Welcome to the Joyous Family World
About our story: We are a 12 steppin’ family of 4. We believe in Jesus Christ. We celebrate our recovery from life’s hurts, habits and hang-ups. In our family it is
- it is ok to not be ok
- to give love and be loved
- to be our silly selves
- enjoy one moment at a time
- to unplug everything and play a board game
- to actually eat dinner together at a table
Our Mission is to share Jesus one prayer, one silly story, homemade video at a time.
What About Our Story Makes Us Different?
I meant for my sojourn in Colorado to be a brief transition from a 7 year stint in Georgia to new career. I met, Jerry, my husband of 12 years on the Bar Lazy J Guest Ranch, in Parshall, Colorado. When it “unexpectedly” snowed in June that first summer I rode horses for the ranch I almost loaded the car and headed back to Georgia. Life in mountain climates is intense, possibly dangerous and awe inspiring. God found me here or rather I turned to God in this wild place.
April 27, 2005 at 1:23 am the greatest blessing of my life appeared. Gerald Wesley, 6 lbs and 13 oz was a pure gift from God that brought my husband and I to our knees. The love for this new little boy overcame us both in a way we had never experienced before. Our fat, sweet baby changed my life forever. In the midst of house building our second gift from God appeared June 29, 2007. Elijah Nooma appeared bright eyed and sunny side up in less than 2 1/2 hours of labor and a scary ride down mountain roads. A house on 20 acres, 2 boys, two horses, 200 chickens is just the start to God’s amazing journey.
Sheriff”s cars blocked the drive way leading to my house in the spring of 2010.
Oh God! My baby boy is inside screamed my mind. Running in the back door I found my husband and 6 uniformed sheriffs standing in the kitchen. A few months earlier I had spoken with the under sheriff about the newly legalized marijuana health cards in Colorado.
“What did this mean? What did this mean for me and my children if my husband had marijuana health card and choose to grow pot on our property? What do I do?” I rapid fired questions at the sheriff alone and scared in his office.
What I did not expect was to pull into the driveway and find an unannounced house search happening while my sweet two year old slept.
My anger exploded as the deputy told me that everything my husband was doing was legal and there was nothing they could do to help me. The deputy said, “It is a domestic issue, Ma’am, If there is violence we could do something otherwise, he, pointing at my very calm husband, has the legal number of pot plants and a health card to personally use marijuana.” “What about the baby!” I yelled and cried at the deputy. “Ma’am, as I said we are not finding unsafe conditions at the moment, is there violence? Could you leave if you wanted or needed too?” Anger, sadness, hopelessness, welled up inside of me.
I felt stuck, financially I could not leave, the pot use and growth were legal, I was to helpless and hopeless to pursue anything further.
All my attempts to control my life, my husband and what happened in our house died on that kitchen floor that day. What I did not realize was how sick I was. Have you been in our shoes? Have you struggled to regain peace in your life after coming face to face with your own self -sabotaging behaviors?
Why Am I doing this blog?
Late at night after the kids were in bed I would search the internet for answers. My heart was breaking! Our marriage was falling apart due to addiction and codependency. I just wanted to hear that there was hope!
We are a family in recovery. All families have hurts, habits and hang-ups. Many families go through crisis and bust apart. Some families seek help, turning the stinking sinking shipwreck of a family unit back over to God for healing and direction. We are one of those families.
If you have read the about our story page this far I will let you in on the details. Jerry and I were both raised in Christian homes. We tried to raise out two young boys that way too but our serious worldly addictions got in the way. Praise God for His grace and mercy that brought both of us out of our separate pits of sin to heal us for His glory and purpose.
In our time of crisis, Lord surrounded us with strong believers who prayed, counseled and stood with us until we could stand on our own. Now having experienced our own spiritual revival we want to share our experience, strength, and hope with you. The mission of this blog is to share that hope and to stand with you in faith as you make life’s journey.
