I confess my brain has been on hiatus since returning from Illinois! Here are a few examples...
1. I left my flat iron in Illinois...aaarrrhhhgggghhh!!! My hair has a life of its own so a flat iron is desperately necessary...!!!
2. I over-peppered the chicken soup tonight nearly taking out Michael's tonsils...! When your throat begins to burn like it's on fire after only taking one sip, you know you've grossly miscalculated the "dash" of pepper part of the recipe...!!!
3. I forgot I hid the plastic pitcher of cooking oil in the oven and turned it on to 375 degrees to preheat. After 10 minutes, I started smelling something suspiciously like plastic coming from the oven... EEKS! Nothing like burning down the house while it's in escrow, eh?!?
4. I went to turn on the printer so I could scan a document and then received a phone call where I had to run upstairs to get something. By the time I came back downstairs, I started working on the computer and forgot I had originally intended to scan my document. Duh.
I'm sure there's been more "incidents," but I'm too tired to remember them at the moment!
Last week, my dear friend Karen A. hosted a farewell party for us with our sweet LOMSAA family. 80 of our dear friends gathered around and prayed over us! It was an amazing moment I will lock away this memory in my heart. Karen had requested everyone write a blessing for us and that night, Krista and I read them out loud to each other. My heart is full :o)
I am realizing more and more each day (as reality slowly begins to sink in) that we're not just leaving our home, our church family and all our friends, but we're leaving a piece of our hearts here. I don't even want to start crying because I may not be able to stop!!! WWWAAAAHHHHH
But the good news is that we hope to find a home with a nice finished basement (with an extra bedroom and full bathroom there) so we can host all our friends when they come visit us :o) And maybe, one day, all the girls in my monthly Girls Bible Study will be able to come and stay with me for the ultimate sleep over...! One can always dream, right?!?
Aren't new beginnings so exciting?!? I am excited about the new relationships we're going to develop and I'm excited about getting plugged in at church! I'm looking forward to getting connected to a new church family and seeing what God does in the lives of our two children and their friends!
In James 4:14, we're reminded that our lives are just a wisp of vapor (a puff of smoke, a mist) that is visible for a little while and then disappears into thin air... So, I encourage you to invest your life and resources in people and not just in stuff. I can promise you that in the end, you won't be wishing you had more stuff.
So, love God and love people. The Amplified Bible's version of Micah 6:8 puts it very simply: "He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you but to do justly, and to love kindness and mercy, and to humble yourself and walk humbly with your God."
Imagine what our world would be like if the body of Christ put that verse in action!!! It starts with you. And it starts with me. Let's do it!!!
