Getting Acquainted

Well, I did it!  I ventured out on my own!  For those of you who know me, this is not a small task for me.  I like my comfort zone and I currently have no comfort zone, which means that I need to venture out on my own to find it!  I went to church on Thursday night for their Recovery group.  While this sounds a little odd, it was actually a great experience.  Let me first start off by saying the drive to church almost reduced me to tears!  Texas drivers are NOT friendly!  My GPS kept telling me to get off the interstate to drive on frontage roads, then get back on the interstate. What?! So confusing!  Anyway, I made it to church, safe and sound (maybe just a little frazzled).

The Recovery group is a two-hour, every Thursday night deal.  They start off with a speaker who shares a sermon or someone who shares their own testimony. Let me just say, hearing this guy tell about his story made me realize that everyone has a story!  It's interesting to think about my own story.  I grew up in a wonderful, loving, Christian home and I've felt so blessed by that.  However, I always thought that my Christian background could never relate to someone who has "real" problems. Isn't it interesting how God has prepared my heart for such an event as my baby boy being born with a heart problem?  He has shaped me into the person I am today who grew up in the most loving home so I will be able to share that love with my innocent little babe.

As the night went on, we proceeded to worship.  Before they started singing, the worship leader shared about the stones they pass out.  In the Old Testament, God's people placed stones at spots in their journey where God had spoken to them or performed miracles.  They explained that there were two "types" of stones: The Genesis stone and the Exodus stone.  Where I'm currently at in my journey, I picked up the Genesis stone, which means that I'm just starting off on this journey and God is just starting to reveal himself to me through all of this.  This stone will serve as a reminder of God's grace through all of this and I know that I'll someday get to the point where I can pick up the Exodus stone (I'm at the end of this journey).  Being on my own for the evening, I so wanted to get through the night without tears! As I picked up my stone, I walked back to my seat crying and thinking/praying about the long journey ahead.  The stone will be placed in Baby Boy's room (once the boxes disappear), probably next to an angel that my good friend gave to me.  On the angel is Mark 9:23, "Everything is possible for those who believe."  We continued on with worship and it amazes me how worship songs that I've heard over and over again can gain a whole new meaning when life's circumstances change.  The lyrics that gained a new meaning were these:

Savior, he can move the mountains

My God is mighty to save

He is mighty to save.

My God CAN save and perform miracles!  I feel like that's the fine line that I'm faced with these days.  I know God can perform a miracle on my baby boy's heart, but is that His will for Baby Boy's life?

When worship wrapped up, we split into small groups.  I was put in the newcomers group.  During this time, the leader explained all of the different recovery groups so we could make our choice as to where we would fit best.  She had us briefly share our names and a little about our stories.  When I go back to recovery next time, I'm sure I'll be placed in a group with other women dealing with pain, like myself.

Well, as the evening wrapped up and I headed home, I spotted a grocery story that was not a Wal-Mart, so I decided to stop and put a little food in our fridge!  Although Wal-Mart has good prices, I can only handle that place in small doses. :)  I made it home with no problems--my GPS decided to behave a little better this time! 

On Friday, I got another small sample of home. The junior high youth group was about to leave town, so a couple of the leaders came to get me for lunch.  I was able to enjoy these friends from far away and hear about their mission's trip.  As for the rest of my day, I've been relaxing, per doctor's orders!  My side is starting to feel better, so I know that a few days off of my feet is exactly what I needed!  I even got to enjoy playing my piano today!  We've had this piano for years, but we've never had it in our own place since we've always lived on the third floor.  My grandparents sent me a few piano books in the mail for my birthday, so I've enjoyed picking a few songs to play. :)  This weekend should be fun since it's my birthday on Sunday.  I never know what the Mr. has up his sleeve, but he always tries to make my birthday special for me!  I know we're going out to eat at Babe's on Saturday night with the wonderful family who housed Michael for 4 weeks while he was in Texas and I was in Nebraska.  This restaurant is down-home country cooking and it's delicious! Can't wait!

-Carrie