Listening, and thankful...

Listening is something I want to continue to get better at as I live my life. It's something that gets difficult when life gets busy. Often I am caught up in my own day to day needs that I forget to listen. I forget to listen to God. I forget to turn off the t.v, radio, computer, and just sit in the beauty of silence. It is in those times when I am able to really clear my thoughts and focus on what God is saying to me. 

I also want to work on listening to people. I want to have time to hear the struggles of my closest friends. I want to get deep with people I care about and just listen. It is when we can share the joys and burdens of someone else's life that we see the true reason of community.

 Intimate friendships are one of the most beautiful gifts God has given us as Christians. If I haven't had time to listen lately, know that I am praying... The difficulty of busy summers is that we begin to miss intimate times with friends we care so deeply for. Thank you Jesus for all of the wonderful people you have placed in our lives. 

Yesterday I watched my dear friend Michele turn 21 and graduate from Cal State Long Beach in the same day. I am so proud of her. She has encouraged me to continue my education and work hard.

 I am going to West Virginia next week to see my friend Amber get married. Amber and her sister Samantha have been my best friends since I was 8 years old. We have kept a long distance friendship for over 15 years. God has blessed us with a unique friendship to where we may only see each other once a year, but we never miss a beat. They are a blessing and I am very proud of both of them for turning into such beautiful women. 

Also, we have friends who have had babies, friends moving, friends dealing with personal tragedy, friends graduating, friends getting married... all of these things have been weighing on my heart and I just want everyone in  our lives to know how much they mean to us and how much we love them. This just reminds us of how many wonderful people God has placed in our lives. 

We also miss our small group very much! Hope to get together soon. I guess you don't realize how important a small group is until you are away from them for awhile! God is good. 

For my Husband.

Many of you know that Marcos and I are buying a house and getting ready to move in! If you didn't, well now you know.  I just wanted to take some time out of my day to praise my Husband. I don't want to sound like I am bragging about him.... but I probably am, because he would never do so himself.

 

Since we've gotten married, Marcos has taken on a huge responsibility-- Me! He tackled his first year of teaching, he has provided for me, put a roof over my head, given me food to eat, and most of all, loved me exactly for who I am. He is a beautiful example of what it means to sacrifice for another.

 I respect him and admire him for so many reasons. He teaches me to be a hard worker, he keeps me motivated, he encourages me, and he believes in me. He puts his heart into everything he does... and for that reason, so many people are blessed to be a part of his life.

He takes pride in being a good husband, teacher, son, brother, friend, co-worker, and most of all, a servant of Christ. 

Basically, I am proud of my husband and I am so grateful for all he has done for me and for so many others. I thank God for giving me such a good man and for allowing me to be the women that completes him. He is my protector, provider, and my best friend. 

Okay, the sappiness is over.... thanks for reading!

Not my will, but yours...

I often wonder what I would do if I knew exactly when I would die. For example, if I knew I only had 6 months to live, what would I do? I would probably not stress out about what is going to happen tomorrow. I wouldn’t let little things bother me. I would spend more time with people I care about. I would take more pride in my daily work. I would probably forgive people sooner and not hold grudges. I would better appreciate my education. I would let people know how important they are to me rather than trying to compete with them. There are a million other things I could think of.

The trouble is, we don’t know when our time on earth is up-- Only God knows that. And we have a problem with God having this control that we will never have. So our job is to find a balance. God leaves it up to us to set our priorities in a way that if we were to die tomorrow, we would have spent more of our time on the things that matter the most to each one of us.

Life is a roller coaster, regardless of how structured we attempt to make our lives. Sorry to burst the “Planner’s” bubble, but everything does not always go the way we expect it to. Yes, I agree in making plans and writing out my “to-do” list, however, it is important to remember that we do not have control over what happens in our lives. We have control over the choices we make and how we react to situations, but we cannot control the world around us. This is why it is so important to remember that God is with us every step of the way.

The reality is, we try to be God at times and map out our lives step-by-step. Then when God has other plans for us, we freak out and feel like failures because things did not go according to “Our” plan. I know I am guilty of this everyday. But it is a relief when I can just throw my hands in the air and say,

“Lord, I know you are in control. I am tired of trying to make sure everything goes as I have planned. You know what is best for me. If I was in control, my life would be a wreck.”

We are constantly looking to the future and trying to figure out what we will do next. It is good to prepare for the future, no doubt. But I hope we never get so caught up that we forget to enjoy what is sitting right in front of us. Let's spend our days expecting the best and preparing for the worst, not the opposite.

There are days I stress about a paper due or how I will cram everything I have to do in my schedule and still enjoy myself. But what happens when I lose a loved one? What happens when I experience real life? How will I handle that? Is that what it is going to take to really fall to my knees and surrender my life completely to Christ?

I need Jesus every step of the way. On the good days and the bad days. Time on earth is so short compared to eternity. What can I do today to spend my time more wisely, get real with God, and prepare for an uncertain future on earth that for sure ends in death? Thankfully, we have a savior who died for us so that earth is not the end, but the beginning. He has given us the gift of eternal life, a gift we take for granted every single day.

"Show me your ways, O Lord, teach me your paths; guide me in your truths and teach me, for you are God my Savior and my hope is in you all day long." - Psalms 25:4-5

Now that's some good b-ball.

Sorry to get all sappy on you again... but I'm beginning to accept that I'm just one of those want-to-make-you-feel-all-warm-and-fuzzy-on-the-inside type of people... Oh well. Anyway, my dad showed me this article, and I won't tell you that he started crying when he was telling me about it. Oops, I mean... read this story:

"Something remarkable happened in a college softball game Saturday in Ellensburg. At least, I am conditioned to think it was remarkable, since it involved an act of sportsmanship, with two players helping an injured opponent complete the home run she had just slugged.

Why this generous act should seem so unusual probably stems from the normal range of bulked-up baseball players, police-blotter football players, diving soccer and hockey players and other high-profile professionals.

The moment of grace came after Sara Tucholsky, a diminutive senior for Western Oregon, hit what looked like a three-run homer against Central Washington. Never in her 21 years had Tucholsky propelled a ball over a fence, so she did not have her home run trot in order, gazing in awe, missing first base. When she turned back to touch the bag, her right knee buckled, and she went down, crying and crawling back to first base.

Pam Knox, the Western Oregon coach, made sure no teammates touched Tucholsky, which would have automatically made her unable to advance. The umpires ruled that if Tucholsky could not make it around the bases, two runs would score but she would be credited with only a single. ("She'll kill me if I take it away from her," Knox thought.)

Then Mallory Holtman, the powerful first baseman for Central Washington, said words that brought a chill to everybody who heard them:

"Excuse me, would it be OK if we carried her around and she touched each bag?"

The umpires huddled and said it would be legal, so Holtman and the Central Washington shortstop, Liz Wallace, lifted Tucholsky, hands crossed under her, and carried her to second base, and gently lowered her so she could touch the base. Then Holtman and Wallace started to giggle, and so did Tucholsky, through her tears, and the three of them continued this odd procession to third base and home to a standing ovation.

"Everybody was crying," Knox recalled Tuesday. "It was an away game, and our four fans were crying. We couldn't hit after that."

The extra run made it easier for Western Oregon to win the second game, 4-2, and sweep the doubleheader. More important, all involved realized they had taken part in an event they would always remember.

The question is, where did it come from, this impulsive gesture by Mallory Holtman?
"She hit it over the fence," Holtman said Tuesday. "She deserved it. Anybody would have done it. I just beat them to it."