Silver Linings

It was while I was at work today. For some reason I started to review the last year or two of my life... Quite a lot has happened! Quite a lot has changed....

But it struck me how often I had worried about things, and how rarely the 'worst case scenarios' that I had envisaged, actually came to fruition. It seems I am worrying myself into an early grave, and for what? I can't change a single thing by worrying about it. No one can.



 And anyway, those calamities didn't eventuate... Oh it hasn't all been smooth sailing. But through it all, one thing has stood out like the rainbow in the afternoon sky.

As someone said once, "To have a silver lining, you have to have a cloud." It is so true. Think about it. If life was always sunny, would you appreciate the blessings of God? If we had heaven here on earth, would we appreciate the place He has for us?

And God is not asleep. 

He does care. 

He is watching.

And He is incredibly eager to help.

Somehow I seemed to sense His love so strongly, and many of the blessings he has poured on my head in the last year came bursting into my memory. And wow! He has been busy! Words just don't describe the feeling. There just aren't any words for it. Just the realization of His caring tenderness, and His foresight and wisdom, blew me away. He has been so good, and I haven't deserved any of it.

But He doesn't ask whether I deserve it. He loves. He forgives. He blesses. Thank you Lord!

Here we go again.....

Only 3 weeks in our new home, and we have twice seen record breaking flooding... I guess it never rains but it pours...

I like rain as much as anyone else, but not when the rain prevents me from going to work. And the fact that our driveway is about 3 meters underwater again, I know that my idea of going to work tomorrow to put in a few extra hours has just been sunk. Technically I could walk to work, but I would have to walk 3kms through soggy bush country, and I'm not THAT keen....

Just when the water had gone down enough to drive through, it rained again.... It only rained 35mm, not much in comparison to the 130mm we got the first time around... But the 130mm fell on dry ground, whereas this lot of rain land in the puddles left over from last time.... It only rained for an hour, at about 3:30 this morning, but by 9AM, the creek had swollen to the top of it's banks, bursting with the run-off from the hills around...

 

Yesterday we walked through the creek for fun, to get the mail, but there's no way to get across it now, fast flowing torrent that it has become... I guess that means we won't be having visitors for a while... I guess it means our landline won't get connected in the next week. I guess it means I won't be going to work for the next few days.I guess that means I get to spend a few more days at home with my wife (I haven't worked since Wednesday, because of the rainy weather). Well, whatever God has in store for us, I'm sure he won't let us starve, and I'm sure He knows what He is doing.

But just because I'm not going to work, doesn't mean I wont be busy... But all that can wait, because it's Sabbath today, and I'm going to enjoy the Sabbath with my wife, and not worry about what might be or could be.

Our new house

So we were excited when my boss said that he might be able to arrange with one of his neighbors for a place to stay for us. I met the neighbor, and talked with him about the place, and agreed to have a look at it that afternoon. I had messaged Cherith, and she was excited too :)!

Then we went to look... Truth to tell, we weren't very excited about it... To name some of the positives first
* It had a really good hot water system (We still have not run out of hot water)
*It had a fairly new, ducted evaporative air conditioning system (Which seems to work really well! I haven't had the chance to test it on a really really hot day, but it sure makes a difference on 30-35 degree days!
*It had a bath tub! :D
*It was bigger than we would ever need....
*We have pretty much unlimited water... Great news for Cherith who wants to put in a garden.
*It was close to work and cheap.
*There was some furniture in the house which we were free to use (Including a bar fridge, which is the only fridge we have at the moment)
Then the negatives....
*It hadn't been lived in for 5 years, so there was a lot of dust and dirt everywhere....
*The paintwork was dodgy, fading, peeling, and just looked aweful.
*It had an aweful smell.
*The carpets were really dirty, and some of the carpets are just aweful...
*The floors are warped, especially in some rooms... (It is an old homestead, so probably something wrong with the foundations...)

