There Will Always be a Blessing

Some things are genetic:
I like mayonnaise on my hamburgers AND my hot dogs.
Canadian Bacon and mushroom pizza is my first choice.
Fresh sea food - oh my yummy tummy.
When I have to deliver serious news...I talk calmly and quietly.

My parents divorced when I was young, both had remarried and I lived in another state when my biological dad was in a boating accident.  I was eight.  Although separated in a variety of ways, I have always had a strong bond with my dad's family.  The above internal habits this week had us all saying, "Me Too!"

My grandpa has been through an incredible health ride since the beginning of May:  pneumonia, kidney failure, cellulitis, antibiotic allergies, skilled nursing, more cellulitis, PT units, a horrible fall/facial stitches, blood transfusion, negligent transportation/brain bleed, back to skilled nursing, and this Sunday back in the hospital with MRSA/low kidney function.  Intermingled with all this is possible dimentia/medically induced confusion/delirium.

But through it all, I watch God work in amazing and beautiful ways.

My grandparents have been married for 64 years.  I watch my grandma grab her walker or cane and take care of every need that she possible can.  She wipes his eyes, scratches his head, rubs his ears, feeds him what little we can get him to eat, wipes the corners of his mouth, covers him up.  It is the MOST precious thing that God has allowed me to part of.  It feeds my soul to witness such love and I am beyond honored to be their grand-daughter.

I mentioned a few blogs ago, that my grandpa was able to regain some memory and pray over our lunch.  As it is very hard to get grandma to leave his side, I elevatored down to the cafeteria to grab her and me some lunch Monday to bring up to the room, and waited for her to pray over our meal.  (This is where I discovered where my Mayo addiction comes from).  She grabbed my hands and said, "You go child".  And God provided the most beautiful words and we were both dripping tears over a burger, salad, and fries.

Later as we were both being strong women as the kidney doctor gave us the run-down, I look up at his assistant and she is holding back rims of tears...so being the contagious crier that I am, the flood gates open, then there goes grandma.  She of course said she was fine until I got going, so I blamed the helper because I was fine until she got going - laughter through tears is so cleansing.

My uncle called and I gave the doctor's report.  My other uncle called up to get clarification, then a cousin, and an aunt.  The first uncle walked into the room later and said "I get real quiet when I am serious, so I knew when you got quiet it was serious".  Oh wow...Me Too!  So...a little history on the pizza.  When I was pregnant with my oldest my uncles came to visit us and my husband called in pizza and asked what they wanted...in unison they said Canadian Bacon and Mushroom.  My husband had stunned silence and we looked at each other wide-eyed as my pizza of choice was exactly that.

I have listened to Sirius XM the Message on the hour drive to and from the hospital the past couple of days.  There have been a few tears, but mostly y'all, I am rocking the one-man praise and worship band in my little Juke.  God is sending all my favorites and I am returning them to Him at the top of my off-key lungs.

All that comes to me is...What A Blessing!  To be a part of this life, this family, this faith.  My grandpa is the one that dropped me off at Sunday School when I was a tiny thing.  To be able to hold his hand, make sure he is warm, and pray over him is overwhelming and such a testament to the circle of life.  He had a moment of clarity yesterday, called me "shorty", and then told me that I had gotten about an inch shorter.  Through all his body is putting him through, he can light up the room with his ornery smile and asks all the new nurses where they go to church.

Isaiah 46:4  Even in your old age I am he, and to gray hairs I will carry you.  I have made, and I will bear; I will carry and will save.

Psalm 71:18  So even to old age and gray hairs, O God, do not forsake me, until I proclaim your might to another generation, your power to all those to come.

artflakes.com

My grandparents have always argued over who will get go to see my dad first, and while we will never know why the suffering of the past few months has been allowed, one day we will all celebrate together, and frankly, I don't think "the why" will even be an issue at that point!

Right now we are all trying to discern the lesson, fellowshipping every-other-week in a hospital room, and realizing that there is more to mayo and pizza that meets the eye!  

Thank You Lord that you are bringing our family together, for laughs and tears, deep conversations of faith and raising kids, light-hearted talks of food and mannerisms, for the strength You are giving my grandma and the smile that You share with grandpa.  Thank You for sending healthcare workers that will cry with us. Help all of us to seek Your joy and blessing through every single moment that we are given and forgive us when we question Your ways.  In Your Holy Name...Amen.

