Merry Christmas 🫶🏼❤️

Do you ever notice how nobody takes a group selfie and looks at you in the picture to see how you look? Nobody says, “We shouldn’ keep that one because you look much better in person than that photo would suggest.” 😄 I mean, maybe, if it’s a really bad one and they are a really good friend. But, It’s a good thing most people don’t care. They love you as you are and know that a photo capturing a fraction of a second, doesn’t define you. My goal going forward is to care as much about how I look in photos as other people care about how I look in photos. Please remind me of this when I forget. It’s a new goal. I might need reminding. 😅❤️

In case no one has told you today, you are loved just as you are by a God who will never stop wanting you to love Him, just as He is, too. ❤️

You and I—broken and repaired—are living art.

My spirit is buoyed by people who “get it.” Military and First Responder marriages have hurdles to overcome that most people will, thankfully, never encounter. From traumatic events, secondary trauma, primary trauma, facing the evils of the world, being simultaneously part of and separate from the people they serve, unreliable schedules, working under sleep deprivation and chronic stress, and more… they are under attack. They need a safe place. They want love and connection as a reminder that life can still be blessed and good. TACKF (Taya and Chris Kyle Family Foundation - Service Marriage Strong) exists to serve those who serve our communities and country. We exist to save lives by providing unique tools service couples need to save their marriage, their family, and each other. Each couple, free of charge, experiences 5 unique programs over 2 years with experienced coaches who utilize researched and proven tools based on the individual’s strengths. Our programs have yielded over 99% success in our 10 years of serving. Is it the sexiest mission? Probably not, but it does often result in great sex for the couples. Is it the easiest mission? No. Does it require support from people who care enough to see the people behind the uniform or the badge? Absolutely. A HUGE thank you to Hunt for Life, Life Camp USA, Colton at American Sniper brand, and this fine couple who showed up at an event last month to put their hard earned money into the work we do helping service couples save and restore their marriages, their families, and ultimately their lives.

O say does that star-spangled banner yet wave O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave? It does. Thank you to all who are serving or have served!

Let’s get these quiet professionals fed. There’s a link in my bio and information in the video. dalg.givingfuel.com/operatio… Thank you for answering the call Do A Little Good Foundation Www.dalg.org

It’s Saturday. Your house might be a mess, but if you’re with people you love, it’s blessed. ❤️ Pics are of our little family in 2007. @colton_kyle_

MTN Tough Podcast is on YouTube and Spotify. I loved doing this podcast with Colton. The conversation was deep, meaningful, and hit on some important topics. Here is a clip. The full episode is in my link in bio or you can search it on YouTube or Spotify. It's titled: From Sniper's Widow to Unbreakable Mom: Taya Kyle's Insights on Marriage and Raising Warrior Sons. In the episode you'll hear from Colton and me speaking with Dustin Diefenderfer . It's one of my favorite podcasts because it is multi-generational and opened up a more full, raw picture of our lives as we have survived and found a new way of living.

The power of your prayers on my behalf yesterday was extraordinary. Thank you. It reminded me, with a big smile on my face, of what I wrote only a week or two ago, about “My Why” for sharing 3 minute prayers with you. I’m not an expert telling you how to pray or what to pray. I’m just a woman full of gratitude and a lot of heart, praying for my friends and others, and paying forward what I have received. I’ve heard what I hoped to - that people have had moments and sparks that they could relate to, not because their situation was the same every time, but because the root of our hearts’ troubles and triumphs are the same in our human walk. They are now available on Apple Podcasts as well. Search Taya Kyle 3 min Prayers or link in bio. My Why: I have been lifted and strengthened by others who have prayed for me and with me. Seeing those prayers answered in unexpected ways has given me undeniable evidence of God’s presence and power. I want to pay it forward. I hope that on any given day, one of these prayers will help buoy your faith, reset your chaotic day, bring calm to your hurting heart, or remind you that you are not alone. Prayer has transformed how I experience life’s challenges. The more time I have spent focused on God’s word and invested in my prayer life, the more my joy has increased, my patience has deepened, and my overall sense of hope and well-being has multiplied. When we pray, even in desperation and uncertainty, we become part of something bigger and better than any of us can imagine. We are connecting with God and opening a door for heaven’s blessings to pour into our lives and the lives of the people we are praying for. I’m so glad you are here, inviting divine power into the reality of this world. I am humbled and honored to connect with you in prayer. As you pray here or anywhere else, I believe God is excited and happy that you are inviting Him to move in your life, to heal your broken places, and to have your hope in Him constantly renewed.

