You Just Get Me.

            Dear Tuesday, I won’t say that this will be my last time writing to you but I can’t make any promises. One thing I will admit is that this is my last post being 25. Yes I’m going to go ahead and embrace 26. I’m definitely excited about all 26 has in store for me!

           

Dear Alli, your friendship blesses me so much. It’s a sweet one (not a nice one). It’s one that has become so centered around Jesus leading it lately. Being long distance friends is a challenge but it’s one we’ve accepted. I know that even though we both have very different lives right now we’ve been put in each others lives for a purpose. I think there is a lot that I have to learn from you. Things that I wish I’d taken advantage of when we were “see each other multiple times a week” friends. You have a backbone that I wish I had more of. The fire that you have for life is incredible. Even after a long day with middle schoolers you still love them more than anything. Your patience is something a lot of people can learn from. No body is perfectly patient 100% of the time BUT you’re learning so much about being patient during this season that I just want to soak it all in with you. You’re someone that I know I can be REAL with without there being any judgment, because we just get each other. Though we’re very different, we’re also very similar and for that I’m thankful. Can’t wait to see you at the Porter Fiesta next weekend!

            Dear P, I don’t even know what to say to you. Like Alli, you just seem to get me. You’ve prayed me through so many things during this season and I’m so thankful for that. You’re the most selfless person that I know and I want to learn more about that from you. We all need to grow a little bit in that way. Even with your wedding coming up (4 days!!!) you’re still concerned about so many other things for other people. Normal people don’t do that. Thanks for not being a crazy bridezilla haha. I fell like the last few months of wedding prep have flown by, but I know that for you it couldn’t have taken longer. Your day is coming so soon! I can’t wait to experience new traditions and meet new people, all while celebrating you and sweet Joshua. I’m excited to see the place that you’ve called home for the past year. Thank you so much for allowing me to be a part of all of this. I truly feel honored to call you my bestie and now my spirit twin. Besos.

            Dear Anna, my sweet (and protective) older sister. There’s a running theme with this weeks letter. Have you picked up on it yet? You’re someone else who just gets me. Sometimes I think that you get me, more than I get me. I feel like our friendship is one that I’ve grown up with and not one that is only about a year old. Our spirits are aligned in ways that can have only been orchestrated by Jesus. In a few short months we’ve gone from strangers, to friends, to sisters. Jesus just knew that our lives would be intertwined and He clearly didn’t waste any time. Thank you Jesus for that! You’ve been such a great voice of reason lately and have really helped to keep my head on straight. Learning to be open and trust in friendships is a big lesson of this season and I’m thankful to be learning it from you.

            Dear Jesus, I can’t thank you enough for all the laughs I’ve had lately. Sometimes I laugh about something funny (like the latest New Girl episode) and sometimes it’s me laughing about how crazy blessed I am. Anyways I feel like 85% percent of my days are consumed with laughter in some way or another. That’s such an amazing blessing in itself. Thank you for the gift of laughter! There’s no better way I’d like to spend my days. There is so much that I could/want to say but I’m just sitting here and laughing again about how good you treat me in every way. I can’t even process my thoughts anymore. Gosh I just love you more and more every day. You’re the best.

            Dear Tuesday, well I’d say it’s been a pretty good session. One that we both laughed through. Hard to complain about that right? Until next time old friend.

Today we remember You Lord

Dear Jesus, today we remember all the lives lost, those in the towers and in the planes and also the highjackers and the many lives to be lost on both sides of war, muslims and christians, iraqi’s iranians, afghans, and americans. Because You love us all the same. For goodness sake you used a former terrorist who persecuted Christians to reach the nations of the world. You used Paul to be your witness so may you also use us. May you use to reach the sinners, because we all are even if we wont admit it. Lord give all families who were affected by this and may we learn to trust in You more each day. Jesus my prayer also is, that we would get past all this division and that we would be able to become closer to each other as nations and as peoples and through that become closer to You through Yourself Jesus and Your redemptive power. May we learn that fighting evil with evil and firepower with firepower, will never solve anything. Only Your love, grace, mercy, justice and peace can save us. Lord, save us from ourselves. Break down the walls and break the chains of prejudice and stereotyping today. I can imagine, in my neighborhood its going to be a hard day for a lot of people so I pray for them as well. I ask for your grace, I think that is something we so often forget when we remember things like this. May we remember You in the storm. May we remember that You are in it all and You are working out all things for the good of those who love you and for Your glory and that You are sufficient and good. In Jesus Name, Amen.

Web of Connection.

Dear Tuesday, it’s me again. I hope our time apart has treated you as well as it has me.  I must admit that I’m tired but I need/want to make time for you this week.

