Influence

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It has been a long while since I have posted anything here. I have been busy completing three years toward my B.A. in English and my senior year is underway. My current class (Creative Writing) has finally given me the space to take off the tight harness of academic writing rules, and it feels SO GOOD!! After reading my first assignment, Mom and Daddy gave it their thumbs up and suggested I make it a blog post, so here it is. It is my story and their story. It's a little longer than my usual posts, but as with everything I have ever posted here, I pray it encourages you to run "up the sunbeam to the sun" (C. S. Lewis). "Follow my example,  as I follow the example of Christ." 1 Corinthians 11:1 NIV I sat above them on the stairs. Looking down through the window-like openings in the partition between the living room and the stairway, I listened to the basketball players, football players, baseball players, wrestlers, track athletes, both the lettermen

To My Valentine

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"That day, she was amazed to discover that when he was saying 'As you wish', what he meant was, 'I love you.'" Quote from the movie The Princess Bride
My Valentine is not the sentimental type. Our connection has never been about mushy nicknames or characterized by pink hearts and chubby cherubs. Not sentimental, no, but Hero Husband is very sensitive in his own way--he puts his feelings into action and I am SO thankful. To my Valentine, my Hero Husband, on Valentine's Day: You are the one who . . . . . . doesn't throw away my boxes of sentimental keepsakes ONLY because you love me . . . . . . secretly goes and washes my car because you heard me say I wished I could . . . . . . bought steaks for our Valentine dinner because I love them (you'd prefer chicken) . . . . . . makes an effort to understand me, even when you're sure I'm making no sense . . . . . . hands me the remote control so I can watch my bull riding . . . . . . didn't get mad when I called to say I had caused a "small" car accident . . . . . . helps me stay calm when, left to myself, I would worry . . . . . . calls me to find out what I think about the Bible passage you're studying . . . . . . sends me text messages at work to say "I'm proud of you!" . . . . . . works so hard to take care of our family . . . . . . keeps encouraging me to pursue my dreams . . . . . . who chooses to persevere and who refuses to live "under the circumstances" . . . . . . who stays at the wheel of our relationship to keep us from drifting off course . . . . . . takes leadership at home even more seriously than in your work (which is saying a lot!) . . . . . . makes it easy to "follow you as you follow Jesus" . . . Sweetheart, your love may not be the gooey, sentimental variety, but it is rock solid and you demonstrate it in ways that far outlast any box of Valentine chocolate. You love me better because you love Jesus most. You are still God's gift to me and I love you more every day!
"His left arm is under my head and his right arm embraces me." Song of Solomon 8:3 NIV

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