Boldly Stand

2 Chronicles 20:17 (MSG) You won't have to lift a hand in this battle; just stand firm, Judah and Jerusalem, and watch God's saving work for you take shape.  Don't be afraid, don't waver.  March out boldly tomorrow, God is with you.  

What reassurance...stand firm.  You won't have to lift a hand in this battle.  Don't be afraid.  God is with you.

Three nations have come against Jehoshaphat.  A huge force was on its way and they were short on time. Verse 3, Shaken/Afraid he turned to God.  He prays before an assembly of people.  He asks God...are you really going to let this happen?  Are you really going to let them kick us out of the land?  And then, in front of all his town's people, Jehoshaphat says...we are helpless, we don't know what to do, we are looking to You.

God sends his spirit to declare in v. 15 "this is God's war, not yours"...stand firm.

Our Pastor preached on Mark 2 last night where the paralytic was healed.  And what he chose to focus on was - "Be the Friend".  Be the friend that if you can't get through the door to help your brother/sister/friend/neighbor, take it to the roof!  In Mark 2:5 Jesus was "impressed by their bold belief."

As I left our WBS last night and walked out with my friend and we shared our going-ons and weariness...she said, "when you feel yourself spinning out of control, come stand by me, let me be the adult.  You don't have to say anything just come stand by me and feel safe".  And I love her for every ounce of who she is...

This morning at around 3:30 a.m., because that is only second to the shower as to the perfect timing of profound thoughts...God said, come stand by me.  Feel safe.  Don't be afraid.  God is with you.

Like Jehoshaphat, we all experience areas where we feel under attack, and most of the time, we have little notice to prepare.  I have said to God several times over the past few weeks...months...are you really going to let this happen?  I compare J's concern for his land to our need for a comfort zone...are you really going to shake things up?

And here is the kicker...are we willing to admit we are helpless, afraid, trembling?  That we don't know what to do?  Not just to God, but to a friend, to an assembly of people?    Upon J's plea, God didn't say stay home tomorrow, he said "march boldly".  Jesus was impressed by "bold belief".  The war is not ours, but that doesn't mean that we get to sit at home in the cushions of complacency.  Our obedience to stand firm, march boldly, to seek healing for a friend through roof-top faith allows us to witness full-on the work that God does on our behalf. You want proof?  Go stand beside your friend - let your friend stand beside you, march boldly with your people, be willing to have hope that defies logic & gravity.

So having had some heart-to-heart's with God (tear-filled despair & surrender), and sharing with my friend, I bring it before you, my assembly of readers.  I pray Faithful Father, that we all stand firm against the battles that seemingly come out of no where and often in multitudes, that we are willing to be bold despite our weariness, for reliance on pillars of strength found in friends and Jesus, to be a safe zone for others, and to go boldly each day and stand in awe of Your Presence.  Amen.

You Do You

One of my favorite things to hear my daughter say, and it makes me giggle every time is, "You Do You." The chuckle results from the fact that she usually makes this statement when she doesn't want to play along, but is completely okay with us following through on whatever we have declared at the moment.

But in all seriousness, why can't we just let people be themselves?  You totally do you.  Do it well.  You go out there and you rock you!

You want to run a Marathon...

You want to get addicted to Hot Yoga...

You want to incorporate Kale into your daily diet...

You want to wear black socks and white shoes...

You want to drop to your knees as you worship...

You think Kombucha is life changing...

You want to wear Yoga pants even though you don't do Yoga...

You want to travel outside of the United States...

YOU DO YOU!

Here's the deal...

I want to go to the track and walk at a leisurely pace...

I am not a fan of Yoga at any temperature or its pants...

I cannot get an acquired taste for Kale (I have tried and I am over it)...but that Spinach though...

I want to live where I can wear flips flops year round...

I am an intimate worshiper, I might raise my hands on occasion, but it is between me and God...

I love me some Lipton Cold Brew...

I have no desire to travel outside of the U.S. of A...

I can totally do me!

In her Bonus Essays (pg. 3) for her book release For the Love, Jen Hatmaker puts it this way:

The minute we start believing (or acting like) different equals against, then we become combatants in an invented war.  Whether we find offense where there is none or offend because we feel right, either way, we've turned sisters into enemies.  The tricky thing is, there really is no "right" in this particular brand of battle.  It is not right or wrong to let your baby sleep on your bed.  It is not right or wrong to work outside the home.  It is not right or wrong to send your kids to public school.  It is not right or wrong to throw enormous parties.

