We're well underway in our move from the Black Forest part of Colorado Springs to a more normal suburb-type neighborhood. So many friends have been over to help, whether for an hour or two, or for an entire day! Just today we took four full carloads from one house to the other and got all the boxes and everything into the rooms where they belong.
Tomorrow morning friends will be here once more to help us with last-minute preparations for the pro movers we've hired to get the tricky things that are too heavy or bulky or whatever to move on our own. Speaking of which, I ought to finish up clearing the we're-moving-clutter in my room....
Friday, November 29, 2013
My Sister or My Friend?
[I rediscovered this little journal-like writing in a Gmail Document titled "Short Stories" that I wrote sometime in 2009, and figured I'd post it now. The girl I talk about here, Sarah, just so happens to be on my mind right now, as I found out earlier that she just got engaged today! Also, you can tell this is from a while ago primarily because I refer to Chaela as Kayla .]
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Two summers ago, I met a girl named Sarah. Sarah is about a year and a half younger than me, loves the LORD, and is overall the kind of person everyone loves being around. She and I became friends practically overnight, which is such a blessing! Anyway, that summer I met her, people who saw us together at the summer camp we both went to kept asking if we were sisters (or at least related in some close way). This happened so often that we finally agreed to just say we really were sisters, just for fun. I personally don't think she and I look anything alike (except for our eyes, maybe), as she has blond hair and is tall and thin, and I have light brown hair, and though I'm tall, I'm bigger boned. Well, we both came to the conclusion that people probably assumed we were sisters because we were nearly always with each other, and we were obviously pretty close.
Thirteen summers ago, I met a girl named Michaela Joy. Michaela is three years younger than me, loves the LORD, and loves to make people laugh. Everyone loves being around her. I can't remember a time when Michaela and I weren't friends, really. Of course, in all the time I've known her, we've had our arguments and squabbles, as well as an occasional outburst. But overall, we're pretty close. People tend to have one of two totally opposite reactions when they see us together: on the one hand, you have those who say that we look nothing alike (though upon closer inspection, say we do have the same nose =P ), then on the other hand there are those who insist we look like twins. Now, Michaela and I both emphatically agree that we look nothing like twins. We just look like sisters... because we are. =)
Now, I have to tell you, Kayla (Michaela) and I have grown even closer since the time that we met Sarah. We've always been closer than the average siblings, which I think is mainly due to the fact that we move on average every one and a half to two years, as well as the fact that we have two excellent parents who have worked with us and taught us to get along together. Unfortunately, though, at the time that I met Sarah, Kayla and I had grown apart quite a bit. I blame myself; a couple of friends that I had were extremely unloving in their words and actions toward their younger siblings, and that attitude had rubbed off on me to the point that I would allow myself to get easily aggravated and annoyed at Michaela. I would speak sarcastically and often rudely to her, and boss her around (often even more than is normal coming from an older sister). Looking back, I'm ashamed at my behavior, and I can't believe the bad example I was setting for my sister.
Back to Sarah. While up at the summer camp, after we'd decided on being "adopted" sisters, I began to think about the total difference in my behavior to Sarah and Kayla. Yes, it was good that I was treating Sarah like my best friend, and - as I put it even then - like my sister. But how did I treat my REAL sister? I treated her like a little girl who might get in my way, like someone I didn't want to be around, and definitely not the way I should be treating a sister. How sad is that? Fortunately, God used Sarah to show me how I needed to be toward Michaela, and through patience, hard work, lots of mistakes, and a TON of prayer, Kayla and I are back to being best friends; we're even closer than before!
This summer, I got to go to the summer camp ahead of my family, and Sarah and one of her brothers got to do the same. I'm thankful for the time I got to spend with my "sister," but I was overjoyed when, two weeks later, the rest of my family joined me, and I could renew my long chats with my sister. Now, Kayla and I still argue occasionally, but we're usually able to get over those silly little things that we're usually getting upset about.
I pray that God will continue working in and through me, so that I may become the best big sister I can possibly be to Michaela....
