letters

over the past few weeks, brandon and i have spent some time reliving our past. as mentioned before on this blog (specifically this post), brandon honored our country by serving four years in the Marine Corp. while dating, our relationship was tested over and over again, as we struggled with the distance and the reality of being separated by miles, oceans and wars.

brandon's first tour in iraq was in 2003 and our only means of communication was writing letters. we were old school:) there were no phones, no internet and no way of knowing where he was. or if he was okay. or even alive. looking back, i have no idea how i kept it together. i spent a lot of time with God during those months he was away and i truly believe that He gave me a peace that surpassed all understanding. brandon's mom, jenny, felt the same way. she said that she never once doubted that he wouldn't come home. we all rallied together and prayed and prayed and prayed and we are all thankful that God's plan was for brandon to come home safe. that prayer is a powerful tool:)

now that we have our own home, we have a little more space (and stability...no more moving!) to collect some items from our past. brandon had been keeping all things marine corp related in his mom's basement until this past weekend when she graciously handed them over (while silently thanking God for her basement back:)). there was a lot of nostalgia in the air as we looked through old uniforms, worn combat boots and pile after pile of training manuals. and last but not least, the letters. letters that still had remnants of dusty, dessert sand and smelled of musty, old library books. there was a pile of "family" letters and there was a pile of "maggie" letters. looking back at them brings back a lot of different feelings, but mostly an overwhelming feeling of thankfulness. thankful for keeping him safe, for sparing his life, for giving me peace.....so many feelings of thanks.

little by little, we are reading through them together. and boy is it an emotional roller coaster:) not many relationships live to see the end of a war, much less a marriage, so we have been feeling very blessed.

all letters were kept safe in this handy MRE bag

the "maggie" letters

a couple excerpts:

february 5, 2003
"....brandon, i need you to come home. i really, really need you to come home. so please don't break your promise to me and come back. i know it's all in the hands of God, and at times like these, i wish i could see into the future. but, unfortunately, i can't. i love you, think about me a lot, and most importantly, talk to God."

february 6, 2003 
"....never forget my love for you, brandon. someday we'll look back at all these letters and laugh. actually, i'll probably cry:) my love is flying to you on angel's wings....keep praying...."


february 11, 2003
".....i am so incredibly proud of you. and i'm not just saying that because you're gone and i'm your girlfriend. when i really think about what you're over there doing, i feel so lucky and proud to say that you are my boyfriend. i can honestly say that you are my hero. i love you.....be careful and come home to me soon...."


" For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength." Philippians 4:13

feelings about the past week

negatives:
-sinus infections are NOT. FUN. i have never in my life had such a headache or seen so much green snot. after a week and half of what i thought was the flu, i was able to get some antibiotics to punch this
infection in the face.

-allowing my child to watch entirely too much tv while laying on the couch and praying for relief. the girl who never sits still, will immediately sit on her bottom and watch the entire episode of "Calliou" without moving. not my finest week of parenting, that's for sure.

-the in-between weather that's been happening lately.  once the last bit of snow melts, i am ready for summer and i feel like it's taking forever to be warm again. 80 degrees, please hurry up....


positives:
-feeling thankful for peyton's grandparents:) they allow me to indulge in a little "me" time every once and a while. in this case, it was going to the doctor two times in one week, but i was alone, so that counts as "me" time, right? ALL of p's grandparents are always very willing to take her off our hands and we are so thankful!
-spending time outside and enjoying our football field of a backyard.

-watching a little girl fall in love with the outdoors. she's always asking to play outside and many times will cry when she has to come in. her favorite activity? following after birds, finding little rocks to sort and watching all the neighborhood dogs. i can't get enough.

-the first big rainstorm of the season. my husband was beside himself excited. while the rest of central iowa was hovering in their basements during the tornado warning, he was standing outside, looking around with a giddy smile on his face. he's got a thang for weather and i love that about him.

