Living Joyfully
Helping Pets & Encouraging People
Looking Forward
The stage is set, the flowers and the bridesmaids are beautiful. The groom is anxiously awaiting his bride as she walks down the aisle. We are all staring at her as she passes, willing our love for her to be shown through our eyes so that she can feel it at she passes. The couple has been planning and praying over this event for months now, and the day has finally arrived where the pastor will say “I do” and they will be man and wife. As the ceremony proceeds, and stories and words are shared the future is thought about but in a way that is overshadowed by the moment of love. The couple is in the moment in which they don’t care about what will happen an hour from now much less a year.
As a young couple long ago, my hubby and I were just trying to figure out what it was like to live together, spend together, and plan together. We didn’t get a lot of things right, because we were flying by the seat of our pants. We both came into our marriage with financial debt, but we also both had our own expectations of what marriage would really be like. At times we would get through life day by day, trying to just make it without stressing each other out. For the most part though, we leaned on each other, we had trial an errors in which we grew stronger together, and we made time to plan. We would be grounded in the day but we would let our minds go for what the future held.
We now have kids that are at the stage of planning their futures. It’s amazing to think that the dreams you dreamt about years ago are in your present and you are living them out. Planning now looks so different than planning then. There are just as many prayers about what the future holds while being present now, but the dialog has changed. Joy comes from deep down, it comes from knowing that even if life is hard and the laughter isn’t always there, you belong and are loved. Joy comes from knowing Christ loves you the way you were years ago and how you are now. My hubby and I are more secure in who we are as individuals but also as a couple. Our kids are learning the ways of the world and where they fit into it. They struggle so much with what the world tells them they should be doing, how they should act, what they should see as important. They are trying to figure in where their faith fits into the whole of who they are. They are planning (at least my girls are) for what they will do in the near future. They are looking forward and dreaming. We as their parents are looking forward and dreaming as well, but also looking to see where we can teach them life skills that will keep them on the right path.
It’s a funny thing to plan, and dream and hope. It takes the mundane and makes it bearable. It makes the every day a bit brighter. It’s exciting to see with your mind’s eye what dreams fulfilled could look like. Dreaming and planning is work, but worth it. When my kids were little, planning looked like the amount of time I had to myself while they napped. Now it’s the amount of time I have with them in general. The focus has changed. My hubby and I are no longer trying to figure life out day by day, we have a routine now, we have little nuances about each other than speak louder than words will. We now plan the future out in trips and collage funds vs. diapers and making ends meet.
There is an energy to life when you take the time to look up from the grind. When you take the time to look at what is around you. The grind will be there, it’s what pays the bills and keep life going. I love the new year, it’s like starting over. I love it because I know there are adventures coming in the new year. A new school year happens, new trips, new financial goals, new jobs, new dreams, new outlooks on current dreams and plans. These help when there are bumps in the road. Praying over your dreams and plans will bring blessings along the way. Looking forward is not a new concept, wanted something better than what we have is not bad, unless we are doing it for the wrong reasons. Praying and seeking God’s guidance should be the first step in any planning, He wants you to have a future and hope after all. What do you dream about? What are you planning for? Look forward to what lies ahead but stay grounded in Christ while doing it. The road won’t always be easy, but it is worth it. Until next time: I love this quote from Mother Theresa:
You will teach them to fly, but they will not fly your flight. You will teach them to dream, but they will not dream your dream. You will teach them to live, but they will not live your life. Nevertheless, in every flight, in every life, in every dream, the print of the way you taught them will remain
Mother Theresa
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Rae's New Shine Childrens Book
One day Rae woke up and felt different. When she looked at the people around her they seemed to “shine brighter” than she did. When she finally prayed about it and asked her mom for help, she realized she didn’t know her own worth. She didn’t believe in herself and felt dim compared to others. Once she started to see she was talented and worthy her shine came back.
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Living Joyfully 
Wow nice story dreams can be real or not but it depend on us as individuals. Marriage is the best thing that can happen to two people in love but it takes the grace of God and maturity to make it last forever.
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