What You Will Find On the Blog
Recording this God seeking family’s adventure in writing, film and photo is the plan for this blog. Jesus is always about the one, the one lost sheep, one lost coin and the one lost soul. That is my purpose to touch the one, the one soul that needs a prayer, a story, a laugh or just a place to rest awhile. Stay with us, we are excited to start this project and see who God sends our way. We hope to convey:
Honesty, the Big Book says that it is the “poor fellow who is unable to be honest with himself that will not remain sober.” (paraphrase pg 58). I am not naturally a sugar-coateer although I am learning to think on what is ‘good and noble and true” rather than spiraling downward in the dark ruminations of my own thinking.
Faith, God gives us a new chance each and everyday. Sometimes I meet the day with a grumble, sometimes with grace. More and more often with trust.
Accountability, “we are only as sick as our secrets, ” The family secret can kill us today and generationally. We are a community under Christ. Each member like the parts the body has a role to play.
Our story unfolds in little chucks of time like snow falling off a roof. Sometimes God’s hand is very clear and sometimes not visible at all.
P.S. It is custom to take your shoes off when you enter a Colorado Mountain home so feel free to kick off your shoes and pad around in your socks through the stories, pictures, books, and silly films. Come over here and sit by the wood stove where it is always warm and hear about our story.
Trust God, Clean House, Tell the Truth
To read my (Tanya) full testimony click here.
Linda Sikes says
God’s hand is definitely guiding and blessing you. I know He will use your experiences to encourage others.
Thank you!
Paula Daniel Steinbacher says
Tanya, I’ve known you for such a long time but I didn’t know your story. Thank you for sharing and may God continue to bless your journey toward healing and wholeness! Please come and worship with us whenever you’re in Grand County. I love your Spirit and your perseverance and we love your entire family. Peace to you! Rev. Paula
Shelley Tackett says
My story is a difficult one to tell. My husband and I have both been on drugs for a while. On April 20 this year after my husband had been up for four days he begin to act crazy and paranoid had been going through my phone the entire day while I slept. When I woke up that night he continued to accuse me of hiding things from him. He had a bottle of whiskey sitting on the coffee table he had had a few drinks. I ended up with his pistol in my hand pointed to my head ready to end my life. He got the gun from me… Talked me out of it. He continued to harass me and eventually I started drinking. Hours later I was extremely intoxicated and he had finally gone to bed. I can’t really tell you what happened after that but I ended up in jail that morning and spent 106 days there over a Misunderstanding. I got charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon although when my husband got the gun for me the night before and never possessed it again. During that ordeal while I was incarcerated my husband got worse and worse using more and more meth. After 40 some odd days of me being incarcerated his ex sister-in-law needed a place to stay and I said it was fine. So over half the time I was incarcerated my husband was living a life with another woman in our home. It seems he was pretending she were me. He told me that they had been together. He continued to financially support me while I was in there and excepted every phone call going back-and-forth about us being together sometime saying he was with her. I got out Monday. He left that night. I have seen him every day since except for today so far. I even had them over for dinner tonight‘s ago. I love my husband. I want my husband back home. He has lost about 35 pounds since I went to jail. I am clean and sober and intend to stay that way. I regained a relationship with the Lord while I was incarcerated and I continue my relationship with the Lord. Please join me in prayer for my husband and my marriage. My heart hurts… Yet my faith in the Lord is huge. I know that my husband will come home. I’m so glad I found your page. Shelley
Tracey Mackey says
Pray for my husband David Mackey been on crack cocaine nearly his whole adult life and he’s 48. We’ve been together about 16 years, but married for little over 2 years. Sometimes I feel as if it is not in God’s will to ever deliver him and set him free, but I pray for more faith concerning his deliverance. I pray that God heals his brain from this addiction for God’s glory to manifest from our marriage. All I want to do is please God. I knew he was an addict when I married him so I took a leap of faith also because I love God and wanted to please him. Sometimes I feel like we made a mistake getting married, but one thing for sure, I know these trials and tribulations have brought me closer to God, I just really want God to set my husband free because my husband does not have the power to do it on his own. Please pray for us everyday… thank you