-i love logging into our bank account and seeing a much larger sum of money than there was yesterday. tax returns are wonderful:)

it's been a roller coaster of a week and i'm feeling happy about life. who's with me?

thank(FULL)

When I was in high school my sister introduced to me the concept of a "Thankful Journal". You take time out of each day to write down five things you are thankful for. At first it's easy, then after a few days you get a little stooped (let's see here...I've already thanked God for my family, my friends, my house, and dog...how in the world can I think of five different things every day?!)--not that you have to be thankful for five different things every day of your life--there are times in our lives where we are thankful for something for an entire season, and things that we are thankful for for an entire lifetime! And then you remember all the things you take for granted that you are (or SHOULD be) thankful for. Running water, a toilet, a warm bed to sleep in, etc. And once you get REALLY good at being thankful :), you even start to be thankful for the trials in your life! "When troubles come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing." James 1:2-4

Some may be wondering...why journal it? Why not just say it? Well, there are probably a few reasons, but my favorite reason is simply for being able to go back and look at it. It can be quite fun, and even a blessing to look back on your life and see what you've thanked God for in the past! Sometimes it brings a rush of emotion and a special intimate moment with God by more clearly remembering that specific time in your life.
Just for fun...take a look at this timeline, straight from my thankful journal:
2.24.99 "I am thankful for no homework!"
4.19.99 "I am thankful for such a wonderful guy for Heidi-Kevin" (my sister and now brother-in-law) :)
2.20.00 "My mommy (which I might add...spoils me rotten!)" mmm..wonder what she got me that day?!
2.20.00 "Boys, he, he!"
2.24.00 "Cool pens, school dances, stars"
10.30.02 "Conversation, encouragement, wisdom, tears"
4.14.04 "Forgiveness, experiences, guidance, friends"
8.23.06 "Hope, hugs, smiles, beginnings"
9.10.06 "Photographs, love"
9.11.06 "The Holy Spirit, new beginnings, prayer, fellowship, seasons"

:) That's just a glimpse! You can see how my thankfulness matured over time (haha). It is definitely neat to look through and see the things that are timeless (family, friends, smiles, laughter, etc.) and the things that are a bit more unique that make you wonder what happened that day to make you say that. I have to admit that I stopped doing this a long while ago...4 years ago in fact. 9.12.06 is the last entry. I'm planning on starting again because after reading through my journal again, I wish I could (and am physically yearning to) read what I would've written between then and now. There's been so much I've been thankful for.

My challenge to you is to join me and try to daily think of things you are thankful for. Practice making it as natural as breathing. There's no minimum or maximum to the list. Simply take time to reflect on all the blessings in your life. Our lives are literally brimming with blessings. Let us be outwardly brimming with blessing and full of thanks. Let us be thank(FULL).






P.S. What are you thankful for?

unbutton your top button, folks. it's thanksgiving!

all i've done for the past three days is research food, shop for food, prepare food, smell food, dream about food, EAT food, feed food to peyton, talk about food, re-heat food and eat some more food.
needless to say, it was a great thanksgiving:)

but enough about food...let's talk about the real meaning behind turkey day.

earlier in the month, our small family of three started a new tradition (actually brandon and i started it...peyton will jump in in a few years). i grabbed a jar out of the cupboard and dubbed it the "thankful jar." i cut up some patterned, scrapbook paper, set out two pens and each day, we would each scribble something we felt especially thankful for. although peyton can't quite contribute yet, my hope is that we continue this tradition each year, so that she (and future kids!) can participate. at the end of the month, we'll dump the jar, read each card and be reminded of all the things we have been thankful for. i will keep the note cards in my holiday storage bin (ok..who am i kidding? i don't even have a holiday storage bin. they'll probably end up in a desk drawer somewhere and we'll find them on thanksgiving 2027...) and pull them out each year to read past thanksgiving's thoughts.

here are few of what we thanked God for this year:

I am thankful for....

-snuggling on the couch
-God's continuous love. no matter what.
-a husband who helps with a fussy baby in the middle of the night...(teething crisis of 2010)
-supportive friends and family. AND family who helps us move 2 times in 1 year:)
-my wife and the wonderful mother that she is.
-babies who sleep ALL night. hallelujah.
-every afternoon when daddy comes home from work and plays with peyton...oh, the giggles!
-a really good realtor
-the first time i heard the word "mama".....priceless.
-new beginnings
-God's grace
-quiet moments of reading a story
-a car with good gas mileage
-peyton's laugh


"Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; His love endures forever." Psalm 107:1






Q: what are you thanking God for today?