Support

Last fall, during one of my cross Texas road trips between College Station and Dallas, I spotted the most beautiful tree.  Maybe this is my nerdy horticulture side coming out, but this tree looked to be the most perfect tree.  It had a perfect shape, a good proportion of trunk to brush and was in the middle of a gorgeous field off the highway.  However, it wasn't until I approached this tree that I actually realized this tree was comprised of at least three trees, growing close together.

I was initially bummed; what I thought was the perfect tree was really 3+  scrawny trees. Then the Lord revealed to me how each of those trees worked together to form perfection. One grew thin and tall and had all of its leaves in the upper canopy.  One tree grew on the left side, another grew more towards the right.  These trees would be incomplete on their own, but rather were a perfect fit together.

This realization came during a time when I was facing frustrations and thought I could handle everything on my own (surprise, surprise).  Instead, I realized I needed the support from my friends and family; their expertise, advice and guidance for my hiccups in life.  I wasn't alone in the game of life; rather, I had a handful of friends to help form a complete support group.

Up close we all have our issues, troubles, problems, inefficiencies and lack of knowledge.  But when we combine our experiences, love and knowledge with others, we can help create the perfect form of friendship to help each other out during our times of need. Someone will be there for you when you need an answer, a shoulder to cry on, a pat on the back or just need to rant.

Proverbs 27:17 Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another.

Blessings,
RR

Learning to Delegate

About 3 weeks ago/mid May I reached a point of pure exhaustio . All I wanted to do was sleep all day, and the wedding to do list was oh so daunting. It was at this point (and maybe after suggesting eloping instead), that my fiancé took over for me. He contacted my friend who will be acting as wedding coordinator, my maid of honor, and took my list and helped me prioritize. I deligated tasks to my parents and recovered from this level of 'burnout'. This being said, it was then that I realized I could have deligated earlier-so many people were waiting to help. I could lie and say I don't know why, but I am pretty positive my decision to try to do this a lone was mainly due to my pride, confidence in myself, doubt in others, fear of any end result I don't like, and of course, the desire to want to plan it all myself. Of course at this point I realized all will go well and if it doesn't, I probably won't remember! I am so grateful to have so many helpful friends and family wanting to share this "burden" with me. (In church this past weekend, the pastor discussed briefly our "burden" we can share with others vs our own personal "load". One is meant to be shared to have help carry it, while the other the Lord has personally given us to handle. Or at least that's what I understood-thought it was a good perspective.) So a few weeks ago when I finally felt relief from the stress and didn't feel bad about admitting to my friends I needed their help, the big guy upstairs spoke to me. You see, this isn't JUST a wedding planning control issue, it's a Rachel control issue. I've tried to do everything myself, and I don't stop to realize I don't have to carry the burdens of life/my stress/my fears by myself. Just like my good friends, my God is waiting for me to give Him tasks, my stress, my fears, my burdens. He's waiting with open arms for me to admit I cannot do it on my own and I need His help. What a lovely realization/yet another one of those ah-ha/slap in my face moments. How many times do I need to wear myself out from stressing and stretching myself thin before I present my worries to the Lord? What a great realization this situation was! 3 days until the wedding! Hoping I will allow myself to relax and not play the host of this event I've planned (which is such a weird feeling). Blessings to all, Bride-to-be

As Miranda Lambert said, "Forget your high society, I'm soakin' it in kerosene"

A weekend or so ago, my parents came over to help me with yardwork, as James was tending to the family ranch. Of the yardwork tasks, taking down a dead tree was high on the list, so my dad starting digging as mom and I planted flowers. The tree was a live oak, maybe 3 years old, and since we bought the house, the tree had died. We assumed it was affected by some disease. However, we noticed the grass at the base of the tree was dead, and there was a strong petroleum odor as my dad broke ground. Could it really be? Was this a nice way to ask us to cut down that particular tree? (we have approx 15 trees onbour lot, 8 of which in the front yard. This particular tree was close to our and our neighbor's front door, so we planned on removing the tree prior to his death anyways). "hi welcome to the neighborhood, I'm going to douse your tree and kill it so you must remove it?!?" Any suggestions or advice? What on earth do we say? I hope more trees aren't killed in this manner! Normally I habe pretty good advice for people, but I completely lack wisdom for this situation. Previously I just used to ignore people; isn't it too early to start ignoring or holding a grudge against my neighbor?! I had absolutely no idea the "hardships of home ownership" everyone warned about included dealing with odd neighbors; I thought people meant killing bugs and replacing appliances! Any suggestions?! ~Rachel

Stopping to smell the Roses

Lately I have been way too caught up in wedding planning and house remodeling/decorating. Just the other day I realized how quickly March and April have gone by. Looking forward to the future, whether it's being married, having furniture, having a garden, having our friends back in DFW is actually addicting. I've been constantly focused and wishing it was the summer that I've let almost a third of 2012 fly by me. What could I have done instead of looking toward the future? Spend more time with friends and family here? Visited college friends more? Learned to play the piano, again?

