Below is a recap of my 28 day LOVE FEST from facebook. I adore Valentine's Day and decided to post about something I LOVE every single day. It has been such a great thing for me (in a month that was a pretty tough month) because it has forced me to really evaluate every day and decide on something to focus on. If you read it on fb, just skip this post. If not, here is a copy/pasted version. :)
Happy Day 1 of LOVE MONTH!!! I have always been a huge fan of Valentine's Day, not so much for the mushy stuff, but for the chance to love on your people. So..... Day 1: I LOVE my man. I was first attracted to his sense of humor, somehow knowing even at 21 years old that having someone to laugh with probably ranks close to the top on the list of desires for my life. His love for God, the church, and family/friends is apparent in his every action. He is a dedicated employee and a hard worker. He is the most giving person I know, other than maybe my dad. ;) Just tonight I asked him to go to the grocery store for something specifically for ME. I didn't want to go because I was bone-cold. When he willingly agreed and the girls and I headed home to our warm house, I told them, "You will be so lucky if you can find a man who will always put you above himself." {There were two names mentioned by them at this point... I pointed out that seven and nine are really too young to decipher husband potential...) Kraig, you're the only one for me... SO thankful I made the choice I made all those years ago. :)
Love Month Day 2: (These aren't really in order, by the way...) I am in LOVE with my Savior. I can only think of one other period in my life (my youth group years) when I felt His presence as strongly in my life as I do right now. I am grateful that He has engraved me on the palm of His hand and that those same Hands were nail-pierced for my opportunity for salvation. He is apparent in every single aspect of my life, from the people in my daily path to my job calling to the ways He is gently calling/cattle prodding me to work for Him. He's been so good to me and I hope I make His heart smile.
Love Month Day 3-- Had to do this one today... I love my sister, Natalie Buckner Killian, who turns 30 today. (30??? How is this possible???) She is one of those people who make every activity more fun, from organizing a classroom to having a yard sale to floating in a pool. As special as she is as a sister, she means that much more to me as my girls' aunt. They adore her to her very core and it is so much fun to watch them dote on her (and her on them). She is kind and generous and loves God and man. Speaking of men, she also brought a most special brother-in-law into our family. We love Josh as much as we could anyone and are so thankful for him. We wasted a lot of years not getting along (she pinched and pulled hair harder as a child than anyone I have ever seen), but I am so grateful not only to have her as my sister, but to have her as my sister LIVING IN THIS TOWN!!! :)
Love Month, Day 4: I love my Emma. She never ceases to make me so proud of her. I know I mostly tell the funny and silly stuff about Emma and Kelsey, but there's a lot of serious/kind/smart stuff too. I think my favorite thing about Emma is also the thing that worries me most about her... she is friendly with everyone instead of limiting herself to one or two "best friends". I have never had a teacher tell me one negative thing about her. Instead, I hear "if only I had a classroom full of Emma's..." She is wicked smart but doesn't rub it in. She is very humble, but also somehow completely self-confident. Her artistic, creative, and musical abilities astound me. I have said it before, but I often think that I want to be Emma when I grow up. :) Most of all, she understands the concept of radiating Jesus wherever you go. We are lucky parents!!
Love Month, Day 5: I love my sweet, funny Kelsey SO much! Kelsey is one of those kids who, even at the age of seven, you KNOW how much fun she is going to be when she's an adult. I love hanging out with her even now. She is one people are drawn to, and I think it's because she's so stinkin' funny. Kelsey has this way of nestling into her way into your heart much the same way she nestles her way into the crook of your arm. She's affectionate and loving and I hear all the time about her from teachers and others, "Kelsey is just such a funny, smart, and perceptive kid!" Kelsey is a planner like her mommy and matter of fact like her daddy. She is smart, creative, and just incredibly comfortable with herself. At the same time, she is so empathetic. She's my kid who worries about other people's feelings and senses moods and emotions in others. Kelsey loves hard, she plays hard, and she PRAYS hard. I love that she loves His heart.
Love Month, Day 6: I don't think I held myself to just people for this, but also things... So today, I am overcome with love for SUNSHINE!!! I am a summer girl at heart (who loves a great snowfall!) and days like today absolutely refresh my soul. I honestly feel like I can breathe easier when it's sunny and warm outside. God's creation, especially his blue skies and wispy clouds and sunshine, is truly a majestic thing.
Love Month, Day SEVEN!!! I LOOOOOVE my mom! She is such a loving, giving person. I can't count the number of times she has given or done things for people and no one ever even knew she did it. She's smart and organized and so much fun to be around! She suspended her teaching career to stay home with us because that's what she felt called to do, then learned a whole different (new and changing!) field-- technology-- in order to work again. I attribute the person, parent, and teacher I am today almost solely to her (and dad, but that's another post). She is so incredibly good to my grandparents and to my children. She loves my sister and me and our husbands with all that is in her. She and my dad have always had a marriage that I knew was solid as a rock. Just this afternoon, knowing I was going to be rushed and hurried to try and get things ready for an unexpected book club at my house, she gave me a dessert she had in her freezer and went to the grocery store for me. I am so, so, so, so lucky to have had her model womanhood and Christian living for me in my life
Love Month, Day 8: I love words... I love books. And I love that a person who loves words can write and publish an awesome book that inspires and encourages others. I love that there are those out there who have a story to share and who are willing to go through the difficult and exhausting process of sharing it. I just feel so incredibly lucky to live in a world where the next great story is just around the corner and you never know who amongst you might become a writer next. And that I get to spend my DAYS with words and books and in conversation about those??? Wow. The only way it could get better will be if ever I get to join the ranks of published author. :)
Love Month, Day 9: I love, love, love my Dad. He is and always has been the solid rock in my life... always mellow, always loving, always dependable. I can't think of a time I have heard him say a negative thing about another person. He always sees the best in everyone, even when it means it will cause him a loss in the end. By the same token, I have never heard anyone else say an unkind word about my dad. Truthfully, if ever there was an example of Christlike living on this earth, it's him. He is a giver, plain and simple. He always gave of himself to his parents and cared so fully for my grandparents as they aged. He gives completely of himself to his family, his church, his friends, ministry, and his animals. My greatest hope is that my girls will find a man who will treat them the way my dad treats others. His laugh is one of my favorite sounds on this earth. We are so blessed to have him.
