Though this is posted on Day 6 of my month, it is Day 5's Thankful in 30. Given the time, I'll make no small talk. Today's list:
1. A Pastor who loves and cares for his sheep and handles all other church responsibilities as he is the only paid staff member but yet will stay up until the wee hours of the morning conversing and strategizing over things with his CE director. I have the best Pastor!
2. Music-it speaks the words of the soul as can been seen by the lyrics to the song (shown below) sent to me by my bf today.
A Summer Song by Wavorly
Spread the blanket on top, and I'll turn off the lights
And we'll gaze at the stars
With you by my side, the moon set to the right
It's incomparable so far
I haven't stopped falling in love
Haven't stopped falling
Two years ago, I had no idea that you were so perfect
As we wait so long, until we join hands
You make the wait worth it
I haven't stopped falling in love
Haven't stopped falling
Now years down the road
Still hasn't gotten old to sit and laugh the day away
There's one thing you should know
My love for you grows even more every day
I haven't stopped falling in love
Haven't stopped falling in love
And the day that I finally can take you home
There's no way that I'm ever, ever letting go
We'll be ok, though miles may separate
There's no space between our hearts
And this day, I choose to keep loving you
As if it were a choice, I can't stop falling…
I haven't stopped falling in love
Spread the blanket on top, and I'll turn off the lights
3. 3 children who have greatly improved my quality of life and help me keep my life in perspective. They are spectacular and always have me smiling & laughing!
I love you Hannah, Elijah & Gabe! :)
Saturday, September 6, 2008
Friday, September 5, 2008
Thursday, September 4, 2008
Day 4
Thankful in 30
1. Today I'm thankful for hairdressers who can fit me in at the last minute as I am so not loving my cut from last week. I've figured it out-I'm a layers kinda gal. :)
2. I'm also mucho grateful for people who keep me grounded and listen to me vent. I'm blessed to have so many people in my life who do just that and hope that I can be the same kind of blessing to them as well.
3. Cooler weather-practically perfect-reminding me of my God who gives us little gifts through His creation declaring His sovereignty. (And also means my electric bill will be going down in the near future. YAY!)
4. Chocolate pudding aka My dinner. :) Ah the joys of living alone...
5. Lastly, I am thankful for my gift of organization. Although it really annoys me at times b/c I am so OCD, an organized life is SOOO much better than a chaotic one.
Th-th-th-th-th-that's all folks!
Blessings,
B
Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.
1 Thessalonians 5:18
1. Today I'm thankful for hairdressers who can fit me in at the last minute as I am so not loving my cut from last week. I've figured it out-I'm a layers kinda gal. :)
2. I'm also mucho grateful for people who keep me grounded and listen to me vent. I'm blessed to have so many people in my life who do just that and hope that I can be the same kind of blessing to them as well.
3. Cooler weather-practically perfect-reminding me of my God who gives us little gifts through His creation declaring His sovereignty. (And also means my electric bill will be going down in the near future. YAY!)
4. Chocolate pudding aka My dinner. :) Ah the joys of living alone...
5. Lastly, I am thankful for my gift of organization. Although it really annoys me at times b/c I am so OCD, an organized life is SOOO much better than a chaotic one.
Th-th-th-th-th-that's all folks!
Blessings,
B
Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.
1 Thessalonians 5:18
When I Fall In Love
Growing up, every little girl dreams of when she'll be able to sing that old Doris Day song and know that she's found that forever love. I know I've spoken of it quite a bit but I do feel that I've found mine. And it all changed in an instant.
Z and I had been "officially" dating for 5 weeks and had known each other for just under 2 months. Things were moving fast-faster than I was comfortable with and I knew that I wasn't just falling-I had fallen. At this point, I had been to Arlington 3 times and Z had come to Paris twice. The second time was the weekend right after the first time he visited and it was a total surprise. He showed up at my house on a Saturday evening just as a friend and I were getting ready to go to a concert here in town. I had just stepped out of the shower and was applying my makeup. The doorbell rang, my friend answered it and there he stood. I thought she was kidding but she told me to put on some clothes and come see for myself. So I threw on a tank and my pj bottoms and she was right. It was him. That was the start of the change.
He stayed through the weekend and into the first part of the week, not leaving until Tuesday evening. Those two weekdays were special-I'd go home for lunch and he'd be there. We spent one evening visiting a newborn church member in the hospital, eating pizza & ice cream & watching Madea. Tuesday evening before he left, I came home from work and he had folded the laundry, done the dishes and cleaned up the house. (Now do you understand why I love him so much ladies?) So we were able to just enjoy each other's company before he had to head home.
