How God Brought Us Together Part One (x-post from my other blog)

Girls, I thought this might be an encouragement for you to read. I posted it on my other blog in honor of our upcoming anniversary. I hope to post other similar stories in the future. I know it is wonderful to hear how God can work in bringing people together!

Well, I've almost been married for three years now. In one sense, it seems like it has gone so quickly, but in another, it feels like I have been married to Mr.S for my whole life!We grew up in the same state, and in sister churches. We were familiar with one another's families, but had never met. His uncle had preached at our church several times, and his cousin had attended my church for several years before moving away. I had taught her kids in Sunday School and we were very friendly.So how did God make us aware of each other?

WHERE WE MET

We met at an annual Spring Banquet at Trinity Baptist Church in Montville NJ. Neither of us were that excited about going. He had been to them so many times, and I always feel apprehensive about trying new things!At the banquet, I was sitting with four other friends from church, when his friend told him that he had to go to our table and meet me.He ended up sitting at our table and staying there! He didn't talk to me too much, and I was too occupied to notice that he was staring at me the entire time. Once, he flashed a brilliant smile at me, and I remember thinking, "what a nice smile."I left with my friends, and when asked by my dad if I had met Pastor Brevard's nephew at the banquet, I said "Yes -- he sat at our table! He was very nice."My dad pressed a little further, "did he seem interested at all?""No, but he was very nice," was my reply.

HIS COUSIN CALLS MY MOM

A week later, I was on lunch break at JoAnn Fabrics examining material when I got a call on my cell phone. It was my mom telling me that Mr. S's cousin had called her, saying that her cousin was interested in getting to know Beverly. I was astonished. She said that she had been urging him to meet me for a few years at least, and that we had finally "providentially" met on our own."But he didn't even talk to me!" I marvelled.THE LONG WAIT
Of course, this whole phone call triggered many dinner time conversations, introspections, talks with those that knew him, and talks with my Heavenly Father.
I was struggling because I knew that since I was 22, and he was 25 -- this could be very serious. This could mean marriage. I wanted to be absolutely willing for the relationship to lead to marriage before even starting to communicate.
It was a month later, when I called his cousin back. I realized that it had been a l-o-n-g time, and I didn't even know if he was still interested. His cousin didn't tell me one way or another, but questioned me for quite a while about how things were going in my life, and what God was . I gave her my email address and sighed with relief. I didn't know that Mr.S had nearly given up, and was ready to move on. God has perfect timing!

YOU'VE GOT MAIL

Three days later, I heard from Mr. S by email for the first time. I was so excited. I wrote him back that very day, but didn't send it until the next day.
Thus began our correspondance. He would write one day, and I would write the next. He never forgot, and neither did I. The emails were getting longer and longer. We had a lot in common. After we had written every day for two weeks, he slipped a question into the end of his email, "Hey, I was wondering if it would be okay if I called you sometime?"
I asked my parents and they said it was ok, so we planned to talk after evening service that next Sunday.

PHONE CALLS - LONG ONES

Our first phone call was wonderful. We talked for three hours. His phone died and he had to go get another one. In the middle of that call, Mr.S talked to my dad and asked him if he could call regularly. Dad said yes and said "don't abuse the privilege!" We decided that he would call on Sunday nights after church.
We continued to email every day, but the next Sunday night stretched far into the future. It was so hard to wait! On Friday night, the subject heading of his email read "sixty-nine hours and counting..."
We talked for three and a half hours the next time ... and then we started talking twice a week.
He asked me if he could come visit our church and home. Dad said yes.

THE VISIT

That Sunday as I taught Sunday School, I was so nervous. Through the window in my room, I saw him drive into the parking lot. I hardly knew what to do or how to act, but we had a wonderful day. He had dinner with our family and brought my mom a gift. He even helped us get dinner ready. I didn't want the day to end and I was starting to feel something very strange growing in my heart. Already? you may ask -- but when God is doing a work, our timing may not be His timing.
We wanted to see each other again, and my dad agreed that he could come five days later for the 4th of July. I was so excited, and so was he. His whole family was waiting at home to see how his day went, and I went home to discuss everything with my parents. I felt this strange sense of calm. I was so happy and excited, but it seemed so right -- something I had never felt before.

Thus ends part one ... part two will include: summer courtship, the engagement, marriage.

Seasonal Delights

I just had to share a new find with all of you.

We are about to enter my favorite season of the whole year! Imagine my delight when I bumped into a wonderful online magazine whose current issue is totally dedicated to the season of autumn.

Imagine my delight, when, upon further inspection, I saw that this very beautiful magazine is written for girls and their moms!

Also imagine my delight when two of the articles in the magazine were about letter/card writing, and having a tea party with your mom!

Delight is an apt word to use, for this colorful magazine is called Seasonal Delights and will be produced quarterly.

The best thing about all this, is that you can subscribe free for a year, if you hurry over there and subscribe before the end of September.

I really think that you and your mom will be delighted by this delightful magazine ;-)

I'll be back

Once again, I apologize for not posting. Our little family is very busy and has a lot going on, so I don't have too much time. I haven't forgotten you girls! I think of you so often, and will post as soon as I can.

Much love from me!

p.s. My little girl is one today! She is such a blessing to us.

The Garden of Friendship

Hello --- its about time to water those gardens again, is it not? Today I want to talk briefly about the listening ear.

