Patience.

Patience (or forbearing) is the state of endurance under difficult circumstances, which can mean persevering in the face of delay or provocation without acting on annoyance/anger in a negative way; or exhibiting forbearance when under strain, especially when faced with longer-term difficulties. Patience is the level of endurance one can take before negativity. It is also used to refer to the character trait of being steadfast.

Oh, patience. Have you ever prayed for patience? Yeah? And what happened? The bottom fell out. You had a wreck, got fired, caught someone lying, lost your wallet and your keys all in the same day? Welcome to God's funny sense of humor. That's His funny way of teaching you patience. 

But what about being patient while waiting? Anyone? Bueller? Bueeelller? 

wait verb\ˈwāt\: to stay in a place until an expected event happens, until someone arrives, until it is your turn to do something, etc. : to not do something until something else happens: to remain in a state in which you expect or hope that something will happen soon.

I have the hardest time waiting. For anything. A table at a restaurant, in line for the bathroom, my turn in a game, my turn to go at a four way stop, I just can't wait! I hate it. In this season of my life, God is truly teaching me the meaning of waiting and patience. 

I don't know if you noticed, but "wait" and "patient" go hand in hand.

"Patience is the level of endurance one can take before negativity"  That. I want what I want right.now. I desperately want whatever God has for me. But I want it now. So many times I feel like life is not fair. Everyone is married and having babies. Oh poor me. I want what they haveeeeee! I cry out to Him. Why can't I have that?!  He responds "Because you haven't been waiting patiently, my child."

I have been rushing Gods plan for my life since I could talk. I had it all figured out. Down to the wedding date. Well, that date has come and gone. 

Better is the end of a thing than its beginning, and the patient in spirit is better than the proud in spirit -Ecclesiastes 7:8-

I have spent more time being angry with God than anything else. When things don't go my way, I'm immediately angry with Him. When things happen that I don't understand, I'm angry with Him. This is my season to learn to wait patiently. It ain't easy. But I want what he has for me. So I'm learning to wait patiently, and do so gracefully. And that's just what I'm going to do. More than anything, I want His plan for my life and if that means that I have to wait a little longer, then so be it. 

Happy Saturday, Y'all!

Friday Five.

Friday is upon us again. Thank goodness. It's been an exhausting week so I'm still in my pajamas being incredibly lazy! Go visit The Sowell Life and link up for the Friday Five, And go visit The Good Life and like up for Five on Friday.

1. Ecards. 

This one especially. This week wasn't the best. Next week will be the week I come out of the program and go back to the gym. Haha. 

2. This.

It's time to stop putting things off. Everyday is a new day.

3. Pasta A La Passion. I saw this on Rachel Ray last week and I had to make it. Y'all. It was SO.GOOD.

I will be posting the original recipe next week along with the changes that I made!

4. Mexican food. Y'all, I have eaten Mexican food 5 times in the last week. YES. 5! That's a lot of cheese dip and fajitas. But, I didn't eat at the same Mexican place each time so it's okay.

5. Young Living Essential Oils. These oils seriously save my life. If for no other reason than they help me sleep. Like a rock. Or a baby. Or a puppy with a full belly. You get it. I sleep. I made my own sleepy time concoction and it's wonderful! The pain cream is just as wonderful. And the best part is that they are 100% natural and perfectly safe to use on everyone, including children and babies! You can replace everything over the counter and even prescription medication. I'm sure you have heard of them. If you haven't and you want to know more, send me an email. I would absolutely love to tell you ALL about them!!

Happy Friday, y'all! Enjoy your weekend!
Jen

Losing The Ones You Love.

The last two weeks have been insane. Just off the wall, everything that could go wrong has gone wrong. My grandmother has been very sick and was placed in a nursing home. She is in Texas with no other family around. (We are making a trip out there next week) I have a great friend going through something that I hope no one else ever has to go through. And on Saturday, February 15, one of my life long best friends was killed in a car accident.

