A Legacy

 

 

 

Many great things have happened in the last 2 years that I could have never imagined happening so quickly. Sometimes it truly does seem like it was yesterday that Michael and I were planning our wedding. I am amazed at how much has been accomplished in a relatively short amount of time. I have so much to be grateful for.

 

Michael and I have learned so much about each other, which I kind of didn't think would be possible since we met in 7th Grade at Providence Christian School. I have learned it is ok to ask for help. That is a big one for me for two reasons. I like control, and I don't like to inconvenience others. I have not only learned more about Michael, but I have learned more about who I am with Michael's help and support. I am thankful for his love and patience in my life.

 

I am also grateful that one day before our wedding I received THE CALL. I was officially going to be a teacher. God's timing really is amazing. I was thankful for the job and the opportunity to meet some amazing young people that I believe in with all my heart. With hard work and determination, they will be successful. I am proud of them, and I miss them.

 

I am proud of my brother Chris as well. Two years ago I could not imagine him married and about to move in to his very own house. I am thankful that he found Courtney through God's guidance. He is such a hard worker just like our dad. I am so happy for Chris and Courtney. I know God will bless their new home.

 

I am so extremely proud of the "little ones" as I will always call them. They are otherwise known as Nicholas, Michael, and McKenna. I love them more than words can express. I am excited to see what God will do in and through their lives as they graduate high school and enter into adulthood.

 

Then there is my beautiful sister Christina. It really wasn't until the months leading up to my wedding that she and I became closer like I had wanted for so long. I was not quite 2 when Christina and Christopher were born. For the longest time, it seemed like Christina was my shadow. She would copy me and follow me, and BOY was that annoying. I never understood why. Mom tried to tell me she wanted to be like me. I didn't get that. Christina is gorgeous. Christina is smart. Christina is fun and out going. Christina is athletic. Christina is generous. Christina is spontaneous. When someone is all those things, why would they want to follow me around? Well being the independent individual person I am, I simply never understood it. I am thankful that we are getting closer as we grow older. I look forward to our children being the best of friends. Speaking of children, Christina is expecting my parents' first grandchild. I am so happy for her. She is glowing all the time. I simply can't wait to hold my baby niece.

 

These past 2 years God has brought jobs, marriages, a house, and a baby (well in August) into our lives. I am so grateful for all that God has provided. God's timing is so good. I love how much we have grown and changed in the past 2 years. I truly do look forward to what God has in store for my life and the lives of my family members. My parents and Michael's parents have so much to be proud of. They have created a great legacy that I hope to carry on.  

Time

I am sure we have all been told the phrase, "The older you get, the faster time seems to go by" or something along those lines. It's not that I ever doubted any of those people, I just simply thought that certain life events would happen at certain times. I don't think I was delusional. I just believed in the American Dream. You know the one from the 50s. Now, I didn't know it's origin when I was a little girl dreaming up my future, but the idea of a college degree, a job, a marriage, owning a house, and having children all by age 30 sounded GREAT to me. I was sold! Well now that I am 26 looking around at people I know who are around my age attaining these dreams, I wonder what did I do wrong. I want to know their secret to success. With my own reflections and a little research, I ventured through the blog world to see what was going on with other people similar to me. Sure enough there are people out there around my age that haven't achieved the American Dream, yet. I found huge comfort in that new knowledge. Then I was inspired to do a little more researching.
I read some things that I remembered from school, such as,
"After World War II, returning servicemen were given opportunities to put themselves through college, and many of them were the first in their families to earn a degree. Because of this, there was a huge difference in the growing post-war middle class, and its ability to own a house and to provide for their children. America emerged from World War II as the wealthiest and most powerful nation on the planet. There was an economic boom; jobs were available, and America was considered to be a land of opportunity." The first thing I thought about was the current job competition that exists. That competition simply was not a factor then because there were fewer college graduates.

My research yielded one thing that I hadn't ever realized.

After the war, most women returned home, let go from their jobs. Their jobs, again, belonged to men. However, there were lasting effects. Women had proven that they could do the job and within a few decades, women in the workforce became a common sight. An immediate effect is often overlooked. These women had saved much of their wages since there was little to buy during the war. It was this money that helped serve as a down payment for a new home and helped launch the prosperity of the 1950s.

While I knew that the war would have lasting influence on women working outside of the home, I did not realize that part about the saved money. Everything finally started to make sense. The American Dream of the 1950s was achieved under completely different circumstances than what I and other Americans live under. Does that mean I want to give up on that dream? No. I do, on the other hand, think that the time table needs to be altered. Time. That gets me back to my introduction. I read once that time can be a tyrant, ticking away relentlessly in your mind. We must learn to master time, or it will be your master.

I am finally realizing that I don't want time to be my master. If we don't have the best jobs or a house of our own or a baby before I am 30, that's actually OK! My life is uniquely mine. I like it that way (well most days when I stop overly comparing myself to others). I truly have enjoyed these first 2 years of marriage with my best friend. He makes me want to be a better person. He always knows how to make me smile. Some of my favorite memories from these past 2 years are the simple moments and the casual weekends. We love playing rock band together. We love watching our shows together. We love travelling together. He has supported me so much through my first two years of teaching. I have thoroughly enjoyed watching him grow as a coach and a man. I am so proud of him. I am also thankful that he reminds me to enjoy the simple things in life. He really does bring the fun into our relationship.

I have always been the planner. I guess that's why I have been stressing so much about our future. Where will we live? Where we will work? When will we have children? I love dreaming about our future together. If I could just stop right there, I wouldn't have this problem. BUT the dreaming turns into stressing because of my lack of patience. I am also working on trusting God and His timing for my life. I really DO believe God has a bigger plan for my life than I could ever imagine. And that is the promise that I have to rely on. I also want to be more appreciative of what I do have and gain strength from all that I have to be joyful about.

Time will continue to tick away. People will continue to dream. While I know I can't control when my dreams are realized, I can continue to work hard to achieve them. If in the process of growing and learning, I realize my dreams changing, then that's ok too. As long as I am listening to God, being proactive, and staying positive, good things will come. What I have to realize is that sometimes good things come in a very soft whisper.