We need PEOPLE!

(I have a new reader!!!! I will tell you a little about her which leads me into the topic that I have on my heart....but my new reader supports me and loves me so much! She has been an example to me for my whole entire life! She has served me, shown me what it means to be loyal to her family and husband, challenged me to be an OUTSTANDING cook, wonderful friend to her friends who ALL live away, taught me to love and cherish Christmas in my heart, and faithfully has followed and has loved Jesus her whole life too! Her name is Mom and I am happy she is enjoying my little blog!)

Anyways....
Here is what I have been learning this week especially! This is a HUGE HUGE time in my life. I have waited for a long time (but you have already heard that story) to find a man to love and love me. In the mean time, I have tried many different paths and most of all (like my sister says) I have always followed my heart. This has not always looked "good on paper" but I can honestly say that every choice I have ever made has been accompanied with prayers, advice and trusting myself to do the right thing in the end. So where I am----my career, finances, and even my relationship--- is very different then I would have ever planned it out back when I was 18.

I loved Bible College. I made an informed decision to go there with specific reasons which were: I wanted to learn more about God, I wanted to train myself in a career that was focused on God, missions and children, and I wanted to "get out of my comfort zone". I feel I was brave as a young teenager to leave all my friends, specifically some of my very best friends who were attending a local Bible school that my entire family, parents and grandparents had attended. I made this choice (perhaps a little stubbornly) but in the end because I felt this was the right choice for me.

I got so much from this school, but my most important resources that I gained that are still unbelievably important to me right now are: My true friends that I found there...I lovingly call them my Prairie girls (and I include Sean and Eric and Luke and all the "husbands") in this group. I am so thankful for them. I also gained a tremendous passion for philosophy--namely Soren K., and developed my mind and heart in the things of God and those things will never leave me and never be "irrelevant".

The down side is that I gained a HUGE debt that is still with me today. 

I have always longed to work in a place that I can develop my skills and heart to loving kids and when I get to also talk freely about God, I know that it is the place that I am the happiest. So the 7 years I spent at summer Bible camp are also choices that "never looked right on paper". But my decision to work with camp was also an informed one because I wanted to develop in my ministry and discipling and it was there that I also developed friendships that are still some of the most important to me. I am so blessed that one of my best friends in the whole world I met while driving to work at a camp in New York in 2003 and she is one of my "maids"!

The downside is that I never made alot of money at camp in the summer when I could have saved up and put that money towards my education and prevent having a huge debt now.

This week I have been defending my choices to myself (and in some cases to other people). I have made some really bad choices over the years (as everyone is bound to do sometimes) but all of the choices  have made me into who I am today. And something Danny said to me this week has remained deep in my heart....that he loves who I am and everything I have done has made me this way. He has challenged me and encouraged me to be believe in myself and together as a couple we are learning to really become a team. He teaches me so much about the way Jesus loves me. He is not perfect...(and its been a really rough hard week for us) but I have learned a lot from him this week.

When I got engaged, it made me really see how many people are really behind me and Dan. The people that write you messages, notes or just actually say to your face how happy they are that I am engaged really made me feel unbelievably overwhelmed with just how loved I am. The very first people that me and Dan told was our parents and our brothers and sisters---who are all the people who have prayed and built into us the most of anyone in the world! One sweet lady that has been praying for me forever gave me and Dan a gift certificate to go on a date to celebrate, Dan's best friend's mom that I only met a few times mailed me a card and even my landlords sent down a bouquet of flowers---these are little small things but make me feel loved and remembered and  cared for!

I want to lastly say that PEOPLE are an investment that I have always been encouraged to invest in (especially by my Mom). I know 100% that in my heritage, my history, my background, my family...that people are our greatest resource. My family is who I want to be with the most of anyone...and I always hear my sister say the same things. Its funny when that changes from when you are a teen to an adult...but as much as I adore my friends (who are scattered all over the globe at this point in time) I am so grateful that I have so much time to spend with my family and Dan's family.

