Blessings Along the Way Part I- Nine through Sixteen

"Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope: Because of the LORD's great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. I say to myself, "The LORD is my portion; therefore I will wait for him." The LORD is good to those whose hope is in him, to the one who seeks him; it is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the LORD." Lamentations 3: 21-26


It has been some time since I have actually posted as our family took a ten day road trip over to Texas to visit some family and friends. While I was on the road, I had very limited access to the internet, and as I did not want to spend what time I did have with our loved ones tied to a computer, I decided to keep a running list of my days' blessings. So now I am going back to flesh out my thoughts for each day from that trip. I am so glad that we were able to make the trip. As you may find out, many of the blessings I mention are things I would not have discovered within the confines of my own four walls.


Thursday, October 7th

9) Fall weather- I do believe Fall is my favorite season. I used to think it was Spring, and even now I would say they are pretty close, but I love the briskness in the air in Fall and I love as the trees change colors. Today we had beautiful fall weather and as I drove through town, I had the windows rolled down and just reveled in the beautiful weather, the cool breeze and warm sunlight mixing on my face. Lovely- absolutely lovely.

Friday, October 8th

10) Drew's early school mornings- Over the past week or so, I have needed to get up extremely early (for me) for different events. We were up quite early in our first attempt to attend the Balloon Fiesta and again on the morning when we actually were able to go. This morning, we were up early once again so we could load up the car and head east towards College Station, Texas to visit with friends and our church family from the years we lived there. While I can nap a little to help make up for some of those early mornings, I am not the greatest napper- nothing like my husband- and so with each of these early mornings, I have felt the effects on my body more and more. By this morning, I was feeling physically terrible, and yet all I could think was that my husband got up at this same, incredibly early hour so he could attend a study hall and then a military training school for a period of eight months. He has never been a morning person but I really don't think I can ever remember him complaining. In fact, I am certain he was happy when the school switched to this earlier school schedule as he knew it meant he would be able to spend more time at home with our daughter and me. People say that your body does acclimate itself to such a schedule with time, but still, I know that schedule went against any internal clock my husband has. I am so grateful he was willing to do that for us- so I could stay home to take care of our daughter and so we could have more time together as a family.

11) Driving Companions- So the road trip from Albuquerque to College Station is not necessarily short, especially when you drive it all in one day. I have done my fair share of road trips, both as a child and since acquiring my driver's license and I am so grateful for company. Drew's preferred activity, if he's not driving, would be to sleep, so I was especially grateful when he kept me company even though I knew he would love to just curl up and sleep away the miles.

12) Humidity- After living in locations with extremely high levels of humidity, I didn't think I would ever come to appreciate it in any way. It always seemed so oppressive in the summers and even made the evenings less enjoyable than I would desire. However, now that we live in a location that is very dry, I can see some of the advantages to humidity and they made themselves fairly evident shortly after returning to an area with higher humidity. I'll mention two here. First- my nose appreciates the humidity. Since moving to Albuquerque, my nose has felt extremely dry and rough, sometimes to the point of pain. I am certain it is from a lack of moisture. Shortly after returning to a more coastal climate, I forgot all about my nose- something I hadn't done in months. I can only attribute it to the additional humidity. Nothing else was that different. And secondly- my skin loves the humidity. I doubt much explanation is needed here. Much like my nose, the drier the air, the unhappier my skin and vice versa. While these issues are by no means deal breakers when it comes to my opinion concerning life in Albuquerque, they do give me a greater appreciation for humidity.

Saturday, October 9th

13) Our daughter's traveling abilities- Our daughter has become quite adept at traveling in the car, for which I am quite thankful. After this latest trip, she has traveled nearly 15,500 miles in road trips in her less than 16 months of life. What is even more amazing to me is that during a 15-16 hour day on the road, she will only nap for 45 minutes total. This from a child who normally functions on no less than 2.5 hours of naptime! We may have some moments of fussiness but honestly, I think she handles the trips better than her parents. Even more than that, she arrives at our destination with a cheery disposition and is still obedient and loving. Blessing upon blessing!

14) Good Christian friends, whether near or far- Since moving from College Station, I have returned to visit twice and twice I have been reminded of one thing- blessed, blessed, blessed. When I moved to College Station, my primary goal was to see if there was anything real and substantial between a particular boy I had met at a summer camp and myself. I knew there was a chance it could turn into something serious, something long-term, but I really had no sense that I would be settling down or living there for nearly four years. After working at the job in Contracts and Grants for probably a year or more, a gentleman, who had become my friend, informed me that he was waiting for the day when I called College Station or Texas home. He desired that for me and had seen in the preceeding time that I wasn't really settling down. I was just passing through- biding my time, you might say. That mindset affected how I interacted with people as well. Friendships could only be a painful trouble if I was passing through, but God had other plans, better plans. Now when I think of College Station, I call it home. It may not be my only home, but it will always be a home for me and that is largely due to the wonderful Christian friends we have there. No matter what kind of distance may separate us now, I know they are there for us, to pray or otherwise- if possible- and all we have to do is ask. We love you all!

"And friends are friends forever

If the Lord's the Lord of them.

And friends will not say never

'Cause the welcome will not end.

Though it hard to let you go

In the Father's hands we know

That a lifetime's not too long to live as friends."

(Friends by Michael W Smith)

Sunday, October 10th

15) Freedom to worship- It's a blessing, pure and simple- something so many Christians in this world do not have, yet we so often take it for granted.

16) Closed doors (that often lead you to the right door)- Have you ever felt like your regular plans just weren't working out or maybe things just didn't seem to be fitting together right? That's kind of how a few things were as I was working on some of the details for our time in College Station. Finally things came together and in a conversation Sunday morning I saw God's hand in the entire situation. God placed us exactly where He knew we needed to be. It was the best thing for our family and for the others involved, so although I may not have understood the "why" before, it was beautiful to watch His plan unfold before my eyes.

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding.

In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your paths."

Proverbs 3:5-6