These are preferences, that's all.  We each have a cocktail of personality, experiences, tendencies, and gifts, and they jumble together and make us who we are.  I do not need to feel threatened because something is right for you but not for me.  You don't need to become defensive because I love this way and you love the opposite.

I am completely sure what she is saying here is "You Do You!"

My husband and I marvel (and at times are horrified) at all the ways our kid's childhood is differing from each of ours.  The world is waaaaayyy different, the way we parent is different, the choices that need to be made...vastly different.  If their lives are being molded unlike the way our parents and grandparents did it...then my friends, they are going to be most certainly distinct from the way you and your family tree made it work.

Jeremiah 1:5 Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you; before you were born, I set you apart.

Matthew 10:30-31  Even the hairs on your head are all numbered.  So do not be afraid, you are worth more than many sparrows.

I once had someone tell me (after to getting to know me) I was a "goodie" in High School.  And my response to him was similar to this:  I had to be.  My parents could not afford to send me to college.  They would have made it work, because they are amazing and wanted more for me, as I did for myself.  I had two younger brothers behind me, I didn't want them to go without current or future needs.  In High School I had to make good grades, being involved in lots of activities was a back-up hope for additional scholarship opportunities, and ended up being the exact thing that landed me a full-ride.  So where some saw "goodie" or "snob"...I saw survival and a future.  I had to do me...it was my ticket out.

God had and continues to have a plan for my life.  While I can look back and see His blessings and loving hand in my choices, both the hard and the necessary...I cannot see what the future holds.  God gave my daughter sweet words Sunday as we discussed my current season - maybe now is just a time of change and trying something completely new.  I know if he provides for the sparrows...He will provide for me.  Let me do me, and my dear co-humans, I am your number one fan to let you do you!  ((hugs)).

If He can hold this world, He can hold this moment.  Not a field or flower escapes His notice.  Oh, even the sparrow...knows He holds tomorrow.  Amen.

Jason Gray - Even the Sparrows

What Have I Done Becomes What Will I Do?

Although I am doing my best to be a courageous and transparent person when I write, there are still aspects about my life that I choose to keep personal and private.  A couple of those categories include politics and religion (please note...not faith, but denominations & buildings).

I avoid those two things because we all have the story that God is writing in us, for us, and meant only for us.  It shapes our choices.  It shapes our comfort zone.  It shapes our inner circle.  It is full of feelings.

With that being said...I am weary.  I am weary of the blame-game.  I am weary of the self-entitlement we give ourselves to share our opinion.  I am saddened by our world and the things that are taking center stage.  The war we are fighting my friends can not be won on social media, the nightly news, or a well-lit stage donned in red, white, and blue.  It can not be won in well-preserved buildings with beautiful stained glassed windows.  It can only be won in in our story, in the personal and private time we give to God.

Ephesians 6:12  for we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.

When the first plane hit the twin towers, I was packing a diaper bag to take my 15 month old to meet my husband at the OB/GYN's office to hear the heartbeat of her future brother or sister.  As we entered waiting room, the second plane had hit.  All I could think was, "What have I done?  What I have I brought life into?"

  

This morning, fifteen-ish years later, as I sit drinking my coffee, reading my devotions, and journaling...I watch my once 15 month old pack her gym bag and grab her keys to drive herself up to the gym, and my thoughts remain on her future:  What does it look like in this world...what will it look like for her children?

Go get in your car, squeeze your hot-mess-of-a-self into your tiny closet, in the cleansing of a hot shower, on the beach (if you are so lucky), with your coffee on the porch, in the middle of a field at sunrise or sunset, in the front pew of an empty church...go get intimate, up close and personal, and humbled before God.  That is where the war begins...

He knows we are burdened.  He knows we have our own thoughts about how things should work.  He sees us doing life with and without Him.  Go get transparent with Him, wherever you feel safe or unkept, whatever your comfort zone or complete-and-utterly-alone zone - He will meet you right where you are.  

James 4:2  You desire and you do not have, so you murder.  You covet and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel.  You do not have, because you do not ask.

What would you ask Him for today?

What is the big thing?  Our nation?  Race relations?  Organized Religion?  Poverty?  

Who or what has He placed specifically on your heart today?  