All of this to say that although I am learning to make smarter choices with my career, money and finances and I am definitely always trying to become a better steward with what God gives me, I really do want to always keep the two things that Jesus COMMANDS us to do:

Love God and Love People.

Sundays

(I am struggling with figuring out how to handle transition, and somedays I am just upset and angry and annoyed at "church stuff" so this blog entry isn't the response my heart always has, but deep inside I know this is how God wants me to feel about the church He loves, so I know that this is just a piece of my heart and its just a part of the puzzle of how I really feel about the church)

For mostly my whole life, I have cared about the "CHURCH"...not just my local church or the people I see every Sunday for an hour or so, but for the whole global church family and all the hearts that are connected. Its been on my heart pretty heavy since I got home from Japan back in 2008, and we have been blessed to be part of a church that is just up the street.

We have ALSO been in transition as our pastors have moved on and we are left/blessed with elders who have served and given their time, effort and prayers to continue leading a flock that has dwindled in size and sometimes even in our resolve. But we meet on...We had a beautiful Christmas Eve service with the best version of The Little Drummer Boy I have ever heard...it was lovely, peaceful and I was surrounded by my family and Dan's. I am so thankful to go to a church that every week I sit beside my sister's family, I see Dan's mom on the projector, I see Dan's Dad greeting everyone with hugs, I hear my brother Jason preach, I get to teach my nephew in Sunday School....and the connections I am building--- I miss when I am not there.

Like yesterday, things just did not align for me and Dan to make it out to church, and this was the first one we missed together since we have dated.

I love waking up on Sundays. Its so peaceful in my house, and usually I am up for about an hour before I even have to get ready (although Dan would probably prefer I get ready a BIT earlier as he's usually patiently waiting for me by my door to do "one more thing"). I love that he picks me up for church.  We have a quiet drive there and then we get to walk hand in hand through the doors. Every Sunday (without fail) we get teased by Joe for being late. We walk past familiar faces, and are usually pulled into one or two hugs before we get to our seat. I greet my nephews with hugs or kisses, and look to the front and depending on how late we are...and start singing or look around to see who all is there. My eyes are always drawn to the door to see who will arrive next...and I love looking around and smiling and waving at the people I see each week. Sometimes I feel sad when I don't see faces and sometimes I am surprised when I see an old friend or acquaintance. Our church is very informal, so I usually just get up from where I am sitting to greet whoever it is right then and there... I don't have to wait till "shaking hands time"(this is probably disturbing...but it is just the way we are...hugging is very important I have learned over the years, to our church)

We are far from being put together. We are filled with servants. We are filled with people who are hurt. We are filled with sincerity and we are filled with pain. We have groups and cliques, but we are also a typical dysfunctional family. You can't talk bad about us, even if we echo the exact same feelings...we are family, and we will defend the FAMILY!

It is so hard to be in community. Community is always harder than solitude for me. I always feel so close to Jesus in my personal devotions or prayer, but the moment I interact with HIS sheep...they bug me and annoy me sooo much that I forget whatever lesson I was just meditating on when I was alone! Its all part of growing.

I love Sundays and when I miss church, I miss seeing everyone. I love listening to sermons online, reading my own devotions and Scripture, I love learning on my own, but I do need the "family time" on Sunday mornings and its important to me. This is so important to me to remember even as we are struggling to understand what is happening "next" at our church. Something is happening now!

We are together now, and this is crucial for us to be encouraging and loving each other in the NOW as we wait for tomorrow to unfold.

January Excitement

So far I have been so blessed with the first 4 days of a brand new year! I had a great family day on New Year's Day with a tasty Bredin Brunch and then a Stretch/MacDonald Family Potluck (on Dan's side of the family)! Danny and I were so worn out that we both had a much needed early alone night at our separate houses!! I missed him but it felt amazing just to be alone and chillin like a villain in my own comfy bed!

We tried to visit big sis on Weds, but there was blowy snowy roads so instead I had the exhilarating opportunity to help a dear friend return some bottles to the exchange! I really think I would adore an organizing business as it thrills me to my boots to get things into order! I actually am dreaming and planning in my head of one day just having EVERY single thing I own in one place....instead of scattered in every crevice of my own little apartment, my old bedroom and under my parents stairs! Oh man! I can't wait to just spread it out and get that into order when I move into my NEW place with Danny next June!!!

