Five Minute Friday: Wide

(part of a series at lisajobaker.com)

"Wide Open Spaces" was my theme song as I left my parents' house and left for college in 1997.  I felt so grown up, going out on my own, finally able to "spread my wings."  And it has taken me 15 years to do so, it has been a growing process, gradually letting go of my "child" status and becoming a woman and eventually a wife and a mother.  And now, my family and I are about to head out into the "Wide Open Spaces" again and relocate from Michigan to North Carolina.  I'll probably dig out that CD so I can listen to it as I drive away from what has been our home for the last 4 years.  I am so thankful for adventures, so thankful that God calls His children to new journeys so that we can better serve Him.  So thankful that He knows my heart and what I desire, and that He will give it to me if only I "delight in Him."  5 days until we leave for our new home, and I'm very excited, but there is definitely some mixed emotions as I know that I will be leaving behind people that I love dearly.  But I am SO thankful that God bridges ANY wide open space to make it small when you have two believers who love Him and love each other.  He will reunite us all someday, in the wide open space of heaven.  Looking forward to that move...  Haha.

Sweet!

Jackson has been so sweet to Savannah lately!  When she came down after getting dressed for church, he said, "Savannah, you look so pretty today!"  When he woke up and found she was also in bed with us, he said, "Savannah, I'm so glad to see you!"  When she peed in the potty, he said, "Savannah, good job going pee-pee in the potty!  When I was a baby I got treats for going pee-pee in the potty too!"  It just makes me smile.  I love the two of them.  Dynamics between a brother and sister are so different than what I'm used to, but I absolutely love it.

Five Minute Friday: Graceful

(Part of a series on lisajobaker.com)

Graceful...my parents used to always implore me to be MORE graceful.  I was klutzy growing up, always walking loudly, banging my body into things unintentionally, etc.  I was signed up for ballet with the hopes of developing more grace...but on a memorable early date with my now-husband, I tripped while holding stacks of CDs, so excited to play karaoke with him, and everything went flying...but we laughed and laughed, and the memory still brings laughter today.

Now, when I think of graceful, I don't think of myself and my lack of grace, I think of women that I know and admire who reflect the Grace of God to all they come into contact with.

The new mom who lost her first baby and now holds her healthy second baby in her arms, without an ounce of apparent anxiety or fear, simply radiating joy and love and GRACE.

The mother of ten and wife of one who constantly has a smile for others, constantly shares the promises of GRACE to others, while not hesitating to share her own struggles and need for GRACE.

The mother of two who found herself pregnant with a third when she thought her family was complete...but embraced God's twist in her life with a smile, pushed thru some crazy anxious moments...and today is a testimony of how God's GRACE can change a heart and a mind, no matter how tightly bound in chains they may have been.

Just a few examples of women who are GRACEFUL in my book...and though I still run into walls and talk and walk too loudly, I do hope to continue to receive God's GRACE with an open heart and mind so that I too may help others receive it.

Five Minute Friday: Change

(Part of a series by lisajobaker.com)

What an appropriate title for a post at this stage in my life right now!  We are about to embark on a BIG CHANGE.  I'm about to pack up my family and my duplex and move from Saginaw, MI to Durham, NC.  Our life has come full circle.  When we last lived in Durham, I was a Family Medicine resident at UNC; we had been recently married, were living in our first co-habitated dwelling, and had a 4 month old baby boy.  Now, 4 years later, I am an "experienced" family physician, about to be part of the faculty of UNC and working for my all time favorite UNC-associated clinic; we have been married for 6 years; and our little baby is now 4 and a half years old and has a little 2 year old sister to accompany him.  And we are just so HAPPENING to be moving back into the SAME apartment complex where we started out 4 years ago.  And I breathe a sigh of relief.  The CHANGES that we have gone through during our relatively short marriage I have not always welcomed with grace, and they have been difficult ones.  I am hopeful that THIS change will be different; it is one that we have been waiting for expectantly, with hope for a bettering of ourselves somehow.  We know we can't run away from life and hope it is going to magically be BETTER somewhere else, but we are trusting that since it is our LORD and our GOD who is calling us to return to Durham, He will be able to show us even more of His blessings as we do His work in Chapel Hill and Durham.  CHANGE is hard; we will cry, miss our family, miss our friends; I will miss my colleagues and patients deeply as well; but I am trusting that since this CHANGE is authored by the Maker of the Universe, it will be GOOD.

"And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose."--Romans 8:28

Five Minute Friday: Stretch

(Part of a series done on  lisajobaker.com )

When I think of stretching, I think of running--something that you are supposed to do before your workout to get your muscles ready, and afterwards to keep your muscles lithe and flexible and prevent soreness.  It kind of sounds like what prayer should be...something I do before I start my day to prepare me for the "workout" of the day, and something I end my day with, to prevent any pain, bitterness, hard feelings, hurt feelings from lasting into the next day.  I've been praying a lot more lately, but I haven't been running as much as I would like.  It's so hard to find a balance between being physically, spiritually, and emotionally fit.  My whole life I've been committed to my physical fitness, and I still think it's very important, but sometimes I've let my spiritual fitness slack in the meantime.  Maybe this season of my life it's okay to spend more time praying and stretching my spiritual wings more than stretching my running legs; I'm beginning to FINALLY see that everything is a season, and it's really hard to be "okay" with each season along the way, but God has this all ordained in His perfect plan, and He IS faithful in keeping his promises.  Maybe I'll go for a run tomorrow, and I'll be sure to stretch afterwards :)

Potty Time...

Just had to share...
Savannah went potty FOUR times yesterday!  Jackson is the cutest potty coach, it's adorable!!  I splurged and bought her Cinderella Pull-ups for days I feel motivated.  :)  I can't even imagine the day I will no longer have to buy diapers...oh my, extra money for adorable clothes on zulily, ha!

Here...

Here...is where we've lived for 4 years.  Here is where I lost baby #2 and gave birth to beautiful baby #3, Savannah!  Here is where I've figured out how to be the doctor that I want to be, someone who makes a difference, someone who listens, someone who is affected by her patients even more than she affects them, sometimes.  Here is where we found a church home and family that will forever change the way we think about church.  Here is where I've had to learn to be content in any situation...and I haven't quite learned it yet.  Here is where we've gone through ups and downs (a lot of downs) and learned that our marriage is worth fighting for.  Here is where we still are, until we get There, where things won't necessarily be better, but different, and we will have new experiences to go through, new lessons learned, and new chances to learn Contentment.  Here, I will miss you...  But the good thing about life, is that there will always be a Here to live through, to grow through, and to learn from...

"From there to here, from here to there, funny things are everywhere!"--Dr. Seuss.