What do you need from Him?  Faith?  Financial relief?  Healing?  Rest?  Truth?  

My family got me a shirt for my Birthday that reads, "Not Today Satan".  I am thinking I should wear it more than just one day a week...I do not have time for his shenanigans. I can see him manipulating our world, but I am doing all I can to be a light and not a shadow.  I can feel him celebrating his division among God's people, but I will not be a part of his party.  Not.  Today.  Satan.  

The Armor of God.  Prayer.  Love that surpasses all understanding.  Let us vow today to stop seeking blame, and start becoming the solution.  I don't know what that looks like, but I am hitting my knees and praying to the One Who does.

Wilderness Walking

Mark 9:23-24 And Jesus said to him, "If you can!  All things are possible for one who believes."  Immediately the father of the child cried out and said, "I believe; help my unbelief!"

This story goes on to say that this curse can only be driven out by prayer.  Woo!  (said while loudly exhaling).  Some things, can only be driven out by prayer...I am going to let that marinate as I go into a little bit about why I have been away from the computer and some things that have taken place since my last post about my grandpa's hospital stay.

On June 17th I pasted (scotch-taped) a Facebook post in my journal from Heart of the Prophetic that shot an arrow straight in to my feels:

Embrace your wilderness moments.  Learn all you can.  There's surely a war ahead to obtain your Promised Land but you will strike down every enemy if you build your faith in the desert places. 

That same day a devotion read discusses that our expectations rarely align with God's timing.

In the the wilderness we can often:  See His miracles more clearly, feel His presence more intensely, worship Him more authentically, and obey Him more sincerely.  Even when we don't think He is working...He Is!

My prayer for myself at the end of journaling that morning was:  Steadfast in Prayer

Friends I feel I have been a 'Wilderness Wanderer' for most of the month of June, and therefore, for the most part, disqualified myself from trying to inspire you.  I knew it would be a busy month as I put two teenagers schedules into my calendar, but I could not foresee a few bends in the well-worn path as the month began.  Much like the wilderness, we can find a plethora of beauty, but some spiders and snakes makes us jump into patches of poison ivy when we least expect it.

My grandpa was released two weeks ago into the care of a skilled nursing center, with no improvement in memory or physical ability.  Still not eating or sleeping.  Last Thursday he was driven to the hospital with dizzy spells and continued kidney decline.  They admitted him, sent him back to skilled nursing Saturday afternoon, and that same evening we were back in the ER with extremely low blood pressure and readmitted.

When I walked into the room Monday morning, he burst into tears.  As I looked from him to grandma, completely concerned, her reply came, "he remembers".  Apparently he was allergic to the antibiotic they had been given him for almost a full month, topped with taking too much blood pressure medicine.  When all of that worked out of his system, all swelling left his body and his memory returned.

He cried and said, "this is the best day of my life".  I smiled through my tears with "well, I am not sure about that, but we will take it".  He asked, "you want to know the best part?  I got my wife back".  Although she had been there everyday, when he was "hanging out there" (his words), he thought she had gone for good.  So that is pretty great, but I am not going to lie, I was a little skeptical that we were just having a good moment.  But as the day progressed he was just so happy that he remembered.

Here is the cool part...how he remembered.  He didn't just get his mind back, God came to him and cast out the darkness.  His explanation:  We were all standing there, no one knew what was going on or what was going to happen, and then He just cast all the demons away.  His favorite song was playing, by his favorite singer during this "revival".  Although grandpa says it was waaaaay better than a revival!  As he told us, he just teared up and said, "God is so good, best day of my life".

And I love what God has done for him, and that He allowed us to pray it away.  Next to God casting out the darkness, my second favorite moment Monday was Grandpa praying over our lunch.  It was the best prayer I have ever heard in my life!  (I'm not sure about that, but we are going to take it!)  My plan from here on out is always to visit at meal time and hear as many of those that the good Lord will allow.

As thrilled as I am at the miracle healing that God is affirming for our family, I am sticking firm to my steadfast prayer for a friend whose brother has been in CCU for a little over a week now.  We are praying, interceding, and declaring that same miracle healing for him, and I am so excited for the work God is doing in His kingdom for His children.

At the beginning of June I got a summons for Jury Duty.  Each Friday I would call in and a recording would tell us that all cases had been settled or dismissed...except last week.  So I had to show up for the Jury pool this week, and then I had to go and get myself picked.  I have to say, I needed to have my faith in humanity restored.  Through deliberation and conversation, it was very interesting to be a part of.  Of course it gave me something new to pray for...

