It’s amazing how God can sneak up on you and work miracles in your life. In a little over a week’s time, we were able to sell our old house and buy a new one, all to our surprise!
It really just goes to prove that we aren’t in control of anything….
Just a week prior, we were so upset and disheartened because our old realtors had fallen off the face of the earth and wouldn’t return our phone calls, and the house we had picked out as our “dream house” was suddenly been sold to someone else. Everything seemed to be falling apart and we were left wondering why. But by the grace of God, we received a phone call on a Monday night asking if someone could show our house. Ironically, it had already been pulled off of the website – so it's a wonder how they found us? They made an offer that night and we sold it. A few days later, after seeing many houses, but not finding any that were exactly what we wanted, we came across the perfect house. It is in Altoona and is still being built, but it will be brand new and ready for our family in August.
In usual fashion, if we put our pride (or whatever it is) aside and manage to let go of the wheel – God will take control of our lives. We may not always understand why things happen, and it may seem at the time like things are working against us. But as I’ve said before, I believe God always has a plan, we just don't always understand what it is. What may seem like sadness and disappointment now – may lead to something even better down the road. It is only when we can realize that it is up to Him, and not always try to control our own destiny, that it will happen.
I am so blessed, every day. Whether we would have stayed in our current house, or are able to move to a bigger one….I’m thankful for every joy God instills in my life. And the best part of this past week was not the joy of a new house, but of knowing that God was in control all along and had bigger and better plans for us. What an amazing feeling to know He is always with us. We just sometimes need reminding.
Thursday, May 28, 2009
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Nothing to Fear?
“The only thing we have to fear is…fear itself.” --Franklin D. Roosevelt
Anyone who knows me knows I am not a history buff, but that quote strikes me, this week in particular. I have been thinking lately about fear and how it takes a choke-hold on our lives from the time we are little kids.
Take my 10-year-old stepson for example. This weekend was a stormy one, and he has a terrible fear of thunder. Even though he is old enough to rationalize with his fears, he’s still scared. We can tell him it’s just noise and it’s not going to hurt you, but for whatever reason, it still scares him. We may think it’s irrational, but to him it makes perfect sense. I think a lot of our fears stem from childhood. Like my paralyzing fear of bees (insert your mocking laugh here). When I was about 8, my mom and I got caught in our strawberry patch while a swarm of bees decided to nest in one of our trees. We had to run under a blanket to get inside and call an exterminator. Hence, I am still to this day, scared of bees and run like my pants are on fire when I see one. Some childhood fears seem to continue on as adults. The fear of pain is a perfect example. I will be getting a medical test done next Tuesday that will likely be painful. And just like a 5-year-old child, I don’t want to go because I’m afraid of the pain. It’s amazing how some fears never change, regardless of our age.
But as we get older, we can manage to talk ourselves out of most of the fears we had as children. Perhaps it was a fear of the dark, or monsters in the closet, or even the neighborhood bully. Those are simple things we can now look back on and say “that was silly.” But it wasn’t silly at the time…it was very real. And even though we are able to conquer most fears we struggled with as kids, there are new ones that emerge as adults. Perhaps the fear of losing a loved one, losing your job, the fear of abandonment, the fear of rejection…. the list could go on and on. It is amazing what a grip fear can have on your life if you let it. Especially those of us that watch the news or read the paper – we are bombarded with reasons to be afraid every single day! I am amazed that any of us get up and leave the house each day!
My point is that I think it is ok to be afraid, but not to let those fears prevent us from living the lives we want. We all still have fear (some more than others). Just like the little kids we once were, each person’s fear is very real to them, even though it may seem irrational to others. We cannot wake up each day being afraid to help out a stranger or take a chance doing something daring. Those are the moments in life that make it the most rewarding! Conquering your fear is the most exhilarating experience there is. So don’t dwell on what you are afraid of, and don’t be ashamed of it. Face it dead in the eye and get past it. After all, it’s really only the fear itself that we’re afraid of!
Anyone who knows me knows I am not a history buff, but that quote strikes me, this week in particular. I have been thinking lately about fear and how it takes a choke-hold on our lives from the time we are little kids.
Take my 10-year-old stepson for example. This weekend was a stormy one, and he has a terrible fear of thunder. Even though he is old enough to rationalize with his fears, he’s still scared. We can tell him it’s just noise and it’s not going to hurt you, but for whatever reason, it still scares him. We may think it’s irrational, but to him it makes perfect sense. I think a lot of our fears stem from childhood. Like my paralyzing fear of bees (insert your mocking laugh here). When I was about 8, my mom and I got caught in our strawberry patch while a swarm of bees decided to nest in one of our trees. We had to run under a blanket to get inside and call an exterminator. Hence, I am still to this day, scared of bees and run like my pants are on fire when I see one. Some childhood fears seem to continue on as adults. The fear of pain is a perfect example. I will be getting a medical test done next Tuesday that will likely be painful. And just like a 5-year-old child, I don’t want to go because I’m afraid of the pain. It’s amazing how some fears never change, regardless of our age.
