Aaron, I Miss You When You're Gone Because . . .

by Andilyn Jenkins

We’ve been there. The girls are together, and one person mentions a negative quality about her husband and three other women laugh and rush in on their personal anecdotes, describing the smell, habit, or argument in colorful detail. We’ve tried laughing so we don’t look haughty but not adding to the conversation. We’ve tried changing the subject. We’ve tried negating their comments with a positive anecdote about our husbands. And sometimes we fall into the fun and add our (or should I say, “his”) story. All attempts leave us feeling like we’re a) chicken, b) unsympathetic, c) a show-off, or d) cheap.

No more.

Tonight, I want to brag, brag, brag about my husband. I’m going to leave out all smelly habits, pet peeves, and annoyances. Aaron and I have them. Just like you. But our relationship gains nothing by putting our most recent arguments on display for others’ amusement or critique.

After I’m done, I want you to add to it. Take advantage of this opportunity and the month of gratitude by posting here or on Facebook or in a text to your spouse five things (at LEAST) about your honey that you miss when he/she is gone. I look forward to reading yours.

AARON—I MISS YOU WHEN YOU’RE GONE BECAUSE . . .

• You kill the spiders. (This made the list first because you’re sleeping, and a little bug just tried to cozy up next to me on the couch.)
• Your jokes never get old.
• You work hard for our family.
• Our kids get crazy happy when you come home.
• Evelyn thinks you can fix anything—and she’s usually right.
• You clean the toilets.
• You go to the store ten minutes before dinner because I forgot to buy cheese.
• You love my chocolate chip cookies.
• You encourage and support me in everything I want to take on.
• You actually look at my fingernails after I paint them and conjure up an opinion on them because you know I care, even if you don’t.
• Same goes for hairstyles, clothing choices, jewelry selections, etc.
• You don’t care about my fingernails, hairstyles, clothing choices, jewelry selections, etc. because the subtle differences don’t change the “me” you’re in love with.
• (Awe man, the little bug came back after I flicked it away. And it WAS a spider. Right now, you’re grateful for your loving wife who didn’t wake you up. I squished it with my bare hands. I'm going to have nightmares.)
• You make the best salmon, ribs, steak, roast, and hamburgers I’ve ever tasted. Remind me why we eat at restaurants?
• You cook dinner every Sunday.
• You pinch my bum when I'm cooking.
• You call your parents at least once a week.
• You listen to me talk and talk and talk and talk AND TAAALK (anyone else singing “Pioneer Children”?)
• You value my advice and counsel.
• You introduce me to all the new, awesome music.
• You update me on world news because I can’t be bothered to turn it on.
• You tiptoe around the bathroom getting ready in the morning so you don’t wake me.
• You let me sleep in 99.9% of the time (and I’m going to continue holding you to this statistic.)
• You’re my sounding board.
• We support each other’s faith and devotion to serving God.
• When I’m not killing spiders with my bare hands and wrestling babies, you make me feel dainty.
• You’re my tech support.
• You tell me I’m great when I get zero kills but only die twice in Call of Duty.
• You love spending time with my family.
• No matter the space or time, you’re there for me and the kids.
• You’re proud of me.
• You’re my children’s super hero.
• You’re my best friend.
• I love you.

Election Day

by Terri Wagner

These days I enjoy the shortest commute I have ever had...about 7 minutes, a bit more if I leave in time to "catch" a school bus stop. However, I've discovered there is a small downside...I have a much smaller window to enjoy the radio. I generally listen to a semi local morning radio show called Rick and Bubba. I say generally because when they get into the hunting season, I tune out literally, and semi local because they are based out of Birmingham. I don't always like listening to this famed duo because they have a decidedly male pov, and yet, that's why I listen more often than not.

Today the topic was voting and voting ID. No, I am not going to make this a political discussion although in fairness I should say I support voter ID.

However, today in jest, they mentioned how on earth did women get the vote when at the time the entire political structure was composed of white men. I found myself laughing. How did we manage that one?!

I supposed when the founding fathers limited voting to property owning men they had a purpose in that. Since my forever love is hard-core history, I studied up on the subject years ago. I am sure there is more out there about it than there was when I had a chance to study it. What surprised me was their reasoning. And frankly I can't fault it...the property aspect that is. When you have to pay taxes on property, your attitude and feelings about candidates changes because it directly affects you. And nearly most of us pay some sort of property tax. When I lived in VA, we paid personal property tax...how they got that passed, I'll never know. But every year I had to pay for my "personal" property which in my case was a car. Kinda put a damper on buying new cars I can tell ya. I once went from a PP tax of $9.72 to $396.50. However, because, I did have to pay, I paid attention to who was running and at least what their stand on the PP tax was.

I think it would be hard to vote without knowing how it affects your future earnings, present property situation, or and maybe especially your family. Doesn't really matter at this point who gets to vote (as long as they only vote once of course), but that you vote. So go vote. Be wise. And let's make our founding fathers (and mothers) proud.

Becoming Who I Want to Be

By Claire Enos

As I was looking through old posts on one of my blogs, I found this gem. I didn't post it all that long ago, but I enjoyed re-reading my thoughts on life and all the obstacles I've been facing. I hope you enjoy!

"I can feel it. I can feel the tugging from all directions. The random comments from friends saying I need to do this or that. The comments from people I don't know saying a woman needs to do this or that.

"Get a job."
"Finish your schooling."
"Don't worry about dating."
"Get a good career."
"Take care of yourself."
"Pay off those loans."
"No one wants to marry someone in debt."
"Choose a better major, you won't be able to get a good career with that one."

And, for some reason, I listen. I begin to change my view on life and the things that make me who I am. I start making plans to finish school, go on a mission, go back to school, and work in between. I start worrying about my loans because somehow it might keep me from falling in love and marrying some man I might meet in the future. My whole focus begins to change, from my spiritual goals to my material goals. I stop focusing on God, and I start focusing on my life.

I'm not saying any of these things are bad, but maybe we are placing too much emphasis on the material things in this life. We are spending too much time worrying about money, rather than focusing on our spiritual well-being. We stop thinking about studying God's words, and praying to God for help, and we start thinking about how we can rely on our own strength over God's. Alone, we can make waves; with God, we can move mountains.

I've noticed that it is those moments when I become lax about praying and studying my scriptures that I start to stumble over the roots and branches in my way in the forest of life; after I stumble off the road and into the forest itself. But, when I put God first, those roots and branches no longer become a problem, they are merely bumps on the side of the road I'm traveling.

So, I want to encourage each of you to think on this. Maybe we should stop focusing so much on materialistic aspects of life, and start focusing on God and His work. He'll guide us, and we may not always understand why the road has led us to where we are, but at least we'll always know there is a good reason! Endure to the End!"

I hope you enjoyed reading this as much as I did re-reading it. Sometimes I just feel like we need to be reminded of what's really important in life.

<3Claire

Beauty

Think of all the beauty still left around you and be happy. Anne Frank

I love this time of year. The fall colors sweep the earth, making a giant collage of colors.

Everywhere I look I find variety. It seems as the seasons mature, the earth yields delicious fruit of the vine

before it slips into the frosty wonderland of winter.

I am grateful for the season changes and the cycle of life that surrounds me.

I can't imagine what Heaven looks like, but it will have to go some to be more beautiful than the surroundings God has already provided for us.

The creation of beauty is art. Ralph Waldo Emerson

God truly was an artist.