Love and Be Loved

"Because the Sovereign Lord helps me, I will not be dismayed. Therefore, I have set my face like a stone, determined to do His will. And I know that I will triumph." ~Isaiah 50:7

(How great is Isaiah - so many powerful verses there!)

Well, I'm feeling much better about all of life today than I was yesterday.  Sleep and prayer and sunshine are always a good combo, as well as time with friends!  I was feeling lonely and misunderstood, and the enemy was using every painful thing from my past to scream at me that I'm terrible at relationships and don't know how to genuinely connect with people in a way that doesn't make them want to run away. It's an extreme exaggeration, but when my soul is already worn down and vulnerable (from a week of combing through a sad child abuse murder case), I become a pretty easy target and struggle to think rationally and fight back with truth.  Satan will always kick you when you're down, so yesterday was rough for me.

Having the weekend to take a break from that case is good. Time in God's Word was good. Getting to hang out with friends this morning for a LG service project was good (we served at the Catholic Charities distribution center, which was more disorganized than expected, but still good to serve and fun to hang out with Katie and Elizabeth). ❤

I spent the afternoon at Laura's house helping Tiffany as she moves in!  Sarah and Tiffany washed her pots and pans and other kitchen stuff, while Laura and I cleaned out some cabinets and helped organize things. And we all listened to music and chatted and ate McAlister's cookies. lol Fun times!

There are some friends I'm far more comfortable around than others, and it does take me a while to really open up with people, and that's okay.  I have reason to be cautious. And I have some solid, long-term friendships that I'm very grateful for, and I'm a good listener and a loyal friend. The list of people I feel comfortable enough to really be vulnerable and cry with is pretty small, but I'm thankful to have a few!  ....Sometimes, I mistakenly feel that those who are in different stages of life don't really care to hear about my life, and that's what I'm still going to work on. Because it's so ingrained in me, and it's so false. I firmly believe that singleness does not make me "less than" anyone else, and I need to live out that belief by not downplaying my own significance when married people ask how I'm doing. #singlelivesmatter lol

Anyway, I'm glad I can still use this blog as a mini-therapy outlet occasionally.  =)

Also, I'm glad for little things like this that help restore my faith in humanity and bring me so much joy!  ...Tiffany has had a tough week, and on Wednesday, someone broke into her car overnight and stole a Bible her parents had given her. Of all the things. =(  The Court Clerk's girls got together and gave her this new Bible on Friday... they had her name engraved on the cover and wrote, "In loving memory of your parents" on the inside page. I teared up when I saw it. I'm so happy that the job transition has worked out so well all around - for Tiffany and for the CC office - they really love her!

 ❤❤❤

I'm not alone in wanting to be loved more than I want to be admired, which is why letting people know the real me is so important!  I'll end this blog with this quote - I may have posted it before, but I can't remember. It's so true, though. I want to be a good hostess and to not be afraid to share my own stories and be an equal participant in friendships and conversations.... but I want people to always feel like they are seen and heard and important to me - to know that they matter to me, that I care about the details, and to leave my house feeling loved rather than impressed! ❤

Love and be loved!!

That's a very hipster way to end this post, but love is essential, so I'm going with it! lol