My heart is heavy today as I watch the coverage of the earthquake in Haiti. It's hard to feel happy when so many people are devastated by the biggest disaster in 200 years. That's a pretty big thing compared to my daily annoyances. Today it will be easier to keep things in perspective, as I pray for those in Haiti.
On the lighter side, last week I showed you the cute things that Patty sent me. Well, as we made it back to church on Sunday, I had 2 nice surprises in my box. One from Jenn Bovee, which was a little handmade calendar for my fridge (and it looks so cute there!) and a homemade card with cute little snowmen all over the front. I can't tell you how much joy it brings me to receive unexpected surprises. It's almost as fun as being the giver of unexpected surprises!
I also got Doug and Theresa's annual Christmas letter, which is probably the most well-written Christmas letter we get. Some of them are a little hard to read, but theirs is a beautifully written, humble, full of love letter. So, thank you Jenn and Theresa for being the sweet friends that you are. May God continue to bless you and our friendship.
I also got a nice email from my brother Jeff, which made me smile. One of my longtime prayers was that I would one day have a close relationship with each one of my family members again. Without going into personal detail, our family was rocked and tipped over for a very long time. It affected me very deeply, and has taken a lot of time to recover and repair the damage in me and around me. It finally feels like our family is focused on repairing relationships and moving forward, and I know Who is responsible for that. Believe me, this couldn't have happened without God's hand. So, to get a nice email from my brother, it just made my day. He wants us to take a bike trip and spend some time up at the cottage with our families. Praise the Lord is all I can say with tears in my eyes!
My sister and I are also turning the page, as we began studying the Bible together awhile ago. Our relationship is now based on positive things and not rehashing the past. Only God can do that, my friends. For a long time, I substituted friends in for family, and what a blessing it was that they understood what I needed from them. It's hard to explain to your children why your family is in shambles, and it's not the legacy I wanted for them. These "aunties" stepped in and loved on my girls and me too. It is nice to be able to share my siblings with my daughters and show them what family means. Thank you, God for all of the miracles. Yes. Miracles.
So, today as I reflect on Haiti and what those families must be going through, I am blessed to have mine intact. I am blessed with friends who invest in me and let me invest in them! Take some time and think about what and who you have in your life. Are you appreciating it enough?
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