five minute friday: the hard love

11 years ago today I married my best friend.  Our love has been easy.  2 weeks after we met we knew we'd be married.  2 years later, after my college graduation and his first "real, grown-up" job, we were.  And here we are 11 years later...in love as ever...but so different.

For us the difficulty hasn't been the love, it's been the dreams.  Sharing dreams and watching them shatter and having to pick them up and rework them again and again.  Watching God take our path and mold it to His desire...so much different from what we anticipated.

Yesterday we met with an adoption worker for the first time.  Then we came home and watched an Mtv show called 16 and pregnant where the agency played a part in the story.  It was heart wrenching.  And so beautiful.  These children made the choice of hard love that I never will.  At their tender age they were already making unselfish choices for their daughter's future.

Now, that's hard love.

5 minute friday...on saturday

The Gypsy Mama hosts this great weekly blog challenge called 5 Minute Friday where she throws a prompt out there and you write for 5 minutes.

Here's the description from her blog:

Got five minutes? Let’s write. Let’s write in shades of real and true and unscripted.

Let’s just write and not worry if it’s just right or not.

1. Write for 5 minutes flat for pure unedited love of the written word.
2. Link back here and invite others to join in.
3. Go leave some comment props for the five minuter who linked up before you.

So, here goes:

If you met me...

GO

You might think I have it all together, but I don't.

I'd try to bring up my infertility so you'd know that I'm not childless by choice and how much I want to be a mom.

You'd likely think I talk too much.

I'd tell you about my crazy cats and my friends' kids in an attempt to find some common ground.

I'd either spout ceaselessly about a topic I'm passionate about (knitting, spinning, adoption, my husband) or I'd clam up, worried that you won't like me for who I am.

I'd laugh at your jokes and share some of mine...mostly learned from my dad.

I might engage your adorable children or ignore them.  Neither is a reflection on you...it's just a matter of what I feel I can handle at the time.

You'd never know how badly I want to go back and edit this post...and almost everything I say.

STOP

Yikes...5 minutes was never so short before.

what guys think about modesty

When I was a Bible College student I had a dear guy friend who was honest and brave enough to share with me much of what is said in this video.  I've never been one for revealing clothing, but, up until that day, it was more a matter of covering what I wasn't comfortable with than an act of protecting my brothers in Christ from unnecessary temptation.  Since then I've looked at every article of clothing I've purchased in a new light.  I hope you will, too.

another encouraging sunday service

I just love the hymns we sing in church...so much truth and encouragement in them.

Whate'er my God ordains is right;
His holy will abideth;
I will be still whate'er He doth;
And follow where He guideth;
He is my God; though dark my road,
He holds me that I shall not fall;
Wherefore to Him I leave it all.


Whate'er my God ordains is right;
He never will deceive me;
He leads me by the proper path;
I know He will not leave me.
I take, content, what He hath sent;
His hand can turn my griefs away,
And patiently I wait His day.


Whate'er my God ordains is right;
Though now this cup, in drinking,
May bitter seem to my faint heart,
I take it, all unshrinking.
My God is true; each morn anew
Sweet comfort yet shall fill my heart,
And pain and sorrow shall depart.


Whate'er my God ordains is right;
Here shall my stand be taken;
Though sorrow, need, or death be mine,
Yet I am not forsaken.
My Father's care is round me there;
He holds me that I shall not fall,
And so to Him I leave it all.

*sigh*  That song alone is a sermon I need to hear daily.