Today is our 4th Anniversary. Wow! I never thought I would be saying that. No, not for the reason you think. I just never thought I would be fortunate enough to have someone stick with me for so long. I think my previous best was 4 months or so.
The past 4 years has seen many good and some bad times. I know that through it all my wonderful, loving wife has been at my side. I have never doubted how much she cares for me, or how much she has sacrificed to be with me. I know that I am not the easiest person to live with. I am sure Rachel can tell you a few items that are pet peeves of hers. Yet she loves me beyond my faults and I am thankful for that.
I just wanted to let you know a few memories I have over the past 4 years.
--I will never forget the way she looked when she was holding Carissa for the first time. Her love was beaming from her whole body. She was so worn out, yet so excited. Rachel is not only a great wife but a great mom also.
--I always appreciate the fact that I get to check out all sounds, smells, and so on. Of course, I never actually see them, hear them, smell them, but since my loving wife does, then I will check them out. My absolute favorite is 2 minutes after I have put my head against the pillow, Rachel will ask, "Is the front door locked?" "Did I leave a candle burning?" or something that I will obviously have to check on.
--Some of my favorite laughs come during the night, when Rachel talks to me in her sleep. Quite often she will make a comment, or tell me to do something in her sleep. I am so glad that I do not have follow orders.
--My wife is such a caring woman. She wants what is best for children. Always. I can count on her being upset with some parents that--were not watching their child, did not take care of their child properly, or simply were too selfish to notice what their child was doing. She dislikes anyone that puts themselves before their children. This was a trait that my mother instilled in me, and one I simply love about Rachel.
All of these things may not be enjoyable to you, or may sound like I am complaining. Yet when you love someone, then even the things that seem painful bring joy. I may grumble about getting up to check on something, or I might lose a wink of sleep when she talks to me, but all of these things go into why I love my wife. I waited many years to find her, and am glad I did not get in a hurry. Thank you Rachel for 4 great years, no matter what the other circumstances in my life, you have made them great.
Love,
Joe
Thursday, March 31, 2005
Tuesday, March 22, 2005
The Weekend Comes To An End
Well, another weekend with Carissa's grandparents came to an end yesterday. It's always a little sad to have to drive them to the airport and wave the last goodbyes for a few months....
I think Carissa probably has the best grandparents ever...sorry to you other grandparents. They come here so excited to see her and aren't disappointed by anything she does or doesn't do. She really had changed since Christmas....she walks, talks alot more, and has her own personality now. I think it was fun for them to see the emerging person in this little girl. What fun it is to see her kiss and hug them....and how fun it is to watch them as she does it.
We have a whirlwind of visiting over the next 6 months or so. We will get to be home for Uncle Brian's graduation in May and then have him come out and visit us in May. We will get to see Grandma and Grandpa for July 4th and then fly back to Illinois again in August. We really love seeing family and wish we were closer.....God works in mysterious ways to have us appreciate others from our love for them--near or far.
I think Carissa probably has the best grandparents ever...sorry to you other grandparents. They come here so excited to see her and aren't disappointed by anything she does or doesn't do. She really had changed since Christmas....she walks, talks alot more, and has her own personality now. I think it was fun for them to see the emerging person in this little girl. What fun it is to see her kiss and hug them....and how fun it is to watch them as she does it.
We have a whirlwind of visiting over the next 6 months or so. We will get to be home for Uncle Brian's graduation in May and then have him come out and visit us in May. We will get to see Grandma and Grandpa for July 4th and then fly back to Illinois again in August. We really love seeing family and wish we were closer.....God works in mysterious ways to have us appreciate others from our love for them--near or far.
Wednesday, March 16, 2005
In Sickness
My life was turned upside down on Tuesday. It was the first day that both Rachel and Carissa were ill. I have been around each when they were not feeling well, but having both of them sick at the same time was different.
I know that part of your marriage vows that goes in sickness and in health. It has always been a joy to help take care of my sick child or my sick wife. The difficulty is when they are both sick. You seem to always be challenged as to what to do.
By most standards it was pretty easy. Neither one needed constant attention. Yet, they both needed to be looked after to some extent. Nothing else seemed to matter. I know that for me it was a labor of love. Taking care of your loved ones. Making sure they are okay.
Carissa is especially cuddly when she doesn't feel well. She loves to sit in your lap and rest. In fact, that is one the ways I know she is not feeling well. She does not like to be taken out of your lap. She just wants to be held.