Love Month, Day TEN: I LOOOOVE Claire Roberson Wood. Claire was my very first "adult friend". I knew OF her through her cousins, then we chatted the summer before I started my teaching career at CHS. The development of my friendship with Claire is a testament to the kind of person she is... she took me under her wing from my first day of teaching and has continued to inspire and astound and challenge and amuse me for the past thirteen years. She is probably the most gifted teacher I have ever known. The Canterbury Tales phrase "and gladly would he learn, and gladly teach" truly applies to her because she always seeks to learn more and better herself and her students (students who are currently her most precious, her own three children). She's the gal you need when you want to laugh till you hurt with the kind of wit that is truly unmatched. She has challenged and inspired me as often as she has made me laugh. Even though I became a parent first, I feel like I have learned so much from her parenting. Today Claire is across the United States in El Paso, TX... and her reason for being there is further proof of the Lord's presence in her life. She and Ryan have followed Him into the chaplaincy program and Ryan is currently deployed to Afghanistan. Claire is, at this very moment, reminding me again of what the Christian walk is truly about: obedience and faith-walking. As much as I miss having her close, I love her for showing the rest of us how to live. Happy 36th bday, friend! I love you and I am a better person for having known you.
Love Month, Day 11: I LOVE my coworkers!!! I know some work with people they can take or leave but I can't imagine being in that situation. From my first day at CHS, I have been privileged to work with people who became my best friends. I work with a faculty who knows how to LOVE. We LOVE people, LOVE our students, LOVE our coworkers, and LOVE being RAIDERS! I have seen time and time again that CHS teachers will give anything and do anything to help other people. We have provided for students' physical needs, taken care of each other through meals and money, helped pay for the funeral of a parent of a needy student, and reached out to various charities and humanitarian groups. There is NO HEART like the HEART OF A RAIDER. I am so blessed by these people.
Love Month, Day 12: I love, love, love my grandparents. We are so blessed to have had them as long as we have, and in such great health. They have been a most precious presence in my life for as long as I can remember, from family vacations to Friday night sleepovers to afternoons making stuff with Grandmother to hunting Easter eggs that Grandaddy hid. I remember, on nights when I spent the night with them, hearing the low murmur of their prayers every night on their knees by their bed as they remembered each and every family member and many of our church family. As much as they have always meant to me as my grandparents, there is nothing sweeter than watching them be GREAT grandparents to my two littles. It meant more than I can ever say for them to have been the daily caregivers of both of my children from birth to kindergarten while I fulfilled my calling to teach. I try not to think much about life once they're gone, but I think the hardest part will just be the loss of always knowing that there is someone in this world in your corner... someone who thinks that you can accomplish anything... someone who loves unconditionally and prays continually... someone who is as proud of you as if you were the best person on earth. We are so very lucky to call them ours.
Let me first say that I don't FEEL LIKE doing a Love Month post today... I'm tired, I've had a bad week, my stomach hurts, and I have too much to do tonight.
So my Love Month, Day 13 post is going to be that I LOVE how blessed I am....
I have a cozy house and comfy bed to sleep in and actually GET a good night's rest, which is more than a lot of people on this earth.
Although my week has been a rough one, I HAVE a job I love, people in my life who care, and a Savior I can talk to any time.
I'm blessed to be in SUCH good health that a silly stomach ailment SEEMS like a big deal because any pain is a stark contrast to the health I have been blessed with.
And my "stuff" I have to do? I don't actually HAVE to do any of it, but WANT to in order to tangibly show some people in my world just what they mean to me. How lucky am I that I am stressed over baking cookies and sewing gifts and writing Valentines rather than about carrying my life's possession on my bag as I desperately try to get my family to safety in a refugee camp halfway around the world???
So tonight, I'm thankful.... for the weariness, the bad mood, the achy stomach, and the life clutter.
So my Love Month, Day 13 post is going to be that I LOVE how blessed I am....
I have a cozy house and comfy bed to sleep in and actually GET a good night's rest, which is more than a lot of people on this earth.
Although my week has been a rough one, I HAVE a job I love, people in my life who care, and a Savior I can talk to any time.
I'm blessed to be in SUCH good health that a silly stomach ailment SEEMS like a big deal because any pain is a stark contrast to the health I have been blessed with.
And my "stuff" I have to do? I don't actually HAVE to do any of it, but WANT to in order to tangibly show some people in my world just what they mean to me. How lucky am I that I am stressed over baking cookies and sewing gifts and writing Valentines rather than about carrying my life's possession on my bag as I desperately try to get my family to safety in a refugee camp halfway around the world???
So tonight, I'm thankful.... for the weariness, the bad mood, the achy stomach, and the life clutter.
No comments:
Post a Comment