And...Scene

This week I am moving out of my apartment.  In a couple of days, as a matter of fact, and although my future is bright and exciting, I find myself strangely nostalgic and slightly sad at the impending move.  I actually teared up earlier, when I started thinking about it.

I have lived in this place for almost four and a half years.  That's a long time.  Much has happened here.  Some good, some not so good, some amazing, some horrible...

The truth of the matter is, I found myself in this place.

When I moved here I was lost...so very lost.  My life was changing in every sense of the word.  It was a change that was needed, necessary, and of my doing, however, I was completely alone...and lost.  Over the years in this apartment, I have laughed, cried, oh...so many tears, fought, loved, lost, faced things, worked through things, let things go, repaired relationships, repaired myself, prayed...more hours than I could count, sat alone...sometimes by choice, sometimes not, felt loss, finally felt loved and truly loved in return, found friends, found a career...found MYSELF!

In three more days, I will leave this place.  I will leave behind the negativity and the loss that I experienced here.  The memories will remain, but hopefully, in time and with new surroundings, the bad ones will fade.  I will take with me the happiness I found, the future that I discovered, and best of all, I will take me.  The new me.  The best me I have ever been.  I will take me and find the future that God has laid out for me and my family.  I can not wait to see what this new chapter will bring and the life I am about to embark on.

Thank you for the memories, apartment....it's been real.  Now, I gotta go.  My future awaits me.  *Cue more tears...*

Close this chapter and open the book of my future?  Don't mind if I do...

Turn, Turn, Turn...

 

 To Everything (Turn, Turn, Turn) 

There is a season (Turn, Turn, Turn) 

And a time to every purpose, under Heaven 

I have always loved this song, and the lyrics are so true. There is a season for everything in our lives...jobs, hobbies, love, good times, bad times, hard times, friendships...

I have been experiencing the turning of a season in my own life lately. God brings people into your life for a reason. Every single person that comes in touch with you, is there for a purpose. Some are there for a long, extended period, others are fleeting. Regardless of the amount of time they are in your life, make no mistake, there was a reason. We are on this earth, by God's design, to help one another. To be there to laugh, cry, be angry, be sad, encourage, protect, teach, learn, be still...all with one another.

Friendships are important. To know you have someone that you can count on, and that they will return the favor, is one of life's greatest gifts. A true friend that loves you in spite of your shortcomings. No friendship is perfect...we are all human, afterall. However, it's how you come out of the imperfect times that really show the strength of a friendship. I have very few of these friends, but the ones that I do have, I know, without a shadow of a doubt, they will ALWAYS be there for me, and have been. I cherish these.

There are times that the season of a friendship comes to an end. Sometimes people grow apart, or they can't/don't get past one of those imperfect times. Either way, when the season of a friendship turns, it can be painful...it HAS BEEN painful.

Here's the good news: Because God designed us to have seasons in our lives, He usually doesn't end a season without starting a new one. He has done that for me this week, and I love how He takes care of ALL of the details of life. This week I have strengthened friendships that I already had formed, took a friendship to a much deeper level, and made a new friend, that I hope and pray will have a very long season in my life.

Where there is sorrow, confusion, sadness and hurt feelings, The Lord turns it in to joy. Thank you, Lord, for meeting my needs before I even know I have them, and changing the seasons of my life, in Your timing.

Praise Him through the turning of my seasons? Don't mind if I do...

 

"Timing Is Everything"

Waiting.  Patiently waiting.
Well, "patiently" might be stretching some.
It says: His timing is not mine...
For my Prince Charming, I have been waiting to come.

"Your will be done.", I've prayed,
Fervently and from deep down.
You knew the desires of my heart...
Where and when will my love be found?

"Trust in Me, in all of your life.",
He continuously cries.
"It will happen in MY time.
It is not for you to ask 'why?'"

He fixed my job.  He fixed my money.
Then He began working on my heart.
In strolled a cowboy, with God at his center.
In the blink of an eye, the rest of my life would start.

"Timing is everything.", I've always said.
Until now, I'm not sure I believed.
The beginning of my future started that day.
My heart, he completely thieved.

Thank you, Lord, for blessing me,
And knowing more than I do.
Your timing brought me Tober.
I will never stop thanking You.


Enjoy God's perfect timing? Don't mind if I do...

The Answer Is...

Why is it that when we pray for something specific, when God's answer is yes, we have a tendency to question it...especially if it's something that you have prayed about for a long time, and it's something that you want?

God's plan is to give us the desires of our heart, if we delight in Him. He also tells us that His ways and plans are not the same as ours, and they are much better (of course, I'm paraphrasing here). Given that, who are we to not believe when His answer is yes?

Sometimes His answer is immediately "yes". Sometimes it is "no"...immediately. Other times it is "not right now". I have been in a "not right now" time for a year. I have been praying diligently about a certain thing since last January. Up until now, I haven't gotten a yes. I was beginning to wonder if He would bring me the desire of my heart. Regardless of my desires, ultimately His will is what I want for my life. I pray exactly that...every, single time.

I believe God is answering my prayers. I am having a difficult time wrapping my brain around it, but again, who am I to question? He is giving me the "yes" I have been waiting for. He is faithful. The blessings start now. The praise continues...now and forever.

See the yes as a YES and accept it? Don't mind if I do...


 

Fool Me Twice...

Yep...it's shame on me.


Play it again? Don't mind if I don't...