It is ironic how we want God to hold us during the sick parts of our lives. We never want Him to put us down. Yet we constantly feel alone. We are so unsure of ourselves that we feel like God is not there for us. When we know God would not leave us in our time of need. He is constantlywanting to hold us. Like any father would want to hold there sick child. Our Heavenly Father has no less compassion than an earthly father.
I love taking care of my wife also. I am taken care of by her so often in my life that it is infrequently that I get a chance to return the favor. Yet when I do, I feel so much love. That I can finally return unto her some of the care she is always heaping upon me. It is not a contest. You give because you love. Most often we give even though we do not know how much we are giving. It is natural to do so (or at least I hope it is natural for you). Yet you cannot measure how much you gave and how much she gave and then expect compensation. Instead, you give knowing that your love is given in that care that you share.
I am glad that I can give. I am happy to share. I hope that it made her day better. I love both of them. I enjoy being able to meet their needs even more. What a blessing to be the giver?
I know that part of your marriage vows that goes in sickness and in health. It has always been a joy to help take care of my sick child or my sick wife. The difficulty is when they are both sick. You seem to always be challenged as to what to do.
By most standards it was pretty easy. Neither one needed constant attention. Yet, they both needed to be looked after to some extent. Nothing else seemed to matter. I know that for me it was a labor of love. Taking care of your loved ones. Making sure they are okay.
Carissa is especially cuddly when she doesn't feel well. She loves to sit in your lap and rest. In fact, that is one the ways I know she is not feeling well. She does not like to be taken out of your lap. She just wants to be held.
It is ironic how we want God to hold us during the sick parts of our lives. We never want Him to put us down. Yet we constantly feel alone. We are so unsure of ourselves that we feel like God is not there for us. When we know God would not leave us in our time of need. He is constantlywanting to hold us. Like any father would want to hold there sick child. Our Heavenly Father has no less compassion than an earthly father.
I love taking care of my wife also. I am taken care of by her so often in my life that it is infrequently that I get a chance to return the favor. Yet when I do, I feel so much love. That I can finally return unto her some of the care she is always heaping upon me. It is not a contest. You give because you love. Most often we give even though we do not know how much we are giving. It is natural to do so (or at least I hope it is natural for you). Yet you cannot measure how much you gave and how much she gave and then expect compensation. Instead, you give knowing that your love is given in that care that you share.
I am glad that I can give. I am happy to share. I hope that it made her day better. I love both of them. I enjoy being able to meet their needs even more. What a blessing to be the giver?
Wednesday, March 9, 2005
Tuesday, March 8, 2005
Babysitting
Watching a child can be scary, fun, exciting, full of new things, and really just a bunch of unexpected things. Monday was one of those days. Our little girl surprised many on several occasions during the day.
The biggest surprise was finding out she has three more teeth than we thought. You always see the front teeth and expect them, but at one point yesterday she opened her mouth to eat something I was giving her to eat, and I noticed some molars. There in the back of her mouth were three new teeth. It was so funny to find them.
While watching a child you still have to continue with life. I was making lunch when I noticed her walking towards me. I could not help but laugh as she had pulled my stocking cap over her head and down below her nose. She reminded me of that character in Fat Albert. She was just walking away. I do not know how she did not hit something. It was just hilarious.
Carissa continues to amaze me and make me laugh. We went to see Natalie (a girl in the youth group) play volleyball. She kept reaching for the ball. It of course was 10 rows down and out on the court, but she would reach for it anyway. Like if she reached far enough she could grasp it. Kids always reach for what the can't have. They haven't been told by the world that they can't have it.
Those were the biggest highlights. I cannot stop thinking of what will happen next.
Random thoughts.
--if a person messes up the final point of a game, did they cause the loss or was it all the other mistakes that were made by the team?
--why do we keep doing silly things to make a child laugh, even when it hurts us (ie hit ourselves, trip and fall, cough until our throat hurts)?
--isn't it great to sit and watch baseball?
Love In Christ,
Joe
The biggest surprise was finding out she has three more teeth than we thought. You always see the front teeth and expect them, but at one point yesterday she opened her mouth to eat something I was giving her to eat, and I noticed some molars. There in the back of her mouth were three new teeth. It was so funny to find them.
