27 Years

Tomorrow marks our 27th wedding anniversary.  Yesterday was Stevens birthday.  We didn't get to celebrate either one, really.

I worked yesterday evening, he worked all day.  Tomorrow, I leave for four days for a gymnastics meet.

It usually is this way.  AT least for the last 10 years or so.

Each year we have had soccer tournaments or trips on our anniversary/his birthday week.  It took us two years to celebrate our 25th anniversary!

But, we do it.

We make a point to celebrate in some way.  It isn't the cruise, the elaborate trips anywhere, or expensive jewelry; which are all ok.  They just aren't us or where we are right now.

We are fairly simple people.  I say fairly because we are fairly complicated as well!

We choose to love every day.

I met Steven when I was 16 and I have never looked back.  I knew pretty quickly that he was the one I wanted.  Thankfully, he wanted me too!

I can not believe that it is 27 years into our marriage and I am looking forward to the next 27!  I pray that we will continue to choose each other when it gets tough and that we will continue to show our children and grand-children how to love and be loved.   How to follow Jesus in our marriage.

27 years.  In this day and age that seems like an insurmountable feat; but it isn't.  Don't listen to anyone that says it is.

A Life Worth Living

What does that phrase mean?  What does it mean to you?  What does it mean to me?

What should it mean to all of us?

I am not sure.  I know what I think it should mean and I know what the world tells me it should mean.  But, really...what does it mean?

A Life Worth Living has so many meanings and variations of meanings that the possibilities are endless and mind-blowing.  To ponder all of them would take a life-time and would render the thinker useless to anything else.

So, how do we find the answer?

Jesus.  Simple? yes.  Easy? Absolutely not.

Jesus tells us how to live a life worth living and yet we think it isn't enough.  We think there has to be some world-renown acclaim to make our lives important.  Or that we have to think of some great invention, business, etc. that saves the world as we know it for our lives to matter.

Yes, those are important and we need them but is everyone called to that?  I sure hope not.  I can't figure out how to keep the kitchen clean let alone create never before inventions for the benefit of the world.

What I CAN do is this.  Figure out who God made me to be-my interests, strengths, weaknesses, gifts, talents, desires, dislikes, prejudices, opinions, and hold them to the Light of Gods' Word.  If they stand up to what He deems right, then move ahead.  If not, change them, get rid of them, ignore them.

I can also see each moment in my day as a way to live a life worth living.  That person at Wal-Mart that is annoying me by being everywhere I want to be but slower?  See them for a person that God loves and smile at them.  Compliment their hair or clothes.  Pray for them earnestly.

I can use my time at my job to impact people in small ways.  You never know when a kind word or smile will matter to someone.  If you see a person having a bad day/hard time, listen to the Spirit for a word to say to them. Or just hug them!  God will show you when to speak to someone if you will listen.

I can see my children as gifts instead of burdens.  I can give them the Word of God that shows them Who they are and how God sees them.  Then, they can go out into the world and do that for other people.

I can chose to love my husband daily.

I can see the blessing of having a house and food because not everyone has those things.

I can choose to see the need around me and purpose to do something about it.  It may be a small thing in the eyes of the world but to that person it means the world.

I can love fiercely even when it hurts.

I can see my own short-comings and know that even though they exist God will use me because He loves me and sees something good in me.

I can CHOOSE to live a life worth living.  Every day.

A Life Worth Living is a life that was spent loving, seeing people, choosing love, choosing life, being in the moment, following God, encouraging others, blessing others, being blessed by others, and realizing the short-ness of this life.

We have but a moment on this earth, let's use it to Live a Life Worth Living.

A Sappy Post

My love.  He has been mine for 30 years.  I can hardly believe it.  We met when I was 16 years old and I am so glad God brought him to me.

We will be married for 27 years this year.  Some days it seems like it has only been 5 years and other days it feels like a life-time (do you know what I mean?)  There are days that I can not stand him and he me.  We are human and fight.  But we also choose love and to stay together every day.





















He is my person.

He will always be my person.

No one else.

More than proud

This has been a year already!  I already posted about Beth's engagement...well, she is married now!  B and K were married on Feb 22nd and it was beautiful.  Pictures will be coming.

What I want to talk about today is Naomi.  She has been doing gymnastics for a few years now.  She has been competing for just two years.  She started out last year in Xcel Gold and moved up to Platinum this year.

Last year she did very well and ended up being Beam State Champ!  She qualified for Regionals in Galveston.  We went and she was so excited to compete.  God had other plans, though.  During the bars warm-up she lost her grip and did some roll or something(I did not see it bc I was coaching another girl) and landed on her head/neck.  By the time I got over there she was surrounded by people telling her not to move and the paramedics were coming.  She could move all of her limbs but they were worried about a break.

Beth and I watched as they put a cervical collar on her and then back-boarded her.  That is not something I ever want to see again.  We rode by ambulance to the hospital and tried not to think of the worst.

Once at the hospital we waited for more than 4 hours and never saw a doctor.  In hindsight I wish I would have been more with it and requested a doctor.  She had morphine, an mri, and more videos made of her antics than we can post.  She is quite funny on pain meds!  After waiting for another hour they released us.  No pain meds, no instructions, no nothing.

Again, I wish I would have been more aware and calm.  But I wasn't.

After the fall she did go back to the gym a few days later and slowly started training again.  She worked her way up to a kind of normal routine in a few weeks.  However, the pain never went away.  She was in constant pain.  She also dealt with constant fear on the bars.

When she moved up levels she moved up in skills as well.  (of course!) Unfortunately being afraid of the bars did not help the situation.  Her first meet of the season we all almost had a panic attack.  Okay, not almost.  We did.  She was shaking the whole time and Beth and I were crying and trying not to run and get her off of the bars.  She did it though.  She got up there and did a routine.  It wasn't good and the score was low but she did it.

She did it at every meet, for the entire season.  She conquered her fear every single meet and got up on those bars and did the skill she fell on.  Every.single.meet.

She also improved her performance and scores at every single meet.

Finally at our State Meet she had one last chance to improve on her routines and qualify for Regionals.

Ya'll, that was the best bar routine I have seen from her!  She did all of her skills, she connected them, and she got her START VALUE.  Meaning that the judges gave her credit for all the skills and she did them good enough that they gave her credit for ALL of them!  That hasn't happened all season.

I could not be more proud of her perseverance and determination.  She has worked so hard to overcome her fears and she is doing it every single practice.

What a great way to end the season!