Stay Calm

Shopping calms me down. It just does. I can't tell you why. I can't give you logical reasoning behind it. But something about walking around a mall with the smell of Auntie Anne's in the background and looking through the windows of stores where your saying to yourself, "wouldn't it be nice to be rich" just has a calming effect on me. However, now (hopefully due to growth) I don't have to complain or whine to myself about what I can't have. I am completely happy with walking around just seeing what is in the windows, or people watching in stores, or trying to guess where everyone shops by what they are wearing. At this particular mall I had no trouble keeping myself entertained with all the internationals. The mall even had its own hotel. I should have checked in for all the Labor Day weekend sales.

Food shopping calms me down. I don't know why but no matter how long I've been out or how badly I want to just get home once I step into Publix, forget it, I'm taking my sweet time down the coffee isle, my sweet time down the snack isle, and looking for every possible sale there is. I'm still transitioning from "okay mom! I'll get the lunch snacks!" to "what should I have for dinner tonight...and tomorrow night...and when will this go bad...and how long does that take to cook...". It can be very overwhelming but it is nice to have my food and know what I like will last longer than a day (have you ever tried to buy cookies and make them last more than five minutes at my house? ha. nice joke).

Skyping Lauren is therapeutic. I felt like we finally had a real conversation today. It was so nice just to talk about life and "oh my gosh, no way, then what did you do?!" I needed it desperately.

Even through all the shopping, food, and friends there was still one thing that was missing, and I am so grateful that I got Thursday off because of this. I needed to go to church. I needed to hear truth and I needed to be reminded of a bigger picture other than one that constantly involves me, myself, and I. The new series that was being kicked off tonight is titled "A FOREST FOR THE TREES". And it just is basically all about Jesus and his big plan for us. We are His creation and the whole universe is His creation and through every detail He has ordained His will from the past, to the present, and for what is to come.

"For God so love the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life" [John 3:16]

The senior pastor is so clear, funny, and simplistic in a way that always strikes a heart string I needed to hear it no matter how many times I've heard the verse throughout my life. And I can't wait to hear it again on Sunday.

We can go through life looking for what makes us happy superficially, looking for what we think completes us emotionally, but without the glue that the gospel gives us we will never find it. If God is the not the center of our peace and joy then everything else around us will fail.

Be encouraged. God is a heavenly father, one that does not have to love us but does anyway by giving us every breath we inhale and exhale. It is astounding.

Thank you for the prayers, thank you for the texts. I miss home so much and I miss you.

P.S. Happy birthday to my dear friend Lainey. I hope you had a fabulous day.

P.P.S. check out the church I've been attending. I like the teaching alot and can't wait to meet more people and get involved in a connect group. http://summitconnect.org/