Health

I am so THANKFUL for my good health.

I know of a lot of people who have health problems and it seems that I hear of more every day.  It makes me so thankful for the fact that I dont have to take any medication on a daily basis or have to go to the doctor on a regular basis - other than for check ups.  I'm not saying that I'm satisfied with my body (because who is ever satisfied with their body) but I am so relieved that I can wear a size smaller than I could 6 months ago and that I could go out walk four miles and play tennis when I feel like it.  It feels so good to be fit - not that I'm in perfect shape or anything but I'm active and healthy.  My body can tell a difference when I eat greasy food all week or when I dont exercise often.  I'm seriously missing the gym while I'm working out of town...Ok well I'm starting to sound like a workout/exercise freak so I'll go but I'm definitely enjoying exercising more lately :)

Gorgeous Weather in February

Today I am THANKFUL for a break from the snow and gorgeous weather in February!!!

A week ago it was snowing.  Today, it is approximately 65 degrees, beautiful and sunny!! It was the same yesterday and Friday.  I have taken total advantage of this.  Yesterday I was outside most of the day.  I slept super late, walked 4 miles, played tennis and drove around with the windows down.  It was TOO much fun! Today, I did exercise at the gym but then sat out on the back porch for awhile and enjoyed the sunshine.  I am getting ready to go meet some Greenville friends, Nancy and Jerry, for coffee while they pass through town on their way back to Greenville.  I plan to sit outside. :)  I am loving this weather and trying to enjoy it while it lasts - which is apparently only soon: tomorrow rainy with a high of 55 and it goes down from there for the rest of the week with highs equaling 43, 39, 34 with snow predicted on Thursday.  It really is ridiculous.  I know that this beautiful weather won't stick around for TOO long because it is still February but it sure is wonderful while it's here!!

Family

I am so THANKFUL for my family.

Tonight, I hung out with Anna and realized in talking with some other friends what a wonderful family I have! I mean, I've realized this before but I really do have an incredible family.  My parents both come from big families that are successful and wonderful people.  All of my parents siblings, as well as my parents and grandparents, are still married to their first spouse or were married until their spouse passed away.  My grandparents, parents, their siblings and my cousins are all fantastic people, college graduates and successful.  My brothers have taken my grandfather and father's business and have been wildy successful.  These are a few of the careers of my family members: teacher, minister, musician, famous chef, wanderer, real estate salesman, general contractor, general contractor, general contractor, salesman, woodworker, decorator, rocket scientist (seriously), nurse, engineer, accountant.

I come from a long line of great people.  I am so thankful to be apart of a such a great legacy. I am so thankful that my family loves me and cares for me in such a wonderful way.  I cannot express my thoughts for how much love I have in my heart for the people that I'm related too!

Never A Dull Moment

Now to Him who is able to do IMMEASURABLY more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work in us, to Him be the glory...Ephesians 3:20-21 

I love this.  I've mentioned it several times before but I just cannot shake the reminder that He does not fit into my box - you know the one, that I put him in.  I am THANKFUL that Jesus does not fit into my box.  I went to lunch with my friend Diana today and we talked about a lot of things that have been happening in our lives or the lives of people around us lately.  I know that you're tired of "hearing" me complain or talk about the same things over and over again, but I think I need to be able to talk about it so that I can move on.  Most of the time, we feel like we can explain the things in our lives: the decisions we make, the choices, the consequences - they're all a result of some action that we take, whether good or bad.  The things in our lives are usually explainable.  It's hard to imagine a different life - the result of different choices and decisions.

I realized today, perhaps before today, that I will never be able to explain the last year of my life.  I'll never be able to rationalize it as one thing or another.  I'll never have any understanding. I just have to trust that Jesus knows what he is doing.  I went to a new Bible study this past week and one of the girls in my study said that when God takes away the things that we want the most, it's for a good reason that we may never understand.  Maybe he was protecting me from something or maybe he was preparing my heart for something new. I'll never know.  I think sometimes that I've moved on from the hurt and the crazy wildness of the past year until something happens, good or bad, like I find renters for a condo that's been empty for five months or I find out that my co-worker has been fired, or my manager walks in and quits suddenly, or I find out that a friend lost his job and I'm right back to that very moment.

I've learned so much about myself, about the working world and about life in the past year.  But I still have so much to learn.  And just when I think that things in my life are starting to calm down a little, today, the manager that I've worked for the past 6 months quit.  He then proceeded to verbally vomit on me, all of his frustrations from the past 6 months.  I've been feeling anxious and awkward all day.  I'm just not sure what's next....Do I take Mark at his word and run like hell? Or do I take Craig (the big boss) at his word and stick with it and hope for a promotion or a pay raise?  After today, as if it weren't already bad enough, I have ZERO trust in the working world.

Waiting for him to do IMMEASURABLY more than all I could ask or imagine....

Marie

RENTERS!!!

I am so THANKFUL today, just generally thankful....

Once again I am reminded that Jesus is in control.

Today, I have renters who signed a lease for my condo in Greenville.  You cannot imagine how relieved I feel.  I truly believe that no one knows how much this burden has been weighing on my shoulders.  I have lost countless hours of sleep, shed tears, and worried myself to near death for so many months.  I am so THANKFUL to be a landlord.  Never thought I'd be saying that!

