She Said Yes

My baby girl found the love of her life, Rob and she was waiting for that famous question!  She waited and waited.  On Valentines Day she asked Rob, "Do I need to look into my smashed potatoes for the ring?"  She has some more great stories like that one.  But, Elizabeth said yes to Rob on July 2nd at White Rock Lake.  It took Jessica, her BFF, some exaggerated stories and few lies to get her to drive to her house which is near the lake.  She got her to the lake and there was Rob on the dock waiting on her!  Yes, I cried!

Elizabeth is on top of the world and I am so excited to have Rob as my son!  The venue and the date is our first priority and we will breathe a sigh of relief after that's decided!

The Crooked Path

"Consider what God has done. Who can straighten what he has made crooked? (Ecclesiastes 7:13)

God often seems to place his children in places of deep difficulty, leading them into a corner from which there is no escape. He creates situations that human judgment, even if consulted, would never allow.

Your situation is filled with uncertainty and is very serious but it is perfectly right. The reason behind it will more than justify Him who brought you here, for it is a platform from which God will display His almighty grace and power.

He not only will deliver you but in doing so will impart a lesson that you will never forget. And in days to come, you will return to the truth of it through singing. You will be unable to ever thank God enough for doing exactly what He has done. ~Streams in the Desert.

This is the devotion for March 1st in Streams in the Desert and I see that I have noted with a purple highlighter 2012.  “Into a corner from which there is no escape” is where I have been many times and this particular place began in November 2011. I made the decision to continue our small business after my husband died and I didn’t not know how it would end up, but believed in faith that I was in God’s will. Now it is three years later and really don't know what is next. Cloudiness of the circumstance as stated above says it very simply for me.  I felt I heard a promise from God and I faithfully followed that promise and believed. I felt uncertainty, anxiety and fear but in my heart I felt I was being obedient.   It certainly has guided me to the other side without a financial win, but I have felt His hand all along the way and He certainly has a plan for me.  Not knowing what the promise meant, I believed it to be and I have to depend on the reason behind it and I pray that in this journey God’s grace and power will be displayed.  Now I believe He has given me a new promise that He will not only deliver me but in doing so I will take the great lessons I have learned and allow the experience, pain and joy of the past three years to transform me.

If you find yourself in this place, trust Him. He is faithful and He loves you!

xoxo,

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A Fifth Time Read

Am I really reading the same book for the 5th time? The first time was in 2010 and the coolest thing about this book is it is signed by the author. "Paige--your the One! Priscilla Num 14:24-30. I guess I can say this is my favorite book written by a Christian author because it has impacted my life every time I have read it and each time I read it I get a new message.  The highlighter color has to be changed each time though.  That was my prayer in 2010: "to be one in a million", which is the title of the book, by Priscilla Shirer. Oh, I forgot to brag that I had my picture taken with her too!

In 2014, I am still praying the same prayer.  My life is on a different path that feels like another wilderness journey, so I suspect God lead me to hunt the book down for another read.  Reading in chapter nine this morning, I came across my handwritten notes that caused me to read it over several times and tears began to flow. Let me share with you what I read prior to seeing my scribbles in the margin:

Our fathers in Egypt did not understand Your wonders; they did not remember Your abundant kindnesses, but rebelled by the sea, at the Red Sea....They quickly forgot His works; they did not wait for His counsel....but grumbled in their tents; they did not listen to the voice of the Lord. (Ps. 106:7, 13, 25). 

"And what they missed as a result were numerous opportunities to recognize what God had done, what He was presently doing, and what He was still yet to do. God can and does move on behalf of His people. These thirsty in-between times when you are trudging through a particularly rough or stagnant patch have not fallen on you by mistake. He is making a way for His greatness to be seen, for His glory to be put on full display--a way for you to experience in real time what He promises to be when you're sitting on the pew, hoping it's true."

"What are you asking God to do for you at this season of life? What would you say you most desire if you were able to verbalize ever series of circumstances you're being called to walk through these days?"   

 

My answer was scribbled in the margin.

2010
1) Healing

2) Debt

3) Kids' hearts toward God

My thought immediately was Wow! These were all answered prayer.

Healing didn't quite happen as I prayed it would. Pat was healed of cancer on the other side of Heaven, but there was much healing done here while he was still on this earth. Healing began in many of the lives Pat touched, including me and the kids.

Debt was taken care of fully and completely but not the timeline I had hoped for. That was certainly a wilderness journey, and as I look back I can see how God had His hand in every step that was taken. His lessons were invaluable.

