You are currently browsing the monthly archive for April 2008.
…on the 28th of last month Galen and I celebrated 10 years of marriage. I don’t know why, but last night it just hit me. 10 years…in some ways I can’t believe 10 years has come and gone so quickly, but there have definitely been times, refining, growing, painful times, when it seemed like our life together was crawling along. When I look at a picture of us on our wedding day I honestly do not recognize the people looking back at me…and it is not just the fact that Galen had a full head of hair and now he has “bawd hair” as Tuckie likes to say. Or that my hair looks like we got married in 1985 when we really got married in 1998. It is not even because our self proclaimed “spiritual gift” of “going out to eat” has rounded our corners a bit. No, it is because the people that we are today are so different than the people we were then.
10 years ago we were husband and wife…today we are husband and wife and daddy and mommy.
10 years ago we were renting a tiny one bedroom apartment in So California…today we are calling our third state and third house home.
10 years ago Galen was a student and part time youth pastor; I was a full time teacher…today Galen is in the business world and I am a full time mom.
10 years ago we were full of so many dreams…today we look back painfully on the reality of having to lay a few of those dreams to rest and at the same time we stand in awe of how the Lord has given us more than we could ask or imagine.
10 years ago we were only 23 and 21…today I find myself saying, “Mackenzie is never getting married at 21!”
10 years ago I knew that I could never love anyone as much a I loved Galen…today I know that to be only partially true…there will never be anyone I love as much as Galen, but the depth of love I felt for him that day was only a fraction of what I feel today. I cannot imagine what it will be like in 10 more years.
10 years ago we were just beginning our journey, just the two of us, hand in hand…today we have added 3 little travelers and are about to add a fourth.
10 years ago we were full of big dreams, separate dreams…today we realize that it is wonderful to dream separately, but there is nothing better than sharing the same dream. Our dream is to live every day surrendered to our savior and to humble ourselves in service to HIM. Our dream is to live each day thankful for that day and to not “borrow trouble” from tomorrow. Our dream is to lead our children towards the greatest relationship they could ever have…a relationship with Jesus. Our dream is to finish this journey hand in hand, but our reality is that if death does separate us we will one day spend eternity together.
Looking forward to new reflections when we celebrate 20 years…
jenn
…I’m reading Calm my Anxious Heart by Linda Dillow right now and was struck by this story…
“I need oil,” said an ancient monk, so he planted
an olive sapling. ”Lord,” he prayed, “it needs rain that
its tender roots may drink and swell. Send gentle showers.”
And the Lord sent gentle showers. ”Lord,” prayed the monk,
“my tree needs sun. Send sun, I pray thee.” And the sun shone,
gilding the dripping clouds. ”Now frost, my Lord, to brace its
tissues,” cried the monk. And behold, the little tree stood
sparkling with frost, but at evening died.
Then the monk sought the cell of a brother monk, and told
his strange experience. ”I, too, planted a little tree,” he said, “and see
it thrives well. But I entrust my tree to its God. He who made it knows
better what it needs than a man like me. I laid no condition
I fixed not ways or means. ’Lord, send what it needs,’ I prayed, ’storm or
sunshine, wind, rain, or frost. Thou has made it and
Thou dost know.”
Lord, you have made me, and Galen and Jackson, and Mackenzie, and Tucker and Thou dost know.
jenn
…so potty training has not gone well. Call it Tucker’s lack of interest or my lack of motivation, but it is not happening! I know it will happen…eventually!
Funny Story:
Jackson gets out of the shower and the following conversation takes place…
- Mackenzie: “Jackson, you look so sparkly and clean.”
- Jackson: ”I know, I just took a shower.”
- Mackenzie: ”Did you scrub your pits?” (a question Galen loves to ask Jackson:)
- Jackson: ”YES! Smell them.”
- Mackenzie: ”Okay.” And then she precedes to stick her nose into each of her brothers armpits and smell them. ”Mmmm, they smell good.”
This is a moment that I want to be sure to remember to tell them when he’s 16 and she’s 14…:)
Happy Friday,
jenn:)
Mackenzie says to me as I am laying her down for a nap today…,”Mom, I don’t like taking naps. They are not healthy for my energy.” Didn’t know I was raising such a “new age” thinking daughter!:)
jenn:)
…potty training Tucker tomorrow which means not leaving the house for a few days. This truly is my least favorite part of parenting Toddlers! Hoping to still have my sanity when this is all said and done…I’ll let you know how it goes. I’m sure you will all be on pins and needles waiting to hear!:)
jenn:)
…and I really do mean in spite of ME…Mackenzie was in the bathtub tonight and she looked up at me and said, “Mommy, I can’t wait to grow up and be just like you.” So precious and so meaningful to me because lately my “mommy skills” have been seriously lacking. Pregnancy Hormones + No Energy= Crabby Mommy. Her unconditional love is so humbling, so Christ like, so undeserved. It’s hard to even put into words how thankful I am for her. Thank you Lord for the blessing of Mackenzie Ruth. jenn:)
…a cleaning lady to clean my messy house. My budget to hire a cleaning lady: $0.00…what do you think my chances are? Actually… I would just settle for some energy to clean the house myself. How much does that cost? jenn:)