As I drove to the court house this morning, Casting Crowns song Just Be Held came on.  In it they sing, "Hold it all together, everybody needs you strong", "When you're on your knees and answers seem so far away" and, "Your world's not falling apart, it's falling into place" and the tear drops fell.  I have known I am wandering, that it has a purpose, not necessarily that things were falling apart, but they were not on the beaten path, and just trying to be strong...to survive the month, the unknown trail I was traversing.

Another post on my Facebook wall, just yesterday:  When you go through the wilderness, you understand that prophetic ministry is not about theology alone, it's also about experience.  - Jennifer LeClaire

I am reviewing this month blossoming with blessings, triumphs, emotions, illness, healing, civic duties, obligations, choices, prayers...and I am pleading with God to "help my unbelief!" - allow me to pray it away, to surrender to the path in the midst of tall trees of trials and tribulations, of discernment and compassion, of hope, faith, and love beyond any earthly revival.

Relying on God to be sovereign in His alignment of people, places, and events...
Praying even when we don't understand His ways...
Surrendering to His embrace when the worry of disbelief overgrows the rocky path...
The wilderness is about the experience...
Just be held...

Riding the Loop-de-loops

We all have those things in life that we pray over, are compassionate about, that draw a deep empathy, but in terms of experiencing it, we may not be able to relate.

I had a lady from church get a little shnarky with me in a bible study quite awhile back.  She was upset because, being recently widowed, she was concerned that there was no "widow care" in our church.  I tried to gently explain to her that I was praying for her, that I had deep compassion for her loss, but to know what her needs were or to be able to offer advice on how to put one foot in front of the other, I could not relate. That didn't mean I wasn't listening or available, just that I didn't have the words to make it better.

She wasn't concerned about widows in our church until it happened to her, and now she does a wonderful job checking in on our widowed population.  That is her new ministry, her gift.  Sadly, she had to experience it in order to find her passion for it.

This past couple of weeks has been a roller coaster ride, not the fun one that leaves you laughing so hard you pee a little, but the kind that leaves you with your hand over your mouth running for the nearest trash can.

My grandpa was admitted to ICU a few weeks back, worked through a couple of hard days of pain and something akin to a diagnosis (my critical self thinks we are still missing something).  He began to break the fever, the infection abated, and then a whole new crash of the kidneys and heart set in.  The doctor on duty told us to call in the family.  The next day he was sitting up, being his ornery self.  He was on a steroid to open up his lungs and he was WIDE awake from that day forward...

This lack of rest and battle with medications for which symptom to treat has left us in a long stay in the hospital, and a new relatable for me...dementia/hospital delirium.  We are at a point, where it may or may not correct itself once he gets stronger and dismissed from the hospital.  Either way, we have all experienced his inability to be aware and it is a whole new roller-coaster-grand-opening of emotions.

My grandpa is the strongest, most faithful, loving, joy-filled person I know.  He is my hero.  In his current state, his ability to talk about fishing and God is his "happy place".

As we left the hospital yesterday, he was able to call my husband by name twice.  It is not that he doesn't know me, I am just not sure he can connect it right now, and that is how I also felt this past Wednesday.  My husband said the best thing as he agreed with me..."even though he can't connect it, somehow he knows you are important".  And that is totally in line to what my heart was perceiving as I sat next to grandpa that morning: me reaching up to hold his hand, and him squeezing the circulation out of mine.  He just kept holding on tight.

Our relationship with Jesus is very much the same.  We are searching our hearts and minds, we know we should know Him, we know He is important, we just have to hold on tight and keep our hands and feet inside the cart, and wait to see where the ride takes us.

From Familyshare.com

I think every incline and decent of our amusement park lives is meant to teach us to rely on His strength, to acknowledge we are weary, and to simply be in the current moment to the best of our ability.

Isaiah 40:31...but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.

Psalm 105:4  Seek the Lord and His strength; seek his presence continually!

Ephesians 6:10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might.

Psalm 46:1  God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.

Matthew 11:28-30  Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.  Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.

We are indeed weary and relying on His strength.  It is like the roller coaster stop button is broken, and we pull through the platform and just keep going up, then we drop, then we take a hard right into the next loop, oh wait, double loop!  I think I can speak for my entire family when I ask, "can we get off now?".

