BeThou My Vision

Be Thou my Vision, O Lord of my heart;

Naught be all else to me, save that Thou art

Thou my best Thought, by day or by night,

Waking or sleeping, Thy presence my light.

Be Thou my Wisdom, and Thou my true Word;
I ever with Thee and Thou with me, Lord;
Thou my great Father, I Thy true son;
Thou in me dwelling, and I with Thee one.

Be Thou my battle Shield, Sword for the fight;
Be Thou my Dignity, Thou my Delight;
Thou my soul’s Shelter, Thou my high Tower:
Raise Thou me heavenward, O Power of my power.

Riches I heed not, nor man’s empty praise,
Thou mine Inheritance, now and always:
Thou and Thou only, first in my heart,
High King of Heaven, my Treasure Thou art.

High King of Heaven, my victory won,
May I reach Heaven’s joys, O bright Heaven’s Sun!
Heart of my own heart, whatever befall,
Still be my Vision, O Ruler of all.

Words: Dallan Forgail

Almost ten years ago the words to this hymn were sung at our wedding. The joining of two broken people redeemed by God, brought together and joined as one.  I have loved this hymn for a long time, but I do not think I truly grasped the significance it would play as we began the journey of marriage that day.

At the beginning of this year I was not sure my marriage would last to see the completion of ten years. It was a sad, broken state of affairs. My heart was in tatters and my will to go on was fading. I was heartbroken, but resigned to the fact that I was quickly heading to the predictable statistics so many first marriages face today. Something deep in my heart would not let go. Chris and I both looked at where we were, and reevaluated what our marriage was built upon. If we truly believed we were just two people brought together by chance then divorce was an easy answer. Life is just a chance. If we believed the vows we took and the statements we made on our wedding day, then divorce was not an option. 

We are broken people who will love imperfectly, but we are two brought together, joined by God, one flesh. It was then we realized how desperately we needed the love of God to wash over us again, and perfect the love we so feebly try to give. I remember these words, Be Thou My Vision. Our marriage is nothing without God as the the reason we move forward. Feelings can turn on a dime, but love requires a sacrifice on the altar, a sacrifice that begins to burn away selfish motives and desires. It is quite painful, believe me I speak from experience. In the end it is worth every moment. Marriage is not a design of men, it is the design of a Creator who desperately wants to show you a living example of His love through this covenant on earth.

On November 1, 2012 Chris and I will celebrate ten glorious, transforming years of marriage. My love for him has grown deeper and stronger than the day we said our vows. We were young, and inexperienced. We were fortunate enough to have a grain of sense that the only thing that would keep us together was keeping our vision, God. Through every trial and tribulation, even at our lowest point a still, small voice has guided us. I am forever grateful for this man God has placed in my life. He loves me, sharpens me, makes me laugh, forgives me, provides for me, tells me I'm beautiful, gives me beautiful children, never lets go, and most importantly loves Jesus and has stepped up to lead our family in such a wonderful way. I could say he was everything I dreamed of, but that would be selling him short. God knew exactly who I needed. I cannot wait to spend the next 20, 30,40,50,60, maybe even 70 years with this man.

Marriage is worth fighting for. I can say this from experience. I have known the depths of hurt, and the mistrust that will try to creep in. No, fighting for marriage is not easy, it's never convenient, and it requires full commitment from both partners. It will require you to soften your heart and chip away at walls that have slowly been erected. It sometimes will ask you to give up the right to be right, but let me tell you it is so worth it on the other side. If you are feeling hopeless about your marriage today, don't give up. True love, love from God will run when everything else has dried up. It will hope all things and believe all things. It will never fail.

