Sunday, June 27, 2010

Our Song - Still True After 18 Years!

My husband, David, and I were married 18 years ago today. The wedding took place at a small church in the Chicago area - at 6:00 p.m. A cassette tape of beautiful piano music, recorded by my husband’s college roommate, began the ceremony. The last song on the cassette was “Jesus Loves Me.” It played as the mothers and my grandmother were seated.

Following that song came OUR song. It played as my nephews lit the candles, and my brother and brother-in-law rolled out the “white carpet.” It played shortly before the groomsmen, bridesmaids and flower girl made their procession; and before my dad walked me down the aisle, to hand me over to another man.

Our song is not a “religious” song, but a love song released by a popular Country-Western group in the late 1980's. The words are what are most important to us, as they express how our lives have been changed by each other’s love, and how we have committed to love each other for a LIFETIME - through better or worse....

The words were typed out and included as an insert in our wedding bulletin, and I’d like to share them with you here. (To hear and see the actual song performed, you can also click on the title below.)


LYRICS:
Changing my life, with your love, Has been so easy for you,
And I'm amazed, every day, and I'll need you
'Til all the mountains are valleys, And every ocean is dry, my love.

I'll be yours until the sun doesn't shine, 'Til time stands still,
Until the winds don't blow. When today is just a memory to me, I know,
I'll still be lovin’, I'll still be lovin’ you. I'll still be lovin’ you.

Never before did I know, How lovin’ someone could be.
Now I can see, you and me, for a lifetime.
Until the last moon is rising, You'll see the love in my eyes, my love.

I'll be yours until the sun doesn't shine, 'Til time stands still,
Until the winds don't blow. When today is just a memory to me, I know,
I'll still be lovin’, I'll still be lovin’ you.


Thankyou to everyone who shared in that day with us, as we made a commitment to love and honor each other for the rest of our lives. 

Thankyou, David, for keeping your promises to me. Happy Anniversary! I love you!

Sunday, June 20, 2010

We're Home! ~ Thankyou for your prayers!

We are home from our trip up North. My husband's dad did really well with the surgery. They removed his spleen and 40% of his pancreas, along with the nasty cyst that was attached. We won't know until later what kind of cyst it was. He had almost no bleeding, and they were able to do the surgey laparascopically. He has 4 small incisions and one larger one. The larger one is the most painful, of course. But, the pain has decreased as time has gone by. We are all thankful the surgery was done in the minimum amount of time and there were no complications.

We are glad to be home safe and sound, and thank YOU for your prayers! Please continue to keep them coming. Pray that pneumonia, blood clots, and other complications do not develop. Also, pray for "Mom." She will continue to travel back and forth to the hospital everyday until he is discharged, which is a 45-minute drive one-way, and in big-city traffic. She will need strength and endurance these next few days, and also as she cares for "Dad" back at home.

God bless!
Victoria

P.S. - A BIG thank you to my mom, who traveled with us and took care of the kids so I was able to join my husband and the family at the hospital. It was really great to have you along, Mom. I appreciate it so much! Also, thankyou to Dad for bringing her to us and picking her back up. Love you both!
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Wednesday, June 16, 2010

Prayer Request for My Father-in-Law

I’d like to ask for everyone to pray for my father-in-law. This Friday morning, he will be undergoing a tricky surgery to remove a cyst on his pancreas. Please pray for guidance of the doctor’s hands, no complications, and a speedy recovery.

Also pray for the family for traveling mercies, as well peace during the waiting process of this lengthy surgery.

My mother will be staying with the kids while my husband and I join the rest of the family. This will be a great help to me!

I will update you as I am able.  Thankyou!

Saturday, June 12, 2010

Should We Get Used to Disappointment?

One of my favorite movies from the late 1980's is The Princess Bride. For those of you who don’t know, it's a humorous “fairy tale” about a young woman who is being forced to marry a prince, while her true love does whatever is necessary to keep that from happening. There is a theme of vengeance in the movie, as well as one bad word. So, I would caution allowing children to watch it without the parents. But, for those of you who enjoy a goofy love story, filled with action and adventure, this is the one!

There is a scene in the movie (you can watch it below) where two of the main characters are having a sword fight. In this scene, they meet for the first time and, during the “chatty” fight, they have a conversation that goes like this...

“Who are you?”
“No one of consequence.”
“I must know.”
“Get used to disappointment.”
“Ok.”



The scene usually brings a lot of laughs. However, the last time I watched it (we own the DVD), it got me to thinking about disappointments. As long as we live in this world, we are going to experience them. So, should we just get used to them and not let them bother us at all? That could solve a lot of our problems, couldn’t it? After all, if we were to get used to them, we would be less likely to become discouraged and depressed. So, is that the answer?

No, its not....

While there is something to be said about not letting the “little things” get you down, it is practically impossible for anyone to become so used to disappointment that it will not affect them at all. If it didn’t affect us, we would be heartless and unfeeling robots - not human beings. So, rather than getting used to disappointment, we should instead get used to having the Lord by our side, carrying us through those difficult times.

Through all the ups and downs of life, God is there right along side us. When we are happy, he is happy along with us. When we are disappointed, he is there for us to pour our hearts out to. The key, I would say, to keeping those disappointments from moving us into “the pit of despair,” is not to ignore them, but to trust in the Lord and realize He has our best interests at heart. He is able to take our disappointments and use them as growing experiences while, hopefully, drawing us closer to Himself.

Romans 8:28 - And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. (NAS)

Isn't is funny how we can learn something from a goofy love story?
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Tuesday, June 1, 2010

"Embracing Your Second Calling" - Bourke

I recently joined Book Sneeze, through Thomas Nelson Publishers and, as a member of this group, I am able to choose a complimentary book to have sent to me. In return, I am obligated to write an honest review of the book on my blog. So, I've been busy these past few weeks, reading a new book. 


This first book I chose was “Embracing Your Second Calling” by Dale Hanson Bourke.


It is geared towards women over the age of 40 but, more importantly, for those who are now without children and/or a husband in the home to care for. In other words, those who are in an “empty nest.” As the back of the book says, the author “challenges women to respond to God’s call specifically for this season of life and offers practical ideas for finding new meaning.”

My children are still quite young at the ages of 11 and 7, so this book did not completely apply to me. However, I was still able to glean some helpful insight. I especially enjoyed the way the author incorporated the book of Ruth (the story of Naomi) into this book. It was almost like a study guide for me, in that regard. She had a lot of interesting facts and insights about this book of the Bible that I hadn’t thought about before.

I would recommend this book to women who are entering middle age or have been there for awhile, especially if your children are grown (or mostly grown), or to someone who is trying to determine her purpose for living during the 2nd half of her life.