But as we get older, we can manage to talk ourselves out of most of the fears we had as children. Perhaps it was a fear of the dark, or monsters in the closet, or even the neighborhood bully. Those are simple things we can now look back on and say “that was silly.” But it wasn’t silly at the time…it was very real. And even though we are able to conquer most fears we struggled with as kids, there are new ones that emerge as adults. Perhaps the fear of losing a loved one, losing your job, the fear of abandonment, the fear of rejection…. the list could go on and on. It is amazing what a grip fear can have on your life if you let it. Especially those of us that watch the news or read the paper – we are bombarded with reasons to be afraid every single day! I am amazed that any of us get up and leave the house each day!
My point is that I think it is ok to be afraid, but not to let those fears prevent us from living the lives we want. We all still have fear (some more than others). Just like the little kids we once were, each person’s fear is very real to them, even though it may seem irrational to others. We cannot wake up each day being afraid to help out a stranger or take a chance doing something daring. Those are the moments in life that make it the most rewarding! Conquering your fear is the most exhilarating experience there is. So don’t dwell on what you are afraid of, and don’t be ashamed of it. Face it dead in the eye and get past it. After all, it’s really only the fear itself that we’re afraid of!
Friday, April 17, 2009
Sunny Day....
I feel the need to sing that Sesame Street song. If you are my age, I'm sure you know how it goes.... "Sunny Day....sweeping the...clouds away!" I love that.
Honestly, I cannot get enough of this beautiful weather! I know it's Iowa, and it will soon be scorching hot, muggy, buggy and miserable. But for the couple months out of the year that I can relish in the amazing spring and fall weather - I'm in heaven! I keep telling Eric we will be moving somewhere that's sunny and in the 70's all the time when we're old and senile.
Loki and I had the opportunity to enjoy a fantastic day to ourselves at Grey's Lake last weekend...he's such a poser. Hope everyone has a great weekend!
Thursday, April 9, 2009
Reconnecting
I have to admit, I had major hesitations with joining Facebook. I was worried it would open a whole can of worms and just be a distraction to the wonderful life I have already been blessed with. I also didn’t quite understand what the obsession was all about (I still don’t). However, I have since discovered that it is not a distraction, but a great tool to reconnect!
I have managed to get back in touch with long lost friends who I have often wondered about, but never pursued trying to track down. Facebook is like a great location for everyone to go “meet up”….people in my life now, people from long ago, and even some new people! How great it is to choose who you want to hear from, and how often you keep in touch. It is less intimidating than picking up the phone to call someone after 10 years, and much more convenient.
Call me a sap, but I am really enjoying getting back in touch with some people. Most of which are people who were once a HUGE part of my life, friendships I thought would last forever – but were torn at by distance and change in circumstance. I am realizing that these “old friends” are still friends. Although their life may be different now than when we were 17, they are still the same good-hearted, fun loving people I enjoyed spending time with long ago. We share lots of memories…laughter, tears and everything in between. That seems to be something that time and distance cannot fade.
Although most of us have all change dramatically from 10+ years ago, including spouses, kids, careers and so on, perhaps we can each sprinkle a little friendship from times long ago into our current lifestyle. After all, many of us are still sharing in the same joys and tragedies in life - and can probably continue to learn from and lean on each other. Let's face it, with the way things are today, we need all the friendship, laughter and support we can get!
I have managed to get back in touch with long lost friends who I have often wondered about, but never pursued trying to track down. Facebook is like a great location for everyone to go “meet up”….people in my life now, people from long ago, and even some new people! How great it is to choose who you want to hear from, and how often you keep in touch. It is less intimidating than picking up the phone to call someone after 10 years, and much more convenient.
Call me a sap, but I am really enjoying getting back in touch with some people. Most of which are people who were once a HUGE part of my life, friendships I thought would last forever – but were torn at by distance and change in circumstance. I am realizing that these “old friends” are still friends. Although their life may be different now than when we were 17, they are still the same good-hearted, fun loving people I enjoyed spending time with long ago. We share lots of memories…laughter, tears and everything in between. That seems to be something that time and distance cannot fade.
Although most of us have all change dramatically from 10+ years ago, including spouses, kids, careers and so on, perhaps we can each sprinkle a little friendship from times long ago into our current lifestyle. After all, many of us are still sharing in the same joys and tragedies in life - and can probably continue to learn from and lean on each other. Let's face it, with the way things are today, we need all the friendship, laughter and support we can get!
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