just because

I feel like I have more reason to blog than ever before, yet I place it so far on the back burner that I never get around to it.

This has been my favorite season of my entire life. Bold statement? I believe so. The wedding planning, being engaged to my best friend, discovering more and more how I am wired & designed... it's all such a beautiful thing. Right around the new year, I revisited some old blog posts of mine, specifically from the last two New Year's. I am so glad that I blogged during those years. I am able to look back and reflect at the dark season I was in, for many years, and then to see where I am now. This New Year's Eve was such a great one! I spent it with people I love, and was able to look ahead into 2013 with a bright smile. I am so excited about where my life is headed. But, when I find myself in a moment of excitement about where God has me, I stop to remember where he once had me, and I smile about that too. You see, it's not just about the exciting seasons in our lives that make life taste so sweet -- it's about the dark times as well. If I never walked through the rugged path I was on, I would not be the woman I am right now. I wouldn't have the ability to love Jamey the way I love him now. I love him with a sincere, grateful heart. When I hold his hand, I don't hold it loosely, because I know what it's like to not have him in my life. When I am with him, or even when I am not, I try to remind him of the reasons why I love him, instead of just saying "I love you". I do this because I know what it's like to not have a consistent relationship with him. 

Now, we are 5 months away from being married, becoming one. Neither of us thought we would be here, but for some odd reason, God's grace abounds so much more than our own. 

I'm not sure what the purpose of this post was, but I wanted to write. So, take what you may from it. Maybe you're in a dark season, and you're fed up with where you're feet are planted. I encourage you to move. Take steps, whether they be large steps, or maybe even the tiniest of baby steps... move. The only way I got out of my dark season was because I took steps forward to making myself healthier. 

Maybe you're in a bright season; one full of joy when you lay your head down to when you wake each morning. Embrace joy. Don't question why you are in a good season, I did that at first and it's pointless. God just wants to bless us sometimes! Think about why you're in such a good season -- is it someone in your life? Remind them that you are grateful they are there.

Wherever you are, I hope you know you are loved.

XO,

Brenda