Remember and give thanks.

Today is exactly one month of marriage to my Jonny guy but we celebrated together on Sunday. I talked to my Grandmother on the phone yesterday and she told me that I need to take pictures of this time in my life to be able to remember the gift of this season.

"Chelsea, when you are at a point in your life when you are doing too much, you are overwhelmed and hard pressed, look back at pictures of this time in your life and let it be a reminder to you that God loves you and loves taking care of you. You will experience all kinds of seasons in your life and it is good to record the gifts so that you don't forget them in the hard times."

These words, coming from my 87 year old Grandmother, wrapped around me like a warm hug. As I type, I think about the life that my Grandmother has lived and the weight that her years of seasons give to her advice.

Jon's parents stayed up late to welcome Jon and I back from our honeymoon and something that Jon's Dad told us resonates with my Grandmother's advice. He told us to replay our favorite memories over and over again in our minds. He told us that those good 'tapes' of sweet memories will be a light to us in hard times.

When Jesus was eating dinner with his disciples just before His death, he broke bread and passed around wine and told His disciples to continue communion in remembrance of Him.

"And as they were eating, he took bread, and after blessing it broke it and gave it to them, and said, 'Take; this is my body.' And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, and they all drank of it. And he said to them, 'This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many. Truly, I say to you, I will not drink again of the fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new in the Kingdom of God.'" Mark 14:22-25

Today, I am struck by how Jesus 'gave thanks' as he was preparing to go to the cross. And when we do communion, when we remember what Jesus did, how his blood was poured out for many, we also give thanks.

Remember, give thanks and rehearse what is good. This thread weaves throughout scripture and most stands out to me in the Psalms. Over and over again, in the midst of trial, the Psalmist remembers how good God is and talks about specific moments of God's provision.

I can 'Sunday School it' with the best of them, and of course being thankful and remembering the Good News of Jesus is important. I never want to make light of the incredible gift of life Jesus gave us. But I am moved today by how important it is to remember the thousand good gifts God gives us. Each precious gift is a reminder of His infinite love.

(Yes, I know there is a book about that and it is on my book list: http://onethousandgifts.com/)

And when there are dark times (be they short or small), I want to play those 'tapes of joy' in my mind as well as search out for the daily good. There is a sorrow of the soul that only God can penetrate. And one of the ways He does that is through reminders that there is light. Even if the clouds hide it, it doesn't take away from the fact that the sun does indeed live in the sky.

And so I remember and give thanks.

For a husband who is my friend,
new friends in a new place,
crocpots to help with hotel living,
long distance friends who reach out,
the time to read good books,
Google hangouts with family,
my pink ukulele that Jon gave to me,
learning to play Go with my husband,
pumpkin spice candles,
figuring how to open our hotel windows,
Jon actually being the only one able to muscle the windows open,
secretly listening to Christmas music when Jon is not home and loving every tune of it,
and waking up at 6am in the morning and being happy because I am waking up with my best friend.

I know I haven't read the book but I watched this trailer for the book and it brought tears to my eyes. It articulated what my heart was trying to express in this post. I might watch this, hmmm, five or more times today.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GhOUaszMGvQ#t=248

"If nothing ever changed, there would be no butterflies."

"...and she laughs at the time to come." Proverbs 31:25

There was a time when I feared change. I think it was sometime around 'the big change' that happens to everyone as they transition between the worlds of childhood and adolescence. Letting go of the carefree child me and learning to wear the awkward adult wardrobe made me distrustful of other 'big changes.' And like many young adolescent's, in order to protect myself, I took control. The bridge of years between me at this moment and my twelve year old self have been a battle against the construction of control. Slowly, God has helped me loose the bricks free of that wall, at times brick by brick and at times tumbling entire sections. 

A chasm of difference lies between self-control and control of circumstances. I had a beautiful childhood and an adventurous and wonderful adolescence. But I am a human in a broken world.  A natural byproduct of the sin in this world (and in me) is the knee jerk feeling that I must control my little universe to keep myself as safe as possible. I can't control the seasons, storms, other people, economy, blueberry prices, or traffic. But I do have a choice in how I respond to the things and people I can not control. 

God has been teaching me how to laugh with the joy of knowing that He is the Beginning and the End. God tells us in Psalm 35, "Let those who delight in my righteousness shout for joy and be glad and say evermore, 'Great is the Lord, who delights in the welfare of his servant.'"

I have entered a new big change- marriage to my best friend, a new name, and a new family. I have had to pinch myself a few times by how wonderful these early days of marriage have been for Jon and I. This season has been so sweet that, recently, I felt guilty and wondered when things would become difficult (because that is a part of life). But God reminded me how each season is a gift in itself and a gift to the next season. 

Spring ushers in summer. Summer grows autumn's harvest and autumn rests in winter. And winter causes spring to break across the ground like a giant smile in the earth. God, being the best of Fathers, gives only good gifts. I want to say with Paul, I know the secret of being content in need and in plenty. "For me, to live is Christ and to die is gain."

I did not plan to be so wordy in my first blog post in my new blog. As I flutter my wings in this new marriage season, I find myself with a window of time to return to old friends, reading and writing. To celebrate, I am refreshing my soul with ponderings in my private and public journals. 

My soul is refreshed in writing these thoughts and I hope your soul is refreshed by reading them.