After he left, my pastor's wife called to see how I was doing. We made small talk for a few and hung up. Her daughter (who is like my sister) called back minutes later, inviting me over to watch a movie. I agreed since I was pretty bummed about Z leaving so I arrived and we (me, Pastor, & PW-pastor's wife) sat and chatted in their living room. The kids were busy "cleaning" (aka playing) so we were able to have some adult conversation. After discussing all the likes and dislikes (though those were few) of my situation, I could tell my heart was changing. Pastor & PW know me the best of anyone outside of my family (especially spiritually) so I value their opinions. They both gave Z the stamp of approval (not that it was needed but I felt better with it) and we chatted about other random topics. After PW & I talked his ear off, Pastor went to bed-it was late when I got there-but PW and I continued our discussion of the situation. At some point during the conversation, I began to cry and when PW asked why, I had no good explanation. I was scared but not enough to cry so hard. Once I began to contemplate it, I realized why I was crying and exactly what was wrong:
Now that I had found the one I believe God made for me, I didn't want to be alone anymore.
See, up to this point, I had enjoyed my independence, my freedom. I liked living alone, having my space, not feeling pressured or tied down. I didn't have to ask anybody's permission to do anything and I didn't have to feel guilty for doing what I wanted to do.
But now, I had met this man. A man who I wanted to be with, who I wanted to ask permission from, who I wanted to be tied to. A man who made me feel like a woman, who treated me like a lady, and who respected me as a sister in Christ. And that enjoyment of freedom was snuffed out-in the blink of an eye. In fact, the average person on the outside looking in would have never noticed anything different. But that night into the early morning hours of August 20, 2008 there was a 180 degree change for me.
So now, here are Z & I-struggling to follow God's will for us; wanting to press the fast-forward button on our lives but knowing we should cherish every here-and-now moment together. And that's just what we plan to do-for the rest of our lives.
I love you, Z.
Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God. Where you die I will die, and there I will be buried. May the LORD deal with me, be it ever so severely, if anything but death separates you and me. Ruth 1:16b-17
Blessings,
B
And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.
1 Corinthians 13:13
Z and I had been "officially" dating for 5 weeks and had known each other for just under 2 months. Things were moving fast-faster than I was comfortable with and I knew that I wasn't just falling-I had fallen. At this point, I had been to Arlington 3 times and Z had come to Paris twice. The second time was the weekend right after the first time he visited and it was a total surprise. He showed up at my house on a Saturday evening just as a friend and I were getting ready to go to a concert here in town. I had just stepped out of the shower and was applying my makeup. The doorbell rang, my friend answered it and there he stood. I thought she was kidding but she told me to put on some clothes and come see for myself. So I threw on a tank and my pj bottoms and she was right. It was him. That was the start of the change.
He stayed through the weekend and into the first part of the week, not leaving until Tuesday evening. Those two weekdays were special-I'd go home for lunch and he'd be there. We spent one evening visiting a newborn church member in the hospital, eating pizza & ice cream & watching Madea. Tuesday evening before he left, I came home from work and he had folded the laundry, done the dishes and cleaned up the house. (Now do you understand why I love him so much ladies?) So we were able to just enjoy each other's company before he had to head home.
After he left, my pastor's wife called to see how I was doing. We made small talk for a few and hung up. Her daughter (who is like my sister) called back minutes later, inviting me over to watch a movie. I agreed since I was pretty bummed about Z leaving so I arrived and we (me, Pastor, & PW-pastor's wife) sat and chatted in their living room. The kids were busy "cleaning" (aka playing) so we were able to have some adult conversation. After discussing all the likes and dislikes (though those were few) of my situation, I could tell my heart was changing. Pastor & PW know me the best of anyone outside of my family (especially spiritually) so I value their opinions. They both gave Z the stamp of approval (not that it was needed but I felt better with it) and we chatted about other random topics. After PW & I talked his ear off, Pastor went to bed-it was late when I got there-but PW and I continued our discussion of the situation. At some point during the conversation, I began to cry and when PW asked why, I had no good explanation. I was scared but not enough to cry so hard. Once I began to contemplate it, I realized why I was crying and exactly what was wrong:
Now that I had found the one I believe God made for me, I didn't want to be alone anymore.