I'll give a huge shout out to my dad for all of his help.  I had the condo listed with a real estate agent in Greenville since the week before Thanksgiving and she has not showed it one time.  I put an ad on Craig's List on Sunday, this past Sunday and my dad showed it twice this week!  The first person he showed it to was of questionable character but the second was a young couple that works at the hospital system.  I am just so relieved.  I cannot even being to tell you how much my heart has longed for this to happen.  I'm still pretty emotional about it. I have just been so stressed out about all this and cannot even being to tell you how much lighter I feel to be able to take a deep breath.

I do not have a single complaint about my life! I am enjoying Knoxville, friends here, work, and now the condo is rented.

I was talking to a friend of mine earlier today and was just remembering the events of the past year and a half:

1) Living in Greenville, working in Greenville - 2008
2) Buying a condo - October 31, 2008
3) Lost my job - November 4, 2008
4) Out of work for 8 months
5) New Job in Knoxville - July 8, 2009
6) Current renter moves out - September 2009
7) New Renters move in - February 2010

My how time flies...

Marie

Assurances

I have started to write this post several different times. I'm trying to streamline my thoughts but they seem to be all over the place so I'm just going to go with it! Continuing along the lines of my last post...

When things happen and we don't understand, often the response of others is "It must not have been God's will."  In my head, you know what I hear, "blah,blah,blah". Even though I truly believe this and that His will is "good, pleasing, and perfect" (Rom 12:2), it is difficult for me to hear these words, if only because so often His will isn't what my plans were.  But the truth is: God knows what He's doing.

One of my most favorite verses of recent is Ephesians 3:20 that says "...to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine."  I love those words: Immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine. This reminds me of how marvelous God is.  He knows my hearts desires, He knows what's best for me.  He knows what's going to happen next, even though I have absolutely no idea.  I have had this plan for my life in my head for most of my life and nothing, literally nothing, that I thought was going to be happening to me at 25 is happening.  Not that that's a bad thing.  I mean, I have a great life, one that is hard to complain about when considering the other things that are going on in this world: a friend who lost a job, an uncle with a neurological disease, a friend with a brain tumor, friends with a sick baby, Haiti...but it's still hard for me to realize that things didn't go according to MY plan! He has a much better plan, a fabulous plan, for me!!  I am truly excited about what Christ is doing in my life and how He is preparing me for the next step in my life, whatever and wherever that may be.

My how things can change in such a short period of time.  A year ago today, I thought that my life was over.  I had been out of work for 3 months and had zero prospects for anything new.  I had no idea that 3 months would turn into 8. I had no clue that I would witness the wonderful support, love and encouragement of so many wonderful people over the next few months. I never would have seen myself living in Knoxville, surrounded by life long friends and actually enjoying my job. He has a plan and a time table that is perfect for my life.  He knows.  He knows what He's doing.

There's a new song I've been enjoying lately, I heard at church a few weeks ago called All I have is Christ: The chorus says: Hallelujah! All I have is Christ. Never have these words been more real to me. I also have another quote that is one of my favorites.  I actually have it up on my desk at work and read it often, as a reminder.  I had it on my blog title when I first started: God is God.  Because he is God, He is worthy of my trust and obedience.  I will find rest nowhere but in His holy will, a will that is unspeakably beyond my largest notions of what he is up to. - Elizabeth Elliott.  This is similar to the verse in Ephesians for me.  Unspeakably beyond my largest notions...I love that.

Realization

This isn't exactly something that I'm thankful for but it's definitely something that I've come to the realization of, espeically in the past year or so.  And I've been reminded of it again in the past week.  It's also something that I'm working on coming to terms with.  But, I think it will always be a struggle for me.  Maybe it's a struggle for everyone.  If it is, feel free to share your thoughts and maybe I won't feel alone! Ok, are you ready for this?

Life is hard.

This may seem so simple, but yet it is one of those things that no one tells you about.  You have to learn this one on your own.  I think our parents try to protect us from this realization when we are young - by encouraging us to dream, to be successful, to pursue what we want.  Which I am very grateful for.  I wouldn't have wanted to spend my growing up years not wanting to grow up.  Why is it that we spend our whole lives wanting to be a different age?  When we're younger, we want to be adults - to drive, to do whatever we want, to not have to go to school.  When we're adults, we wish we didn't have the responsibilities of adulthood.

Things never go as you planned.  And plans continually change.  I've heard a quote - not sure of who said it: "The only constant in life is change".  Might as well get used to that one.  Things change, plans change, friends move, jobs move, jobs end, relationships change.  I'm slowly learning to be OK with this. Sometimes. Things happen all the time that we don't understand.  And to be honest, it's a good thing that we're not in control.

When I hear of friends losing their jobs (as I did this week), I return directly to how I felt the day I lost my job.  Whether it's for just a moment or for an entire weekend.  I can't help it, my heart hurts.  It's not often that I think about that day or the time afterwards but when I am reminded of it, I have a hard time getting it off my mind. I have learned (am still learning) to change my thought process.  To have optimistic thoughts, rather than immediately go to the doom and gloom of thoughts like "I'm not going to survive this!" I saw this earlier this week: "No, I'm not a pessimist. At some point the world craps on everybody.  Pretending it ain't crap makes you an idiot, not an optimist."

Haha! But in all seriousness - optimism is one of those things that the Waters family is not blessed with so it's something that I'm learning.  However slowly.

Marie