A little over a week ago, I was given an amazing opportunity... a promotion.
It took me by surprise, the timing of it all. I was shocked and I did what any other professional woman would do when receiving a promotion letter. I giggled and could not stop smiling while thanking my boss profusely.
Yep. I'm a grown up. :)
So now reality has hit. Now I'm left to really wonder what my boss was thinking.
Am I ready for this?
I will be a "supervisor". I will be responsible for people. Grown up people. I will be responsible for the direction of our little group (of 3).
I've been praying. A lot. For direction. For guidance. Asking God if this is all just a dream.
What a blessing. A true blessing.
Thank you God so very much for this amazing opportunity. I am humbled and I pray that I can be the leader that You have called me to be. I pray that I do not lose myself in "corporate America". That who I am today will be who I am tomorrow. I pray that my words, my behavior and my spirit remains Yours.
Tuesday, August 28, 2012
Sin
I’m very angry right now.
I found out a friend made a very bad choice.
One that will break a family.
One in which a church will be shaken.
One that will prove, once again, the “hypocrisy” of Christians.
I am working through my own disappointment, my own hurt while praying desperately for the affected.
I am forgiven because of Jesus Christ. And so is this person.
My heart screams that it’s not fair but my heart understands that it is.
I will continue to pray, to ask for grace, for my heart to soften and for wounds to heal. I pray for the family. For the children. For their brokenness. That God will use this very sin and create something beautiful from it.
He did it for me.
Saturday, August 25, 2012
Pieces of me
It seems that the changes come in clusters. For a while, it seems, life is stagnant… predictable and then… everything changes. People move. People die. People move back. Relationships start, change, end. It’s constant. It confuses my heart and mind.
What to do with all of this emotional overload. Not know what to do with the relationship changes. People I took for granted. Never thinking about their departure from my life.
It’s these times when I think about what their lives have meant to me. What their smile, their words, their heart… their presence… what that has meant to me. How that transformed me. Forever changed the woman that I am.
They’ve not done anything dramatic. Nothing earth shattering. But that’s the thing. It never is. It’s the little things. It’s the knowledge that that person is a piece of me because of nothing and everything.
I think back on the many lives that have touched my soul. Either for years or for months or even days. People who have been a part of who I’ve become. That’s a really beautiful thing.
You who have touched my life because of your friendship, your relationship, your service with me. You’ve left, will leave… to come back or not. Thank you. You make an impact in my life.
I am who I am because of who you are.
Wednesday, August 15, 2012
Because getting older does it to me...
Today I celebrate my thirty-second year of life.
As I sit reflecting on what that means to me, I see it means very little. To me anyway. Or for me. I realize that as I grow older my mind shifts away from centering it upon myself and I find myself looking outward at the next 32 (and more years).
Of course, like any other years, I look back on the past year and years and realize how far I've come and how far I have to go. There are so many things that have been done, growth that has been had, but much more is needed.
I want to give more. More of myself. Not more of my time but more of my heart. More of my mind. I want to be present in this world. I want to take the time to breath it in. I want to show others and myself what it means to live fully. Fully for God, fully for my family, fully for others, fully for me.
I'm excited about what life has offered me thus far. What God's plan has brought me through and to.
32 years.
As I sit reflecting on what that means to me, I see it means very little. To me anyway. Or for me. I realize that as I grow older my mind shifts away from centering it upon myself and I find myself looking outward at the next 32 (and more years).
Of course, like any other years, I look back on the past year and years and realize how far I've come and how far I have to go. There are so many things that have been done, growth that has been had, but much more is needed.
I want to give more. More of myself. Not more of my time but more of my heart. More of my mind. I want to be present in this world. I want to take the time to breath it in. I want to show others and myself what it means to live fully. Fully for God, fully for my family, fully for others, fully for me.
I'm excited about what life has offered me thus far. What God's plan has brought me through and to.
32 years.
Monday, August 13, 2012
Lovin' this mama stuff
I'm not a huge fan of growing up...
On Thursday I will officially be the mama of a 5th grader and kindergartner. That means that my baby is no longer a "real" baby and my oldest baby will be headed off to college next year... or at least middle school (basically the same thing).
Where did the time go? Where did those long days filled with colic and poop and sleepless nights go?
When did the little body that I rocked to sleep start growing massively long legs and weigh so much?
When did our nights of playing with Little People turn into hours of football practices and soccer games?
When did teaching manners and indoor voices turn into teaching values and ethics?