While watching a child you still have to continue with life. I was making lunch when I noticed her walking towards me. I could not help but laugh as she had pulled my stocking cap over her head and down below her nose. She reminded me of that character in Fat Albert. She was just walking away. I do not know how she did not hit something. It was just hilarious.
Carissa continues to amaze me and make me laugh. We went to see Natalie (a girl in the youth group) play volleyball. She kept reaching for the ball. It of course was 10 rows down and out on the court, but she would reach for it anyway. Like if she reached far enough she could grasp it. Kids always reach for what the can't have. They haven't been told by the world that they can't have it.
Those were the biggest highlights. I cannot stop thinking of what will happen next.
Random thoughts.
--if a person messes up the final point of a game, did they cause the loss or was it all the other mistakes that were made by the team?
--why do we keep doing silly things to make a child laugh, even when it hurts us (ie hit ourselves, trip and fall, cough until our throat hurts)?
--isn't it great to sit and watch baseball?
Love In Christ,
Joe
Sunday, March 6, 2005
Sponsor v Minister
I once again came against the age old question of sponsor versus youth minister. I had an old youth minister friend of mine tell me how awesome it is to be the sponsor. I thought he was crazy at the time. That was because I was the sponsor, and I wanted to become a youth minister. Yet yesterday reminded me of that wisdom yet again.
We had a great day of working on letters of support for our mission trip. As a youth minster it was cool. Yet the entire afternoon I seemed to be in the other room when something cool was going on. You always seem to catch that as a minister. You are so busy with responsibilities, that as you are in the other room to get something done, everyone is laughing away. Then you step in the rooom and bam the fun is over. Not completely, but you have missed the moment.
On the other hand, serving is so cool also. I mean really helping people. I think I was able to talk to some people yesterday and really help them out. That has not been happening as much as I would have liked since I became a minister. As a sponsor I was the fun guy that liked to listen, or something like that. You always had fun. Great conversations just seemed to flow. Somehow that seems fewer and farther between as the minister. Maybe it just is a different situation. Who knows? It just seems to happen less often.
So, you continue to wrestle with your thoughts. Was I a better sponsor? Am I just remembering the past with a greater fondness than it deserved? I just have to continue to trust that God is using me for the best even when I feel like it isn't.
A couple of random thoughts for today.
--Isn't infectious laughing the best? You know one silly laugh kicking off another, and so on.
--As a youth minister isn't it great when the kids refer to you as "untrustworthy" and a "liar" in one day.
--You know that the only time you have to really change a diaper is just when you are in a hurry to leave.
--Their is no more fun than sitting around and holding your child and your wife. Getting a kiss from one or both.
--You look at your child and realize that she has some gotten some great traits from you, but also some stinky ones--like sweaty feet.
--You ever notice that the people that have the most advice about raising children have had such a hard time raising their own.
Love In Christ,
Joe
We had a great day of working on letters of support for our mission trip. As a youth minster it was cool. Yet the entire afternoon I seemed to be in the other room when something cool was going on. You always seem to catch that as a minister. You are so busy with responsibilities, that as you are in the other room to get something done, everyone is laughing away. Then you step in the rooom and bam the fun is over. Not completely, but you have missed the moment.
On the other hand, serving is so cool also. I mean really helping people. I think I was able to talk to some people yesterday and really help them out. That has not been happening as much as I would have liked since I became a minister. As a sponsor I was the fun guy that liked to listen, or something like that. You always had fun. Great conversations just seemed to flow. Somehow that seems fewer and farther between as the minister. Maybe it just is a different situation. Who knows? It just seems to happen less often.
So, you continue to wrestle with your thoughts. Was I a better sponsor? Am I just remembering the past with a greater fondness than it deserved? I just have to continue to trust that God is using me for the best even when I feel like it isn't.
A couple of random thoughts for today.
--Isn't infectious laughing the best? You know one silly laugh kicking off another, and so on.
--As a youth minister isn't it great when the kids refer to you as "untrustworthy" and a "liar" in one day.
--You know that the only time you have to really change a diaper is just when you are in a hurry to leave.
--Their is no more fun than sitting around and holding your child and your wife. Getting a kiss from one or both.
--You look at your child and realize that she has some gotten some great traits from you, but also some stinky ones--like sweaty feet.
--You ever notice that the people that have the most advice about raising children have had such a hard time raising their own.
