Not Just About the 1st Day

It’s not just about the first day. The first day is very important, yes. It will of course serve as a symbol of the journey that you will take together. If you take nothing else from this book, grab hold and don’t let go of the fact, yes, I said fact, that it is not just about the first day. As every other day, this day will come, and it will go. Of course, it should be special, because no matter if it is big, small, or somewhere in between, you will think of it often, sometimes with happiness, hope and great joy, sometimes with sadness, sometimes wistfully, and at other times with deep longing to return to when it was simpler, and you thought that you were invincible. There will be times when you will look to it as a source of strength that you will take with you through the rocky, dry, deserted, lonely places you will inevitably end up in. But know this, you do not have to stay there. Take all the strength you need and remember. Remember? you ask. Yes, remember. Remember how you looked at each other, the things that made you smile inside and out, how you couldn’t wait to tell each other what happened that day, the dreams of your hearts and the stepping stones you’d crossed that day to get closer to them. You must not forget! Trust me, the words for better or worse, sickness and health, richer or poorer are not just arbitrarily placed in your vows if you chose to recite traditional vows. They are there for a reason, because at some point, and it differs for all couples those times will come. They hardly ever announce that they are coming so you must be ready. Be ready to remember what you said on that first day, that you would be there that you would stay whether good or bad, whether they mess up or almost always get it right, whether healthy or sick and whether with more or with less. Words have power, and those may be some of the most powerful words in the vows. They are not simply words that are spoken before all your family and friends, but they are blueprints for your life together—words you will live. So, remember, it’s not just about the first day, it is really about each day that follows the first day.

Today...

Today I am thankful for the gift of today. However, I must admit that I have struggled with being focused for most of the day. I wrestled with distractions and how to not let them get the best of me so that I could use every moment of this day wisely and not waste any of it. As I glance at the clock I realize that I lost this battle today. But I won’t let it stop me from trying to win it tomorrow. And hey, there are still many moments left in the day, so I’m not out yet.

Today, I am also thankful for my heavenly father who continues to not give up on me. He continues to invest His time and energy into me, teaching me, guiding me, and encouraging me to go on, to choose and to seek to be better and to be more than I was yesterday. Heck, for that matter, this morning even. Right now He is teaching me some very valuable lessons on how to be strong in the midst of weakness. He is teaching me how to fight when all I want to do is run! He is teaching me how to be joyful in the midst of heartache. He is teaching me how to be accepted in the midst of disapproval and rejection. He is teaching me how to let go and show grace even as I ask Him, “Why?” and “Where is grace for me?”. He is teaching me that I am not always right, even though that is what I prefer to think. He is teaching me that often I just need to listen and not respond. He is teaching me that I need not say what is on my tongue or on my mind. He is teaching me to see people, to truly see them. He reminds me that everyone has an untold story. He is teaching me to step back so that others might step up. He is teaching me to slow down in the midst of the race of my life. He is teaching me to be content and focused on my own race. He reminds me that I was created for a unique purpose that could not be fulfilled by anyone else. He is teaching me to be courageous in the midst of my fear. He is teaching me to trust in the midst of my doubts. He is teaching me that He is always near even when I can’t feel Him. He is teaching me to listen in the midst of all the noise. He teaches me how to recognize His voice. He is teaching me how to think, listen and speak according to His heart. He is teaching me that things are seldom as they seem and that I should be most interested in those things I cannot see rather than what I can see. He is teaching me that everything about me is valuable to Him. He is concerned about it all. All of it, from what I think about my hair to sending my child off to college this fall. I never have to walk alone, He is near and He is here!

As you can see, I am being presented with many lessons so that I may glean wisdom. And there are many more that I did not record here that I am being taught as well. My father is an amazing teacher and I am so blessed to be His child and pupil. Praise be to our God!

Lessons Learned

Well Spring Break has ended and it's back to school and work and schedules. With the exception of late risings on Monday, the week got off to a pretty good start and has been a really good week. The girls returned to receiving report cards which illustrated some excellent effort over the last quarter. This mom is really proud of her brood. So now we are in the final stretch and home plate is in full view.

While the girls were in school learning lessons, Emma taught me a couple of lessons this week at home. One of them is that maybe we need to actually demonstrate how to rest around here. Following lunch, I told her to lay down for a nap to which she replied, "Why?". I said, "because you need the rest." She responded by saying, " I don't need rest, I'm not sick." I thought to myself, "uh-oh" clearly there is a problem here. That got me to thinking about our need for margins and rest in our lives. Then I began to think about how I expect the girls to do things that I, myself am not doing. I was reminded that if I expect them to do things especially those pertaining to faith and character building then I am going to have to model that for them. I have to do more than just talk and/or lecture about what we should do and give them a real, present example of what it means to be a faithful follower of Christ. And because I need help doing this, I will go to the source and ask for His help. Everyday.

I will borrow a prayer from yesterday's devotion (Prov 31 First 5):

Lord,
Place a guard on my heart and mind to protect me from sinful thoughts and emotions. Let no weapon formed against me (physically, mentally, emotional or spiritually) prosper and let the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart be pleasing to You. Help me to choose your will over my own today. Amen.

Because, after all, it all starts with the heart.