"Always make it a practice to stir your own mind thoroughly to think through what you have easily believed. Your position is not really yours until you make it yours through suffering and study. The author or speaker from whom you learn the most is not the one who teaches you something you didn’t know before, but the one who helps you take a truth with which you have quietly struggled, give it expression, and speak it clearly and boldly." Oswald Chambers, My Utmost for His Highest

Fairy tale wedding or real life? LOL

Excuse Me, There is a Man in my Bed (great blog post) - http://www.keepinitreal-gina.com/2011/06/excuse-me-theres-man-in-my-bed.html

“

Off into the sunset...romance....you know...just like in the movies...

...or NOT.

Any thoughts of a picture perfect honeymoon quickly began to fade, and real life set in sooner than we imagined it would.

”

 

read the whole story here - http://www.keepinitreal-gina.com/2011/06/excuse-me-theres-man-in-my-bed.html

 

 

 

 

and the lesson was:

 

I think that if we focus our hearts on the ideal, we are setting ourselves up for disappointment. 

Why was I  not  devastated?

• Because I had been surrounded by people that helped me to focus on God, the reality of marriage,  and the seriousness of the wedding ceremony.  Yes. We had decorations, some good food, and a fun reception. But what was more important to us was that the ceremony be meaningful and depict the seriousness of the covenant we were making before God.  
• I had people that encouraged me to not be in love with the idea of being in love...but to learn how to love unconditionally, like God does.   
• Faithful Godly people had invested in me, and helped me see life through God's eyes...and not through the the fantasies that our culture thrusts in front of us. When real life happened on our wedding day,  and things didn't go as planned, God had been preparing me to roll with it.  To accept it.  

My Favourite Home School Website

LIFESTYLE HOMESCHOOL

http://www.lifestyle-homeschool.com/index.html

The Power of Tiny Pleasures

http://rowdykittens.com/2011/12/tiny-pleasures/  (Click on link to read the complete post on her blog)

Tammy writes:

After reflecting on my personal experiences and reading about happiness I’ve come to believe that in any situation:

1. Your actions are under your control.

2. Outcomes are out of your control.

3. The voluntary 40% factor holds a lot of sway in most situations.

What small pleasures make you happy?

Have some tissues ready… an adoption story. <3