Beginnings

My last post was about "endings" because I thought perhaps that I would not have the time to actually blog again before the first of the year. I am happy to say that I have a bit of reflective time today as I sit in my chair feeling overwhelming love in my heart for the joy of beginnings. On this date 24 years ago-I wed my best friend. It is a day that lives very vividly in my mind/heart.  Mom/I spent 9 months planning the wedding. My wedding day was beautiful, everything I wanted it to be.  Not unlike a lot of young girls, I had dreamed about my wedding day for many years, even before I met my "prince".  I have no regrets about having a nice formal church wedding.  Yes, it cost money and yes, my Dad did offer to just give us the money to start our new life together-but for me, the day was too special to not "celebrate" in a special ceremony.  Sure, we could have "used" the money, like most young couples we started out with almost "nothing" in the way of worldly possessions. However, even 24 years later, I have no regrets-I would not do it differently. We've had an entire 24 years together to gain worldly possessions, but that day was about standing before God and an assembly of our family/friends to celebrate our vows of lifelong love/commitment to one another. Even with the joyful memories I have of that day, the last 24 years have been even more glorious than the day itself. I read something on pinterest the other day that struck me as exactly how I feel about my marriage..."I want a marriage that is more beautiful than the wedding."  AMEN! That says it all.  My wedding was beautiful-but my marriage has far surpassed the beauty of that day. 

Beginnings are a beautiful thing. Whether we are talking about marriages, the birth of children, or the blessing of a new day that God has given-we should cherish new beginnings. In the world of psychology, it is said that a person loses 7 years of their life expectancy with every move they make....I believe that my marriage/life disproves that theory-otherwise I would already be in my Heavenly home! If memory serves me correctly, I have "moved" 15 times in my lifetime...10 of those moves being during the 24 years of my marriage. Sure, moving can/does offer it's own source of "stress", but like so many things in life-it's all about your perspective. You can either choose to become paralyzed by fear of the unknown, be depressed because you've left loved ones behind, etc...or you can decide to be blessed that you have opportunity to enlarge your life experience by adding new friends to your life, enjoying the blessings of living in a new house/location, etc...  I have always chosen to feel "blessed" by the gift God brings into my life with each new move.  If time marches on, my husband/I will "settle" and no longer move in a period of about 3 1/2 years from now.  It will be a new beginning for us. Uncharted territory as it were. We will move forward with joy/anticipation and choose to enjoy the new experience together-just the way we have for the last 24 years of our life together.

As I was talking with my sister last night, I was thinking about other types of beginnings.  This year, I purchased an "elf on the shelf" book/elf for her to "begin" a new tradition with her girls.  As she shared the adventures her girls have had with "Elfard" so far this Christmas season-my heart was full of joy.  Such a simple thing to begin a new tradition-whatever it may be, but how beautiful it can be.  I thought ahead to a future time when my own daughters will have my grandchildren and we can pass this book/elf on to them and they begin their own tradition.  My own Mom had a tradition that every year at the family Christmas party, she had some poor unsuspecting friend of the family play the role of Santa Claus for the kids. When Mom died-the tradition faded into a memory of the past.  That's o.k.-it was her tradition and a special memory we all associate with her love for her family. It is this memory that helped me think what new "beginning" tradition we might start for our family now.  I was really pleased when my sister shared that a friend of hers was asking about the idea of the "elf" and though she doesn't have the funds to purchase an "official" elf on the shelf book/elf-she took the idea and came up with her own new tradition. A dollar store "snowman" that watches over the kids in her house...she shared the story of the "elf" by substituting the snowman.  I like that! I love to hear stories of young moms that are not tied to an "all or nothing" attitude, that don't feel sorry for themselves because of their life circumstances-but understand that it's the idea/principle that's important.  This mom used what she could to "begin" a special tradition for her own kids.

This week, I have read 2 different posts from my sister and cousin about beginning to teach their children to "give".  Both have determined to "begin" a tradition of their children giving to others during the holiday season.  My cousin took her daughter (for the first time-a new beginning) to buy gifts for a young needy child on an angel tree in the community they live in.  She was appalled that when she returned her gifts on the day of the deadline, the tree was STILL full of requests that no one had filled. It was this scene that motivated my cousin to begin a new tradition with ALL members of her family, not just her youngest.  She decided that instead of buying tons of needless gifts (wants) for her loved ones-they would all take part in sharing/giving to others next year.  I applaud the love she has in her heart that understands truly that life isn't all about us! My sister, again, shared with me the story of my niece that gave 50% of her allowance/b-day money to toys for tots this year.  My sister took the time to explain the program to my niece and the idea of helping children that won't enjoy the nice things (without others help) that she is blessed to enjoy each Christmas morning.  My sister talked to her about other community programs that go on during the holiday season and other times of the year to help those in need.  You see, as a young child, my sister experienced the "giving" of others through these various programs. She was blessed by others giving through the years because as a young child, she did not have a family that provided those special "wants" for her and often did not even provide for her needs.  It wasn't until her new "beginning", when she became a part of our family in 1998, that she was blessed to have all of her needs and MANY wants provided for daily. My niece has never had that experience. She-like my own children, cousins children, and most of the children in America-have always been blessed every day (not just on Christmas)-with more "wants" than needs being provided to them by their own family. My niece was overjoyed when my sister told her that next holiday season, she would be going with her to serve "food" to the needy-the food that goes to the food banks that they donate to every year. It fills my heart with joy to see new beginnings like that.  A young child that is "excited" about the concept of doing for others and is looking forward to the day she is "old enough" to help out in a food kitchen by serving others. I'm happy for my sister, my cousin, and all of those that help others in need, because they are the ones that will be most blessed.  Not just during the holiday season-but every day of the year.  There are so many opportunities to help those around us.  We all have so many talents, abilities, gifts that God has given us and they are all different.  No 2 people are alike and the way we express love, sharing, and giving will be different depending on our own personality, community, life experience, circumstances, opportunities we have. HOW we give is not important-it's understanding that we need to "begin" giving and doing it that is important. Coming to the realization that every corner of the world needs loving/giving hearts and "beginning" to do something about it!

When my husband and I began our lives together 24 years ago, we did not have much in the way of worldly possessions. An old full sized bed w/sunken mattress donated to us by friends of the family, a few household items (dishes, utensils, etc..) we received as wedding gifts, an old dining room set (that had sat in my parents basement for about 5 years before we were married), a dresser, tv stand (didn't even have a tv until Christmas day-that was my parents first gift to us), a "hideous" green/yellow/plaid couch and chair that cost $50 but was in good shape, the clothes on our back, and a brand new Sears washer/dryer.  Truly, that was all we had.  But we were blessed by love and commitment to one another! We never felt "poor", but we technically were living at poverty level during the time. When I look at the worldly possessions we now have, the blessings of travel we have had, the beautiful/healthy/godly young girls we've parented, the life experiences we've shared w/God's family, our physical family, friends from different countries, etc... I realize that it has all come our way for 2 reasons-first and foremost - God blessing my husbands diligent hard work from those first days of our life together and because we understood that we were blessed even BEFORE any of these changes occured during the last 24 years.  I will end today's post by saying that my life reminds me of what the great Creator, God, said in His first words of the bible..."In the beginning....it was good".  What is your beginning? Do you call it "good"?  Never fail to appreciate beginnings and today is a new beginning for all of us. If you are reading this post, you have been blessed with another day of life, an opportunity to make your beginning-good!