Dear NC DMV, thanks for being sweet to me today. Until today I, like most people, dreaded coming to see you. But you made the process of renewing my license so easy and dare I say enjoyable. I must have set a new record for shortest amount of time spent in your chairs. In and out in 30 minutes?! It still blows my mind. I did learn something about you today though. If I walk in with a smile on my face and a good attitude, you’ll give me a number that is closer to being called. And if I’m pleasant to the man who helped me renew my license, he’ll be pleasant back to me. I feel as if we started a great new friendship today that few people will ever experience. Also, thank you for finally giving me a license that says that I’m older than 18, and with a picture that actually resembles me.

Dear P, it’s confession time. I told you that I’d do this so hear it is. You know that I’m a tomboy at heart, but…my friendship with you is bringing out a slightly more girly side. A side of me that I didn’t even know existed. And to confess something else, I actually really like that side of myself. Thank you for slowly coaxing that part of me out in the open. Love you, spirit twin/sister/bestie.

Dear Mrs. Peggy, I’m blown away by your generosity. To have only known you for a little over two months now and have you offer to be a mentor is just fantastic. And totally Jesus. I know that I have so much to learn from you. The way that you operate Freedom House is the way that I hope to operate my own nonprofit some day. And with your help I know that one day I will. I’m so thankful that The Lord connected us, and I knew from my initial interview with you that we would have a relationship long after I part ways with Freedom House. Thank you for taking me under your wing and thank you for being obedient to the calling The Lord put on your life.

Jesus, wow. Once again I’m amazed at this web of connections that you’ve knit me into for this season. You’ve given me so many great friends and some really great leaders to follow through this new adventure. You know that I moved here with little idea of what it would entail, but You knew how important each step I’ve taken has been. Thank you for lining all of this up and thank you for opening doors that I hadn’t even thought to knock on. That’s just something that I’ll never be able to wrap my head around, but then again if it’s You then it’s too big and too crazy for me to understand anyway. And that’s something that I’ve slowly become alright with accepting.

Tuesday, this was the shortest amount of time I’ve spent with you yet. And with it being 10pm it’s as close to a Hail Mary as I can get while writing you. I hope that your week is great and that you have time to rest enough for both of us. Until next week!

Oh Tuesday...welcome back

Dear Tuesday, with Labor Day being yesterday I don’t feel like it’s really your day to shine. More people are probably hating on you because you look and feel a lot like Monday this week. Not this girl.

Dear Social Media Junkies, please don’t take offense to being called that! The fact of the matter is that I was right where you stand a month ago. God created each one of us to be a “people person”. However I don’t think that He intended for your version of that to be following someone on twitter or being someone’s “friend” on Facebook. Do you get more excited about 14 people “liking” your status then you get about being able to pick up the phone and tell someone your good news? Or better yet, meeting with them over a cup of coffee or a meal. Somehow most of us seem to get more pleasure from the first option. Somewhere along the way, the point of social media got skewed. Do you even remember the intention of it anymore? I didn’t until my Pastor spoke about it on Sunday. Social media is intended to ENHANCE relationships, not replace them. Over time we’ve allowed social media to become a threat to real connections. I’m not saying that we should all just close out our accounts and be more intentional about our relationships. What I am saying is that we need to understand that there is a balance between the two. Think about that.

Dear Football, welcome back! Some people just don’t understand my love for you. It’s been a long summer without you. I love you from the High School level, to college, and to the pros. There’s nothing about you that I don’t like. I got to see you in person this week and let me tell you, you looked good. This was the first weekend of many to be planned completely around your schedule. I just know that my hubs is a huge fan of yours too, so he’ll be thrilled that you’re such a big part of my life. Please take your time this season. Give us as many overtime games as possible. I don’t want to miss anything you’ve got to offer this year. Welcome back, welcome back, welcome back!!

Papa, so many thoughts and feelings towards you are going to be said without being written this week. There’s just so much that I need You and You alone to hear. I’m so thankful and blessed by You in this season. Only You know how intimate our relationship has become in the past 4 months. I know that this is just the beginning and when I think about that it just leaves me speechless. You’ve taught me so much already, and I’m doing my best to remain in a sponge-like state so that I can soak it all up. Continue to make my heart more and more pliable and please never let it get hardened by the things of this world. Thank you for giving me the wisdom to make important decisions, the faith to wait patiently, and the courage to jump blindly into the unknown. But most of all, thank you for simply being You. I love you.

Tuesday, another week has come and gone. I started this out with so much to say and somehow ended up saying very little. Thanks for hearing what wasn’t said, and reading what wasn’t written. You’re so great at that. See ya next week.