Love.

Most of us know the Bible passage from 1Corinithians, "Love is patient and kind, it does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude." Yes, there are many different translations of the same words that the Apostle Paul wrote, but they all say the same thing, just in different wording. Over time, my understanding of love, in any of its forms, has been reshaped and transformed. There are many different relationships that can fall under the category of love: marriage, being a parent, being a child, grandchild, aunt, or just being a friend. I have also come to understand that God calls us to love all people, whether we like them or not. Mother Theresa has also said that "to love, one must hurt, it is a giving of oneself to another, and to God." Jesus also said, "Whatever you for the least of these, you do to me."

Powerful words, aren't they? And they're definitely not easy to put into practice. Love that person who makes my life difficult just because they can? Love the person who hurt me, who broke my heart? God answers "Yes" to all of these questions. No, it's not easy, but He calls us to do it. Imagine the personal growth, the spiritual growth one can experience if we just open ourselves up to loving others as God calls.

In the past six months, I have felt alive in ways I never thought possible. The man of my dreams swept me off of my feet in his dress blues seven months ago, and six months ago he asked me to be his girlfriend. Nothing could have prepared me for this part of my life, I never expected this to happen. But it has been a wonderful, beautiful, six months. Granted, I have only had opportunities to see him a few times in those six months, but I can tell, somehow, that this man is the right guy for me.

For Thanksgiving, I traveled to New Orleans spend some time with Brett. We had a great weekend, it was one of the best of my life. I had all of the time with him that I wanted. And it helped me realize that I want to spend the rest of my life with him. This is not a realization I came to lightly. But there is a part of me that realized this pretty quickly. In fact, it was almost instantly. At any rate, he is the man of my dreams and I want to be with him.

There are many, many things I am thinking about. Some of those things I am not ready to reveal just yet. I have said that Brett is the man I want to be with for the rest of my life, and that is true. God has helped me realize that this man is the one for me. For years now I have prayed to God that I would find that person that would help take some of the hurt I go through as a result of the heart breaks I have endured. With Brett, it's just different. Maybe this is moving too fast for most people, it's possible. I guess when we know we've found that one person there isn't much that makes you want to hold back. So I have decided to dive in. But I'm just not sure where that is going to take me. I have to pray about it, think about it, and talk to many people.

In the mean time, I am focused on the Christmas season, and the true meaning of Christmas. Jesus came into the world to save us from ourselves, our sin. That's the true meaning of love, my friends. God sent Jesus, His only Son to save us. How could one possibly love us more than God? No one can. God is our true Father, only He can love us more than the person who means the most to us in this world. The people we love and who love us the most in this world.

I do deal with many difficult things, and that continues. I am waiting for a call back from Dr. Green regarding some of my problems I have been having, namely headaches. Migraines put me at a higher risk for seizures so I want to get on top of it. I continue to pray that God will help me with medical decisions and all of the things that are coming up. There is so much that is good, and I am choosing to embrace that. I need to. I also need to finish up my first semester of nursing school. Bring on the second semester and graduation!