This picture is threatening to do me in today. I have had Chris heavily on my mind yesterday and today. How would he be moving through this big day, and what would it be like to have him here? It doesn’t happen often, but today I had one of those times when I felt him next to me and almost saw a faint vision of him walking from our master bedroom into the kitchen. I had what seemed almost like a premonition of him in the day ahead.  Today, I am getting ready to help Colton move out of our home and into the first home he will make with his fiancée, Kerry. I have had the uncommon and extraordinary blessing of living 21 full years with Colton, whom Chris called “Little Man,” even when he was very young, because something about Colton is just older than his years. He has never… not once… (other than when he was 2 or 3 years old) given me a run for my money. He is fun, light, adventure, and wisdom, all rolled into one extraordinary person. I have lived longer with him than with anyone else.  Colton is getting married in a month. He is moving in to get their place set up and ready for Kerry to move in after the big day.  I am in my workout clothes, ready to move boxes and help with furniture. I wanted to share a different photo with you today. When I opened up my digital album, this picture popped up in an automated “memory”.  It about wrecked me because today I feel like I am putting on my emotional, mental, and spiritual “Superwoman” outfit to do the beautiful, meaningful, and blessed work of walking with my son as he walks out from under my roof and into his big, beautiful life under his own roof. I’m used to doing the Superwoman thing on my own.  But this picture felt like a reminder, I am not alone. God walks before me, behind me, and with His hand upon my head. And today, it feels like Chris has his arm around my shoulder as his superwoman cracks his jokes, loves his kids, and cries his tears of joy and grief along with hers.

Hi! I hope you all had a great month. I was off social media getting a reset and living a lot of life. ❤️🙌🏼 I look forward to sharing highlights. I’ve been spending more dedicated time with God and felt inspired to start recording 3 minute prayers. I loaded them on Spotify to start. You can find them by searching Spotify “Taya Kyle 3 minute Prayers” or just click the link in my bio. I’ll be adding more daily.

Day 17: It’s not as if Adam and Eve knew the full consequences of their actions. The serpent just questioned them and asked them to question God a bit. Really, it was nothing that seemed extraordinarily awful to them. We are so easily tricked into decisions that are not in our best interest, not in the best interest of others, and not in the best interest of the world when we can’t see the consequences. Stay sharp. Read the Bible. Get to know the character of God. The more you do that, the more you see the price others have paid and have some warning of what you might pay, too. 🩵

Day 16: Whenever you encounter a hardship, acknowledge it and pause to absorb 10 things for which you are grateful intentionally. Both the hardship and the blessings are true. The blessings - fresh water to drink, a roof over your head, heat, air conditioning, food, someone to call, grass to put your feet in, your hands and feet, the opportunity to have work of any kind, and access to a Bible. These are all things many people across the globe do not have. They are all blessings for which we ought to be grateful. Balance the scales with gratitude for the blessings that are also part of your experience.

Day 15: I love this perspective. Our words matter. One way suggests a lonely ending, while the other suggests a rewarding celebration. By all means, grieve the loss of having your favorite people in your home. Go to therapy, find your new way of being with your spouse or interacting with the world and your home. Because we lost Chris, I may have been more motivated than some to ensure my kids could do life without me. I knew that if the unexpected could happen to him, it could happen to me or any of us. That thought pushed me to equip my children with as much as I could, so they would be capable and independent if the need ever arose. For me, while I will miss seeing my favorite people every day, I am basking in the knowledge that they know how to live. What do you think? Are you with me in shifting the narrative? The goal in having kids was always to raise them so they are ready to fly. 💙🕊️