Aches and Pains

Please pray for my poor husband . . .

 

Sunday we attended a "bluegrass jam".  It was a fun afternoon, complete with a volleyball tournament and potluck, followed by performances by several very talented family bluegrass bands a and a jam session we didn't' stay for, since we don't "jam" and our babies needed bed.

During the volleyball tournament Stephen hurt his neck, and woke up Monday morning unable to turn it with out doubling over in pain.  We took him into the chiropractor and he very gently adjusted him, but said that it's possible if it doesn't start to feel better that he may have fractured his neck/back.  Of course that would NOT be a good thing!   Needless to say Stephen has been in a lot of pain, but like the brave trooper he is has been working despite feeling lousy.  I know it is really hard and painful for him to be driving around, and I can only imagine how much more stressful it makes his already somewhat stressful job to be in constant pain!  But he doesn't complain, and just keeps on working hard to provide for our family.  What a man!  

Yes, I am one very blessed woman!  Every day it seems, even on the worst, perhaps I should say especially on the worst of days, God continually reminds me of  just how wonderful of a man i'm married to.  

Daily Life

As I was sitting here wanting to update my blog I was having a hard time thinking of what to write.  After all not really much has been happening lately.  You know, it's kinda like when someone asks you, "so what's new?" and your reply is "nothing". But as I think about it more, I don't really need any thing  new all i need i have.  We have not been blessed with large sums of money or countless earthly possessions, but we have been blessed with all we need, every physical need met.  We always have wonderful food to eat, a warm (or in summer cool) roof over our head, as well as many "extra" blessings - electricity, running water, a shower, laundry facilities, things that really we don't need but that make this life so much easier. And of course my greatest blessings of all - Stephen, David and Scott!!!

So what's new?

 Well today I finished up canning the chicken broth I cooked down yesterday.  I was very pleased to end up with 8 pints and 4quarts of yummy organic broth to add to our shelf of canned goods! And I know it was yummy because as I was ladling it into jars David came over and wanted some, so I gave him a taste thinking he wouldn't like it and would leave me alone, but no, he LOVED it and so we ended up taking a break from canning broth to eat some!

I love my babies so much, they are so sweet and do such precious things!  Scott is such a happy baby, he is always smiling and cooing.  David adores Scott, all he wants to do is help to take care of him and play with his little brother, unfortunately his "helping" and "playing" is not always mutually beneficial to all involved!  Scott just really doesn't like getting conked in the head with regulation softballs, or having sippy cups of water shoved down his throat!  Oh' well, all in good time!  I guess David just can't quite figure out why Scott can't catch balls or drink from sippy cups, but soon enough . . . soon enough!

Two Weddings and . . .

This last weekend we had two weddings to attend, once Friday Evening and one Saturday afternoon.  I actually had the privilege of photographing the Saturday wedding for Ryan & Ivy!   It was fun, and they are a gorgeous  couple!

But although Stephen and I had a nice time driving too and attending Ivy & Ryan's wedding, It's actually Joseph & Stephanie's wedding I would like to blog about!

Joseph and Steph where a beautiful Couple!  They shared their first kiss on the day of their wedding, after they had been pronounced man and wife . . . what a testimony of their purity and commitment to both the Lord and each other.

I know when Stephen and I were courting and engaged several people made comments about how our parents were "making" us "do that courtship thing" and how they didn't see how we could "wait".   First of all no one MADE us do anything, we wanted to and truly enjoyed every aspect of our courtship.  It was our choice to save our first kiss for our wedding day, and one we have never regretted.   And secondly, what's wrong with waiting? 

In our country and culture today no one wants to wait for anything . . . for goodness sake we can't even wait for the oven to preheat any more, so we pop dinner in the microwave!  But it is really true, the best things come to those who wait.  Look at people in our culture today, divorce runs rampant, cries of "i don't love you any more, i never really loved you" ring in homes across the nation.  Children live and grow in one parent homes.  Men and women sit in prison because the just couldn't "wait" any longer for their "big break".   So why?  Why do we torture our selves with "settling" when we could have the very best?   Why not just wait?!?!?!

Every day I am thankful for my husband and the wonderful sons we have been blessed with.  I am thankful that I am secure in my husbands love, knowing he waited all his life just for me.  I am thankful for the opportunity to give my sons a loving father, and the ability to have their mama home, because we waited for marriage to "become one".  This to me is all worth waiting for.

"But waiting is hard!"  Some might say.  And this is true.

I would be the last person on earth to argue for the "easiness" of waiting.   I would be the very first to affirm that waiting brings tears and, at times a yearning so deep it seems impossible to carry on!  But if you carry on you will reap the benefits!   For God's promises are sure and his strength is more than enough.

On Sunday the sermon was on Isaac and Rebecca, how God worked to bring them together . . . and how he answered their very hearts desire before they had even "done asking".  And it reminded me of a memory . . .

