pursuing LOVE...and JOY...and WHOLEHEARTEDNESS!

  New seasons are exploding in my life.    I’ve got blue paint under my finger nails from preparing the new office and only two more days left in the old one. I have stacks of paper that will help me change my business address with all the insurance networks and folders crammed with all the pink progress notes that are coming with me. I know that I will have a chair, my desk and a loveseat to welcome my first client at 8:15 AM on Monday morning, but I’m not sure if anything else will be set up by then. I hope that all of my clients will be able to make it across the street and remember to call my new business number instead of the old one. I’m really excited about this next season in my professional life, but worried that I have loose ends that aren’t tied up. 92 days until I marry Ben and we still have to print invitations, finalize our menu and find somewhere to live. We’re praying that the weather will be sunny and beautiful because I really don’t want to s...

I just realized that it’s been three weeks since I posted on my blog. It’s not because I don’t have anything that I’m learning or wanting to share. It’s because my life is crazy busy right now. I have tried to dedicate Thursday nights to spending time at the House of Prayer and writing for my blog, but it didn’t work that way very well in June. The Thursday before last, I was at a really fun picnic with my new office community. Last Thursday night, I was at home spending time with my family as we anticipated my sister’s wedding this past weekend. This Thursday night, I hope to be at the house of prayer, but I will be just days away from moving my office, so I can’t really be sure. I’m going to put as many of my thoughts from the past three weeks into this post as I can, but I know that they won’t all fit, so I will probably post a part 2 on Thursday. One of my favorite God lessons recently: I don’t need to hoard Starburst candy. (Or anything else, really.) I’ve been feeling ...

  I met Ben’s family this weekend and it was really fun. I was really nervous beforehand. I knew that it would be fine, but I didn’t know what they would be like which kept me from knowing what to expect. I wrestle more with worry when I don’t know what to expect. They were kind, caring and just the right amount of silly. I felt at ease with them almost immediately. I’m feeling that much better about becoming a Striker. But, that’s not really what I want to write about. I guess it will just be an extra gift of information from me to you. I want to tell you about how I met Ben. I told this story several times this weekend and remembered how much I love it. Yes, I am extremely biased, but I think that we have a great story. And, I haven’t shared it here. Until now. It was a sunny day in October of 2010. God had already given me the idea to quit my job and move back to Rockford so I could spend more time in the house of prayer and do private practice counseling. I was hom...