Thursday, January 28, 2010

loss or gain?

yesterday our family lost a dear friend. Pat was just a good person...and she was very good to me and my family. In fact, she was the one who arranged all the flowers for our wedding. And, she must have done it with so much love because they were just so beautiful. After a hard struggle with cancer at its worst, she died last night in her sleep. There is beauty in this sad situation, though...Jesus, and his deep love for Pat. She couldn't go until she knew how much he loved her & how he had her on his mind when he died up on that hill. With her broken English, God used my mom to lead Pat to him...proving that the Holy Spirit is understood in any language. So, eventhough we may have lost a good friend here on Earth...there is one more soul gained in the Kingdom of God. And that is just awesome.

Tuesday, January 19, 2010

We might be walking in the unknown, but we're walking with Jesus

Will Fern get into the police academy?
Will Ana be able to teach this year?

These are the questions that race through our minds & hearts. According to me the answer to these two questions is a BIG "who know's!"

Walking in the unknown is a scary & intimidating thing. But I take comfort and trust in what IS known. I know that God is always in control. I know that he knows exactly where we are. I know that he's never going to leave us or forsake us. I know that he will put everything in its place & he will make things beautiful. I know whether we have a little or alot, his grace is sufficient.

When the future is unknown & maybe even a bit scary, just hold onto the hand of Jesus. He will be your guide, comforter, & friend.

AMEN.

Wednesday, January 13, 2010

I hope he brings back a dead duck! quack!

One of the things I most love about my spouse is his ever-changing fads/hobbies. Maybe this is just a guy thing. I don't know? Boys, do you have a need to constantly get involved in a different activity each month? Let me just name a few...just off the top of my head- video editing, hiking, camping, kayaking, martial arts, and of course the most recent FIREARMS & HUNTING! Like I said, I love this about him because he's always learning something new & always has something to talk about. Plus, one day when we finally decide to have kiddo's he will have so much to teach them...and I know they will think he's such a cool dad.

Down side to this new hobby- time away from me! This weekend Fern & his buddies are going duck hunting in Arkansas. For the first time ever he will take the life of an innocent animal...bring it home and eat it! Although I'm happy for him I will miss him terribly :(

Moral of this post: Your spouses interest/hobbies may not be your cup of tea but always be supportive and maybe even participate once in a while...who knows, you may see me one day carrying a shot gun & dressed in camo ready to kill some woodland creature. Highly unlikely, but I'd do it if my marriage depended on it :)

Sunday, January 10, 2010

Acts of L-O-V-E

In our (almost) 5 months of marriage I will confess we have had moments of disagreements, frustrations, & flat out rudeness...really, what marriage doesn't have any of these? I hate them. I so wish in those moments I had a pause button for myself just so I can ask why I am acting/responding the way I am. Honestly, I wonder why and how I can be so ugly to the person I love with all my heart. I hate it. I hate it. I hate it.

Wanna know what I love? I love the feeling of putting a smile on my husband's face when I do something totally random simply because of the fact that I love him. Like today...at Cheddar's. We had this really terrible waitor who was taking forever to bring Fern the A1 Sauce (which Fern absolutely HAS to have when eating a steak). I saw the desperation on his face & I couldn't stand it. I knew he wanted it so bad and would make him happy, so what do I do? I go over to the table next to us and ask to borrow their A1 Sauce (good thing they were nice!). I took it over to him & when I saw the look in his eyes I knew I had made him the most happiest man in the room! Or like when I come home and Fern has made the bed. Or when he spends his day off to help me clean. Or anytime we put ourselves second just to make the other person's day. This is what I LOVE! Acts of love. Acts of service to show the other person how much you care. It's these things that drown out the things I hate, like arguing.

Maybe it's a spouse, or a friend, sister, brother, neighbor, etc. Show the people in your life how much you care by doing something totally random...but totally out of LOVE. I promise it will make their day.

Saturday, January 2, 2010

Starting the year off right

This year Fernando and I are committed to spending more time in God's word. It just seemed like our lives got so busy with planning the wedding & getting situated as husband and wife that everything else took a back seat...including our personal realtionship with the Lord. Nothing was consitant...and we're just so tired of that! God's word is so applicable and necessary to our everyday lives so I encourage all of you to also make a commitment to spending more time in it! I am so excited to see how much Fern and I will GROW...in our relationship with God and with each other.

Here are some sites that I love...

http://www.amazon.com/One-Year-Feet-Devotional-Book/dp/1414311508
http://www.oneyearbibleonline.com/
http://www.biblegateway.com/