In the spring of 2007 I was suffering with a severe case of "Stephenitis" in other words I had a "crush" (I hate that word, in reality I had noticed Stephen and his godly character and knowing that I wanted to wait on God's time and keep my heart pure for one man and was trying with all my might not to think about Stephen.) One Sunday afternoon after church Dad took off to pick up our tiller from a friend who had borrowed it.  I was feeling very low, all I wanted was to get married and raise a family for the Lord.  All i wanted was for a godly man (preferable Stephen) to come and sweep me off my feet.  But nothing was happening.  My 20th birthday was fast approaching as was my brothers wedding; both these events left me feeling very alone and forgotten.  So that afternoon I took my journal and sat on the front porch.  I spent time in prayer begging the Lord to help me be patient and wait on him.  Pleading with him to show me his will for my life.  Not to mention asking to have my crush alleviated so that I no longer had to struggle with constantly trying not to think or dream about Stephen.  As I prayed and wrote in my journal I felt a wonderful peace, and a deep intensifying of my "crush".    Unbeknown to   me at that very moment Stephen was meeting with my father and asking him for permission to court me and win my heart.  All though I didn't know it at the time God was answering my very prayer and hearts desire even as he was strengthening me to wait a little longer.

Two weeks later Stephen & I would begin our courtship and subsequently our Love Story.  One that I have every reason to believe will carry through to the end of this life, and even into eternity!

How to do what must be done . . . ?

Well my house is a mess, I have a sink (and several counters) full of dirty dishes, dirty laundry fills the bathroom and yet here I sit at mom and dad's on the internet!  Ok, so I did come here for a "worthy" cause, I had 20pounds of cherries to freeze and no cherry pitter.   Carl helped me with my cherries and now i'm faced with a quandary, do I stay here for the rest of the afternoon (Stephen is playing football with his brothers and some guys from church) or do I go home and juggle the boys while cleaning the house??????   Of course I know what I should do . . . but then I also know what I want to do . . . so for now i'll sit here and write and ignore the decision that must soon be made!


Yesterday afternoon I went to a friends personal bridal shower, it was at a lake and I had an opportunity to go water tubing!  Wow, what a blast!  My arms feel like they are going to fall off now today but it was such fun at the time.  Of course it wasn't so fun when I was racing through the water, clinging for dear life to the tube and all of a sudden my pants began to slowly inch their way down, down, down, until I was forced to let go for fear that if I held on my pants would not!  It was fun to get away (Stephen watched both boys for a few hours so I could go) and spend time with other gals!  It reminded me of my pre-marriage days, not that I would go back mind you!  But just of what they were like, It was fun for an afternoon but it was more fun coming home!

Last night Stephen and I took the boys to the fireworks over the Lake.  It was pretty fun, but it seems every year the fireworks get lamer and lamer.  I can't determine if it's just me, I have a whole year in between to build up this great fantasy of how wonderful the fireworks were the year before and I come with great expectations, or if it's true, every year of my life they just get less and less impressive!  Oh' well!  I love the opportunity to go and do something as a family!   It's become a tradition to go to the Lake Ripley fireworks, we went for the first time while we were courting and have gone every year since!  We are very blessed to have children that actually like watching them and aren't scarred by the loud noise.

In Light of Eternity

   Today (as every day :-) I was reminded of what a wonderful man i've been blessed with!  Watching Stephen and David play in David's kiddy pool was so sweet!  It's not every daddy that takes the time to splash with his son on a Saturday afternoon, he could be off doing his "own" thing, but no, he's home loving his family and spending quality time with his sons.

Ok, so I guess the pool wasn't really made for daddy's too!

I had big plans for today, I was going to get so much house work and laundry done since Stephen was home to help with the boys!  But no, instead God taught me that Family is number one.  Spending time with my family (which I love doing!) is not a chore and it's not second choice, it's the most important thing I can do as a wife and mother.  Investing in my children's lives, making memories, loving on my husband . . . that is my day, not interruptions to my day!  Now don't get me wrong, I LOVE spending time with my family, it's not a chore.  But sometimes I start to feel guilty because I don't get as much work done as I think I should but it is times like those that I must remind myself that chores, dishes, laundry, a clean house, while they may make life more comfortable, or at least seem more comfortable, at the time in light of eternity really mean nothing at all.  But my children and my husband, they can, and Lord willing, will follow into eternity!

Lord please give me an eternal perspective!

Life Lesson - Self must Die

"What if God created Marriage to make us Holy more than to make us happy?"

I've been reading the book "Sacred Marriage", it's a very interesting read, although I don't agree with everything the author has to say the underling premise of the book, what if God created marriage to make us holy more than to make us happy, has caused me to think.

What is it we expect to get out of our early marriage relationship?  Why?  Is my marriage all about "me" what I can get, how Stephen can meet my needs and make ME happy?  

I've really begun to realize that when my focus is on me and my happiness that is when my marriage is (at least in my eyes) at it's worst.  I'm not trying to serve my family, but rather trying to get whatever I can from them.  This selfishness on my part is detrimental to not only my family and my marriage but my spiritual well being.

As I seek to love God more then and only then will I love my husband more.  As I seek to serve God more, then and only then will I be able to serve my family more.  Me is what most often gets in the way of my happiness!  For if I've learned any thing from being married for 2 1/2 years it's that happiness is never found where I think it should be.  I'm never truly happy when I selfishly demand my way, but rather true joy and happiness is found when I selflessly give of myself for God and my family.

I'm still a work in progress.  God has been showing me great pride and selfishness in my life.  And not only is he showing me that they exist but that he HATES them and if i'm going to follow him they must be purged from my life.

This is a painful process.  But one that with much prayer and guidance from the Lord I will be able to accomplish.