When You Have a Best Friend, Who Needs a Soulmate?

"If the heavens were to open and a host of Angels descend, they could not have produced such an effect on my soul as MaryAnn descending the chapel staircase for our wedding." Richard Paul Evans - Timepiece

I really have no reason for choosing this quote other than I just love it, because I love romance!
  In a couple of weeks, my husband and I will be celebrating our twenty-seventh wedding anniversary. And while many women have to light a fire under their husband when it comes to anniversary plans, I've been privileged to be married to a man that plans every detail of ours and I am pleasantly surprised every time. I've never known a more romantic guy. A lot of people ask me why I write romance novels. Well . . . there you have it! I'm a romantic because of him, and when I write romance novels, the hero always has his attributes- they are just a little younger with more hair :-) This year's anniversary will be a family vacation, which may not seem romantic to many people, but it's still awesome to me.

There are so many people in the world who search for that perfect soul-mate, when in fact, there is no such thing, and if that is what we look for when seeking a mate, we will be disappointed every time. But when a heart is open enough for fate to do its job, we are blessed with something even better.
I am not perfect and neither is my husband, but he is perfect for me in every way. There were no shooting stars or fireworks the first time my husband kissed me, but there was a warm, familiar feeling that felt like home. Our life together has not been smooth sailing with no trials, but there isn't another person I would want to face those trials with. Our relationship isn't accented by chocolate and roses everyday, but it has been strengthened by children and grandchildren, and the joys and sorrows that come with them. Our days are not completely carefree and unhindered by worries, but each obstacle overcome together and every stone requiring stepping over have brought with them lessons so great, they have made us budding scholars in a college course of love and relationship that was tailor-made just for us. And I could not imagine sharing the laughter and tears that those lessons produce with anyone but him, because he truly is my best friend. When a person makes you a better just by connecting their life to yours, there is truly no greater title.

Thinking for Ourselves

I have always been a person who likes to go against the grain. I don't like to conform to whatever society deems important. I never have. I am not politically correct, and I don't read the newspaper or listen to the news and accept it all as truth. Heck, I hardly accept any of it as truth! I mean, how many of us have the "Of course it's true because it was on the news or in the paper" mentality? How many of us take what the medical profession says as gospel? How many of us believe everything we've been taught by the world?

And if we do, why is that?

From the time my children were young, I've always encouraged them to learn as much as they could, strive to stay informed, stay close to the Lord, and be discerning, because I didn't want them to grow up letting someone else do their thinking for them.
Thinking for ourselves is so important, especially with all that is going on in the world. We are faced with information (most of it indoctrination) coming at us in every direction. There are many paths to choose, varying in length, ease, and difficulty. There are also endless possibilities placed before us, and it will always be that way on this journey we call life. It is up to us to not just choose the good part, but choose the better part. If we strive to do this, there is no way we will ever be led astray. And when we are truly thinking for ourselves, we will not be swayed by the media, by celebrities, or any worldly thing.
In the complicated world we live in (and it's only getting more complicated with each passing day,) truly learning to think for oneself is is definitely a priceless and crowning achievement - an achievement that does not boast with pride and pomp or sound a trump glorifying the fact, but a quiet knowledge that will hopefully earn us the blessing of hearing an affirming inner voice whisper with each new mind-awakening experience, "Well done. Now let's continue on, shall we?"

A Bit of Truthful Humor

"I was thinking about how people seem to read the Bible a whole lot more as the get older; then it dawned on me-they're cramming for their final exam." ~ George Carlin

I chuckled as I read this because in a way, it is so true. Sometimes we forget how short this life really is, and how important it is to constantly stay close to God. Life is an unending education and we should be taking full advantage of each and every opportunity to increase our knowledge of what it is all about.

So instead of looking for answers to life's questions in the world's classroom, maybe we should be losing ourselves in the pages of God's textbook, immersing our mind and heart in His holy words and not just perusing His commandments, picking and choosing which ones to obey, or justify breaking.

Because in the end, there will be no multiple choice questions on the final exam :-)