Wedding Season

As many other individuals in their twenties can likely identify with, there are various periods of time throughout the year when it seems that every couple you know is headed down the aisle. I suppose you could refer to these popular marriage months and times of year as wedding seasons. Personally, I'm a huge fan of weddings. There is something so touching and inspiring in the deep love and commitment shown by the bride and groom. I love to take in the atmosphere of the church, the bridesmaid dresses, the glowing bride and groom, the beautiful reception hall, wonderful food, and lots of dancing. In the next two months, two very special couples I know will be tying the knot, and I'm looking forward to both of their special days.

In one of my favorite devotionals, "Grace For The Moment" by Max Lucado, I recently read some words which touched me. Lucado writes, "And who is this bride for whom Jesus longs?...You are. You have captured the heart of God." As beautiful as each wedding is and what a wonderful occasion for celebration, it moves me to think that Jesus loves me as much as, and yet infinitely more than, any groom or bride could feel on their wedding day. I am only human. I stumble, I fall, I make mistakes, and yet I "have captured the heart of God." How overwhelmingly beautiful and magnificent it is to be absolutely loved as a child of God.

I'd like to share with you a wonderful song I heard on KLove recently. The artist Jason Gray describes the journey of our relationship with God not as simply a religion but "more like falling in love" with our Savior. His love is a perfect love indeed.

Country Roads Take Me Home

Every home needs a front porch...

You can take the girl out of the country, but you can't take the country out of the girl. Don't get me wrong, I love living and working in the city. It's an exciting place to be with many activities to get involved in and diverse groups of students to teach at school. I'm so very content exactly where I am. Nonetheless, sometimes it's quite comforting to follow the road that leads you back home. In visiting my dad recently, I took the two hour drive right back to where I grew up. Cruising across the country roads, the lack of traffic and stoplights is like a breath of fresh air. I love rounding a corner and seeing a field of corn or passing the tiny little grocery store that sits in our town. To a stranger, it may seem behind the times or too quiet, but for me, it helped build the foundation for who I am. Looking back at my childhood and adolescent years miles from the interstate and off the beaten path, I learned:

-You can survive for several weeks without making a quick stop at Walmart, Target, or other large chain stores that provide convenience nowadays.
-A creek and woods can provide all of the entertainment that two little kids need for an afternoon.
-Before you learn to drive a car by yourself, you may learn to ride a horse.
-A lunch including a canned soft drink, bag of chips, and freshly made sandwich tastes infinitely better when purchased from a tiny grocery store.
-Sweet iced tea makes the perfect refreshing summer beverage.
-Graduating with less than one hundred classmates may mean that you'll have tiny class reunions down the line.....but that you will actually know them and care about catching up with them.
-Those classmates will also remember and remind you of the embarrassing outfits you wore in elementary like matching vinyl American Girl outfits with your best friends.
-Sitting out on the front porch never goes out of style.
-Having a southern accent doesn't necessarily mean you grew up in the south....it may just mean that you grew up in southern Indiana.

It's funny that when I go back, I often see the little town in which I grew up through very different eyes. It isn't really a bit like the city that I now live in, but smaller doesn't make it less important. Every now and then, when those country roads take me home, they take me back just where I can reconnect with that small town country girl me.