My point is, I personally get ahead of myself by planning in my calendar, checkbook and to-do list. I spend so much time planning I forget to enjoy the present time. I've been this way for years: "once I'm in college... When I have an apartment...after I get a job...when I'm living in my own apartment...after I've graduated from college...when we have furniture...after The wedding... THEN I'll be able to do this/enjoy life/relax."

My goal for the rest of the year? Learn to slow down, stop and smell the roses. I only live this life once, I need to stop planning for the future and live in the now.

So, how do I add that in my to-do list? Should I schedule smelling the roses every Tuesday evening? How much will that cost me to buy roses? ;)

Constantly learning and looking towards Heaven for help in this life.

~Rachel

Green Means Go Cautiously

One of the scariest moments of my life happened about two weeks ago. As I was approaching an intersection while driving, the light turned green, and I continued driving into the intersection. I had barely made it halfway through when a larger SUV barreled behind me, barely missing me, as the driver ran the red light. I am very fortunate God has provided me with exceptional guardian angels and that He has His hand around me, because that was too close of an encounter for me; I did NOT want to be t-boned that day (or any day really).

However, this incident got me thinking about how often we act on our own selfish or egocentric ambition, and we never realize the affect it could have on others. The driver who blazed through the red light (as I have mad it completely through that intersection on a yellow light coming from the same ways as that driver) was either not paying attention to the light change or chose to just make it through the light (maybe he/she was late for work?). Either way, the driver was solely thinking of him/herself and not about any other driver who could be driving according to the laws.

How often do we think "I can get away with this small thing because I want it or I should be able to do it"? The actions we take can affect innocent bystanders without them ever crossing our mind. In a world where we focus solely on ourselves and how our actions will affect us, we need to take a step back and realize who else we are affecting. This is not a controlled experiment where we are the only changing variable in this world. There is a myriad amount of extraneous variables in life, and all of those people are thinking about themselves and how they can get ahead in life.

I learned two lessons that day:
1. When driving, I have to take an extra step to make sure every one else is abiding by traffic laws solely for the purpose of my own safety. Has everyone stopped at a red light before I enter into the intersection? It doesn't matter who's at fault if you're dead.
2. I need to start thinking about other people more and how my actions affect them. When I try to cut the corner, am I causing someone else pain? frustration? danger? When I try to make it through on a yellow light will I hit someone who pops the clutch when the light turns green?

Just because we can, doesn't mean we should without taking proper caution. Look out for yourself AND others in ALL the actions you take!

~Rachel

Trouble falling asleep at night? Is there an Ap for that?

Yesterday I was on the brink of falling asleep around 12:30am, when i heard a thud in my room. Jack, our 9-month old Carin Terrior (think: Toto) occasionally sleeps at the foot of my bed, and last night, right as I was falling asleep, Jack rolled off the bed. This incident wasn't what caught me off guard. Rather, in the dark of the night I called out to the dog "Sparky are you okay?" of course, Jack was fine, maybe a bit confused as to what happened, but eagerly got back on the bed and fell asleep. He didn't even get mad at me for addressing him with the wrong name.

The realization of what I did made me so sad, to remember my grumpy, 13 year old Torkshire Terrior who passed away last spring. I don't think anyone or thing can ever truly replace Sparky in my heart; I just hope as time goes by, that portion shrinks as my love for my family, friends and new pets grow. I almost think this entry may be silly, a 22 year old girl still upset about the loss of a pet after a year, but there are times when I truly miss his cuddling when he knew I was upset, his persistance in sitting between me and anyone else who came to the house, his creepy smile he had when you returned to the house, his absolute hatred for any other animal, and his lack of ability to retrieve a ball. I truly believe God takes care of all of his creation, including animals. Whether that means I am greeted at the pearly white gates by Peter and Sparky or just knowing he lived a good life, I do not know, but in due time I suppose I'll find out that answer.

