DO tell...

Much to my amazement, most people don't feel quite the same way about high school as I do. I. Loved. It. I loved my friends, my freedom, the football games, my teachers. Loved it. Tim teases me mercilessly because most people say they'd never go back, but I'd do it again in a heartbeat.

Although most of my high school friends have scattered across the country (or the state, anyway) I still have the occasional privilege of running into people and catching up. There seems to be less "catching up" to do now that facebook rules our lives, but that's for a whole different post.

I had a fun opportunity to meet up with Lexi today. Lexi and I didn't go to the same high school, but we were in the same youth group and shared a lot of the same friends. We grabbed a quick lunch and chatted for a while, but it was such a pleasure for me, and I can tell you exactly why.

Lexi is honest. The thing I despise most about running into people from high school is the "look how well I've done for myself, life is great, no complaints, couldn't be better" conversations that usually take place. With few exceptions, most people are more concerned about conveying that they've "arrived" than they are about really sharing their story.

This is ironic, because when you look back on what connected you in high school, it wasn't just the fact that you were the same age and lived in the same city and walked the same halls. More than that, it was the fact that you were growing and learning together, sharing your problems, leaning on each other, and figuring out life. I think (I'm actually practically positive) that as we get older, we do less and less of this. In the interest in looking like we have it all figured out, we stop talking about the tough stuff life throws our way, and our friendships become shallow and lifeless.

This brings me back to Lexi. Lunch with her was a breath of fresh air. She talked about all the great things she's done over the last 7 years (she's a bio-medical engineer and she's traveled the world... woah!) but she also talked about some tough stuff. She's made decisions she regrets and has found herself in a few surprising places. And who hasn't? But why don't we TALK to each other about it?

Conversations like this aren't just important in the interest of deepening friendships, they are important in the interest of praising our God! As Christians, we are ineffective if we aren't willing to talk about the tough places sin has taken us and the sweet way that the Lord draws us back to Him. Sometimes life throws us curves, and sometimes we take the wrong path, but unwillingness to talk about our "tests" leaves us without a testimony.

Darryl Worley said it well, "I love this crazy, tragic, sometimes almost magic, awful beautiful life." Life is all over the board, and that's the beauty of it. The Lord blesses us on top of everything else. It's a journey orchestrated by His grace, in spite of us. DO tell. And DO tell the truth.

One Year Later...

Well, folks... it's been 4 days short of A YEAR since I last blogged! Wow! Not that I don't have some good excuses. We moved into our new house, went on vacations, I graduated from college, we traveled a bit more, hosted our very first Christmas in our own home, celebrated our 5th wedding anniversary and attended (sadly) three funerals. We've been busy!

I've been a little intimidated about picking this back up again. How do you come back after so long? Britney can do it, but I'm not sure I can. I've decided to just dive in.

So, I thought I'd tell you a sweet story about my thoughtful husband. I've been in a bit of a "funk" lately. Tim called me at 3:00 yesterday while I was still at work.

"Hey honey, it's 3:00"
"Yes, it is."
"So you only have about an hour and a half left until you go home!"
"That's true."
"But I thought you might need a little motivation to make it through the last hour and a half of work, so I thought this would be a good time to call and tell you there is a small surprise waiting for you when you get home."
"Really?!?"
"Yes! And it isn't even a sexual surprise, so you can get really excited!"
"Well thanks! I am excited."

He sure knows me well! That last hour and a half flew by, and I drove home to find a quart of my very favorite frozen custard (chocolate custard with strawberries and chocolate chips) waiting for me in the freezer. I ate chocolate custard and macaroni and cheese for dinner (comfort food, anyone?) and then went to have my butt kicked at my first of 11 F.I.T. (Females in Training) classes at our church. Michelle teaches the class, and she graciously laughed off the fact that the custard and mac & cheese were fueling me through the work-out.

Today I'm thanking God for paid time off, a sweet husband, open windows, and exceptional girlfriends who make working-out bearable. And tonight is Girls Night Out! Woo hoo!