The Results are In....

 

A few days ago I posted a survey as a means to solve an ongoing debate between my Dear Hubby and I. Voting is now closed. Y'all were the best and your responses were overwhelming....

....ly for my hubby, much to my surprise. He did warn me that I slanted the post to try and garner more votes. Needless to say he was very happy that the majority of y'all thought like he did.

And even though my "Team Same-Side" came in...ahem...second place (we're still winners), it was so much fun to read your responses. One thing we all agree on is that date nights are the best, whether you sit on the same side or on opposite sides of the table. It's the company, the fellowship, and a few hours without kids. 

I mean I super love my kids but sometimes it's nice for some conversation with someone older than fourteen. Although I have noticed that on most of our dates our conversation centers around our kids. Funny how that works.

So thank you! Thank you for taking the time to read about our silly debate and leaving a comment of your thoughts.

Simply,

What Say You...

I'm in serious need of some help! Not mental help...more like opinion help. 

My Dear Hubby and I have had this ongoing debate about something and I'm really, REALLY hoping you can help us settle this issue once and for all.

Now you're probably wondering what in the world I'm talking about.

Before I present our disagreement, let me explain a little bit about my our personalities. I am a romantic at heart. When we're out on a date, I love to hold my Dear Hubby's hand, have his arm around me...just be close to him. I mean, we are on a date, right?

My Dear Hubby on the other hand is always mindful that not everyone around us would want to see PDA. Not that he isn't a romantic himself. But he is a guy.

If you know anything about how we met (via e-mail), courted, (also via e-mail and phone calls), and saw each other a total of ten days in person during the seven months of our courtship, then this question I'm about to ask will totally make sense. We didn't have the opportunity go on lots and lots of dates before we were married. Now date nights are one of my favorite activities to do with my Dear Hubby.

Here's where our disagreement comes in: I want to sit on the same side of the booth with him at the restaurant. He wants to see my face without turning his head while we're talking and eating.

What do you think?

Is it more appropriate to sit across from each other on a date or sit on the same side of the booth?

If we're seated at a table, then I'd totally sit across from him. But when we're given a booth, I think we should sit on the same side. 

He thinks I'm nuts. I think it's romantic.

Please help us settle this debate once and for all! Simply leave a comment below with what you think is the better seating arrangement when you go on a date with your hubby: across or beside? 

Simply Wondering,

Dandelion Puffs...

Dandelions are often viewed as a pesky little weed that continually perpetuates it's annoying self in a small amount of time. They grow and bloom seemingly overnight before going to seed just a few days later. It's next to impossible to catch them before they flower leading to a reputation of being one of the hardest flowers to kill.

There's something about dandelions that have always fascinated me. When I first started this blog over ten years ago, the picture of a dandelion's seeds floating in the wind not only caught my eye but resonated with me in some way. It became a trademark over the years, just as the title Simply Being Kari represented who I desired to be: just me. Simply Kari.

You may not know this but I have this unusual ability to take something extremely insignificant and complicate it until I'm so frazzled and frustrated that it's hard to even think straight. My brain is somehow wired to organize, to problem solve, and to critically think...all good things to be sure. But many times I overthink a problem and find myself with no solution at all. I've often wondered if my brain is defective in some way.

See why dandelions fascinate me? They have such simple lives: root, grow, bloom, spread.

For Christmas this year my wonderful sister gifted me this dandelion mug...

...and sparked my curiosity. It probably seems strange. Do I really picture myself like a weed, blooming for just a short time before being torn apart and carried away in the wind? No, this is something else entirely. 

It's more like being transporting back to my childhood, when things were simpler, and life was uncomplicated. I remember running around the yard barefoot in the late summer afternoons, picking these cute little dandelion puffs and watching their seeds easily float away. 

But what is it about the dandelion that draws me?  

Centuries ago dandelions were once loved around the world. They were often used for everything from medicine to cooking. Surprisingly they were found to contain more nutrients than many other vegetables. 

The entire body from bloom to stem is edible, providing a rich course of vitamins C and A, potassium, iron, and other antioxidants. According to the Flower Glossary, studies have shown that the roots and leaves can reduce cholestrol and boost the immune system. 

In the yard, dandelions prove to be quite beneficial for the grass. Dandelion roots spread wide to aerate the soil. They then soak up nutrients from the deeper soil before using their extensive underground network to fertilize the rest of the lawn. 

More importantly, this "weed" has come to symbolize survival, healing, and hope: survival because of their durability, their deep root system, and their ability to quickly grow and spread; healing because of their nutritional qualities; and hope because they never give up. 

What incredible lessons can we take away from this?