Kids's hearts toward God is clearly being seen as God has taken the worse tragedy a child could imagine and use it to draw them to Himself, while molding and changing them to be women and men of God. Although they miss their dad each and every day, God is working in their lives.

Promises were fulfilled and prayers were answered.  God showed me again today through my scribbles how faithful and good He is and a reminder that He never changes.  No matter what I am going through now, I have to trust Him and stand on the other promises that He has given me while I continue in my journey.

"When we pray for what we most wish to happen, we can trust with absolute assurance that He will either act according to our prayer....or do something better. He will either bless us with what we want, or He'll bless us with what we really need and change our hearts to desire what He's given. He alone knows what will get us most prepared for our next stage of abundant living, what will draw us nearest to Him in fellowship and intimacy, what will cause His glory to burst upon the stage of our lives with weighty significance where everybody who wants to can see it. We can totally rely on Him to take us exactly where we need to go....if we'll only be wiling to follow.

"You can stand in the midst of uncertainty, trusting that you are safe in your Father's arms." 

 In His Grip,

The Year 2013

It is December 26th and it is mid morning because I really slept in this morning. I am now enjoying my chair as I use my Santa coffee cup one more time. I really need to get into that kitchen and living room to clean up that mess.  I am instantly reminded of Andy Rooney's quote that I saw on a friend's FB yesterday. 

“One of the most glorious messes in the world is the mess created in the living room on Christmas day. Don't clean it up too quickly." ~ Andy Rooney, American writer, producer, humorist. ”

I guess I will leave the mess a while longer while I reflect on 2013.  

Christmas cards are being sent less and less it seems over the years, and I have been guilty of that the past two.  I know that social media has a lot to do with that as we can keep up with each other's lives easier now, but I do miss writing that Christmas letter each year and more importantly reading and enjoying our annual cards received from friends and family.  What I certainly love the most are the photos that we receive and viewthrough the cards, and on Facebook and Instagram. 

The end of 2013 seemed to arrive faster than usual.  The year was  certainly full of change and adventure for me with living as an empty nester, anticipating the release of the movie, My Son, and the event of the year, Kristin and Matt's wedding!  

Elizabeth's year was full with a job promotion with Senior Health Care Centers, the new love of her life, Rob, and the joy of their shared pup, Khai!  She lives in the Plano/The Colony area and works in Denton as the Director of Marketing.  She and Rob met on their kick ball team and the love sparks began after she invited him to attend a wedding. Rob is a civil engineer in Dallas and is originally from Florida.  We love him and he fits right in!

Matt is now a married man as of October 25th when he married the beautiful Kristin Ford. What a blessing she is to our family and I know that she is the one that God had me praying for so many years ago.  Matt is still peddling windows (his Dad's phrase) for our window replacement company and has done very well this year.  I am so very thankful for Matt and his loving support.  He is always there when I need him. Also, Cash, Pat's beloved australian shepherd, loves living at their house and he has a new sister australian shepherd, Maddox.   

Garrett is a freshman at Blinn College in College Station.  This year has been an eye opener for a new student that never studied much in high school and if he had his way, he would go back to high school. I am so proud of the man he is becoming and you can certainly see Pat's hand prints all over him!  Garrett loves that!

The new addition to the family last Christmas was Hank, Garrett's boxer.  Much to Garrett's dismay, he is really mine.  This beautiful, white and deaf sweetheart has brought me so much joy and the kids make fun of me because he is very spoiled and I take his picture the most!  

As for me, I certainly was busy doing various things. I began developing websites and plan to continue this in the future. The movie, My Son, took a lot of my time this year marketing and promoting for the release on September 20th.  I was cast as the mother, Sherri Clark, of the main character in this Christian feature film.  The premier was truly a magical night that I will never forget and I feel so blessed to be a part of it.  Another highlight of the year for me was that I had the honor of doing the florals for the wedding which inspired me to continue my floral design business, Petals by Paige. 

2013 has been been a year of healing while building new family traditions and most of all bringing the five of us closer and closer to each other. We miss Pat very much, but we always find a story to tell, a memory to remember or just making plain fun of the dad who was such a vital part of this family.  I was able to surprise the kids this Christmas with quilts made from their dad's favorite t-shirts and the smiles and tears on their faces when they opened me blessed me beyond measure.  

We now will focus on 2014 and wait with expectancy and faith as we trust our mighty God to go before us as He leads us. What I have learned the most in 2013 is that He is truly faithful and sovereign. I am so blessed as I am held firmly in His grip! 

xoxo