Formerly Known as the Rhinovirus Blues

Four whole days, yes that's right, four whole days without any children. I would be lying if I said I didn't shed some tears preparing my children for grandma's house. For all the fussing, time, and drama that comes with three kiddos, I really do love those little guys (and girl). Nevertheless it is completely foolish to pass up an opportunity to get away with your spouse with the opportunity presents itself. Chris was going away for a business trip to Chicago and his boss so graciously offered to let me tag along. Great I thought, a chance to spend some time with Chris and also a chance to get to spend some time with my self.
Then it hit me...what do I do with myself?] *insert crickets chirping. It was like I had been told I would be going to dinner with a complete stranger. It is sad when you realize you're not even sure what you like to do anymore. Instead of letting this minor detail get me down I decided to get to know myself again. It's only the first day, and I probably should get off here and get going, but I just thought I'd take the quiet moments to write a little note. Who knows, maybe with all this spare time to think some more blogs may follow. For now I am enjoying a comfy king sized bed with a TV that is not playing Yo Gabba Gabba, and a beautiful skylines out my window. I've ventured out for breakfast this morning and even to the gym. Seriously what's that all about?
Let me tell you, it was glorious!

Oh and a side note on the title. I started coming down with a cold yesterday. When I first woke up I was feeling kind of down. It's amazing what some rest and time to yourself will do. The blog started out as whine session, but the time is to short to let a little rhino get me down.
Hope you all have a fabulous Wednesday! 

Shaking Things Up

I've talked a lot about him, and I'm sure most of you readers know him, but we're going to get a little crazy here. Chris will be guest blogging for me within the next two weeks. I thought it would be fun to hear some insights from my best friend and partner in life. I've given him permission to write about anything he wants. Chris wasn't exactly keen on the idea, but I know you'll give him a warm welcome! Stay tuned.

I know my audience isn't very large, but I see I've received a few hits from around the globe so I thought I'd address the name change you may or may not have noticed. I've wanted to change the name for some time, but I went through a little blogging drought so it all was placed on the back burner. Suddenly the inspiration to write just hit me, I love when that happens! It got me thinking about changing things up. I'm definitely no web guru so it may be awhile before I have a fancy template, but a name is somewhere to start.
I chose Coffee for the Journey because to me writing, reading, and sharing is like a good cup of coffee. It brings people together in a special way. There are many flavor profiles. There are many ways to enjoy a cup of coffee. In the end it's not so much the drink, but the sense of community it brings. Please if you are not a coffee drinker do not feel isolated, pull up a comfy armchair with your favorite hot beverage of choice and jump into the adventure.

I'm happy to have you all along the way again. Please feel free to join in the conversation, or simply read and enjoy. 

30 Years!

Tomorrow my beloved husband will turn 30. He has told me this is no big deal because he has felt 30 for a long time. This is one of the reasons I love this man. He is comfortable in his skin. He's not one to freak out about age, although I have seen him searching for the occasional gray hair. Sorry honey, but I like your gray hairs!

In all seriousness I am so proud of my husband. Not that he has not always been great, but I have seen him grow in love and patience over the years. I have seen his passion for God multiply. He's a great dad and a patient husband. He has a natural gift of intelligence. God has given him favor to end up in places that would not have seemed possible from earthly circumstances. If you have known my husband for any extended period of time you would know he has a great love of comics and superheroes. He has a strong sense of justice and compassion for people. He has many artistic talents, and is all around a wonderfully well rounded person.

The first portion of this post was started prior to Chris' birthday. Unfortunately I am just now able to finish this blog. We had a great time of celebration. We had dinner at home and the best part of the night was a little surprise we cooked up for Chris. Chris has wanted a PS3 ever since they came out. Being the great guy he is he decided it was not a necessity . Instead he wanted to focus on paying off the rest of our debt. I really wanted to do something special for his 30th birthday, but I also did not want to dishonor his wishes. I got him to agree to letting me spend $100 towards his birthday, not necessarily for a gift but just for the day. My wonderful family pitched in the rest and we were able to buy a very niced refurbished PS3. I was amazed out how nice it was, not even a scratch. We weren't even sure if it would come by his birthday. It was supposed to take 5-10 days to ship, and we ordered two days before his birthday. I was shocked when my sister called to tell me it had arrived at her house on his birthday. I know he would have been happy with a note stating it was coming, but it was so much more fun to hand him a box. He had no clue what it was, and was totally shocked to pull a PS3 out. He was so excited just like a kid at Christmas, and in turn we were happy because it is always fun to bless someone.

Happy birthday my love! May God take you even deeper in the coming years!