Anyways... Those where our first impressions of the house... We were a little bit down after seeing it, wondering "Is this the best we can find in this area??" We talked to the owners then, about fixing the place up a bit, and they said if we wanted to paint, they would give us some paint. They said that they would supply carpet and help us recarpet the rooms that really needed it. They also said they would replace the front and back doors, because they were very badly weathered. He had also said that he would put a fireplace in by next winter, because the one that had been in the house had been taken out for some reason.

Feeling ever so slightly better, we decided to take the place, and told him so, at which he said he would come over and mow the yard, and do a bit of tidying up straight away (They were leaving the next day on a trip for a week, but said we could move in whenever we liked...)

So, Operation Clean Up, got the go ahead. On Friday Cherith went to town and hired a carpet cleaning machine, and we went over all the carpets in the house (I had the day off, because it was raining). We cleaned that day till we couldn't stand it anymore. By the time we finished on Friday, we felt rather better about living here. Then on Sunday, we moved in. Cherith's younger sister Christella, volunteered to come over and do some painting (She had apparently done painting before, and liked doing it). So we gave her the roller and paint the owners had lent us, and pointed her into our bedroom, which needed painting.

Needless to say, the paint all washed out! :D

By the time she was finished, the room looked so much better I felt cheerful about it :D... We rearranged furniture, and started to unpack our things... At least the essentials anyway...

So we have been here for 3 days now... That's not very long I know. but I like the house a lot better now than when I first saw it... With a bit of work, it has become a home, even if it isn't the most amazing house ever built :D. Anyway, wherever my wife is, is home.

My darling wife was very excited about the washing machine we were given as a wedding present! It works very well!

One side of the kitchen...

Back to life....

No... This is not a post about Lazarus coming back to life... :P

It's been three weeks today... I know people are going to get sick of hearing this, but I really don't care! I love my wife so much!!! And every day it gets better. And I've heard too many people tell me in the last few months, "Just wait till you've been married for a few years". The implication is that after a few years of marriage the love kind of dies away... Well, maybe it does for some people, but not for everyone! I've met old couples who are every bit as much in love now as they ever have been. And yes, they aren't quite the starry eyed lovers they once were, but they are very deeply in love.

So that's the plan. The method? Well, it's really incredibly simple. Cherith and I have built our relationship to where it is today (with God's help for sure!), and the same things that built it, will keep building it, and also maintain and nurture it. So that's the plan. Love, kindness, courtesy, respect, patience (God help me with all of these!) and genuine affection.

Now, on honeymoon these are quite easy :)... But when the cares of life take over again, it becomes ever easier to forget the little things. It becomes easier to neglect the little kindnesses and courtesies. And that is something I don't want to do!

So... Tomorrow I go back to work. So this is, as we say "crunch time". This is the time that will tell what will happen. And I'm determined not to let our love grow cold due to neglect or inattention. So, with God's help, we will continue to build our relationship and our friendship.

May God help us! Because Satan has made a very decided attack on marriage. It is even a sign of the end times. But God is always greater. God is always able to help.

The hour - The day - The week

It's been a week and a half since my last post :)

So much has happened....

One week ago today, I was waiting anxiously for the moment when the doors of the church would swing open, and my bride would be walking toward me.

It was an amazing day.

The night before I had been up until just after midnight helping get things set up, (that pales in comparison to a number of people who were up until 3AM, and several who worked round the clock), but on Sunday morning adrenaline had kicked in to keep me in a wide awake state.

The hour.

The toughest hour was the hour from 10AM to 11AM. Trying to pack the car for our honeymoon, get dressed, and then waiting at the church, was so packed with suspense I'm surprised I didn't break out into a cold sweat. Or did I? Anyway, that hour ended when I was standing at the church and the bridesmaids started walking down, followed by the most beautiful bride there ever was.

The day.

 Much of the day was a blur. Thankfully, we had awesome photographers, (My sister and her husband, and Cherith's brother in law) so many of the memories are immortalized.

