MEET CLAUDIA
MEET CLAUDIA
Hi Friend, I’m Claudia!
I’m passionate about loving people extravagantly and inviting others to experience the joy I have found in Jesus. When I’m not working as an actuary, I spend my time chasing sunsets while enjoying a good croissant and coffee with my family. I’m married to my high school sweetheart, Andrew, and together we honor our three sons in heaven as we raise our two daughters here on earth.
In the hardest seasons of my life, Jesus has continued to reveal treasures in the darkest places. I’ve come to know Him as my friend and I want you to know, He’s your friend too!
My prayer is that the words at this table will leave you encouraged, that they would give you strength for today and hope for tomorrow, and that they would leave you in awe of His relentless wonder.
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These Stones Remain
60 Reflections on Finding Hope when Darkness Lingers
A LOVE THAT REMAINS
01
My husband Andrew and I were high school sweethearts. We met at church at 16 years old in Kingston Jamaica, where we were both born and raised. When I moved to Connecticut I wasn’t sure our relationship would survive but it did, and it has, because despite the ups and downs choosing to love each other has been our constant.
When he proposed, it was in the middle of a huge disagreement and I remember thinking, this is not how I dreamt I would get engaged. But what he said was, “My promise isn’t to love you in the best of times, that’s easy. I am promising that I will choose to love when it’s hard, to stay when it’s easier to walk away and to fight for you and for us even in an argument.”
We have been married for almost 20 years now and while we never intended to walk the journey we did, I’ve realized that the commitment Andrew made to me on that day is one he has renewed every day since then.
HOPE AND LOSS
02
I’ve wanted to be a mother since I was a little girl. However after getting married and being unsuccessful with trying to grow our family we received the diagnosis of Stage 4 Endometriosis, a disease that often left me in excruciating pain. We were told that our only option was IVF and even then, our chances of becoming parents were very slim. We were devastated and that was just the beginning of the physical, emotional, financial and spiritual pain we would endure in the years to come.
We struggled to have children for 9 years and went through multiple rounds of IVF cycles. We finally got pregnant but unfortunately, we miscarried early in our pregnancy. It all happened so quickly we didn’t have a chance to celebrate, and the pain from that loss exists to this day.
After our miscarriage, we were blessed to be pregnant with triplet boys after another round of IVF. We were so excited to become parents! Unfortunately, just as we started to share the news with our families, I would go into preterm labor and our sons Noah, Caleb and Micah were born. We only had minutes with each of our sons before they passed away. That loss was unbearable as I remember leaving the hospital with empty arms.
“During the weeks that followed, I didn’t even want to be alive. I tried to isolate myself but God met us in the darkest of moments and reminded us we were never alone.”
A GOD-SIZED MIRACLE
03
After losing our sons, I didn’t think I could endure another round of despair. However, with Andrew’s encouragement, we made one final attempt and gave birth to twin girls Eliana & Nia. It was truly a miracle and a whirlwind of a pregnancy. Because of our previous losses, it was hard to celebrate until they were finally in our arms. I was constantly battling grief and gratitude, the hard days mixed in with hope for the future. We were truly living a life of thanksgiving and hope as we surrendered to the sovereignty of God.
After having our daughters I became sicker and was ultimately bedridden. My husband Andrew became my caretaker as well as a stay-at-home dad. It would be years later when I would find an Endometriosis specialist out of state, and after successful treatment was finally able to enjoy time with the family that I desired for so long.
Even with all the challenges we have faced in our journey, we face new challenges every day. Our daughters were both diagnosed with autism at a young age. We never saw this coming but had already been through so much as a family that while we struggled initially with the diagnosis, we knew we could fight any obstacles that came our way. Our love was so much bigger than the fear of the unknown.
Navigating the world as a special needs mom and advocating for my daughters in a world where autism is seen as different is a daily struggle but we fought so hard to have these girls and we will continue to fight for them every day!
In our family, Eliana and I are the loud ones. We sing at the top of our voices, we hug you whether you like it or not and you are not allowed to be sad around us. Andrew & Nia are quiet, they tell you like it is and they are the epitome of grace. Nia in particular forgives and forgets easily, especially in a world where people are not always very nice to children with autism. But when we go through difficult seasons we intentionally choose to love hard despite our feelings. In this way, we love without limits.
MY PRAYER FOR YOU
04
I am very transparent because we felt so alone in our struggles and I never want anyone else to feel alone or to walk in shame. My hope is that as we infuse joy in the midst of the reality of the good and bad days, our journey and faith will encourage someone going through a tough season.
I want you to know that even in a dark place, the light will find you.
Seek help on the hard days, celebrate the glimpses of beauty on the good days. Be kind to yourself, sometimes life is just hard. It’s okay to hold space for the grief that may never end while not feeling guilty for loving again. I want you to know that you are not alone.
Our love story is a wild and crazy one. The process has not been easy and we still continue to fight different giants every day but we have chosen to keep fighting them together. We choose to assume the best intentions and to pray every day for the humility to always serve each other despite the challenges that have been thrown our way.
In every circumstance, Andrew is my rock and I’m his peace. Our goal is to keep walking through this beautifully hard journey together, hand in hand, even if we don’t always see eye to eye. We want our marriage to bear the type of fruit that makes it impossible for our girls to doubt the love of God because we strive to display it every day in the way we love each other.
Our family is truly living an imperfect, beautiful, and hard version of our happily ever after.