Paper Airplanes

Happy Anniversary Robbe.

Yesterday was my First Wedding anniversary. While many celebrating one year would be celebrating with the traditional gifts made of paper; personalized stationery, tickets to a show, or paper airplanes hovering over a dining room table set for a romantic dinner…my husband and I were writing on each other’s walls on Facebook and using SKYPE to webcam, trying to bridge the gap of 2500 miles that separated us.

Let me back up a little bit.

October 30^th, 2009 we were married in a full courtroom; standing room only. In attendance; our kids,  about 30 people involved in a Sobriety Court program, courthouse personnel from two different floors, an ex-wife, and a reporter.  Not your typical wedding guest line-up by far.

Just weeks before saying “I Do” to each other, we said “I Can’t but You Can” to Jesus.  

We met at a Starbucks in February. I was ‘working from home’ but set up in a corner of the coffeeshop; sweat pants, baseball cap, Old Navy sweatshirt turned inside out, snow boots and no makeup. After I settled into my corner; plugging in my laptop, spreading out files, and taking over another chair to hold my jacket, I made my way to the barista to order my venti zebra mocha with cinnamon dolce sprinkles on top. In front of me was a guy old enough to be my dad; jeans, plaid shirt, sweater vest and a keychain that flashed “#1 Grandpa.” Having been sober just over a month, going through a divorce, still chilled from the weather outside, and not looking forward to all of the work ahead of me; my patience, and my demeanor were short. I said to the man in front of me, “Your keychain is pretty annoying. Glad to see you are a proud Grandpa but maybe you could flip it over.” He simply smiled and told me he was happy to accommodate. As he did, it continued to flash but now read “Alabama.” He looked back to me and said “It was a gift from my daughter. They live there.” I couldn’t keep a smile from escaping my lips and he asked to buy me a coffee. I accepted and then he spent the next three hours sitting in the chair my jacket once saved.  I wasn’t a Christian at the time but that same smile escapes my lips when I remember a verse in Proverbs; “In his heart a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps.” Proverbs 16:9

We met in February and married just eight months later; the term whirlwind constantly in the back of my mind. Throughout those eight months we both were searching for something more. We knew that our meeting and our relationship were no accident and we thought that there was definitely someone working in the background, orchestrating all that we were going through; good and bad. We found a church that we liked and just weeks before we married; asked Him to forgive our past transgressions and guide us through our future that He so freely offered us.

The economy hit us like it did many other households in Detroit; my husband had worked as a Design Engineer for the same company for 25 years but was unemployed 13 months by the time the next February rolled around. The job I worked so diligently at in the coffeehouse that day ended in July, making us both unemployed. I could not have been more grateful for deciding to follow Jesus when we did because without Him it would have been unbearable. With too much house and not enough income, we prayed. It got to where we didn’t know what we were praying for. We prayed for strength. We prayed for patience. We prayed for understanding. And each month; somehow, we managed to come up with just enough to cover our bills and nothing more.

And then we began praying a different prayer; a prayer that everyone seemed to know but one that was foreign to us. “Oh, that you would bless me and enlarge my territory! Let your hand be with me, and keep me from harm so that I will be free from pain.” 1Chronicles 4:10.

Just as God granted his request, he granted ours. One year after meeting in that coffeehouse, still unemployed, he provided a way for us to “expand our territory.” We moved an hour from where we were living to Plymouth; a town we knew no one; no family or friends…that just happened to be across the street from a church. A week after moving my husband found a job in the town of Plymouth, we went to our first service in our new church, I signed up for bible studies that met every Tuesday morning and Wednesday night.

To say that He has been with us throughout our first year would be an understatement. Somewhere along the line we knew that it wasn’t just having relationships with Him that was necessary, but to make Him the center of everything we did and live as He wanted us to live; a plan He set into motion long before we knew about it. “We are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so that we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.” Ephesians 2:10  

So back to the beginning of our story. Why are my husband and I separated by 2500 miles on our First Wedding Anniversary if God is doing so many amazing things in our lives? I am sorry to say that there is no short answer to this other than it is out of our control and completely in His. I left our small town of Plymouth, MI. on Monday, June 7^th and “expanded my territory” to Santa Barbara, CA. and have been here ever since….returning home and landing in Detroit at Midnight on Thursday, December 2^nd; just 33 days away. I told all of my friends and my husband “Don’t worry… I will be right back.” (I thank my God every time I remember you. Philippians 1:3) I have grown closer to them in my absence but will not say it has been easy.  I can tell you I have not alone because He has made sure all that has happened in these five months have been for His glory.

My friends have inspired me to write this blog and it will be just a journal of sorts. I am a “Cheerleader for Jesus” and this is a place to follow along in my personal journey with Him and all that He is doing in, through, and around me. It will be a place of not so random thoughts; books I read, devotions I want to share, other blogs that inspire me (Heather and Lynnette), and the growth that He has in store for my family and I. There is a lot to share about my past, present, and future and even though it has taken me a while to figure it out… He has been there for it all and loves me anyway. (Remind me to share the influence of the Prodigal Son one day).  =D

So…just like God says to me “Gidge, I don’t need you to complete all I have in store for people. I have been doing pretty well on my own; but I WANT you along for the ride. You don’t have to drive or worry about directions. You don’t have to pack anything particular or make a travel CD. I have it all under control.”  I say to you…. Buckle up, adjust your seat, roll down your windows, and pick your favorite radio station. I want you to see Jesus as I see him and we can’t wait to bring you along for the ride.