When did the shoe sizes get bigger, smaller and then bigger?
When does all this growing up happen?
Holding on to the moments.
The chats.
The hugs and kisses.
The minds that need ease.
The hearts that need mending.
The fridge that needs stocking.
The love that never ends.
On Thursday I will officially be the mama of a 5th grader and kindergartner. That means that my baby is no longer a "real" baby and my oldest baby will be headed off to college next year... or at least middle school (basically the same thing).
Where did the time go? Where did those long days filled with colic and poop and sleepless nights go?
When did the little body that I rocked to sleep start growing massively long legs and weigh so much?
When did our nights of playing with Little People turn into hours of football practices and soccer games?
When did teaching manners and indoor voices turn into teaching values and ethics?
When did the shoe sizes get bigger, smaller and then bigger?
When does all this growing up happen?
Holding on to the moments.
The chats.
The hugs and kisses.
The minds that need ease.
The hearts that need mending.
The fridge that needs stocking.
The love that never ends.
I love this mama stuff.
Tuesday, August 7, 2012
The day the tv died
As we get ready for a new school year, we made a decision that will have a big impact on our lives. We will no longer be watching tv on weekdays.
Yep. I heard crickets after the announcement was made.
A lot of this came from our trip to Canada and our time at the cottage. No electricity, no way to WiFi into anything. Glorious. We had time to disconnect from the virtual world and reconnect with the real one. With one another.
I am realistic. It's going to be tough on all of us, me included! Sometimes I love that babysitter. But I love my family way more. Us. Together.
I am hoping that our no-tv days does just that. Re-connect to one another.
Yep. I heard crickets after the announcement was made.
A lot of this came from our trip to Canada and our time at the cottage. No electricity, no way to WiFi into anything. Glorious. We had time to disconnect from the virtual world and reconnect with the real one. With one another.
I am realistic. It's going to be tough on all of us, me included! Sometimes I love that babysitter. But I love my family way more. Us. Together.
I am hoping that our no-tv days does just that. Re-connect to one another.
Sunday, August 5, 2012
The island that made me.
A few weeks have passed since our vacation back home... enough that I can blog about it without having to clean up puddles of tears afterwards.
During our 2 week vacation we were able to do lots of really fun activities; stand-up paddling, hiking, swimming, more hiking, more swimming, paddle boating, relaxing, surprise anniversary party, family, dear friends, late night movies and too much eating. It was wonderful.
This was the very first time that B and A got to meet my folks. I have to admit that I was a bit nervous about how all this would go. B had called to ask my dad if he could marry me before we got engaged, so they had talked but it wasn't like this. This was the real deal. And I must say - it went really well. It was beautiful, really.
We were able to go here...
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... my little slice of heaven here on earth...
This is where I spent every single summer weekend during my childhood.
This is where I learned how to squish blood suckers, drive a boat and haul rocks.
This is where I spent days of swimming, tanning (and burning!), pretending, and learning to unplug.
This is where the world faded and peace began.
This was the image I concentrated on during therapy, when I needed to escape to my "safe place".
This is where I connected with my soul.
This is the island that made me.
It's small and cozy and me.
There on the island with my family. A fav for me.
During our 2 week vacation we were able to do lots of really fun activities; stand-up paddling, hiking, swimming, more hiking, more swimming, paddle boating, relaxing, surprise anniversary party, family, dear friends, late night movies and too much eating. It was wonderful.
This was the very first time that B and A got to meet my folks. I have to admit that I was a bit nervous about how all this would go. B had called to ask my dad if he could marry me before we got engaged, so they had talked but it wasn't like this. This was the real deal. And I must say - it went really well. It was beautiful, really.
We were able to go here...
.JPG)
This is where I spent every single summer weekend during my childhood.
This is where I learned how to squish blood suckers, drive a boat and haul rocks.
This is where I spent days of swimming, tanning (and burning!), pretending, and learning to unplug.
This is where the world faded and peace began.
This was the image I concentrated on during therapy, when I needed to escape to my "safe place".
This is where I connected with my soul.
This is the island that made me.
It's small and cozy and me.
There on the island with my family. A fav for me.
Our world
As you get older, you are seeing the world differently. Your reality is shifting. Things aren't good and wholesome. You see sin. You see what happens to a people who has been given free will.
You see the will to hate.
You see the will to hurt.
I pray through these next few years when your perspective of this world changes, that you will cling to His goodness. That you will choose to see His will, His love, His grace through the world Satan tries so hard to destroy.