The ceremony seemed to be over before it had really started, though someone afterward told me it took about 50 minutes. If it did, it was probably the quickest 50 minutes of my life. The rest of the day was simply one amazing glow. Until about 5PM, when my body decided that it had had enough, and that it wanted rest, RIGHT NOW! :D By the time we finished with the photography it was 7PM (sunset), and it was 8 by the time we actually left for our honeymoon destination.

 

THE moment. Walking out of the church as husband and wife, flanked by the groomsmen and bridesmaids, who formed a 'guard of honor', up the aisle.















 

Isn't she just the most stunning bride ever?

The week.

Which week? The one before or the one after the wedding? I think it might be safer to stick to the one before. :) There was a stack of things to do that last week, in preparation for the wedding. Thankfully, quite a few people were willing to help out, and, "many hands make light work". Even with all the hands, it was hardly light work. Cherith's sister Bethany seemed to bear the brunt of organising and arranging things, and often had to choose between her college studies and wedding preparations. I'm hoping she doesn't suffer for 'neglecting' her studies! :) In the end, one or two things simply didn't get done for lack of time. But I don't care. The day was fantastic, fabulous, and incredible! It was a fairytale wedding.



I'm not hoping for a 'fairytale marriage'. That would be too much. Marriages take lots of hard work. But I know we will be happy together, as long as we keep up all the little things that got us where we are today, on honeymoon. Love, respect, courtesy, honor, patience, humility, and forgiveness.

The bridal car :)

Farewell......

 Spending time with each other is very important too, so if you'll excuse me, I'm going to end this right here, and go spend some time with my wife. :)

Last minute things...

So many details go into a wedding... And this is a small wedding...

It doesn't help that we are budgeting, and so doing many things ourselves, rather than buying ready made things, etc. It DOES help that there are so many people willing and able to help out! Because frankly, nothing much would happen without their help.

But a lot of work goes into this day...

It's been painful to see my fiancee struggling with all the work needing to be done, and not having a respite from it, day after day, almost the entire day. I'm glad now that we have two weeks of honeymoon after the wedding, because we are going to need the time out. At least, she will. I've felt largely useless before this week, as Cherith did most of the arrangements for the wedding while I was working, and even though we talked about everything together, I didn't feel like I was taking a fair share of the load. Even now, I wish I could do more to ease the load on everyone else. But with the work to be done, it is enough to keep a number of hands very busy indeed.

We have been making place cards, wedding programs, decorations, trying to arrange transportation, and trying to fins the right people for certain roles. It's been downright confusing sometimes, when there is no clear answer, but God has been providing very clear answers.

I'll be glad when it's all over, but in the meantime, I'm enjoying seeing just how many things God is bringing into place for the big day. Time after time it seems He has orchestrated everything to work out perfectly. Not just 'fine', but perfectly.

And as everything is coming together, I'm continually confronted with the fact that Cherith trusts God more than I seem to. For her, every problem is simply something more to trust God with. Yes, she is worn out from everything, and yes, she get's frustrated, or feels overwhelmed by it all, but she doesn't lose sight of the fact that God is taking care of things......

And He really is... So why should I stress?? Why????? With God in control, even the weather is behaving itself. 3 days ago the forcast was considerable rain for the day. By this evening, the rain pattern had weakened and shifted enough so that the forecast for the day is "sunny"!

After all, in 4 days from now, it will all be over, and there will be no more wedding planning to worry about...

Missed....

So, it's been a week and 2 days since I've seen Cherith, and that, by the way, is a record. Since March, when I moved to the area where she lived, it has never been more than three days. :D Sounds crazy, but due to life circumstances we were able to spend a lot of time together.

And today! Today she's coming back! I could let out a yell... This last week has seemed like an eternity. Don't ask me why, because I don't really understand it, but especially the last four days have seemed to drag by like cold molasses! So, now, understandably, I'm excited! :)

And then, it is only a week and four days to our wedding! So now there are lots of plans to finalise. This week is supposed to be my last week of work before three weeks of holidays. So yes, I'm excited!!

Not long now.........