A time of remembrance...

Well, David and I just celebrated our 4th anniversary. What a special time we had. He surprised me with a trip up to Sonoma (Napa Valley area) and we just had a delightful time. We stayed in a 1-room Bed and Breakfast that was just adorable. We visited several wineries and got some great souvenirs. My favorite had to be our day trip to a local spa in which we did a mud slide treatment and then spent the day lounging in the pool. So relaxing! I've included a couple of pictures below. Unfortunately, we did not take very many pictures at all. We were just having too good of a time!



One of the best wedding gifts we received was an Anniversary Journal. It catalogs the first 25 years of our marriage. Each year we each get a page to journal about the previous year together and then there's a section where we write out our favorite memories of the year. This year was particularly interesting as I grabbed the journal, a hot cup of tea, and went out to sit by the creek and write. I will say this has been one of the best years of our marriage, I think in part due to my own growth process. As I've come into more wholeness and healing, I've seen our marriage blossom. I read through the last 3 years of journal entries and I was just cracking up at some of the memories we wrote down and so filled with joy at what we had journaled. What a great way to stop and reflect and remember our year together.

I've been doing a Beth Moore study, Stepping Up, that goes over several of the Psalms titled, the Psalms of Ascent. These psalms were sung during the Israelites yearly pilgrimage to Jerusalem. I've been fascinated by this as as Beth has related this to our own pilgrimages. These psalms were sung as a reminder of who God is, what He had done for them, and encouragement of where they were headed.

It's really gotten me thinking. I take time every year to get away with David and journal about our marriage. In a way, it's somewhat of a "pilgrimage" through our year together and a chance to remember how we've grown and what God had taught us throughout the year.

I don't do that with anything else in my life and I realized I should. I often don't look back over a time period of growth with God and just spend time reflecting, worshiping, and thanking Him for where I've been.

I wish I remembered the actual date I became a Christian. I'm always amazed by people who know their Christian birthday. I definitely have the memory of it but I don't even know what time of year it was. I was only 5. However, while that was a significant milestone, I have had very significant periods of growth since then. This year tops them all. I have never been so deep in a pit before and watched God pull me out and transform me. Throughout counseling, my counselor encouraged me to journal. I did journal some, but at the conclusion of counseling I have journaled more frequently than ever before. I think it's because I don't have that outlet of counseling anymore.

Ok...I really am going somewhere with this :) Hang with me...

I'll never forget the day I realized I had broken free. I was doing the Beth Moore study, "Breaking Free", and I wondered what it would look like when I actually broke free. I was in the shower and it dawned on me, I was free. It's a process. It wasn't like I was all chained up and then suddenly free...God had to unlock every single chain and it was like the final key had been turned and I was free. I didn't even know at the time what to do with such freedom. So I immediately dropped to my knees and asked God to never let me forget what I had been through. I told my counselor on the last day that I just never want to forget this journey and all that God brought me through. She said, "Well, you've journaled through it, right?" Yeah...not as much as I should have...but I do now.

I realized, this was a momentous occasion in my spiritual life. And I definitely remember the day I broke free. I should be taking time to celebrate that. Just as the Israelites traveled to Jerusalem each year and celebrated through several festivals, singing and praising God, I need to do that as well.

It's amazing how busy and wrapped up in life we get. But are we taking the time to just sit before God and look at our year with Him? Are we taking time to remember the huge milestones we've had with Him? Are we remembering what it was like to be so deep in that pit and be pulled out by Him?

So, I'm still thinking on it but I'm thinking that just as I take some time away with my hubby, I need to take some time away with my Savior. Maybe it's a day trip to the spa, or my favorite little hideaway at the park, where I can read through my journal and write out my gratitude for the year behind me. I need some time of remembrance. I never want to forget where I've been because it makes me who I am today. Just some thoughts...