I had to come to terms eight days ago that I may walk out of that hospital room and never see my grandpa this side of Heaven.  And boy-oh-boy did I shed some ugly tears in the darkness of my back deck over a glass of Moscato and lots of tissues.  But what I learned is that God will give me the peace to throw my hands in the air and let go...when it is time, although He may provide a trial run here and there.  God is the Great Healer, sometimes that occurs in this life, and sometimes that occurs in eternal life, either way, when we know we know HIM, we enjoy the ride all the more.

When all else is uncertain...remember to hold tight.

Thy Will by Hillary Scott

The Hard Is What Makes It Great

Well, the past month has been a little bit of a whirl wind:

We said good-bye to my Grandma Johnson.
Celebrated Mother's Day.
My P.E.O. group raised over $3000 for Women's Continuing Education.
I preached at church, twice.
I helped a lady from church clean out her closets and bid a fond farewell to several items.
We celebrated friends and Graduates.
Ended the last year in Middle School...I now have TWO high schoolers!
We attended a couple of baseball showcase tryouts.
We celebrated our Pastor who will be leaving for a new church in one short week.
We shopped for and settled on a car for my almost 16-year old.
I visited my grandpa in ICU and had a great lunch with grandma.
I attended an Unemployment "training" and was told to "weaken" my resume.
I have been trying to write as I can and blog when I have uninterrupted time.
I sat through a "Summons for Jury Duty".
Yesterday my Uncle passed away, my Grandma Johnson's middle son.
And today, well today I am blessed to claim 20 years of marriage to my wonderful husband and father of my spawn, who happens to be celebrating a birthday today as well...

The house isn't always clean, but the dog gets fed, laundry stays caught up, and there is always coffee pods for the Keurig and a cold beer in the fridge saying "try again tomorrow".

Twenty years ago...I was twenty...let that sink in.  We started off these twenty years with sexy lingerie (me, not my husband so much), two-door cars, Tuesday nights at Chili's, lots of burnt dinners, college classes, ski trips, baby faces, slimmer waist lines, and larger dreams.  We have lived through big bangs, white socks and Nike sandals, Jorts, denim and khakis, overalls, HairBands, Grunge, and the Atlanta Braves in their prime (RIP).

Those things gave way to larger waist lines, C-section scars, gravity, late-night feedings and diaper changes, not-so burnt dinners, careers, facial hair (My husband, me not so much), stay-cations, four-door cars, mini-vans, and SUV's, and reality.  We survived colic, bouts of the flu, depression, the terrible two's and the thunderous three's (twice), a big move, Tweens, and are learning to accept reality over big dreams, though some days are harder than others.

Marriage is hard, it is hard to think about that early on when everything is new, sexy, focused, and with vast possibilities.  I am so glad that I found someone that would walk the hard with me, that would love me no matter what my hair choices were, what kind of day I was having, or what kind of choice I was making.  Because walking away from the hard is not an option...the hard is what makes it great.

Adulting is hard.  Parenting is hard.  Making tough choices is beyond hard.  But coming through all of that together, hand-in-hand, weary but wonderfully worn, content to snuggle up on the couch and table another dream for another day, not everyone chooses to do it, and I am so glad we have stuck together to experience the great.

I believe the Bible is true, but I think it has to have left out some petty arguments.  I think that Eve probably just ripped Adam a new grape leaf off the vine rather than wash the same one over and over. I wonder if Noah ever saw his wife on the deck of the arc and thought "woman, I will push you over". I think the invention of pressing olives probably came from spouses needing to smash something in frustration.  And sweet Mary, "I am not walking, have you seen the size of my kankles?"  Humaning is hard...but the hard is what lends itself to love.  The kind of love we see in 1 Corinthians 13:4-8:

Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude.  It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice in wrongdoing, but rejoices in the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.  Love never ends... 

As I look back on what this year has brought into our lives already, I am thankful for the man that God placed in my life to endure (with) me.  Surviving an aging dog, job loss, grief, sassy teenagers, 50 shades of Crae, road trips, leaky faucets, balanced budgets, sports try-outs, musical cars, and spicy food - We have survived 100% of 2016 so far, from one spectrum to the other.

I know we share this day with many other great couples - Cheers to us and to all of you who work through the hard and celebrate the great!