Firstfruits, Fancies, & Farts

January is coming to a close. Tomorrow morning when I wake up, it will officially be February and we will no longer be in the beginning of 2010. It will be out with the New ... and into the Newer. I can't help but wonder: what will the rest of the year be like?

We've been talking a lot at church and even at home about our firstfruit offering to God. Sowing the first part of something to God over and above tithe and offering is a firstfruit. We sowed a firstfruit at church, but I have also been mindful each day at home of giving God my firstfruits. I have tried to live each day in a way that I want the rest of the year to go. I've not always succeeded, but I have tried. I have been using a planner as a Home Management Binder and working on staying ahead of the plan so as not to have last minute emergencies. As a family, we've been doing family Bible time each evening and it's awesome! We have been eating in a healthy manner, getting regular exercise, and being intentional in our efforts around the home. But most importantly, God has been getting the first part of my day in prayer and Bible reading. That alone has been awesome for my relationship with my Beloved! There are still things we are going to be adding to our schedule, but all in all this time of developing consistency in the things that matter can be viewed as sowing a firstfruit to 2010 and I can't wait to see what kind of harvest God reaps from our lives!

The Princess turns 6 this week and her little mind has been full of fanciful thoughts. Even Lil Man has had them. And I can't help but have a few fancies of my own when I indulge. The Princess dreams of being a ballerina, of getting married, and of having her own home and filling it with babies. Which she has graciously consented to let me babysit so that she can volunteer at Teen Challenge and go on dates with her husband ... and sometimes just go out and have fun. Lil Man has fancied himself a wonderful father with a beautiful new mommy (cannot seem to explain wife to him) who will have babies and make his dinner and play games with him every day. These precious little fancies of their have blessed me so much. The Princess has gone on to say that she wants to raise babies to love Jesus. She wants to save her First Kiss for her husband. She imagines all different kinds of occupations, but in every one she is telling people about Jesus. Lil Man wants to be like JM or PW when he grows up, worshipping God with music of some sort. This makes my heart sing and I fancy myself a mom who has raised children who love God.

And then for the humor of the week: The Fart. Yes, this event deserves to be capitalized. Lil Man ran into the kitchen last night to say his goodnights before bed and on his way out delivered The Fart. The adults in the room responded in a very mature bout of giggles and just couldn't stop. I had to shake my head in wonderment; when did my life come to the place where an artfully delivered Fart becomes one of the highlights of the night? It somewhat baffles the mind, you know. But even this morning, it makes me giggle.

I deduce from the first part of the year that the rest of it will be filled with dreams, of blessings, and with many harmonic bodily functions.

The Newest Stretch of the Journey

Last month I started the journey of understanding that I was "Created to be his Helpmeet." It was a journey of learning about what it means to be more than a wife; I started to discover the depths involved of being Hubby's helpmeet. It's been an awesome journey! I had intended to blog about it daily, but oddly enough I was so busy accomplishing the things I needed to work on in my life that I had little time to write about them.

The biggest change is that in an effort to be a better helpmeet, I fell in love with Hubby all over again. He is such a wonderful man and my best friend, and while I never lost sight of those truths I did understand them in a deeper way. The changes have been amazing! They are mostly inside of me and that is fine; I have found contentment in this and I [think/hope] my husband has found greater joy as well.

My newest stretch of the journey includes a 48 day journey to a healthier body so that I can keep up with all I am trying to do and be. We have realized how much my weight/size holds us back and places limits we are just not willing to accept. I want to be able to play on the slide and swings with the kids and not get "stuck." Duane and I would love to be able to play tennis or hike together without me getting winded. And so on. But we also want more kids, and would love a healthy pregnancy that is not high-risk at the outset because of my weight. So 2 days ago I started HCG injections and today I start a VLCD (very low calorie diet). This is supposed to not only help me lose about 20 pounds, but also help reset my thyroid and fix some other health challenges. It's going to be pretty interesting, but with my family behind me it's going to be great!