One of my favorite things is when Michael goes out on errands...hahaha..gotchya, what I was trying to say is when Michael goes out and comes back. The door to our apartment building goes beep and exactly 2 minutes, I hear the key in the door and then "Hey" The return "heys" are down to only 2 now, me and Caleb. Then, if I am really lucky, these words follow: "Do you love me?"
When I hear, "DO YOU LOVE ME?", my heart skips a beat, because it means he brought me something. I LOVE THAT and He knows that I love that. Its one of my favorite things.
It all started the first time we met, who would know that one of his gifts is giving and I have the gift of receiving. We are the perfect match hahaha. The first night we met, was at Jones Junior College. I had been out jogging, as I ran up to my dorm, all my girlfriends and guyfriends from highschool were standing out front talking, along with another guy, who I didn't know. He was tall, dark haired, with olive colored sparkly eyes. He wore a long sleeve button down shirt, with his initials on the collar (okay it was early 80's) it was "IN" then. Levi jeans and grey blue snakeskin boots, and super quiet. After a few minutes (checking him out), I decided to introduce myself. I told him my name and asked him his name. I remember he was eating candy. He has always had a sweet tooth :) One of the girls asked for a piece of gum or candy, but noone answered her. After several minutes, he came over beside me and slipped me a piece of candy. I think I turned several shades of red.
On our first date, he brought me candy or gum (i especially liked the bazooka cartoons, we would read them and laugh) The treats were always in his shirt pocket, I never remember a time when he didnt have me a treat every date after that. One day it was his big ole class ring, which meant we were going steady and he wasnt dating anyone but me (I done said it was the 80's) hahaha... After a few months he started bringing me IBC rootbeers, so cold and so yummy. That meant, I WAS THE LUCKY ONE. After we had established the fact that we loved each other, he would always ask me if I loved him, "Do you love me?" before he'd let me get my surprise...one time he was running late for our date and he didnt have time to get me anything, so when i reached into his pocket, there was money...and then we went by the store and got me a rootbeer. seee...it melted my heart toooo.
A picture of Michael when we were dating (He is definitely one of my favorite things)
A Picture of me when we were dating
After almost 29 years, he still surprises me with goodies, hence, why I have gained almost 40 lbs since we first met...guess I need to start running again hee hee
Yesterday (Saturday) I lost it...I don't know what started it, I think it was when we were folding out the couch for Caleb. He woke up yesterday morning with 103 fever and bad sore throat. Michael was sick all week and the van hasnt started all week, and we have been stuck up in our apartment, dead of winter, with -20 temps, for a few days and certainly havent felt like we are being the "hero missionaries" expected of us (haha)out knocking on doors and spreading the Gospel, we havent been able to go to any villages witnessing since our return...then Caleb wakes up sick. Pretty sure it is strep throat (love how we self diagnose everything here) We have prayed over him, made him some homemade chicken soup and got him some Amoxicillan, moved him to the couch in our room, and he is on the way to recovery.
When we folded out the couch a memory from our days in Moscow when all the kids were still in our home popped in my mind. We used to fold out the couch (which was also mine and Michaels bed) and pile up and watch a movie (one of my favorite things) and eat popcorn and laugh till we cried. In Moscow we always had popcorn, which I love, and we even had our little dachsund, Freda (she has also been abandoned in American with our other children and everyone else Satan tells me I have abandoned LIAR). ..Even Freda loves popcorn.
Popcorn is one of my favorite things...But we cant usually get popcorn here! All those memories popped in my head and in about 5 seconds, I was BAWLING uncontrollably. LIKE BAWLING. Michael, nor Caleb had a clue...poor guys. They were both asking me what was wrong...through muffled sniffs and blubbers, I somehow muffled out that I miss my grown kids and I miss how it used to be and I missed all piling up in the bed together eating popcorn, and I miss our whole family serving together, and house church and and and I blubbered on and on...
I am normally a logical thinking, a mature, a sensible person, even for a woman... and not usually a super emotionally crippled blubber bucket... I know it is ok, and I know they are ok, and I know I am ok, but I miss "it". After hugs from caleb and a family group hug (much smaller than it used to be) I felt much better...Hugs are definitely one of my favorite things. Later, Michael hugged me and told me that he would never grow up (I believe that) hahaha...gosh he makes me laugh- Laughter is one of my favorite favorite things... After a few minutes, I was ok again. Then later, the Lord blessed us to be able to skype with Bryan, Hannah and Eli (he can make anyone smile and laugh), and then Reagan, so that was awesome! We got to talk to both sets of parents, and heard from Grace in Africa, and saw her pictures... Friends sent encouragement through email and FB, who didnt even know I had a hard day (or more like hard 10 minutes)These are all a few of my favorite things for sure !! Thank goodness my pity parties don't last long...tomorrow is a new day.
JUST ANOTHER DAY IN PARADISE...Today is Sunday, and Michael finally felt well enough to go see about the van and try to get it running. I dont remember hearing the downstairs door beep, when the front door opened, I waited to hear if it was Sasha coming home "Privyet" or Michael with "Hey".
It was then that I heard, "DO YOU LOVE ME?"
Michael walks in and hands me a bag full of packets of popcorn...I love popcorn...anyone who knows me knows this. Every time we go to a new store or the old store, we look for popcorn, but they just dont have it here, and if they do it is rare. We had house church and sang random songs our of our Baptist Hymnal we brought from Mississippi (the old green one) The sermon was entitled "Making it to the Finish Line"...boy did God know I needed that one. We had a great day, I even made homemade pizzas.
Things don't always stay the same, as a matter of fact most things in our lives since 2005 have not even semi stayed the same. Children change: they grow up and move out and move on, and with that come changed relationships, parents age, parents die, family and friends die, Locations change: family moves, friends move, we move. we grow older (sometimes heavier, sometimes balder) Familiarity changes: one day we have popcorn the next year we don't, sometimes we get sick, cars break down (and Mama's) some never get well, but are healed eternally, parents miss their college kids and their college kids' graduations, and big events, and grandchildren... and the list goes on... Most of the changes we cannot control and were never meant to change.
But what we can do is hug one another, be kind to one another, pray for one another, send notes and pictures,make some homemade chicken soup, and homemade pizza, skype every now and then, smile at one another, pile up on the bed, talk about our memories, laugh together, listen to sermons online, sing hymns,get the van fixed, and watch American Idol, and buy somebody some popcorn...We can choose contentment. We can choose to love and enjoy the ones we are with, and pray for the ones who are not here. We can choose to understand and accept that God brings about all sorts of changes, mostly so that we see Him, know HIm and His presence, and learn to depend on and trust Him more and more. No matter what changes or trials or storms we face, we can choose to worship and be grateful to the One who never changes and I am OK with that. Trusting Him is my favorite favorite thing.
The last time we found popcorn in the city, Michael bought all they had, about 5 little bags (it takes three to make one batch). He saved the packet. This was almost a year ago. Yesterday, he found the packet and called and found out that he could pick some up at the pet store. WHAT, DID YOU SAY THE PET STORE? (it is beside the zoo, which makes popcorn) GO FIGURE...so now, when we run out of popcorn, all he has to do is call the number and go to the pet store to pick it up, if the van is running.
each packet costs about 10 rubles. One batch costs about 1.00... IT SURE WAS YUMMY, You know, everything in life is better, when not taken for granted!!!
