My July 4th

I go all out. Seriously. 

My friends are doing all Pinteresty food and decorating. 

But I make real mashed pototoes. Finger licking good mashers. 

And I clean my toilet. 

These are special times, peeps. Dont forget it. 

We still have freedom. I still can pray, and worship God. 

And make mashers and clean. 

Praise God!  

Hope you made these days as special as I have. 

People that make people feel normal.

So I took the assistant manager position.  I want to give it back every day.  Customer service can drain a soul.

In the middle of all that, my favorite coworker moved to a different office.  I miss her every day. I always drag my feet at new employees.  And she was one of those too, I didn't like her for a least a month.  But then somehow she became my favorite.  Like for example, she taught me to run, always encouraged me, never told me that I was too slow.  I learned to love it and to use it as a stress reliever.  She made me feel ok about having stinky feet because she was beautiful and no one looked down on her smelly feet.  She was hilarious.  Hands down, the funniest person ever.  Maybe because we both had warped sense of humor.  She loved sugar, yup straight up, just like me.  In fact, she just made jam this week, just to eat it plain.  Be still my heart.  And the best part, she never looked down on me because I was "different".  Never acted embarrassed to be around a plain olde menno.  

Moral of the story
You just can't find a friend like that every day.  We were not the huggy type of friends, in fact I tried to threaten that she was going to get a hug on her last day, and she said "no you are not".  In fact, I never told her at all how much I like her.  Or how much it meant to me that she accepted me as I was.  I may never. But you, if you have a friend like this, You ShOULD. Tell them!

Because friends like this, they are one in a million.  Never forget to thank God for those people that just make your life better. 
    

The calm after the storm

Last week as I tried to paint, tears kept dripping on the canvas.  Eyes too cloudy to see the details. 

I told G that if I would paint what was in my soul, it would have probably been black with a blood dripping heart and lots of splatter. 

It was just too much for my heart.  Broken relationships, feeling full anger and my being to stubborn to forgive, my best coworker friend leaving my office, being offered the assistant manager again (I've already declined twice), the reminder that I'm a failure of a friend, and Mother's day just reminding me my daughter is not in my arms. 

My husband and I did a mud run this weekend and stayed in the city for the night.
You can "run" from the pain, but it will always catch up with you.  I forgot the pain for about a day.  Then 2 elephants climbed on.

Face your demons head on, don't run, don't turn your back.  God will give courage and strength.  Never veer from God's Word.  


Tonight, I felt the total opposite.  I felt what happens when you surrender. When you forgive others and forgive yourself for your own failures, give up your rights and fall into God.  No, it doesn't fix/ take away my problems, but it lighens the elephant on my shoulders.

Peace.  Perfect Peace.  God filled moments.  Please stop the time.  Stop the ticking seconds.  These are the moments.

Too proud to come in last?

I have been working towards the goal of doing a duathon.  Running longer distances.  Bike riding.  But all a sudden I AM scared.  Afraid that I'll be a loser.. That I can't attain.  My heart tells me to run for those that can't.  In faith I'm still moving forward.  I bought a helmet and borrowed a bike, but I just can't get myself to officially sign up.  

Nothing to eat in the house, but still a beautiful Day!!

Every Year is a Celebration

It is our Anniversary today but...

It was one of those mornings as you woke up that you looked down expectantly to see tire marks down across your body. Only a bull dozer could make you feel like this.  But in fact you were still laying in bed.

It was a Monday that means we see nothing of each other, I work till 8, he has class till 9 or 10.

It always was one of those mornings that you were running late for work and you got into you car and the fuel was on E.

It was one of those days that you tried two gas pumps and neither worked.

I tried to stay quiet at work applying your mother's old wise saying, "If you have nothing nice to say, then say nothing at all"



13 years..  What a odd number.  Nothing great I thought.  Who celebrates 13?
...but yesterday I got a funny card and a gift
...but today mid morning, I got a flower delivery.  It was for G&me.  It was from Mom and Dad.  Beautiful daisies, lilies, and carnations. 
...but this afternoon 13 Gorgeous roses were delivered to my work
...but this evening little cupcakes were delivered personally to my back door.

Then I started thinking,
I have friends, family, coworkers that are happy to see love.  Thrilled to see roses.  Happy for us, so happy that they remember us.  For our 13 years
EVERY year TOGETHER is a celebration.  I see broken marriages around me, or if they are not broken, many of them don't "work" well.

So YES, I celebrate.  Love, humor, companionship, best friends for 13 years.

Thankfulness

Can we see the Blessings and be thankful?


I get tired of using the washing machine.
      Just look at the pictures of natives hand washing their clothes in the river and laying out on rocks to dry. 

I find myself looking into the packed closet and muttering that I have nothing to wear that matches.
     They would be happy just to have something that was warm or not thread bare.

I find myself whining about a dirty house and air vents that looks like a entire bunny tried to go through and got stuck.
      They just want a warm building and a blanket.

I'm tired, I would just like to stay home on Sunday and not go anywhere.
      They just want to worship and praise God without hiding and being afraid of persecution. 

I have two freezers full, and I have NO idea what to eat.
       They just want to not feel those constant nulling stomach pains.

I just want to be alone, just to be away from people.
       He/She just wants someone to LOVE them, someone to call them family, or friend.

I groan when I fill up with gas, I have travel too far to see my friends.
       They want the blisters to heal because they have no shoes and have to walk miles for water.

I have a hard time taking the time to read my Bible everyday.
       They just WANT a Bible!!

I dread on Sunday because tomorrow is Monday and I have to go to work
        They dream of having the opportunity of having a good paid occupation just to be able to feed and
         cloth their families.

 I forget to thank God for giving His Son up on the cross, so that I could be saved and forgiven.
         They don't even who is God is, because they no one told them. 


May we feel and find the blessings in every dust bunny and every piece of dirty laundry.  May we savor each bite of food, and feel the love of being surrounded with our people.  May we praise God that we are able to talk and worship about Him openly!  May we feel blessed to have a job and be able to pay for heat for a warm home.  May we never forget what God has forgiven us of and that we never forget to share it to others.