When my brother was a freshman in high school, he was on the varsity wrestling team. Which meant we had a group of upperclassman boys who would come over and hang out at our house. I was in seventh grade at the time and I had a gigantic crush on this senior named Troy Skogland. He made me swoon. I’m pretty sure he knew.
First, because I got all googly-eyed whenever he was around. And second, my brother might have told him.
Anyway, I was going through an origami phase at the time. Troy would fold those little colored papers with me in an attempt to make a fish or a dove or a dolphin. I was convinced I was in love. With him. Not the origami. I’d catch myself daydreaming about a moment in the future. When I was all grown up and pretty and Troy would come back from college and see me and we’d fall in love and live happily ever after.
In case you don’t know, my husband’s name isn’t Troy.
It’s Ryan. And I wouldn’t trade my Ryan for a thousand Troy’s, even though I’m sure he’s a nice guy.
Ah, but this is not the point of my blog post.
The point is to talk about love and all its many forms.
Crushes.
Puppy Love.
First Love.
True Love.
What do you think about them?
For me, I thought myself in love with other guys before I met Ryan. But in light of what I have with my husband, I look back and think, “Nah. That wasn’t the real deal.”
Let’s Talk: Tell me about a crush you had when you were little. I’ll admit, I had a thing for Jonathan Taylor Thomas (other wise known as JTT). Has anyone ever married their crush? Do you think you can have multiple true loves in a lifetime? Does your view on love change as you get older?
I love reflecting on the old year. I love anticipating the new. And my favorite way to do this is with two words.
One that summarizes the old. One that predicts the new.
I started doing this two years ago after being inspired by fellow blogger Tamika Eason.
If you want, you can read my 2010 New Year’s Post and my 2011 New Year’s Post.
Here’s a brief recap:
2009’s word: Growth
I grew a lot. As a believer and as a writer.
2010’s word: Surrender
I learned what it means to surrender my dreams to Him and find freedom and joy on the other side.
2011’s prediction: Anticipation
Which has been pretty accurate. Much of 2011 has been spent anticipating the release of my debut novel.
But I think there is a better word. One that is more all-encompassing.
2011’s word: Trust
Because in 2011, I quit my job.
I won’t lie. It was more than slightly terrifying. People would often say, “You’re so lucky you can afford to do that.” But here’s the thing.
We couldn’t!
We lost half our income. An income that helped pay the bills. We also lost the benefits that come with being a teacher. Namely, cheap health insurance. Yet the more we prayed, the stronger we felt God calling us in this direction.
So we crunched numbers. We changed our lifestyle. We turned into minimalists. And we stepped out in faith. Trusting that where God leads, He’ll also provide.
In 2011, we decided to adopt.
Which is also more than slightly terrifying. Especially in light of the job quitting. But we couldn’t ignore God’s prompting. So we filled out the application. We were accepted. And now we’re on a road that will lead to our future son or daughter. We chose to trust. Even though financially, it makes no sense.
In 2011, God has shown himself as Yahweh-Yireh (Provider) in our lives.
We’re trusting He will continue to do so as we trust and obey.
2012’s prediction: Change
This time next year, not only will I will be an author with one book on the shelves and another on the way, Ryan and I will be getting ready to fly to the opposite side of the world to unite with the newest member of our family.
Change is in the air.
Let’s Talk: If you had to summarize your 2011 in one word, what would it be? What do you predict 2012’s word will be?
When you don’t know what to post, a game of Would You Rather is a good fall back.