And I already had one and a half days of work! I am so excited! I need this so badly!

Anyways. I am encouraged by one of my favorite little aps on my ipod that sends me a C.S. Lewis quote a day and the last few have really blessed my heart! I am challenging myself to read more CS and Oswald Chambers this year and so far its been great!

I look forward to seeing what this year is going to bring and keep challenging myself to stay positive and to think, hope and believe the best in people and myself!

A fresh new start and some resolutions

I adore making lists and ideas and plans and hopes and dreams.....

pretty sure that is how most of my January 1st blogs and journal entries start because it is VERY true! I looooooooooove intentions! I love new plans of how to succeed!! I have the worst follow through and self control and I am not the most ambitious girl but I love to make these lists so I do and I will and I will keep looking back on all the years to try to see where and when I can see the little steps of improvement!

1. I want to read my Bible more consistently. I want to be intentional in writing out my prayers and listening to sermons when I get ready in the morning and waking up so I can start the day with at least a thought from C.S. Lewis or Oswald Chambers. I really want to read more C.S Lewis books and re-read at least some of my favorite parts of Soren Ks gems.

2. I want to be healthier inside and out in my body, mind and spirit...this is really big and hard to measure so what I mean is that I want to work out a little every day, I want TRUTH to be in my heart and I want to fill my mind with what is GOOD.

3. I want to be a better friend to the friends who live away. I want to visit the friends who live near us at least once a month. I want to babysit for all the littles of my friends/sisters and I want to play games with our families more.

4. I want to eat healthier and maybe even make a weekly plan so I can SEE how I am eating and plan it out! Maybe this will even help to save more money and freeze more meals to take to work.



5. I want to be wiser with my money. I want to spend one morning a week reading about finances (starting with this book---->) and using this program (it's free if anyone is looking for an online budget/money chart type of thing) I want to save more and give more and find ways to earn more!




6. I want to pray more intentionally for my church and actually DO something. One of my dreams is to start a blog for my church. There. I said it out loud so now maybe I will follow through on it. I want to be more involved in relationships there and maybe try to invite more people over for lunch or share meals or spend time with them after church and during the week and attend more events that our church offers.

7. I want to find a part time job for Saturdays to save money for my wedding and then to put directly on my debt. I want to work hard as a sub teacher and a tutor and with my birthday parties but also use my free time to be active and challenge myself to find creative ways to make money.

8.  I want to please God and serve Jesus....in every day life

9. I want to learn to be the best wife I can be to Danny. I want to listen more, interrupt less, serve more, love more, give more, show kindness, grace and gentleness in my speech and actions toward the man who loves me more than anyone in the world. I want to pray for him and lift his needs to Jesus first and think of myself less. I want to care about the things he does and spend time with the people he loves. I want to accept his love and not be insecure or doubtful and to think and believe the best in and about him.

10. I want to read more and watch TV less (This is gonna be hard!)

When Kids are Generous

I have been working in Sunday School for a couple years and every time a project or a need is brought to the kids attention there is always some little one that goes above and beyond the call and shows a really generous heart. A few years back we started making crafts to sell because we were led by an example of a little girl who had done the same on her own initiative and raised money to buy school supplies for children. This year was no different! We have sponsored a little boy *who is now a teenager* from Romania for a couple of years and when we started in September we wanted to make a more concerted effort to talk about him and connect him a bit more to our kids whose offering helps to support him. I was so excited when I saw little ones starting to remember to collect their coins, but even more so when I saw the look of joy and pride on their faces when they started bringing ROLLS and ROLLS of pennies and coins that they had personally rolled to donate to our offering. It's wonderful!

