Saying Goodbye

No matter how many times you move or have friends move away, it never seems to get any easier. In fact, it probably just gets harder, because you know that there will be the inevitable changes that come with distance. Although there are great tools for keeping in touch, such as Facebook and Skype, there is no true substitute for living life alongside someone.

This has been a tough week. I am once again saying good-bye to a dear friend. I am finding this particular parting to be especially difficult for many reasons, none of which I can adequately describe here. But, as I experience the sadness that comes with her rapidly approaching departure, I keep coming back to 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18.

16Be joyful always; 17pray continually; 18give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.

Although this may seem like an odd verse to be meditating upon, I have found great comfort in its truth. The only way that I can give thanks in all circumstances is by relying upon my knowledge of God's character: He is good; He is loving; He has a plan for my life; He knows my needs, my hurts, my wants, and He cares about me. Knowing this, I can trust Him. I can trust that He has a plan for my friend, and that she is being obedient by pursuing that plan. And, there is much to be thankful for: thankful that she is one of my dearest friends; thankful that we've shared many cherry pastries together; thankful that she was there for me in one of the hardest times of my life; thankful for the other friends I still have near me to lean up as I go through this. I am thankful, too, for email, Facebook and Skype, which will help us to keep in touch despite the distance. I am grateful that she is moving to a great city that is fairly convenient to travel to. And most of all, I'm thankful for Jesus, who is always present and never changing. When everything else around me is in flux, He is always constant, and I can depend upon Him for every need. Finally, I am thankful that one day, all of my sisters in Christ and I will have eternal chat sessions where the only tears are tears of joy and laughter.

Week 2 of "The Challenge"

This is week two of the 1 Cor 7:5 Challenge. If you don't know what I'm talking about, click on the box and head over to The Diaper Diaries to learn about it (and sign up!). She's taking it nice and slow, which is a very, very good thing. Besides, today's challenge involves shopping! What's not to love about that? Ok, shopping for undies is not on my huge "woo hoo!" list, but there's nothin' wrong with taking a little time to feel pretty, even if you and your hubby are the only ones who will ever know. Take this as permission to splurge a bit on yourself. And honestly, aren't you worth it? Besides, you will feel better, and therefore, so will hubby. Men are visual creatures and granny panties are not going to light his fire. Ever. So, do yourself a favor. Do your hubby a favor. Go shopping. Have fun. Be adventurous. And if you feel guilty about spending money on this, remember, you're investing in your marriage. Isn't that worth it?!

What I Want, What I Really, Really Want...

I'm sure many of you girlfriends out there will accuse me of setting the women's movement back about 200 years. If so, I do apologize, but I don't think I'm alone. What I really, really want from my man is a knight in shining armor. Not all situations require my hubby to come to my rescue, and honestly, I can probably handle most things that do come my way. But, there are those situations that I just don't like to deal with: cleaning out the mousetraps, anything to do with the heating and/or cooling systems, car malfunctions, just to name a few. And therefore, I needs me said anachronistic fighter in shiny metallic covering.

You guys just don't know how much we want your help. We've spent years proving we can handle ourselves in virtually every situation, so you will be forgiven for thinking that we don't want or need you. But see, we really do. We don't want you to make a big deal about it or to gloat. We just want a man to walk in and quietly do his thing and then walk back out. The other day our heat went out upstairs and we had no hot water. I was getting anxious about the prospect of missing a rare coffee date with a dear friend (I really NEEDED a shower, if you know what I mean!) when the aforementioned knight went downstairs, pushed a button and in a few minutes, we had heat and hot water again. It was incredibly simple, but it was exactly what I needed. And I found it incredibly attractive. A man, simply doing what a man does best: solving a problem, without any fanfare. Yes ma'am, that's what I want.

Throwing Down the Gauntlet...

Friends (assuming there's anyone even reading this blog!!), we have been issued a challenge. If you're like me, this is a huge challenge, but I'm willing to give it a go. You are excused from this current challenge under the following circumstances: a) you are 9 3/4 months pregnant (or somewhat even close to that), b) you have a baby under the age of 6 months, or c) you are not currently married (engaged doesn't cut it). Everyone else, it's time to ... ahem... man up. I was intrigued by the 1 Cor 7:5 Challenge posted over at The Diaper Diaries. In fact, that's the whole reason I started reading a blog in the first place. It's intriguing. It's challenging. But just perhaps there is a whole lot of truth here.

As a no-longer newly married sort, it's easy to be lazy about this. Certainly there are a lot of valid reasons why we don't do the "thing" much, what with spouses that work a gazillion hours, kids that still inhabit the house, and seriously addicting TV to watch (yeah, right). But, there are reasons that God created marriage and there are reasons that we ought to make more of an effort at enjoying each other. I don't think this will solve the financial crisis or that it will instantly morph us into perfect wives and husbands, but it will definitely go a long way towards healing our second most important relationship (yes, I said second).

Today is Day 1 of the challenge. Every Monday there will be a new installment in the Challenge. I encourage you to head over there and let her know you're in, then give it an honest effort. I look forward to seeing lots of happy men (and women) around!