Seasons of life

I'm a complicated woman. There, I said it (though any man reading this would probably say that ALL women are complicated).

As much as I like to say that I'm a 'fly-by-the-seat-of-my-pants' kind of girl, I'm not one that embraces change either. I'll embrace it when it doesn't actually have a HUGE impact on MY life.

But if MY life is going to change, you better watch out!!! I'll be kicking & screaming the whole way! Trying to control everything and everyone around me so that I can 'think' that I am in control.

There's a saying:

Some people come into your life for a reason.
Some people come into your life for a season.
Some people come into your life for a lifetime.

I'm all about seeing the reason why certain people are in my life. I love when God reveals that to me. I LOVE having friends that will last for a lifetime. You know the ones: days, months, years can go by before you talk to one another, but when you do it's like time has stood still (except for the gray hairs & wrinkles).

It's those SEASON people that I have a hard time with. Don't get me wrong... some of the season people are in my life for a reason... some of them will be in my life for a lifetime too. But it's at the end of the season, when there's that "goodbye" of sort, that I hate.

Sometimes the friendship just fizzles. Sometimes it's a catastrophic event. Either way, there's a sense of loss. That little hole in your heart that only that is reserved for that person.

But then God does something amazing!!! He fills that void with His love. Sometimes He brings new people to your life that increase the size of your heart so that void doesn't feel so BIG.

It's moments like this that remind me of one of my all-time favorite Christian songs by Michael W. Smith... You know the one. In fact, the tune just popped into your head as you're reading this.

Friends are friends forever
If the Lord's the Lord of them
And a friend will not say never
'Cause the welcome will not end
Though its hard to let you go
In the Father's hands we know
That a lifetime's not too long to live as friends

Many blessings,
Allison

Bitter sweet goodbyes (already)

Ok, so my best friend hasn't moved just yet, but her hubby is scheduled to move by next weekend. That means there's only a little time left. Granted, they haven't sold their house yet. But still..... she's going to be moving.

We had small group at her house tonight. We always have fun at small group. Except tonight. There was that big elephant in the room. Gathered in corners of her house were items they're getting rid of -- 'the store'. We were told to take what we wanted; the rest was going to Good Will.

It hurt to see the piles. The piles mean they're cleaning house. Figuring out what to bring to Iowa & what stays behind.

As we walked out to the car, saying goodbye wasn't so simple anymore. It wasn't a 'bye, see ya later'. There was MORE there. Heck, I'm probably going to see her every day for the next 5 days, but soon enough we will be saying GOOD BYE.

While I shouldn't be focusing on what has not come, I need to always keep it in the back of my mind. I don't want to be shocked when the day finally does get here.

Hopefully we'll be heading to Starbucks one night soon. Probably more like multiple nights soon. I need it. She needs it. Especially before her hubby leaves.

I'm scared yet excited to see what God has planned for our families.

Many blessings,
Allison

4 children & a funeral

As some of you know, we recently had to travel to NJ to attend a family funeral. You see, my husband's grandfather, Bud, passed away at the ripe old age of 92.

Our the past few months, we've learned a lot about Bud - stuff some of us never knew.

• Bud was a 2ND generation volunteer fire fighter which makes my husband a 4TH generation fire fighter.


• Bud's cargo ship was torpedoed off the coast of Cuba during WWII on June 6, 1942 by a German submarine. He & several other crew members survived in lifeboats for 5 days.


• Bud passed away almost 67 years to the day of his ship being torpedoed (June 6, 1942 - June 5, 2009).


• As much as Bud was a cranky old man, he was highly respected among his fire fighting peers.

Besides having 2 grandsons, Bud was blessed with 4 great grandchildren: Jason, Chelsea, Justin & Jaclyn. Because Jay & Jackie live in NJ, they got to visit him a lot more often & were devastated when he passed away. Not that my kids weren't affected, but it was a little surreal for them. Jason, 11, even gave a eulogy. There wasn't a dry eye in the house.

My one regret was that I didn't pack my camera. Gruesome, I know. Not that I wanted a picture of his body in the casket, but the graveside service was beautiful.

The US Navy sent 3 officers to play taps & fold the flag. I am not a fan of Obama, but it touched my heart to hear condolences from him. Bagpipes played 'Amazing Grace' in the background as the fire fighters said their final farewell. As each fire fighter saluted, they removed their right glove & placed it on the coffin. The bagpipers removed the reed from their pipes & placed those with the gloves. Then family & friends each placed a red rose.

My simple words cannot convey the beauty of the moment. It made me proud to be a part of this family.

Many blessings,
Allison

Healing my broken heart

A few days/weeks ago, I wrote about a heartbreak. This Sunday, for the 1st time in a LONG time, I finally gained a peace about the situation. My friend said something to me that opened my eyes. He said that he felt as though he didn't need to be my friend anymore.

My response was that we obviously had different definitions of friendship. I try to not put limitations on my friendship; no conditions. I know that everyone isn't like me - thank goodness for that. But that is when I realized that the friendship was truly over. There was no longer a NEED (though is there ever a need for a friendship?).

In that simple statement, my eyes opened wide and I was washed with a peace. God protected my heart to be able to hear the tough stuff, but He also gave me the insight to know that it is time.

I will forever cherish the friendship with my friend, but I know that God has something great in store for both of us seperate from one another.

God continues to wrap His arms of love around me and teaching me that HE is my friend - without conditions.

Many blessings,
Allison

Farewell to a President

Love him or hate him, President G.W. Bush has been our President for the last 8 years. MANY will say he has ruined this country, yet instead of looking at what we think he did wrong (honestly, could we have done any better), we need to celebrate the man who had the courage to run this great country of ours.

I took comfort in knowing that our President was a God-fearing man; a man who started & ended his day in prayer. I may not agree with the decisions he made at certain points of his leadership, but I thank him for being in that position. Not everyone has the guts to be President and make decisions that not only impacts them, but the ENTIRE country and sometimes the WORLD.

As we enter into the final days of his term, I thank God for President Bush & his devoted wife, Laura. May God continue to bless them & work through them long after the attention has faded. I pray for President-elect Obama & his family as they embark on a journey that is not for the faint of heart. That the Lord protect their family and their marriage. He/They will be watched closely by the world and under tremendous scrutiny.

And so a new era begins....

Many blessings,
Allison