Lesson one: Walk with Him. Be grounded. Grow and spread. The Apostle Paul wrote to the church at Colosse, As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in Him: rooted and built up in Him, and stablished in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving. (Col. 2:6-7) 

Lessons two and three: Seek strength through Him. Let Him heal your wounds and nourish your inner man. Paul wrote to the church at Ephesus, Wherefore I desire that ye faint not at my tribulations for you, which is your glory...that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might by His Spirit in the inner man; that Christ may dwell in your heart by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length and depth, and height; and to know the love of Christ...(Eph. 3:13,16-19a) 

Today I figuratively give a dandelion to you. As we head into a brand new year, may this flower (or weed, however you look at it) remind you to just simply be: be planted in Him, grow in His Word, and bloom for His glory. Be persistant. Be durable. Be resilient. 

...Forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. (Phil. 3:13-14)

Simply Learning to Be,

In Everything Give Thanks...

It's been awhile since I've been able to sit and write. October consisted of volleyball games and tournaments, multiple church activities, and revival services. When November 1st rolled around, I felt like I could finally just breathe...and get my laundry done.

Still working on that last one, but it's a never ending process. *sigh*

We're celebrating Thanksgiving in a couple of weeks. Since the season of gratitude is upon us, it's not uncommon for us to openly express what we are most thankful for. Most of the time what we're thankful for are all the good things: health, salvation, love, family, provisions. What we usually leave out are the hardships we've faced or what we've endured in our life's journey.

I was challenged this last week by a blog post from LOL in Ministry about being thankful about the things we often overlook: those pesky, sometimes unbearable, hard times. I for one would not like to have to re-live miscarrying my baby.  Those days were filled with overwhelming grief and sadness. I also wouldn't want to go back to the first few days of my youngest's life. Shortly after he was born he was transferred to the NICU where he was being treated for a heart murmur and low oxygen. Those days were dark and exhausting: mentally, physically, and spritually. 

There have been other times when I didn't even know how to pray, couldn't even formulate words because the pain, the disappointment, the anger, the betrayal were just too great. 

Reading back through what I've written so far, this post is starting to sound alot like David in Psalm 77: my sore ran in the night, and ceased not: my soul refused to be comforted. I remembered God and was troubled: I complained, and my spirit was overwhelmed....I am so troubled that I cannot speak...Hath God forgotten to be gracious: hath He in anger shut up His tender mercies? When I start to read King David's words I feel depressed and sad. It's hard to be thankful in the bad times. 

But can I tell you just how much we need them? The Lord in His wonderful love and mercy uses those times to remove dross that there shall come forth a vessel for the finer. (Prov. 25:4) He uses those times to mold us and make us more like Him. Sometimes He needs us to do something greater in His service so He begins to prepare us with lessons on humility, patience, prayer, and even praise. Maybe He needs us to be ready to help another brother or sister in Christ who will struggle through the same trial.

 Yes, the promise in Romans 8:28 is still very much true: And we know that All things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose.

All those bad times...we may not want to relive them, but during this season of thanksgiving, we can certainly be thankful for them. In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you. (I Thess. 5:18)

Simply Grateful,

Thankful...

Fall decorations have gone up, the scent of pumpkin spice lingers in the air...and for at least an hour during the day I set my thermostat below seventy just to mimic that cool, crisp, autumn air. Technichally it's not fall but hey, close enough.

So much has happened in the last few weeks that I'm finding it hard to wrap my mind around the fact that September is almost gone. We've had teacher in-service, the start of school, my daughters birthday, volleyball practices/games, and multiple church activities. How fast time flies when you're busy, busy, busy. 

I hate to say it but there are dangers of being too busy. It becomes easier to just go instead of to just be. Life turns complex when it should be simple.

Oh how I miss simply being...

So for today I'd like to start a new trend to break up all the craziness of running here and there. Usually the month of November is spent expressing how thankful we are for the abundant blessings around us. Instead of waiting for Thanksgiving to roll around, I'd like take a few moments to share five things that I'm so very grateful for. 

#1 -- The Security of my Salvation. I'm still amazed that God would love a sinner like me. When I took Him as my Savior, He not only made me His heir, He also gave me His Word full of sweet and precious promises that I can claim every single day. This allows me to face any trial in life with joy knowing that my sins are forgiven and my home is in Heaven. Even when I feel that I walk alone, my Heavenly Father has promised He will never leave me, nor forsake me. I am His and He is mine.

#2 -- The Love of a Godly Husband. There were times when I believed I was meant to be single for the rest of my life. But in His time, the Lord brought me the most wonderful man in answer to my prayers. Now after almost sixteen years of marriage, I am so thankful I waited for God's perfect will. 

