So I had planned on writing today about how sometimes we come across as one person, but that a lot of people are not seeing our true selves. However, that will have to wait, b/c I have something else on my mind now. Perhaps tomorrow....

So anyway, first a few bits of housekeeping:

I see that you are not voting for Echo like I told you to, b/c she is not in the lead yet. Soooo, I'm scolding you now, and telling you to VOTE FOR ECHO!!!Here you must go to the right side and click on Blogette Contest (in red), and vote for echoleigh.com/blog. I can't get my hookup from her if you don't....I mean, I want her to win for her own good, yeah.....

We went yesterday to see our new nephew. He's as cute as a button. If I may be honest, though, I don't see any resemblance to either one of his parents. Who knows, maybe he'll surprise us....or maybe one day his mom will surprise us with news that he belongs to someone else! Okay, that was wrong, but I just have to wonder....We are to call him Lil' Mikey, so if you see him, don't just call him Mikey (I did, and Jennifer was quick to correct me!). Of course, just to be jerks, we all said we're going to call him LT (Little Todd), b/c we prefer to stick to two letter names for the babies. We call his sister, who's real name is Sylvia Kalynn, KK (I picked that one), and then of course there's TJ. So that leads me to wonder what we'll call Taryn? I say CJ, for Christi Junior. Then I'll raise her to be just like me! Oh, poor, poor Trey...Anyway, there should be some pics of the baby up above this post.