Tyler was one of a kind. His laugh was infectious. He lit up any room that he entered. He was an absolutely incredible human being. He loved the Lord with all his heart. He loved people almost as much. I have never met anyone who didn't love him. Y'all, my parents loved him. He was the youngest of 9 children. The baby boy. And you could tell. All he had to do was flash that smile and he could get away with anything. We got into our fair share of trouble in our younger days. He used to sneak in my window at night and we would talk for hours. We stayed up late during the summer swimming, driving fast and egging our friends houses and cars. He made my life better. We haven't been as close the last 2 years. Jobs, relationships, family... Life got in the way. We were always talking about getting together. Having dinner. Catching up. We didn't get that chance. My life will not be the same without him here. 

I don't understand why people like Tyler are taken too soon. It's always the good ones. 

The only peace I have, comes from knowing that Tyler is in a much better place than we could ever imagine. Face to face with Jesus. Maybe Tyler was too good for this world. I am so thankful that I know that God has a plan so much better than anything I can imagine. I don't know what the purpose behind Tylers passing is. I don't understand it and I never will. I don't have to. I just know there is one. I have faith in that and I know that God is preparing me for something even bigger. 

We get so caught up in our every day lives that we forget what's really important. The people are important. Our relationships are what matter. This week has changed my life. I will never look at life the same. I will never treat people the same. I will no longer put things off. I encourage you to stop putting things off until tomorrow, or next week. Do what matters today. 

Happy Thursday.

Snow In Alabama-What's not okay.

Last week was just chaotic. Seriously. I kept reading that lots of people (mostly northerners) spent the week laughing about a little bit of snow shutting down our whole city, and that's okay.  

Here's what's not okay...

1. Criticizing our meteorologists. The men and women that we look to for our weather needs are fantastic. These people give up so much of their lives and time with their families to make sure that ours are safe. FYI: They don't actually predict the weather. They rely on tons of programs, machines and equipment to give them an idea of what's going to happen. These people spend countless hours doing live television during tornado season to make sure we know exactly what's happening. (I'm looking at you James Spann.) If you don't know James, go follow him on twitter. He's legit. He's one of the many that abandoned his vehicle and walked to work. He is a wonderful, Godly man and he doesn't deserve the crap he's gotten after everything he has done for our community and many, many others.

2. Calling us stupid. We might be a lot of things around here, but stupid ain't one of them. Yeah, I said ain't. This event and the gridlock that came with it had nothing to do with stupidity. It's what happens when thousands of  schools and businesses are closed at the same time. And not only at the same time, but at the exact time that snow is falling, sticking and freezing turning our roads into ice skating rinks. Unlike the north, we don't have snow plow and sanding trucks on standby. Snow is not our thing. Snow is your thing. We have tornadoes. So we have helmets, flashlights, tons of extra batteries and emergency shelter plans. We are always prepared for what we are used to experiencing. Have you ever been separated from your family? Husbands, wives, and kids in three different places? Don't you think you would do whatever you had to do to get to them safely? That's what Alabama was doing. That's what caused a gridlock.

3. Acting like you're better than us because you can "deal" with a little snow. Y'all, this wasn't snow. This was snow turned ice immediately. It's not easy to walk on ice, much less drive a vehicle safely. I would like to see how you guys would handle a tornado outbreak that kills hundreds or a Cat3+ hurricane. No. I really wouldn't. Because if you were to experience something like that, that we have so many times, we wouldn't talk about you. We would reach out to you. Offering help anyway we can. The was Toomers for Tuscaloosa has anytime there has been a disaster in this country in the last few years. We might not do well with a little snow and ice, but we sure do know how to treat people.

You want know what is okay? People giving rides to strangers, people giving out free food... See THIS article about ChikFilA. People leaving their safe homes to help get as many as possible safely to their own homes. Strangers opening their homes to strangers. People standing in the freezing snow for hours handing out coffee and snacks. A doctor walking 6 miles to perform a life saving brain surgery. Strangers opening their homes to other strangers. People sleeping at their offices. Teachers spending the night in their schools with students whose parents could not reach them. Hospitals giving out free scrubs, toothbrushes and whatever else they had to make sure people were comfortable. These things are okay. Tell me northerners, has anyone every given you free food while stranded in a snow storm?

We might be a lot of things around these parts, but selfish isn't one of them. We take care of our own and I am more than proud to be from Alabama and call this place my home. Maybe you will get to experience southern hospitality at it's finest someday. I sure hope so. 

*End Rant*

Happy Monday, Y'all.