Last week I was at one of my art gallery parties and the little girl had asked her friends to donate her gifts to Toys for Tots! I personally see HOW long and HOW many gifts these kiddos get at parties since usually there are about 10 kids they invite, and they get some LOOT!!! It usually takes a little while for them to get around to opening them all and is pretty much the best part of the party for most of the kids! (I don't blame them a bit!!!) But this little girl had decided in the summer that she wanted to collect toys for kids at Christmas and she also donated all her birthday money for the soup kitchen.....lets just say that I was a bit inspired and filled with admiration for her example of a generous heart!

This week I worked in a Grade Six class and noticed a girl had a cute little haircut so I told her I loved it! She told me she had donated her hair to cancer research! She's not the first one in her class either! I think that is PRETTY amazing and I've heard of a few other kids who have done that too. What a blessing to some little girl!

I just love how generous and filled with love people are all through the year, but I love to see it at Christmas! I love seeing and hearing stories about little ones who are building their character and developing patterns of being generous in their childhood that will make them the kind of adult you will really want to have as a friend and partner and coworker and boss! 

I am so thankful I have a generous family and boyfriend! That is one quality that I admire so much in my siblings and my mom and dad, especially since we have all struggled so much with money and finding work and just paying our monthly bills sometimes!! Over the years I can't even count the times that I had to borrow money or have been given gifts of money from people I love (sometimes in secret, sometimes slipped in my purse, sometimes in a card or letter, sometimes in a gift card). Its very very humbling to learn to accept generosity because I would so rather be the GIVER than the RECEIVER...but those gifts of kindness have got me through the hardest times and I have been so thankful that I have parents that value generosity too! My mom has already started her Christmas goodies deliveries to people she loves and runs around doing errands for people who need her help and my dad loves buying presents for his kids and then wrapping them in newspaper....they are already lined up on a bookshelf and are the first thing you see when you walk in our door! And don't even get me started on how my sister shares her groceries with her siblings every week! Its very rare that we go to her house and don't get a yummy snack...actually I don't think its EVER happened! I appreciate and love my generous siblings hearts so much! We LOVE giving gifts!!!

I am so excited to have a little extra money this year to buy some small presents and I keep thanking God for that (I followed my Mom's lead who collects things she finds all through the year in baskets for all of us in her big closet) and last night I wrapped a few little things and was just thinking of how last year I had NO money and NO presents to give and I felt so sad about that! I know that there is lessons to be learned in creative generosity and I am blessed to have been raised in a family that is generous!

I finally found him!!!

(photo taken by the amazing Katherine-MacLaine-Design-Photography)

Every time I hear Enrique sing.....finally, finally, finally found you....well, it makes me think of Dan! I can't believe I have finally found him and every day I realize he is more and more the perfect match for me!  So indulge me a little, my handful of readers, who I know love me...so you probably won't mind.....here is my story....a short version!! hahah

A long, long time ago (way back in 2011), I got an email from a friend asking me if I wanted to go on a date with her bro! I was scared and nervous and very reluctant to do this! I have always been against blind dates personally because I always dreamed of having a best friend that just naturally became my husband! So I kinda refused a few times but inside I was thinking...why not...what do you have to lose!!! So there was a point that my brain switched to start to welcome the idea. So one day I got a little message from Danny Stretch asking me if I wanted to go to a Fundraiser for his cousin! I was scared to death, and my best friend Jules was visiting me so I didn't know what to say. Later that weekend I got a call from a number I didn't recognize and I was sooooo awkwardly nervous when I answered it and heard a super low rumbly voice telling me it was Danny Stretch calling. So I kinda said no to him but was also trying to say that I would be up for hanging out but he could obviously tell I was sooo nervous and pacing around. Anyways...a few days later his sister invited us both over for games and I....well lets just say I felt SICK to my stomach driving to her house that night! But as soon as I walked in I saw Dan leaning over the counter...pretty relaxed and chill and I was still nervous and he was a little intimidating...but his voice was gentle and he was funny! After that it was a few random hangouts and MANY MANY MANY debriefs with my sister and Amanda and emails from his sister and pretty much any girl who would give me the time of day and their word of advice! So we started hanging out a bit more but he was also studying for his first year plumbing tests so there was a few weeks that we weren't really connecting well...and "typical EB" as he likes to lovingly say sometimes to me.... I send him an email and just kinda said....this isn't really working out so well....I don't really want a FRIEND at this point in my life....and he sweetly wrote back and said don't give up and tried a bit harder to hang out with me...this happened a few times and I remember one other time that I sent him a message implying that I was discouraged that we didn't see each other or talk that much and he sent me a text that I should call him that night....so that was another milestone of mine and I had to build A LOT of courage up to call him that night but I did and it was really sweet and fun to talk to him. So the more I hung out with him the more I was starting to really have fun with him. It was the week of my birthday that I hung out with him and we made curry and watched a Chinese/English dubbed KungFu movie and I was thinking....oh man I really wish I could hold his hand!!! (But we didn't!!) So I had a really fun birthday week in June (with surprise visits from my cousin and best friend) and was feeling like I was starting to really like this dude....And later that month (ON JUNE 17TH TO BE EXACT) he invited me to go camping with his friends (VERY NERVOUS) and on our *quiet* drive over to Halifax I was convinced he was bored and definitely NOT into me....but just as we were driving into the city, he said...Do you think your ready to define our relationship? And I said....UM YES!!!!! and he held my hand for the first time and that is how we started our love story!!!!