So, here's my thought for today instead. I went to the mom's group that Gina invited me to, so graciously, this morning. This woman spoke to us who had an amazing story, which I wish I could tell you, but I would never do it justice. Anyway, the gist of it was that she was in a car accident, and was told she would never walk again. She put all of her faith in God, and not only did she walk again, but she did within a year of her accident. The doctors said it was a miracle, and to look at her, you can't tell that anything ever happened to her. I can say that there was not a dry eye in the room, and even I, who tried so hard not to cry, cried. It was really touching, and very inspiring. It got me to thinking. So much has happened in my life during this past year. Nothing anywhere near as dramatic as her accident, of course, but enough that I have found my way to God, and gained not only a deeper understanding, but also a better relationship and better life altogether because of my troubles. I now see just how truly fortunate I have been in life, and that with faith everything will work out. If you have read along for any amount of time, then you will know that we had a lot of problems trying to sell our house, and some other stuff as well, and that I had dropped into a pretty icky depression over the whole ordeal. My original thought was, "Well, I've tried everything else, so why not try this whole God thing?" I did. At first it didn't really help, b/c I was there just to try to find some answers. However, one day I just snapped, and I think it was something my pastor said in church, and I said, "You know what, Christi, obviously everything you have done has gotten you nowhere. There's nothing else you can do. So, you have to have the faith you keep hearing about and just put it in God's hands. I mean, if He can't help you, then certainly no one else can, either." So I did. So far my depression has gone away, and I worry very little now. I think my marriage has gotten better. I am enjoying more, and not seeing quite as much of the problems that I was. Oh, and my house sold. As a matter of fact, I was talking to our real estate agent today, and we're hopefully going to close around the end of the month! Wonderful things have come my way. I even got fired (and that was one of the biggest blessings I have received so far...)! It's just awesome how much better my life already is, and in such a short time. I'm sure there will be problems to come, but I don't worry about them anymore, and I've got faith now that God will get me through them, and that He's definitely the best friend you can have to work through stuff with. Something else that has me thinking is that three close friends have recently, w/in the past year that is, had very tragic deaths in their families. I've talked about them both, and Mark and Karla's is very recent. Julia's is a little more in the past now, but still as fresh for her. I see that all of them were shaken to the core when it happened, and were left lost and wondering where they had gone wrong in life and questioning everything they ever believed. I, too, felt this way during our crisis, but nowhere near on as grand a scale as theirs. I had an ex-boyfriend, whom I really loved, die in a tragic accident when I was younger, and I'm still devastated to this day about it. He was just an ex-boyfriend! I can't imagine losing someone close to me! Could you imagine losing your father unexpectedly, or your newborn baby? I don't think I could ever leave my bed again. Yet, all three of them have survived, and are out of their beds. They have found the strength within them to continue their lives, and look toward the future. I can't help but to think that God has a big hand in that. The girl who spoke to us today, she turned to Him, and he gave her a miracle! Her life, which was prior to that time as perfect as they come, was ruined. She was put into debt, her life plans were shot, and she was told her mobility was gone forever. Instead, though, a year later, she was on her feet again, moving forward. She even told me that she, too, lost her first baby b/c of the problems she had from her accident. Did I mention the fact that she is pregnant now, and due in July, which is also when her little girl will turn 2? So I just can't think of anything that would say that God didn't take over that situation and make lemonades out of those lemons. He's changed my life in no time, and made it better, and taught me the actual value of what I have. Sure, I still have problems...I'm too judgemental of others, I still worry, my marriage isn't perfect, but still....what a far cry it is from just a few short months ago, when I would cry for hours a night out of sheer stress and panic. I have also found that I have someone to turn to at ANY time of the day, or night, and He will ALWAYS be there to listen to me, no matter how stupid my thought might be. You surely can't get that from people...especially the way I like to talk! What's also cool is that God accepts me for who I am. I'm not the most kosher person you will ever meet, and I am definitely not w/o flaws. I'm working on that, though....I feel like lately, that I have become a preacher of sorts. I mean, I want to tell everyone how wonderful my life has become, and how excited I am about having found God and making Him a part of my life! That's not me at all. I am not the preachy type. I am not really that comfortable talking about this kind of stuff, b/c to me, that's a personal thing. However, I can't help it. I feel so cheesy sometimes. Even when I feel like I may be stepping on someone's toes, or being pushy about it, I can't shut up! It's just so great! I'll be honest, I don't know a lot about what the Bible says. I don't read it except on Sundays when I'm following along in the scripture lesson right before the sermon which tells me what it means. I don't have any desire to go home and read my Bible and know it front to back. I love to listen and learn about the lessons in it, though. I have my doubts about using a religioun-based curriculum with my children, but I do think that knowing God and having Him in their lives will be very important for them, and I hope that one day they can understand why. I think I'm rambling now. While I was listening to her speak today, I kept thinking of Julia and Mark and Karla. I realize that her story is SOOOO vastly different from their stories. This woman was the daughter of a pastor, raised her entire life in a church. However, she said she had spread the word her whole life, but had never really understood what it meant until that time when she was forced to depend on God, b/c there was nowhere else for her to go. I thought of the three of them, who feel that same way. There is nowhere else to go. Everything they believed up to this point means nothing now, and can't come close to explaining what has happened in their lives. I was a little surprised, but not really, by the fact that they all turned in the direction of God, and have begun a journey to try to figure it all out. I've lost my point in all of this, but I want them to know that I am there for them, and that I hope in some small way I can help them with the little bit I've learned in my own personal quest for answers. I've truly come to understand that God really does have a plan for everyone, that He knows before anything even happens, and that even though it seems dire, in the end so much good comes from it. I haven't quite yet figured out where my plan is taking me, but so far I'm liking it, and I've learned so much along the way! I can't imagine how things could get better. It is my hope that my friends, Julia, Mark and Karla, as well as others who are left to suffer in life, can get to a point one day where they learn that good has come from their tragedy, and see the plan that God has for them, and how it has made their lives that much better. I already can see how Julia's dad's death, as upsetting it is for her, has brought her closer to her mother and children, and has made her appreciate her family, especially her mother so much more. Mark and Karla have already seen that there are many important things in life that they never noticed before. Ava's death has even made me realize how fragile life is, and has brought me closer to my family. There are so many lessons that God wants us to learn in life, and it's so sad that sometimes they have to come from tragedy. I just really hope that someday they can see past these, and see the future for the great thing that it is.

Okay, I'm sorry that I went on for so long. If you're still with me, Karla has a new blog. Go here: http://untanglingknots.blogspot.com/ She really needs you and your support now, as I'm sure you all have wonderful words of wisdom for her.

Have a great day, and I'll see you later!