Random Musings

This week has been full of overwhelming comprehension of the goodness of God.  More than once this week, I've had to pinch myself to make sure I'm not dreaming.  If I'm honest, I've been pinching myself for well over a year.  I am living out my heart's desire and it is so beautiful.  God's faithfulness is being proven to me over and over with each new day. I am a believer, a dreamer of dreams.  I know that the Lord has promised certain things to me and I've worked hard to be obedient to His calling.  It hasn't always made sense to me.  Sometimes I've had to leap into the darkness with no idea of what might break my fall.  It's been lonely and scary at times.  And, there have been moments when I wanted to give up hope and stop believing in dreams.  But, the Lord is faithful and He loves His children.  All good and perfect gifts come down from Heaven. In less than five weeks, I will join hands with the man of my dreams and become ...

"Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a desire fulfilled is a tree of life." - Proverbs 13:12 For so many years, I held onto a hope that seemed impossible.  I knew that the Lord had something amazing waiting for me, but I just had to stand in obedience until He brought it to fruition.  It is true that "He [makes] all things beautiful in His time" (Ecclesiastes 3:11), but it is sometimes so difficult for us.  Our bodies long and yearn for the fulfillment of our hopes and dreams.  We become heart sick when it seems like we'll never receive the promise.  We ache for what we do not know. But, then something beautiful happens...God comes through for us.  The joy that is found on that morning is beyond compare.  This year has been a year of desires fulfilled.  I am reveling in the goodness of a Father who would see fit to give me all of these good things.  It's amazing.  It's humbling.  It's more than I dared to dream...

One of the hardest things for me to process, in my life, is the changing nature of relationships.  I love my friends and family fiercely and it's difficult for me when life takes us separate ways.  I've rarely parted ways with someone on bad terms, but sadly, I have had to walk that road at times.  Whether amicable or antagonistic, it's always a little heart-breaking to accept when a relationship is ended or dramatically altered. I've been thinking about this truth a great deal in the last few months.  I think I'm beginning to find a way to make peace with relationships that aren't what they once were, and those that aren't what I thought they were. I wonder how other people embrace this inevitable ebb and flow of life.  I love to gain wisdom from the experiences of others.  If anyone has any wisdom to share, I'm happy to hear it. Right now, this song keeps echoing in my mind: For Good from Wicked I'm limited.  ...

"Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of heavenly lights..." James 1:17 I've heard it said that, "Once in a while, in the middle of an ordinary life, love gives us a fairytale".  On December 31st, 2012, the Lord gave me a good and perfect gift.  Nick Giardino, the love of my life, planned a perfect day and the Lord surrounded and protected it with love and beauty. The entire day was a surprise adventure for me.  Nick planned everything with great love and attention to detail.  I met him at his house that morning and we set off for a day I'll never forget.  It was beautiful to be able to rest and trust in him to lead me through the day. The Lord gave us beautiful little moments and gifts throughout the day.  As we started on the journey, Nick said we needed to listen to some love songs.  He had a soundtrack for the day!  As he pulled it up on shuffle (it was in order for a different part of the journey), the ...

I started writing tonight for the first time in quite a while.  I was invited to guest write for a blog for a local women's organization and so I sat down at my computer to write.  As those blogs are published, I will post them here.  But, for now, it has come to my attention that my last blog post was in March!  So many things have changed in my life since then and I want to take a moment to share them. Chicago or Bust! Most of you know, but for those who don't, in February I moved to the beautiful and windy "Second City".  Well, in truth, I live about 45 minutes North West of Chicago in Elgin, Illinois.  Nick and I had always talked about him finding his way to the South, but the Lord had different plans.  In a time frame that seemed impossible to both of us, the Lord opened the doors for me to move North.  I found someone who was renting a room in a beautiful historic house in Downtown Elgin, packed my car and, with Karlee as co-pilot, head...

Over the last few days, a video has gone viral on the internet. Unlike so many viral videos, this is not of talking animals, dancing grandmas, or any number of other zany videos that make us laugh throughout the course of the day. No, this is a 30 minute documentation of the story of Josephy Kony, a war criminal. The video has sparked a lot of controversy and conversation. The organization responsible for the video, Invisible Children , has come under scrutiny as well. All of this is good. It's important to ask questions and to do research. Before getting involved in a movement, it's important to ask questions. I am staggered by the darkness in this world. There are some days where I am sick to my stomach and reduced to tears over what happens here. It can be overwhelming to even know where to begin. I hate that we've given so few real alternatives to women that they often feel the only "choice" they have is to terminate the life of their child. I hate t...