His and His alone is the voice of truth. Hold on to it. Lean on it. Learn to feed from it.
What you see is most likely a true reflection of this world. But remember that this world is not ours. Ours is in heaven and it's good and whole and pure. Hold on to that hope. Believe in that love.
You see the will to hate.
You see the will to hurt.
I pray through these next few years when your perspective of this world changes, that you will cling to His goodness. That you will choose to see His will, His love, His grace through the world Satan tries so hard to destroy.
His and His alone is the voice of truth. Hold on to it. Lean on it. Learn to feed from it.
What you see is most likely a true reflection of this world. But remember that this world is not ours. Ours is in heaven and it's good and whole and pure. Hold on to that hope. Believe in that love.
Wednesday, August 1, 2012
An opinion
It's all over the place and I'm sure you've heard all about and you're sick of hearing about it (and no I'm not talking about Kristen and Robert's breakup, although very saddening to a Twilight fan like me) - I'm talking about Dan Cathy's opinion on what a marriage should be. Here's some more info in case you missed it. Slow news week?
I know there are TONS of people, gay and straight, who are in an uproar over his Christian beliefs. So much so that they have decided to boycott his restaurant and make a huge stink about it. They are belittling him, his business, his family, his values.
All this because he has an opinion.
What happened to the "land of the free"?
Mr. Cathy didn't say anything against the homosexual community. He didn't ask that anything be done for or against them. He simply was asked his opinion and he gave it.
From what I've seen, the homosexual community has been fighting for years to be treated in a fair, free and peaceful way. They've been looking for respect. And in all fairness, it's not the entire community who is acting this way, it is my opinion that it's a lot less than we think, there are just some loud screamers.
You don't have to agree with him. You don't have to like him. But respecting his opinion is a mature, grown up and kind thing to do.It's what we try and teach our kids. Tolerance. Respect. Kindness. Anti-bullying.
So if you don't mind, I'm in the opinion that some Chick-Fil-A sounds like a mighty fine idea tonight.
I know there are TONS of people, gay and straight, who are in an uproar over his Christian beliefs. So much so that they have decided to boycott his restaurant and make a huge stink about it. They are belittling him, his business, his family, his values.
All this because he has an opinion.
What happened to the "land of the free"?
Mr. Cathy didn't say anything against the homosexual community. He didn't ask that anything be done for or against them. He simply was asked his opinion and he gave it.
From what I've seen, the homosexual community has been fighting for years to be treated in a fair, free and peaceful way. They've been looking for respect. And in all fairness, it's not the entire community who is acting this way, it is my opinion that it's a lot less than we think, there are just some loud screamers.
You don't have to agree with him. You don't have to like him. But respecting his opinion is a mature, grown up and kind thing to do.It's what we try and teach our kids. Tolerance. Respect. Kindness. Anti-bullying.
So if you don't mind, I'm in the opinion that some Chick-Fil-A sounds like a mighty fine idea tonight.
Mr. B and me - 1 year
1 year ago on July 16th, we celebrated our first anniversary... I think.
It was a whirlwind of a day as we packed and got ready to head to the cottage with our kids, my parents, some cousins and a friend. Yep. Very intimate. :)
After over two years of "togetherness" and one year of marriage, you finally got to meet the 'rents and they got to meet the man who stole their daughter's heart.
They finally understood why it is that I love you so much and the millions of reasons that made me fall in love with you and stay in love with you.
I can't say that I've loved every single thing about this past year because well... we're both pretty stinkin' stubborn, however I can say that I wouldn't change it for anything.
This past year we have:
It was a whirlwind of a day as we packed and got ready to head to the cottage with our kids, my parents, some cousins and a friend. Yep. Very intimate. :)
After over two years of "togetherness" and one year of marriage, you finally got to meet the 'rents and they got to meet the man who stole their daughter's heart.
They finally understood why it is that I love you so much and the millions of reasons that made me fall in love with you and stay in love with you.
I can't say that I've loved every single thing about this past year because well... we're both pretty stinkin' stubborn, however I can say that I wouldn't change it for anything.
This past year we have:
- laughed over the most random things
- loudly discussed some incredibly ridiculous and idiotic topics
- blended together an amazing family
- paid off a large chunk of debt
- purchased a new car
- took a road trip or two
- sat on many hard bleachers while watching kiddo sports
- coached Ry's soccer team together
- grown individually and as a couple spiritually
- loved each other through it all!
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