Love In Christ,
Joe
Saturday, March 5, 2005
youth stuff
Driving to the youth event last night in Butler was a blast. We spent some time singing, some time asking questions, and most of all some time trying to figure out if we were following the right car.
Upon arrival we were overwhelmed with the place and the setup. It was unique to say the least. The music was great, when you could hear the lead singer. I never knew how important a lead voice is in following worship. Especially, when you are unfamiliar with all the songs. It was fun to see people you know and meet new people.
We left knowing that we had been in the presence of God. However, we turned to our next task with a similar zeal, we were in search of food. Of course, with 7 people in the van, we had 7 different ideas of places to stop and eat. I (Joe) wanted Krispy Kreme. I could see that HOT NOW sign in my mind. However, students cannot ever agree with the youth minister so everyone had to ring in. That meant a lengthy discussion. Finally, Chick-fil-a rang out as the answer. Tough break. They were closed when we arrived. So as we traveled further down the road of fast food places, we finally turned to the resturant of kings--"King's Family Resturant."
The students seemed pleased as well as the driver. So we started to settle down, well not really. We must have taken 50 pictures of us eating alone. The waiter was of course rushing around trying to take care of us and others. SO the process was slow, but a lot of fun.
Everything was great. A good night with the best students in the world.
I returned home to wife and child with everyone in tact and an excitement about life again. It was a great time. The hardest part is when Rachel and Carissa do not travel with me. Carissa was asleep when I returned home. It is so hard not being their when she falls asleep. She is so much fun.
Rachel was waiting patiently for me. What a great wife! I am so fortunate to have such a great wife. She really is a blessing. I could not be blessed with a better partner.
Finally some random thoughts from the evening.
--Is it really best to describe your young child sticking their finger in their nose in great detail?
--Do we all have to be doing the same thing to worship the same God? I hate clapping. Hate is rather strong, but I have a real talent for messing up rhythm.
--Is the padiddle game ever going to be something students wear out of playing?
--Why do some students have enough hair for 4 people, and I am bald?
--Should the youth minister simply make decisions on fast food and the students suffer?
My daughter gabbing away at me, so obviously it is time to check out.
Love you all, Love the Lord.
Joe
Upon arrival we were overwhelmed with the place and the setup. It was unique to say the least. The music was great, when you could hear the lead singer. I never knew how important a lead voice is in following worship. Especially, when you are unfamiliar with all the songs. It was fun to see people you know and meet new people.
We left knowing that we had been in the presence of God. However, we turned to our next task with a similar zeal, we were in search of food. Of course, with 7 people in the van, we had 7 different ideas of places to stop and eat. I (Joe) wanted Krispy Kreme. I could see that HOT NOW sign in my mind. However, students cannot ever agree with the youth minister so everyone had to ring in. That meant a lengthy discussion. Finally, Chick-fil-a rang out as the answer. Tough break. They were closed when we arrived. So as we traveled further down the road of fast food places, we finally turned to the resturant of kings--"King's Family Resturant."
The students seemed pleased as well as the driver. So we started to settle down, well not really. We must have taken 50 pictures of us eating alone. The waiter was of course rushing around trying to take care of us and others. SO the process was slow, but a lot of fun.
Everything was great. A good night with the best students in the world.
I returned home to wife and child with everyone in tact and an excitement about life again. It was a great time. The hardest part is when Rachel and Carissa do not travel with me. Carissa was asleep when I returned home. It is so hard not being their when she falls asleep. She is so much fun.
Rachel was waiting patiently for me. What a great wife! I am so fortunate to have such a great wife. She really is a blessing. I could not be blessed with a better partner.
Finally some random thoughts from the evening.
--Is it really best to describe your young child sticking their finger in their nose in great detail?
--Do we all have to be doing the same thing to worship the same God? I hate clapping. Hate is rather strong, but I have a real talent for messing up rhythm.
--Is the padiddle game ever going to be something students wear out of playing?
--Why do some students have enough hair for 4 people, and I am bald?
--Should the youth minister simply make decisions on fast food and the students suffer?
My daughter gabbing away at me, so obviously it is time to check out.
Love you all, Love the Lord.
Joe
Thursday, March 3, 2005
Hello Anyone
This is our first blog. We'll see how it goes. Brian, you can write on it to let me know if it works, okay? I'll call tonight to see if you got this info.
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