This is that time of year I typically reflect on all that has happened in our lives over the past year. As I look though my photos on my phone I am blown away of the places we have been ( even lived for a short while) and the people we have met and/or reconnected with along the way. What a gift!
I know I can push back a little on the uncertainties of the future here on earth. I can complain about things not going my way or wishing A. B. Or C had never changed. But life is about progress and its a process. I am a work in progress. As I look back I can't help but think...... If that hadn't happened way back then, this won't have happened as it did. I can then see clearly, God's hand in all of it. Even those very difficult times when I didn't get my way. To which I can now say "phew! I'm so glad I didn't get my way in that." What a gift from God!
My brother-in-law posted the sweetest video of our sons birth in honor of his 27th birthday. I remember being eight plus months pregnant, the nursery I had painted in our very first home was waiting his arrival. My mom who lived around the corner from us at the time was going to watch our little one so I could go back to work... and then... Jim got transferred to Las Vegas. It felt like I moved across the country rather than just a four hours drive away. My way didn't go as planned. But now, I can see God's hand in that. I believe that us, being uprooted and transferred out of state, as hard as it was; was one of the best things for us and our marriage. That too, was an incredible gift! So, that precious video of us in the hospital was just the beginning of our little family and a glimpse of what God knew and where we needed to be.
And He continued to do the same over the next 27 years. He has shown me His goodness and faithfulness over the years, even before I knew Him. As I sit here, reflecting on His perfect timing, I can see how every single time He had uprooted me it was because He knew exactly what I needed, where I needed to be and when. The ripple effect has been incredible and it has changed me. I am still a work in progress. What a gift that is!
I love getting into all of those personality tests and profiles. I enjoy knowing what other's personality temperaments are as well. I also like the five love languages. We all have two top languages we speak to show and receive love from others. I show love differently than my husband and that no longer surprises me since we could not be any more different than we are. We are wired completely opposite of each other. So of course we speak different love languages.
One of his love languages is gifts. He loves to buy me gifts. Doesn't matter where he is, he will usually come home with a little something he picked up and say " I got you a surprise". It's sweet that he is thinking of me while at Home Depot and wants to give me a little pink flashlight, keychain. I love that about him and I have learned that this is one of his ways of showing he loves me.
He rarely can wait to give me my presents. As long as I can remember on Christmas Eve after the kids went to bed, he would ask me; " want to open one of your presents?" I always replied the same " No, I will wait until morning." " Are you sure?" He'd ask " " just one?" I'd grin and say " No." He is like a little kid. He is a gift and I love him tons!
This year we will be traveling to spend Christmas with the kids. Which in itself is a gift! But that also means we had to exchange gifts with each other a little early. Of course, he couldn't wait. He also likes to tease me with a silly gift while the " big gift" is in a closet somewhere. So, he had me open a Costco size pack of hand warmers and said Merry Christmas then walked over to the broom closet and presented me with a, not so disguised wrapped; oar. That's right, an oar. One can only do one thing with an oar. The first thing I thought was, " at least I have a paddle." This made me smile, and believe it or not, I was pretty excited. I looked at him and said " you bought me a canoe?" His face lit up and said " come outside" and there in our backyard, hidden behind the shed was the cutest little, green canoe. Had I gotten my way all those years ago, I could have missed this moment right here. A canoe in my backyard. What a gift!
We have a lot of little lakes around us and what better way to get away and decompress than to jump in a canoe and paddle around a bit. My love language's have shifted this past year to a very high " Quality Time" that is how I feel and express love the most I think. So for him to give me a canoe that will be used solely for the purpose of spending time together was an incredible gift. We took it out on a little lake that is literally around the corner from us. It was perfect, we paddled around and saw things that I never imagined. The water was peaceful, no cell phones, TV or Annie, the fifty pound puppy demanding all the attention. I loved hearing the gentle rippling of the water up against that little canoe. There were parts of the lake that were beginning to ice up. I thought what a difference from the days on the lake with our ski boat in Las Vegas. Those were great times and fond memories that I cherish. I know these simpler times rowing in our canoe will be too. What a gift!
As we head in to celebrate Christmas, I can't help but think of Jesus and His birthday. A baby born in a manger so that He would later die for me and for you. What a gift! My prayer is that we will all reflect on that this season. That is why we celebrate Christmas, because of God's greatest gift to us, His Son! My prayer too, is that if you do not yet know this great gift that God has for you; that you will seek Him. He loves you very much, so much that He sent Jesus to bring you to Him. What a gift worth receiving!!
Merry Christmas!
-Pressing On
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