#3 -- The Sound of My Children's Voices. I must admit that there are times when the squabbling and the jesting feel more like fingernails on a chalkboard. But hearing their voices raise the roof drift around the house is a constant reminder that God answered our prayers. 

Now if we could just conquer teenage attitude and drama I'd be most appreciative. 

#4 -- The Power of Answered Prayer. In a way this has already been mentioned. My Dear Hubby and all three of my children were direct answers to prayer. But there have been hundreds of prayers over my lifetime that my Lord has answered. So many that time and space will not permit me to name. Prayers for protection, for healing, for guidance, for provision. There were even times when I didn't even know how to pray or what to say. He knew and answered in the most amazing ways. 

 After the seriousness of the first four, I must prepare you for this totally random and frivolous number five...

#5 -- Friday Football Date Nights. For me football is synonymous with fall. There is nothing like spending Friday night with my Dear Hubby talking and laughing over a plate of Mexican food, and then heading to a stadium to watch some high school football. Doesn't have to be a specific school. In fact we don't even know any of the players...on either the team. Whichever side we sit on, that's the side we cheer for. But the time we spent together? Priceless.

Now it's your turn. What are you most thankful for today? Care to share a few in the comments below?

Why wait for November when we can enjoy a season of grattitude now!

 Simply Thankful,

Teaching...

These last couple of weeks I've been working on finishing a rather large project. The end is in sight and I am so ready to be done! Hopefully in the future I'll be able to share exactly what that was, but for now, I'm sprinting along, the largest part behind me with the finish line up ahead. Almost there!

Thank you so much to all of you who left comments here on the blog and on my facebook post with words of advice to the younger generation. I've compiled the following list from all your comments:

• Learn to develop a relationship with the Lord through Bible reading and prayer
• Memorize verse to quote during the ups and down of life
• Pray sincerely and pointedly about everything 
• Choose your friends wisely
• Spend time with older women in the church and glean from their experiences
• Build self-confidence in the right kind of skills
• Accept changes in your "plans" with joy
• Be willing to learn and grow no matter your age
• Prepare for singlehood because God may not send you a mate right away
• Enjoy every day life, no wishing it away
• Trust God with every season of your life

Comments are still open HERE if you think of anything else. One of their projects this semester will be to interview a lady in the church about preparations for the future. Hope you don't mind if one of them comes to you.

As I've been preparing for this class and working on my other project, I spent some time stuyding the passage in Titus two about the aged women teaching the younger women ...to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children, To be discreet, chaste, keepers at home, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God be not blasphemed. (Titus 2:4-5) 

However, before the aged women can teach the younger women, they are given commands about their own behavior. The aged women likewise, that they be in behaviour as becometh holiness, not false accusers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things. (Titus 2:3) After all, how can we expect them to know how to act if we don't model the correct behavior ourselves? Actions do speak louder than words.

Needless to say, the Lord has continued to convict my heart about my own behavior. I have such a burden to reach out to the younger generation, to help them grow into beautiful, godly young ladies. And you are helping! Thank you so much!

Simply Being,

Hindsight...

My Dear Hubby and I were reminiscing the other day about when we first started writing to each other. We even pulled up the emails and re-read them, laughing at our answers to each others questions. My, how much has changed...how much we have changed. Hard to believe that this October we will celebrate our sixteenth anniversary. It really doesn't seem that long, but looking back, so much has happened in those years. Lots of laughter and love. So many beautiful memories.

I don't think, though, that I'd like to go back to those days. Don't get me wrong: it's fun to remember the giddy feeling of new love, of being first married, of having my babies. I feel like now, age and maturity have helped open my eyes to things that I wish I would have differently in those days. Hindsight truly is 20/20.

What do you see when you look back at your life? Is there something that you wish you would have been taught when you were a teenager that would have helped prepare you for marriage, for managing a home, or for serving in a ministry?

I ask because I have an awesome opportunity this next school year to teach the high school girl's Bible class. The lessons for the year will be divided into two categories: spiritual and physical. The first semester we will be learning how to grow spiritually. We'll focus on developing a personal relationship with the Lord, sharing their salvation testimony with others, and learning about others in their class and church. The second semester we will spend on all kinds of etiquette.

Here's where I need your help: tell me at leat one thing you wish you would have known when you were dating/courting, newly married, or having your first baby. 

Of course you can write as many as you like. I'm not picky. In fact, I'll go first:

I wish I had known to just chill out. I put way too much pressure on myself about everything that sometimes I missed out on the joy of everything going on around me.

Ok...that was rather therapeutic. Thanks for listening.

Now it's your turn! Ready? Go!

Simply Seeking Advice,