                        

 It only took me a few months until I knew I loved him (it was at Basinhead Beach--camping again!!!)
He told me he loved me in December and made me the happiest girl in the world!
I fell so much more in love with him during the next few seasons of fun.....so many times of cooking yummy meals, having picnics, swimming at Rice Point, Fort Amherst and Canoe Cove after work, playing games with our families, going to church together every week, helping him tear down his barn a little!!, playing video games together, family meals and camping trips......every minute I feel like my heart will explode with love for this guy!

So on December 14th, he came over after work, after sending sweet encouraging texts to me all week and took me to North Rustico to see the crazy lights. And right after we took some funny pictures of ourselves...he said " I want to give you something...but before I do I want you to know I love you so much and I can't wait to spend the rest of my life with you" and he got on his knee and I jumped into his arms and said over and over...I can't believe it...is this real!!!

                                                       

And we drove and told our parents (and he had sweetly asked my mom and dad the night before) and we celebrated with warm butter tarts and facetimed his mom and dad (and his mom was the happiest screamer of anyone) and started telling the news with so so so so so many people who have loved me and prayed for me specifically over the years to find a good man. And I can hardly believe the gift that I have been given. Its amazing to be loved by such a good man and I look forward to spending the rest of my life loving him and being loved by him!

Christmas Cheer

I really love Christmas. I really really look forward to the months before, and I really feel sad when its over. Dan likes teasing me about that, but its part of the Bredin history...we all feel a bit sad on Christmas night. We like the anticipation, the hopes, the excitement that leads up to that magical day. But, really what I love is how the world around me really gets bright, cheerful and loving. I love the celebrations at work and home and that people are looking out for eachother. I love shopping and watching people as they look at this item or the next and think....they are probably trying to find the PERFECT present for that someone they love! (I don't like grumpy people who push and shove and get impatient with the salesclerks, but I will try to pretend they are rare!!)

I love Christmas with children. I love spending time with my nieces and nephews and even though its exciting to think and dream about what they WANT for Christmas....how could they not with the wishbook and Toys R Us flyers all around them...but I love to hear little voices saying what they want to GIVE....and this was seen even at our Christmas Concert on Sunday...we went down the line and asked the kids what they loved about Christmas and the last little guy said he loved giving presents to his sister....and you should have heard the "Awwww"s allover the church.

Anyways. I have been discouraged. Writing is such a venting place for me and my blog has traditionally had moments of being "Debby Downer" in the past. But today I just feel like Jesus is reminding me of the REASON for the season....not just the season but for LIFE. The joy and excitement I feel at Christmas to love and give is usually just amped up, but I do feel those things all through the year! I just love that the world joins in and really celebrates Love and by default Jesus---sometimes without even knowing they are!

And I do love Santa too. What a guy!!