[ The photos used in this blog were taken just before Dad deployed by a sweet lady from a company that does photoshoots for military families - for free, as a thank-you to those who serve our country. What a blessing! ]
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Two summers ago, I met a girl named Sarah. Sarah is about a year and a half younger than me, loves the LORD, and is overall the kind of person everyone loves being around. She and I became friends practically overnight, which is such a blessing! Anyway, that summer I met her, people who saw us together at the summer camp we both went to kept asking if we were sisters (or at least related in some close way). This happened so often that we finally agreed to just say we really were sisters, just for fun. I personally don't think she and I look anything alike (except for our eyes, maybe), as she has blond hair and is tall and thin, and I have light brown hair, and though I'm tall, I'm bigger boned. Well, we both came to the conclusion that people probably assumed we were sisters because we were nearly always with each other, and we were obviously pretty close.Thirteen summers ago, I met a girl named Michaela Joy. Michaela is three years younger than me, loves the LORD, and loves to make people laugh. Everyone loves being around her. I can't remember a time when Michaela and I weren't friends, really. Of course, in all the time I've known her, we've had our arguments and squabbles, as well as an occasional outburst. But overall, we're pretty close. People tend to have one of two totally opposite reactions when they see us together: on the one hand, you have those who say that we look nothing alike (though upon closer inspection, say we do have the same nose =P ), then on the other hand there are those who insist we look like twins. Now, Michaela and I both emphatically agree that we look nothing like twins. We just look like sisters... because we are. =)
Now, I have to tell you, Kayla (Michaela) and I have grown even closer since the time that we met Sarah. We've always been closer than the average siblings, which I think is mainly due to the fact that we move on average every one and a half to two years, as well as the fact that we have two excellent parents who have worked with us and taught us to get along together. Unfortunately, though, at the time that I met Sarah, Kayla and I had grown apart quite a bit. I blame myself; a couple of friends that I had were extremely unloving in their words and actions toward their younger siblings, and that attitude had rubbed off on me to the point that I would allow myself to get easily aggravated and annoyed at Michaela. I would speak sarcastically and often rudely to her, and boss her around (often even more than is normal coming from an older sister). Looking back, I'm ashamed at my behavior, and I can't believe the bad example I was setting for my sister.
Back to Sarah. While up at the summer camp, after we'd decided on being "adopted" sisters, I began to think about the total difference in my behavior to Sarah and Kayla. Yes, it was good that I was treating Sarah like my best friend, and - as I put it even then - like my sister. But how did I treat my REAL sister? I treated her like a little girl who might get in my way, like someone I didn't want to be around, and definitely not the way I should be treating a sister. How sad is that? Fortunately, God used Sarah to show me how I needed to be toward Michaela, and through patience, hard work, lots of mistakes, and a TON of prayer, Kayla and I are back to being best friends; we're even closer than before!
This summer, I got to go to the summer camp ahead of my family, and Sarah and one of her brothers got to do the same. I'm thankful for the time I got to spend with my "sister," but I was overjoyed when, two weeks later, the rest of my family joined me, and I could renew my long chats with my sister. Now, Kayla and I still argue occasionally, but we're usually able to get over those silly little things that we're usually getting upset about.
I pray that God will continue working in and through me, so that I may become the best big sister I can possibly be to Michaela....
Wednesday, November 6, 2013
Here we go again! (Pt. 2)
Well, looks like the time we've been given in our current house is coming to an end.
We've been renting, and our landlords alerted us this summer of their intent to sell the house (as they were struggling to afford it, even with our rent). Since then, we have prepared the house for showings numerous times - often with less than 24 hours' notice and a few time while we were out of state!
As of today, though, a buyer was finally found.
While we have not yet found the next house to move into, I'm pretty excited knowing that God knows perfectly well where He'll this mini-transplant will land us.
When Mom told me all this over the phone earlier (I'm halfway through my volunteering visit in southern Utah right now), I admit my first thought was along the lines of, "well...there's my prayer request for church tonight. Great." Mom, on the other hand, exuded an attitude of "what a praise! We don't have the burden of having the house ready to show at a moments notice... We don't have to live in suspense of when a buyer will be found any longer... God has a new setting for us coming up!"
On that note, I am so thankful for everything Mom has been doing and is continuing to do with all this craziness that has been our life for the past 12+ months. I pray my attitude will more rightly mirror hers, and that it thereby will be more honoring to the God who hasn't stopped being in control of it all yet, and will never do so. :)
We've been renting, and our landlords alerted us this summer of their intent to sell the house (as they were struggling to afford it, even with our rent). Since then, we have prepared the house for showings numerous times - often with less than 24 hours' notice and a few time while we were out of state!
As of today, though, a buyer was finally found.
While we have not yet found the next house to move into, I'm pretty excited knowing that God knows perfectly well where He'll this mini-transplant will land us.
When Mom told me all this over the phone earlier (I'm halfway through my volunteering visit in southern Utah right now), I admit my first thought was along the lines of, "well...there's my prayer request for church tonight. Great." Mom, on the other hand, exuded an attitude of "what a praise! We don't have the burden of having the house ready to show at a moments notice... We don't have to live in suspense of when a buyer will be found any longer... God has a new setting for us coming up!"
On that note, I am so thankful for everything Mom has been doing and is continuing to do with all this craziness that has been our life for the past 12+ months. I pray my attitude will more rightly mirror hers, and that it thereby will be more honoring to the God who hasn't stopped being in control of it all yet, and will never do so. :)
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