Simplifying my Life a Little Bit at a Time – Part 3

Welcome back!

This is the third in a series of posts on simplifying my life a little bit at a time.  Besides stepping down from commitments, and changing my schedule, I am also spending more time with my family and friends.  I am blessed with a few close friends and an even larger circle of Christian friends.

My best girlfriends and I have gotten extremely close recently with the addition of a weekly commitment to each other.  In January, we began holding each other accountable by emailing each other in regards to our quiet time with God every day.  These emails, fondly called Good Morning Girls are a way for us to stay connected to each other and to hold each other accountable, to each other and to God.  They have not only strengthened our relationship with God, but they have also strengthened our relationship with each other and our families’ relationships with each other.

We believe in the Biblical concept of iron sharpens iron and we have seen that played out in our lives over the past few months.  We’ve experienced with each other job loss, financial woes, and other hurts and we’ve enjoyed times of joy as well.  We know that each and every day we are lifting each other up in prayer.  We remind each other to be patient with our children and to love our husbands despite their flaws.

In addition to this we’ve come together more often, spending spontaneous afternoons together, enjoying each other, our families, our children, sharing meals and our lives.  This simple thing has made such an impact on my life.  I’m grateful for them and for God so specifically planting them in my life.  It is HIS doing and we are glorifying him for the blessing.

There’s just a little more to tell about this simple lifestyle . . . check back next week for the final post.

We Learn the Hard Way

Is it just me, or do we sometimes have to learn, the hard way?  I know that I spend a lot of time on the computer.   As most of you know I work online and therefore spend a great deal of time on the computer.  In addition, I have accumulated a good many friends online that I “socialize” with throughout the day on Twitter.  For me, it’s second nature and I don’t think much about it, or at least I didn’t until last night.

We spent the night before Valentine’s Day with friends, 4 other couples in fact that we like to get together with often, friends from church who we admire and respect.  One of them is the youth and children’s director at our church, he was going to be planning a Valentine’s banquet for our church that was held tonight and was going to be doing his version of the Newlywed Game at the banquet, so last night, he wanted to “practice” on us.  He did and the game was a ton of fun.  Unfortunately for me, it was also very “telling”.  One of the questions posed to the husband’s was, “what one habit does your wife have that you cannot stand.”  My husband had written down his answer and I then had to “guess” what it was.  As much as I hate to admit it, I knew the answer right away.  He hates that I stay on the computer so much.  Of course, I was dead on.  I practically hung my head in shame.   The truth, as we all know, “hurts”.

This is something I knew but was not taking to heart.  Mind you I will now.  I told him this morning I was making a new rule for myself.  I won’t be on the computer when he is home unless it is absolutely necessary for work.  He was so sweet to say, “I didn’t mean you couldn’t be on it at all.” But, nevertheless I realize I must set limits.

I tweeted about this earlier today and several ladies agreed that their husbands would say the same thing.  Would yours?  Maybe we can hold each other accountable.

Good Friends = Good Life

When I was younger, my momma always told me “enjoy your friends now because when you get older they disappear.” I believed her, for a long time.  My mom and dad weren’t the type of people when we were growing up to have friends over, have get togethers or anything.  Sure, we had family over all the time, but my mom and dad’s friends, not so much.

When I graduated high school, it hit me, I am going to lose all my friends.  That hit hard and it hurt.  I had this fear that it would come true.  Sure, I haven’t seen most of the people I graduated with since graduation or a random run in at the local Walmart, and my best friend from high school and I rarely talk, but when we do it feels just like old times.  Even still, my best friend from elementary and junior high, who moved away, and I still talk regularly.  Though we rarely see each other. I was in her wedding in 2005 and she came to see me after both baby #1 and #2 were born.  #1 the night he was born carrying flowers, because she’s just that type of gal.

When I married the summer after my freshman year of college, I had this tiny hope inside that I’d make new friends in my new town.  That didn’t exactly happen over night.  But slowly, it has happened and now, I’m surrounded with a great big circle of friends.  I call them “my girls” and they are so special.  Each one hand picked by God to be a friend to me.  What makes them even more special is many of them have children my children’s age and they too are friends.  We have get togethers with the kids, we go to church together and our children attend school together.  We do A LOT together and that’s why good friends = my good life.

The photo is from our 2nd Annual Weenie Roast held a couple weekends ago.

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