See, up to this point, I had enjoyed my independence, my freedom. I liked living alone, having my space, not feeling pressured or tied down. I didn't have to ask anybody's permission to do anything and I didn't have to feel guilty for doing what I wanted to do.
But now, I had met this man. A man who I wanted to be with, who I wanted to ask permission from, who I wanted to be tied to. A man who made me feel like a woman, who treated me like a lady, and who respected me as a sister in Christ. And that enjoyment of freedom was snuffed out-in the blink of an eye. In fact, the average person on the outside looking in would have never noticed anything different. But that night into the early morning hours of August 20, 2008 there was a 180 degree change for me.
So now, here are Z & I-struggling to follow God's will for us; wanting to press the fast-forward button on our lives but knowing we should cherish every here-and-now moment together. And that's just what we plan to do-for the rest of our lives.
I love you, Z.
Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God. Where you die I will die, and there I will be buried. May the LORD deal with me, be it ever so severely, if anything but death separates you and me. Ruth 1:16b-17
Blessings,
B
And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.
1 Corinthians 13:13
Wednesday, September 3, 2008
Day 3
Thankful in 30
1. The couple at church who volunteered to teach the 9-11 year old class on Wednesdays. I love my kids but will be glad to be able to be fed on Wednesdays. (Yes Mom, this means I'll be able to have dinner w/you on my birthday.)
2. Cooler evening temps announcing autumn's impending arrival.
3. An amazing, funny, intellectual, devoted, loving man of God who I just happen to call my boyfriend. (And whose birthday is in exactly 30 days.)
4. Productive days at work when I can catch up.
5. Calendars.
************************************************************************
In other news, this presidential race just got interesting to me tonight. On Friday, when I heard of McCain's choice for VP, my immediate first thought was, "He is such a fool!". (I literally said that out loud.) Over the past few days, I've seen any chance of a Republican continuance of power dwindle especially after the story about her eldest daughter surfaced. But after her speech tonight, all I can say is, "Wow." I see now why people love her so much. Granted, I'm not sure if any of them knew why until tonight but she really worked the crowd, gave an outstanding speech and portrayed herself as a strong, resilient lady, ready to serve. And so, the plot thickens...dun, dun, duuuuuuunnnnnnn.
Let me also take this opportunity to say thank you to Z:
You have changed my life in so many ways. I never dreamed a love like yours existed but I am so thankful it does. Moreso, I am thankful God is allowing me to experience it. I don't know how He did it but He brought us together and I've found a once in a lifetime love. Words will never adequately convey my feelings but they're all I've got. Thank you-for loving me just the way I am and inspiring me to better myself each day. Just as with God's love, I am so unworthy but thank you for being His hands, His feet, and His heart to me. I love you.
The End.
Blessings,
Bethany
Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.
1 Thessalonians 5:18
1. The couple at church who volunteered to teach the 9-11 year old class on Wednesdays. I love my kids but will be glad to be able to be fed on Wednesdays. (Yes Mom, this means I'll be able to have dinner w/you on my birthday.)
2. Cooler evening temps announcing autumn's impending arrival.
3. An amazing, funny, intellectual, devoted, loving man of God who I just happen to call my boyfriend. (And whose birthday is in exactly 30 days.)
4. Productive days at work when I can catch up.
5. Calendars.
************************************************************************
In other news, this presidential race just got interesting to me tonight. On Friday, when I heard of McCain's choice for VP, my immediate first thought was, "He is such a fool!". (I literally said that out loud.) Over the past few days, I've seen any chance of a Republican continuance of power dwindle especially after the story about her eldest daughter surfaced. But after her speech tonight, all I can say is, "Wow." I see now why people love her so much. Granted, I'm not sure if any of them knew why until tonight but she really worked the crowd, gave an outstanding speech and portrayed herself as a strong, resilient lady, ready to serve. And so, the plot thickens...dun, dun, duuuuuuunnnnnnn.
Let me also take this opportunity to say thank you to Z:
You have changed my life in so many ways. I never dreamed a love like yours existed but I am so thankful it does. Moreso, I am thankful God is allowing me to experience it. I don't know how He did it but He brought us together and I've found a once in a lifetime love. Words will never adequately convey my feelings but they're all I've got. Thank you-for loving me just the way I am and inspiring me to better myself each day. Just as with God's love, I am so unworthy but thank you for being His hands, His feet, and His heart to me. I love you.
The End.
Blessings,
Bethany
Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.
1 Thessalonians 5:18
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