Sunday Thoughts...

It's Sunday again and I can totally tell that fall has come to Texas and might be here to stay.  Up until last week, it was still in the 90s here and it felt very much like mid-summer.  But, for the past 3 days, we've woken up to gloomy skies and "cold" weather...cold here is on the 70s.  Ha! 

I woke up to a very achey Stace.  The past few weeks, he has been complaining of back pain.  In my head, it's a combination of monkeying around with the girls, carrying two very, very heavy bag packs all the time and every day, and lack of exercise.  He was in so much pain that he didn't want to change positions.  So, I got up, got him some milk and some medicine.  Then, pulled a little massage machine he gave me a few Christmases ago and some icy-hot and massaged the area.

He laid there and went on to tell me how much he loves me.  He said that everyday, he loves me more and that I am the girl of his dreams.  He said I take such good care of him and went on and on.  This man tells me he loves me every 20 minutes, every day.  It's been like this since we were first married.  Some days, he will hug me out of nowhere and tell me more detailed why he loves me so much.  It's an everyday thing, every 20 minutes or so thing.  Yes, lucky girl.

So, today, as I went to church, after being showered by his love...  I was happy to hear the lesson in Relief Society be on Eternal Marriages.  The teacher provoked so many thoughts and the little moment I had with Stace this morning helped to.  I think the message I gained is that marriage is about selflessness and truly about service. 

My marriage is far from perfect.  It is also a very good marriage.  We are so different from each other and that helps with points of view.  He has helped me see things in different ways and that helps me act differently that I would have otherwise.  And, I'd like to think that it's vice versa.  We very, very seldom argue.  We do disagree, but we also have a lot of respect for each other.  I have never heard Stace raise his voice to me.  Thank goodness.    I have seen him angry at someone once and it terrified me...I didn't know that man was inside my husband...

Stace, regardless of how busy he is, is always taking time to help me.  Running this home, our business, and taking care of him and the girls are my "jobs."  He is responsible for his school and the lawn.  But, he still makes dinner once in a while, bathes girls, gets up with me and does their hair for school...and so on.  It means so much to me, more than words can describe.  He finds strength somewhere to serve me.  I love him.

I am surrounded by people with very good marriages, thank goodness.  They are such good examples to me.  Almost every day, I think, in-depth, of different people around me.  People that silently, teach me something and make a HUGE difference in my life. 

Lately, I've been thinking about friends who have just recently gone through what I am going through right now, grad school.  Their experiences are always popping up in my mind, wherever I am pleading with the Lord for help.  I am lonely, overwhelmed, clueless...you name it.  But, every time I ask the Lord how to do this or that, the experiences of my friends, come up in my mind! 

Today, I thought of a friend, Karla, who I have known since we were 18 and yet...we have never met in person.  When her husband decided to go to Law School, she took upon herself stuff like making sure the cars had gas and oil changes...things like that.  She had two kids, two dogs, and all the work that comes with that...and she decided to add car maintenance.  I love this girl...for many reasons, but especially for the little things she is always teaching me. 

Yesterday, I was thinking about another friend, Amy, whose husband just spent the past few years in school to be a chiropractor.  I cannot tell you, how many times, I read her saying how he had finals and boards, and other crazy tests, leaving her alone with 2 kids for endless hours.  As a mom, I know how hard that is...and yet, she sounded so positive and so thankful that he was out there giving his best for THEIR future.  Wow...I love women like that!

Now, I can go on and on about other friends.  Those are just two happen to be in my mind as of late. 

I love marriage.  I love people that work hard on theirs and make me learn from it.  I love that I have these examples in life!  I am grateful to say that I am mostly surrounded by people who look at their spouse as a gift.  I love them for that!