No such thing as coincidences

I used to think that sometimes things just happened, but I really don't anymore. I think that everything that happens in our lives has some kind of meaning, whether we realize it or not. Sometimes we know right away why something has happened, sometimes we figure it out later and sometimes we may never know the why, but I believe that there is always, always a reason. I also believe that the people we meet were put in our paths for a reason.
I've been thinking alot about Bear lately. Last Sunday was the 3rd anniversary of his death. I have never taken the death of a pet so hard as I did his. When he was sick, I prayed to God that He would heal Bear. I asked him to take another dog instead - such as a stray who was starving, an abused dog, one that was going to die anyway. Take that one and put it out of it's misery and let me keep my dog who was loved so much and who was so full of life. I know that if that had been His will, God had the power to heal him, and until the very end, I think I really expected that to happen. But it wasn't to be, and for a long time, I just couldn't understand it. Well, I have finally figured it out.
Losing Bear was the catalyst for our move to Texas. I thought all of that was put into motion by the phone call from Rob telling Don about the job in Center, but I know now that the wheels were already turning. When we lost Bear, it really put me into a depression. I was tired of my job, I hated the hours Don was working and really just kind of hated my life at that time. Normally, I don't think I would have even given moving away a thought, but I was just so ready for any kind of a change, that I wanted to go. Don wasn't so sure and if I hadn't been completely on board, we wouldn't have gone. I know without a shadow of a doubt that we were meant to go there. I also know that even though we thought we went for Don's job, that in reality his job had nothing to do with it. The job just put us in the location we were meant to be in. Someone that worked at the plant told us about the house that we ended up buying, that put us next door to Ja and Toby that led us to White Rock Baptist Church that led to Don's salvation. It is amazing to me to look back and see how everything was connected. We really wanted to buy a house in Center, closer to the plant, but we couldn't find anything we liked. We were meant to be in San Augustine and I am so thankful for that. Honestly, our time in Texas was one of the best periods of my life.
And God is a loving God. He knew the pain I felt over losing Bear and he sent Dusty to us. Dusty has the same zest for life, the same joy that Bear had. He is not a replacement, of course, but Dusty has brought joy back. You can't spend much time with Dusty and not feel good. He is so happy and has a joy that you can see in his face. I love him so much and I know some day I will pay the price for that, but as with Bear, every minute with Dusty is worth more than the pain that comes later. Cinnamon set the pieces of my heart back into place; Dusty glued it back together. And that is the way it was meant to be!

Thoughts and attitudes

I've been watching Joyce Meyer in the mornings. She can really start my day off right. If you don't know who she is, she is a preacher. She is probably in her 50's or 60's. Her program is on several channels. It's on at 5:30 or 6:00 on Lifetime and it's on TBN a couple of times a day. I DVR it and watch when I'm ready to make notes and really pay attention. Earlier this week she was talking about our thoughts and our words. Do you ever really pay attention to what you are thinking and notice the power your thoughts have over you?? Our thoughts are so, so powerful! They can determine what kind of day you have and what kind of influence you are on other people. I am ashamed that so many of my thoughts are so negative and am making a concience effort to have good thoughts and when a thought pops in my head that I know shouldn't be there, I try to banish it. Joyce said one day that she likes it when God is dealing with her on something. Well, I don't! I know what she is saying, because when you really realize that God is dealing with you, then you know there are changes that need to be made and they are for your own good. But it's really not fun to realize things about yourself that you don't like. I am a very selfish person. I want things to go my way and if they don't, I'm not happy about it. Well, you know what? We don't always get our way and sometimes that is for the best. I am finding that if you surround yourself with things and people that make you happy, then you will be happier. It makes me happy to start my day watching Joyce. She makes me laugh, she makes me think and I pay attention to things during my day. It's like she talks right to me. I know that God is speaking to me through her. How does God talk to you? Do you listen? Do you pay attention all day long? Do you notice how much He does for you and takes care of for you? I tend to be a worrier, but I am trying so hard to pray about things and then leave it alone and you know what? It always seems to work out. And then I try to remember to thank Him. Joyce was talking about prayer this morning and how sometimes we don't have what we want because we simply don't ask for it! And she's not just talking about "stuff". God knows what we need and what we want, but He wants us to ask Him for it. And then to know when the answer is yes, when it's wait, and when it's no. We can't know those things if we don't pay attention. So listen to your thoughts as you go about your day. Pay attention to who they're from. Because just as God talks to you all day long, whether you're listening or not, so does the devil. Who is controlling your thoughts?

New start

I know it has been awhile since I have posted. I have written many blogs in my mind, but just haven't put them online.
I guess I really need to change the name of this blog since I no longer live in Texas. It is good to be back with family and friends, but that was such a great period in my life and I've had a hard time letting go of it. Maybe "letting go" isn't the right words. It's not like we're never going to go back there or that I have to forget that we ever lived there. I guess what I've had a hard time with is being ok with moving back. I truly believe that Don made the right decision to come back. I do. But I didn't want to come back yet. I know that's selfish and I am working on it. It's just that I felt a peace there that I had never had before and I just felt that that is exactly where we were supposed to be. Don felt that coming back was the right thing to do. I struggled with it and really wasn't sure that we were supposed to come back yet. But we both prayed about it and we both asked God to close the door if we were not supposed to move. That door stayed wide open no matter how hard I tried to slam it closed. So I have had to work things out in my mind and to be ok with it. There is a lot of good to being back. It is good to be close to Dad in case he needs me. It is good to be close to Mom as I don't think she's always truthful about how she is feeling. It is nice to be able to see her with my own eyes and try to figure out how she really is doing. It is so so so good to be close to Derek and Kristen. We talked to everyone before we moved to Texas about how they felt about it, and they all said we should go and everyone was supportive. I now know that they all lied and they didn't want us to go. I feel bad that something that brought me such happiness caused sadness in those I love.
I love our new house and oh, what a beautiful time of year this is in Missouri. Fall was pretty in Texas, but not as pretty as here. Of course, winter will follow close behind and winter was definetly better there!
I miss our church there. We have been visiting Pleasant Valley Baptist Church. Although we both really enjoy the sermons, we miss the small, friendly church where everyone knew you and there were hugs all the time. So we'll keep searching and I know we'll find a church here that we love as much as we did our old church. And we're still in touch with our church family, so we now have more friends in more places. It's all good!
So I guess I'd better be thinking of a new name for this blog. Any ideas??