Loving the Lesson

Jun

2023

Slow Down: Love Where You Are Right Now

Slow down.

Love where you are right now.

I know.

I know you have things to get done.

Deadlines to meet.

Timelines to beat.

Believe me, I know.

Suddenly things are happening for everyone else around you.

Engagement announcements, wedding invites, gender reveals, the list goes on.

I know you are happy for your friends.

I know you are cheering them on and celebrating each joy with them.

Of course you are, you want the world for them.

But I also know that in the midst of their life events, you see yourself standing still.

“Are you married?”

“Are you seeing anyone?”

“How old are you?”

“When are you going to have kids?”

You know the questions.

Well intentioned questions from wonderful people who care about you.

Yet questions that create an ever present checklist in your mind.

Do you have all of the boxes checked?

I know I don’t.

__ Husband

__ Kids

__ Dream house

__ Dream job

__ Etc.

Slow down.

Please, slow down and listen to these truths.

If you are 30 and not married with a family,

that is ok.

If you are 40 living in an old house with a leaky roof, that is ok.

Maybe you are 50 and still don’t know what you want to be when you grow up.

That is ok.

Love where you are right now.

Get married and have a family when you find your forever person.

Not when you feel the clock ticking.

In the meantime, go on adventures.

Try new things.

Better yourself.

Make your house a dream home by inviting others in

and filling it now with love and laughter.

Think about the God given gifts you have today

and use them to serve the people around you.

Make your life one that you love right now.

And anything else that gets checked off your list will simply be an added blessing.

Life is not a race.

It is not a set of deadlines.

Slow down, and love where you are right now.

Jun

2023

Friends Who Stand in the Rain

Do you have a friend who will stand in the rain with you?

“Leanne, it’s raining!”

A friend and I had been chatting and catching up, waiting for it to get dark so the drone show could start.

And then it started sprinkling.

The people around us headed to their vehicles. Others went to the showbarn for cover.

My friend just smiled at me and said, “Leanne, it’s raining!”

And then we went back to our conversation.

How nice it is to have a friend who will stand in the rain with you.

Do you have those friends?

It made me think about this friend and others who have stood with me in the rainy days of life.

Do you have those friends?

I’m not just talking about the “raindrops falling from the sky” kind of rainy days.

I mean the “heart hurting,” “tears falling” rainy days.

The “not fun to be around” rainy days.

And the “will it ever get easier” rainy days.

If you have a friend to stand with you on those days, you are blessed.

Hold tight to that friend.

Hold tight to that friend who answers your call only to hear tears on the other end,

yet still knows what to say.

That friend who reminds you of your worth at times you have forgotten it.

That friend who says “my heart is hurting for you” instead of trying to fix it.

That friend who speaks truth into you when everything feels confusing.

That friend who says to call anytime, day or night. And you know they mean it.

That friend who makes the weight of the world feel a little lighter just by being there.

Hold tight to them because that is the friend who will say “hey, it’s raining!”

and lets it be ok because you are standing in it together.

Jun

2023

Uncertainty of the Future

Has your uncertainty of the future ever made you question everything?

Worries

What will 1st grade be like?

Will it be hard?

Can we come see you?

Everyday?

Those are just a few of the questions my sweet kindergarteners ask before summer break.

You will love 1st grade. It will be so fun!

It won’t be hard for smart kids like you.

And even if something is hard, it just means you are learning something new!

Yes, come see me anytime. I will be right next door.

I try to brush off all their worries. Give them confidence for the future, while still providing comfort.

For most, it works. They are excited about all the newness and possibilities 1st grade will bring.

For others, I still see worry and questions in their eyes. They don’t know how to be ok with the change. I see their uncertainty.

And I see my own uncertainties.

I see myself looking for a guarantee that everything will be ok.

Wanting someone to promise me that the year ahead won’t be too difficult.

Needing reassurance that I can handle whatever is coming.

But no person can really offer that to me.

Or to you.

Only God knows what the future will bring.

What might go right?

Maybe instead of wondering what could go wrong, start thinking about what might go right.

What joys will you experience this year?

Who will come into your life and make it fuller?

What lessons will you learn to make you a better person?

How many moments will make your heart overflow?

The struggles will still come, my friend. But for today, I’m choosing to breathe.

To think about the possibilities ahead.

To look forward to all the good.

I’m choosing to fill my heart with excitement for what’s in store.

Jun

2023

It Should Be Like That

“And it should be, it should be, it should be like that.” -Dr. Suess

A story about how it should be

I am convinced the most meaningful lessons are taught through children’s books.

And not just lessons for children.

If you’ve never read Horton Hatches the Egg, let me give you a brief summary. Mayzie the lazy bird leaves Horton the elephant to sit on her nest. It is supposed to be for a short time, but Mayzie does not return.

Horton sits on the egg. And protects the egg. Through storms, and hunters, and being put in the circus, he holds onto his promise.

Because he is faithful.

Finally the egg hatches. Of course, Mayzie reappears as this is happening, just in time to claim her egg.

But everyone is shocked to see what comes out of the egg. It is an elephant-bird.

And it should be, it should be, it should be like that.

Every time I read this story to my class, we laugh together at the thought of an elephant sitting on an egg.

And every time I get to the “it should be like that” line, I get a lump in my throat and my voice sometimes shakes just a little.

Silly, I know.

But Horton put his heart and soul into taking care of that egg, and the results are beautiful.

I want that for you.

How badly I want that for the people around me.

For my family.

My friends.

For you.

I want people who work tirelessly for something to reap the rewards.

For the people who exude love and goodness to live long, healthy lives.

For people who desire marriage and a family to get their happily ever after.

I want those who pray with their whole heart for circumstances to change, to see their prayers answered.

Isn’t that how it should be?

I am not in control. And it should be like that.

But my view is so limited. Where I only see a circumstance, God sees all. He sees all of the pieces moving and working together in a way I can’t understand.

In a way I can’t comprehend.

In a way that sometimes doesn’t seem fair.

But all for the good of those who love Him.

As much as I want control, I could not be trusted with it. My view is too limited.

I may solve one problem I can see while causing harm in places I can’t see.

I might do good to one person while taking something away from another.

Who am I to say how things should or shouldn’t be?

Rather, I can rest in knowing that God loves me.

He cares for me.

He works everything for the good of those who love Him.

God is the one in control. Not me.

And it should be like that.

“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” -Romans 8:28

I know.

“Are you married?”

Slow down.

Love where you are right now.

“Leanne, it’s raining!”

Do you have those friends?

Hold tight to that friend.

Worries

And I see my own uncertainties.

What might go right?

A story about how it should be

I want that for you.

I am not in control. And it should be like that.

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