Until then I have an adorable Carin Terrior who can roll over, play dead and high five, and he enjoys coming in and out of the kitchen via the window (we don't have a doggie door, so I improvised. Needless to say my parents weren't happy about that stunt...). I hope Sparky isn't too mad that there's a new man in my life! (Or rather, two when you include my fiancé!) This is just another aspect of my transition from being a child to becoming a wife! Above all, I am so eager to experience the next chapter of my life with James by my side rather than just a dog! Thank you God for a fiancé who embraces me when I'm upset, stands beside me in my life, has a smile that melts my heart, enjoys being around my friends, and can retrieve a ball..... Oh wait. ;)

~Rachel

Road Work in Life

As I begin blogging, I thought it was fitting to start with a thought a had a few years back. I am continually reminded of this insight God gave me, and it only seemed fair to begin my blogging career by revisiting these thoughts while on the road from DFW to College Station.


During a 3 hour excursion back home to College Station, I had an epiphany. It wasn’t an hour into the drive when I drove through road work in South Fort Worth. There were road signs signaling the road work ahead, and these signs prepared me for any slow-traffic and naturally, road work. However, it wasn’t until I actually read the signs that I received the breakthrough God had for me. The ‘Rough Road’, ‘Shoulder Drop Off’, ‘No Center Stripe’ and ‘Loose Gravel’ signs really stuck out to me. Why did these vibrant bright orange signs stick out? Because they alerted me of the dangers and obstacles ahead as I traveled; these signs acted as a guide as I traveled through the road work. It wasn't until I reached the end of the construction that I received my slap in the face. The ‘End of Road Work’ sign came, and I was ready to return to the regular speed limit. However, as I returned to the normally posted speed limit, I passed by the ‘End of Work Zone’ sign, where one is then instructed to return to the speed limit. Why had I never paid attention to this sign before? Although I knew it existed, I never really read it and followed the sign’s lead. I was too busy returning to my normal speed limit to continue watching for these road construction signs.

And then it dawned on me. These signs were aids in the travel, just as God is in life. Except, we don’t get neon orange signs to let us know of the dangers or mysteries of this travel. We are expected to just trust in God and know He has everything under control. He will help us when there is no shoulder, loose gravel or no center stripe on our path. When we have faith in His lead, He will guide us through the road work in our life.


What stuck out the most to me on this drive was the last sign, the ‘End of Work Zone’ sign. Lately, I have been growing in my walk with Him, in my relationships with my friends, and in my own self discovery. I had made it through the road work in my life, and I am in comfortable and amazing place in life. I couldn’t be more grateful for the people and circumstances in my life. Additionally, I have been eager to begin new journeys; whether that’s finding prince charming or pursuing my new major and life plans, I have rushed to look out for these events, hoping that every moment is the deciding factor in my life. What I have not realized, and what God revealed to me during the remaining 2 hour drive, is that I haven’t made it through the ‘Work Zone.’ Although I have made it through the road work of loose gravel and shoulder drops, I am not ready to return to my normal pace and embark on the rest of my journey, so to speak. I’m still in that work zone and need to adapt to all the new changes in my life. I should not be racing back to my normal speed, but continuing at the recommended speed, giving a ‘brake’ to the workers and watching for the police monitoring the work zone. God has everything planned out perfectly; He knows when and where every little detail of my life will unfold, all I have to do is trust in Him and obey the rules He’s laid down.

Sometimes it is easy to wonder when life will play out perfectly, and when you will meet the right person or come across the right situation that will determine your career in life. But these things shouldn’t be the focus of your life...not until God has cleared you of your work zone and set you back onto clear road.


He’s instructed us:
“Do not be anxious in anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, submit your request to God and the peace of God which transcends all understanding will guard your heart and your soul in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:13
We can’t worry about the road ahead of us, just have faith in Him, and He will see to it that everything will go perfectly.
“Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight.” Proverbs 3:5-6



I wrote this entry after I changed majors, was between relationships, was adapting to taking care of myself in college, was making new friends and was learning more about my personal walk with the Lord. Quite frankly, I was changing in a lot of areas, and I reached a point where I thought I was ready to move on to more exciting adventures. I couldn't figure out why I seemed to be a stand still. What I have learned is that I was still recovering and adjusting to these new changes and was not ready to jump back in to new challenges. For example, I could not understand how I could know so many nice guys yet my dating life be at a lull. A couple of months after writing this entry, I actually started dating the man who is now my Fiance. God has a perfect timing for everything in our lives, and when we are completely out of our work zones, He will allow us to resume traveling at our usual speed. Until then, we must trust in Him to keep us away from dangerous road conditions. Every time I drive through a construction zone I am reminded about His hand in my life and on the road in which I travel. I cannot be more thankful for the joys He has given me, despite the trying work zones I have had in my life.

~Rachel