If you haven’t already, be sure to check out our summer social media posts on the gift of life. You will be inspired!

We know there are multitudes of stories out there to celebrate life through unlikely, difficult circumstances. We want to hear and potentially share your story!

It’s incredibly refreshing to to read stories that testify to life even in the most difficult circumstances through ultimate trust in our faithful God.

DM us if you have a story to share!

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)

https://dandelionsisters.com/

Just one week after Will’s passing, as we were t

Just one week after Will’s passing, as we were trying to grieve and navigate life without him, we came across an article on Walk With Me, a Colorado Non Profit Organization, raising money for Cuddle Cots to provide for the hospitals all across Colorado. We had never heard of a Cuddle Cot before. We opened the article and learned that a Cuddle Cot is a cooling baby bed/pad that helps preserve the newborn body for days. The device gives parents a chance to bond with their babies — to love and hold them, take pictures, even take them home and take them for walks, creating memories to last a lifetime.

How ironic that we came across this article after what we had just gone through. A Cuddle Cot was something we wished we had with baby Will. We wanted more time. Time is all you are left with when you leave that hospital. Giving other families who go through similar situations more time with their baby was what we wanted to do.
We reached out and teamed up with Walk With Me and set up a fund in memory of Will James Cowen. With many donations from close friends and family members, we were able to raise enough money to donate a Cuddle Cot to our local hospital in Sheridan Wyoming. It was such an honor to be able to donate one to our hometown hospital, but we did not want to stop there. We continued to bring awareness to see if we would be able to raise enough money for a second one.

Continue reading how Shelby Cowen and her husband, Austin, journeyed through their grief and if they would do all over again. @dandelionsisters4 (Link in Bio)

🌟GUEST POST🌟 By, Shelby Cowen I always knew

🌟GUEST POST🌟 By, Shelby Cowen

I always knew I wanted to be a mom and couldn’t wait to have my own children. Devastated cannot describe how my husband, Austin, and I felt when the ultrasound of our second pregnancy revealed major health complications. Anger followed heartbreak. Why would God put us through this? We had always prayed God would give us healthy, happy children. It honestly felt like our world was crashing down on us.

Desperately wanting to figure out how we could fix the complications for our unborn baby, we opted for any test needed to determine how. That same day we learned just how ill our baby was. There was no cure for his condition. We could do nothing to fix it.

On November 29th, 2018, at almost 22 weeks along, our sweet Will James Cowen was born with Trisomy 13, a chromosomal condition in which he had an extra 13th chromosome. As he entered the world, we cuddled him, kissed him, and adored every inch of his tiny little body. We showed him as much love as we could, knowing our time with him was very, very limited. He died shortly after birth.

We had 5 hours with Will, which should have been just the beginning. But it was the end for us. The end of our physical time together here on earth. Leaving the hospital empty-handed after losing our son felt unbearable. No parent should have to endure that feeling of heartbreak.

Continue reading the inspiring story of how Shelby Cowen and her husband, Austin, journeyed through their grief by giving the gift of time to other families in their situation ➡️ @dandelionsisters4 (Link in Bio)

Jeannette with the collaboration of her dear frien

Jeannette with the collaboration of her dear friend, Bethany sings her original song of pushing through the fear and choosing faith even in our darkest moments! 🤍
#overcome #sisters #friend #songwriter #hope #faithoverfear #godisgood #believe

As the school year begins for many, we encourage y

As the school year begins for many, we encourage you to bask in one more month of leisurely evening walks, morning jogs, watering those vibrant planted flowers, and maybe even plan one more camping trip over this longer weekend. Kids may be going back to school, but summer isn’t over yet!

If you’re needing encouragement, be sure to check out our summer social media posts on the gift of life. You will be inspired!

We know there are multitudes of stories out there to celebrate life through unlikely, difficult circumstances. We want to hear and potentially share your story!

It’s incredibly refreshing to to read stories that testify to life even in the most difficult circumstances through ultimate trust in our faithful God.

DM us if you have a story to share!

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)

https://dandelionsisters.com/

#newschoolyear #mamas #hangontohope #notalone #pra

#newschoolyear #mamas #hangontohope #notalone #prayers #children #inthistogether #overcome #sisters

A beautiful reminder how perfectly intended each o

A beautiful reminder how perfectly intended each one of us are.

1 You have searched me, Lord, and you know me.

2 You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar.

3 You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways.

4 Before a word is on my tongue you, Lord, know it completely.

5 You hem me in behind and before, and you lay your hand upon me.

6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too lofty for me to attain.

7 Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence?

8 If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.

9 If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea,

10 even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast.

11 If I say, “Surely the darkness will hide me and the light become night around me,”

12 even the darkness will not be dark to you; the night will shine like the day, for darkness is as light to you.

13 For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb.

14 I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.

15 My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place, when I was woven together in the depths of the earth.

16 Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.

17 How precious to me are your thoughts, God! How vast is the sum of them!

18 Were I to count them,
they would outnumber the grains of sand—when I awake, I am still with you.

19 If only you, God, would slay the wicked! Away from me, you who are bloodthirsty!

20 They speak of you with evil intent; your adversaries misuse your name.

21 Do I not hate those who hate you, Lord, and abhor those who are in rebellion against you?

22 I have nothing but hatred for them; I count them my enemies.

23 Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts.

24 See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.

Psalm 139 (NIV)

As summer break comes to an end for many, we encou

As summer break comes to an end for many, we encourage you to bask in one more month of leisurely evening walks, morning jogs, watering those vibrant planted flowers, and maybe even plan one more camping trip. Kids may be going back to school, but summer isn’t over yet!

If you’re needing encouragement, be sure to check out our summer social media posts on the gift of life. You will be inspired!

We know there are multitudes of stories out there to celebrate life through unlikely, difficult circumstances. We want to hear and potentially share your story!

It’s incredibly refreshing to to read stories that testify to life even in the most difficult circumstances through ultimate trust in our faithful God.

DM us if you have a story to share!

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)

https://dandelionsisters.com/

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)

https://dandelionsisters.com/subscribe/

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!

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