Reason #450
My little cousin, Meghan, got engaged a few weeks ago. I always think of her as being "little," but really, she's just two years younger than me. Anyhow, I'm super excited for her as she's met the perfect person for her. And it's funny how it happened, as it is with most people. Completely unexpected and yet divinely orchastrated.
I know I write about my family a lot, but I just think they are awesome. All of them! I'm so fortunate to have a large extended family that I'm close to. I was in Abilene on my birthday this past year for work. It was my 25th birthday, which is a landmark birthday in my opinion. I celebrated over the weekend, but I'm a firm believer that one should still do something special on their actual birthday. Thankfully, Meghan had a free night that evening and so she treated me to dinner and some delicious cupcakes that I'm pretty sure caused me to go home a few pounds heavier. Meghan and I seem to have quite a bit in common. For one, we share a name. Secondly, we are both independent girls. We are pretty determined and we know what we want. One thing about being an "older cousin" (even if it is just by two years), is that you get to experience things first. You get your feet wet and you get to see what does and doesn't work. And of course, you also have opportunities to make mistakes first. Meghan, although she doesn't live here, was given a front row seat to my life via our mothers and grandmother. Although I didn't personally tell her everything, I know she knew. That's one of the many other benefits of having a large, close family. And so Meghan knew what I was going through. She heard all about it, knew the details, saw what it was doing to me. But being the sweet girl she is, Meghan was praying for me, loving me, and supporting me from afar the whole time.
I was thankful to be having birthday dinner with her that night. Rarely do we get the opportunity to just hang out without a crowd. Aaron and I had just gone on our first date and so I filled Meghan in on the details as she had gone dress shopping with me a few weeks before to find the perfect "first date dress." I told her how I just couldn't believe that he would want to date me. I couldn't believe he was even interested in me. I told her I couldn't believe how good God was to give me the opportunity to date someone like that. Of course, at the time I didn't know that I would be marrying Aaron within a year as I wasn't convinced at that time that he really liked me but rather was just being nice to hang out with me. And I remember Meghan, who is always honest and says what she's thinking, said, "I'm not surprised. I knew you'd find someone like that."
A few weeks later Meghan met Joseph. Joseph is her "someone like that." In PT school, paired up as partners, and now they'll be spending the rest of their lives together. And as I write this, a little lump forms in my throat because I am amazed at God's goodness. How God was right there with us that night, listening to our cousin conversation about where our lives were going. Because truthfully, at the time, neither of us knew. We were both starting new chapters in our lives and clueless as to what our futures held. But more than that, God saw our hearts. He knew what we needed even if we didn't verbally express it right then, and He rescued us, both of us. And not only did He rescue us, He blessed us. Totally surpassed our expectations! But I'm not surprised.
So this is an exciting year for our family. Thirty-three days from now, I'll be Mrs. Davis and 8 months from now, Meghan will be Mrs. McCarty! How sweet it will be to celebrate what God has done for us. For how He went before us, prepared good things for us, and then gave them to us when we were least expecting it. How He has known from day 1 what the future held, and He made sure that it held exactly what we needed. And maybe we had to travel down some rough paths to get there, but what matters now is that we got there. We have a God who loves us, and how exciting it will be to say "I do" to the ones God designed for us, to the ones our hearts needed, and to the ones who have forever changed our lives for the better.
#450 - For upcoming weddings to celebrate what God has done!
"Great is the Lord and most worthy of praise; his greatness no one can fathom. One generation commends your works to another; they tell of your mighty acts. They speak of the glorious splendor of your majesty— and I will meditate on your wonderful works. They tell of the power of your awesome works—and I will proclaim your great deeds. They celebrate your abundant goodness and joyfully sing of your righteousness." - Psalm 145:3-7
I know I write about my family a lot, but I just think they are awesome. All of them! I'm so fortunate to have a large extended family that I'm close to. I was in Abilene on my birthday this past year for work. It was my 25th birthday, which is a landmark birthday in my opinion. I celebrated over the weekend, but I'm a firm believer that one should still do something special on their actual birthday. Thankfully, Meghan had a free night that evening and so she treated me to dinner and some delicious cupcakes that I'm pretty sure caused me to go home a few pounds heavier. Meghan and I seem to have quite a bit in common. For one, we share a name. Secondly, we are both independent girls. We are pretty determined and we know what we want. One thing about being an "older cousin" (even if it is just by two years), is that you get to experience things first. You get your feet wet and you get to see what does and doesn't work. And of course, you also have opportunities to make mistakes first. Meghan, although she doesn't live here, was given a front row seat to my life via our mothers and grandmother. Although I didn't personally tell her everything, I know she knew. That's one of the many other benefits of having a large, close family. And so Meghan knew what I was going through. She heard all about it, knew the details, saw what it was doing to me. But being the sweet girl she is, Meghan was praying for me, loving me, and supporting me from afar the whole time.
I was thankful to be having birthday dinner with her that night. Rarely do we get the opportunity to just hang out without a crowd. Aaron and I had just gone on our first date and so I filled Meghan in on the details as she had gone dress shopping with me a few weeks before to find the perfect "first date dress." I told her how I just couldn't believe that he would want to date me. I couldn't believe he was even interested in me. I told her I couldn't believe how good God was to give me the opportunity to date someone like that. Of course, at the time I didn't know that I would be marrying Aaron within a year as I wasn't convinced at that time that he really liked me but rather was just being nice to hang out with me. And I remember Meghan, who is always honest and says what she's thinking, said, "I'm not surprised. I knew you'd find someone like that."
A few weeks later Meghan met Joseph. Joseph is her "someone like that." In PT school, paired up as partners, and now they'll be spending the rest of their lives together. And as I write this, a little lump forms in my throat because I am amazed at God's goodness. How God was right there with us that night, listening to our cousin conversation about where our lives were going. Because truthfully, at the time, neither of us knew. We were both starting new chapters in our lives and clueless as to what our futures held. But more than that, God saw our hearts. He knew what we needed even if we didn't verbally express it right then, and He rescued us, both of us. And not only did He rescue us, He blessed us. Totally surpassed our expectations! But I'm not surprised.
So this is an exciting year for our family. Thirty-three days from now, I'll be Mrs. Davis and 8 months from now, Meghan will be Mrs. McCarty! How sweet it will be to celebrate what God has done for us. For how He went before us, prepared good things for us, and then gave them to us when we were least expecting it. How He has known from day 1 what the future held, and He made sure that it held exactly what we needed. And maybe we had to travel down some rough paths to get there, but what matters now is that we got there. We have a God who loves us, and how exciting it will be to say "I do" to the ones God designed for us, to the ones our hearts needed, and to the ones who have forever changed our lives for the better.
#450 - For upcoming weddings to celebrate what God has done!
"Great is the Lord and most worthy of praise; his greatness no one can fathom. One generation commends your works to another; they tell of your mighty acts. They speak of the glorious splendor of your majesty— and I will meditate on your wonderful works. They tell of the power of your awesome works—and I will proclaim your great deeds. They celebrate your abundant goodness and joyfully sing of your righteousness." - Psalm 145:3-7