Scenario set up:

You've waited for days to tell a close friend about an experience you went through. Finally, you know she is available so you give her a call. While you are talking, you notice that her answers aren't always appropriate to your statements. Listening to the background noise coming from the other end of the phone, you hear her fingers busily TYPING as you are talking. This isn't the best feeling!

I must admit that I have done this -- especially to my poor mom. We talk every morning on the phone, and sometimes we type in each other's ears. Sorry mom! But seriously, this is not a good habit to get into.

Another common problem that we have is thinking about our response while someone else is talking. This prevents us from truly listening the way we should.

Follow-up is another area of need. When a friend asks us for prayer, we shouldn't glibly say "I'll be praying!" I realized that I was typing this into many comment boxes on many blogs -- making it impossible to remember all the requests that I was promising to pray for. A simple notepad will solve this problem. Just write the name and request down, and you will be able to pray when you promise to. You will also remember to follow up on the request and see how the person is making out.

Try to practice listening this week. I will too! Girls, those gardens are lookin' great ...

It has been an emotional week!

Hello girls ...

I am sorry that I didn't get to post anything this week. Life has settled down considerably, but we had a couple of emotional things happen. Somehow I just didn't have the wherewithal to come up with a topic.

We have been rejoicing greatly with two of our dearest friends who found out that they were expecting in March. Beka and Charissa are sisters and I grew up with them.

Beka and her husband have been going through months of waiting on the Lord to bless her womb after a miscarriage a little more then a year and a half ago. She found out that she was pregnant about a month ago.

Charissa and her husband had already discovered that God had blessed her womb.

We were all wildly expectant for the two blessings due in March.

Please read this and secondly, this, post by Beka. Please join me in praying.

I posted this on my other blog after we found out about Charissa's miscarriage. The hymn I copied down has been such a blessing.

Thank you for being patient with me. I'll try to write something next week, as well as visit your individual blogs.

Lots of love.

I'll be back next week!

This is a very busy week for our little family! I'm not sure whether I am coming or going, so I'd better not try to post anything creative. I just wanted you all to know that I am still thinking about you, and that I should be back next week.

My little sweetie (she's 11 months old) took her first steps yesterday ... okay, it was really one step! But she did it twice, and her daddy and mommy are sooooo excited.

I hope that all of you are having a wonderful week. I did update the website last week, and put a new Scripture, recipe, and started a bonified store. There is only one product on the shelf so far, but I am working on that. I have some ideas ... let me know if you have any as well.

Praying for grace for all of us this week ...

Guest Post - The Garden of Life

I would like to introduce you to Anna Naomi who has graciously agreed to let me use her writings here. Please check out her blog, Maidens of Worth, which she shares with another sweet girl, Miriam Rebekah. I have been very blessed by the spirit of these two girls and their desire to serve the Lord!

Tuesday, December 19, 2006
The Garden of Life
*Disclaimer* Although I know that somewhere there is a book or list of different meanings for different flowers. However, I don't know them all, and the attributes I've assigned to different flowers are entirely of my own imagination.

If your life were a garden, what would be growing in it? The Bible tells us that we do indeed "plant" things in our lives. Galatians 6:7 says, "Do not be deceived; God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows." So, what are you growing in the garden of life?

Are the red roses of love growing in your garden? Love that is true, and not self-seeking? What about the white roses of purity? Are they in your life, presenting themselves clean and spotless to the world? Are the carnations of compassion flowering beautifully? Along with them, are the lilies of kindness blooming big and bright?

Walking on, would we find the daffodils of joy cheerfully making your garden a fun, joyful place? Are the pansies of peace placidly providing a calm atmosphere? Are the hyacinths of hope keeping your spirits up, while the lilacs of faith keeping your trust in God unwavering?

In the prettiest part of the garden, are the violets of gentleness doing well? And the primroses of patience, ever nearby, are they growing in depth and size? Are the daisies of grace dancing their way trough the garden, not only affecting your poise, but also helping you overlook others' faults? And the bluebells of modesty, are they blooming away, sweet, yet rarely noticed? Likewise, are the buttercups of humility helping all the other lovely flowers by protecting you from become high and haughty?

Close by, are the sunflowers of wisdom sharing their seeds and lessons learned with others? Are the peonies of prudence there as well, helping you know when to speak and when to keep silent? As a necessity to your reputation, are you tending the hydrangeas of honesty carefully? Are the chrysanthemums of justice working to make sure no one is taken advantage of, while the marigold of mercy works patiently and kindly with those who have done wrong?

No garden would be complete without the gardenias of diligence working hard to get things done. Coupled with the tulips of strength, a lot can be accomplished. Is the wisteria of endurance winding its way around, refusing to give up? What about the orchids of self-control? Are you growing those stronger and stronger?

In the center of the garden, is the goldenrod of the fear and love of the Lord shining brightly and reminding you not to compromise on His commands?

Just as it is important to plant good things in your garden, it is important to guard against the bad things that would try to grow. The devil loves to plant weeds of bitterness, envy, and srife, and send out briers of selfishness, laziness, and deceitfulness. He's always trying to find ways to plant evil little things, that would grow to wreak havoc on your garden. You must be alert, and tend your garden carefully. Pull out the weeds and cut away the briers as soon as you can, to prevent them from taking root and chocking the delicate flowers.

So, how's your garden? Is it a beautifully array of colors, spreading sweet perfume wherever you go, or is it drab and lifeless? Are you tending the garden of your life well?
posted by Anna Naomi

If you would like to read this article with its original comments, go here. If you would like to share your writings with this blog, email me at joyousmommie@girlinside.com.