Firefighter Wife

Do you worry about your firefighter husband? I have been asked this question several times. My answer....ummm, not really. Yes, I do get some odd looks to that answer. But the truth is...God can take any one of us, at any time, according to His plan! Brad & I have been married for 2 1/2 years. When I married him I completely understood and accepted the dangers of his job. Every time Brad is on the job I know he might not come home, and I thank God when he does! But I don't worry because I know he has common sense, good training, and good instincts. Most importantly he has faith! I know if God decides to take my husband while fighting a fire, I know he will have died doing something he loves & will be in the presence of the Lord! This past week we have felt the generous outpouring of support & prayers from our community. We appreciate & love everyone of you very much! Brad was finally able to come home last night & get a full night sleep....only to get called out again today for another fire. It's just another day in our firefigher life.

A Firefighter Wife's Prayer

Heavenly Father, I'm asking You to send your angels today,

To protect my firefighter husband in a very special way.

I ask You to guide his thought and actions and keep him free from fear,

To bring him home safely again to those who hold him precious and dear.

Please show me the way to let him know I'm proud to be his wife.

I thank you Lord for giving me this man with whom I share my life.

To keep those you love safe from harm is a goal that you both share,

I pray that as he follows in your ways, you hold him in your care.

To Run or Not to Run...AND in Which Direction?

Let me just start by giving you an update on my New Year's resolutions.

*The weight loss is moving along slowly. I won't give you all the details but I will tell you with all the ups and downs I have only lost 8 pounds of the 30 I want to lose. But I guess a loss is better than a gain.

*The bible reading is going well. I am learning a lot and enjoy reading God's word. I also started a bible study with a wonderful group of ladies at my church. It is an awesome study of the book of James.

Now on to the question...to run or not to run?

A few weeks ago, my brother-in-law...as well as a few other friends...ran in the Dallas Rock-n-Roll 1/2 marathon. We were so proud of Trent and his accomplishment. His goal was to finish in 2 hours & he crossed the finish line in 2 hours, 38 seconds.

As I hear the stories and look through the various pictures, I see a variety of people running...from young to old, skinny to not so skinny, etc. So this thought comes to mind...'Hey, I can do that!' WHAT?!?! Did that thought just cross my mind? Coming from a person who is out of shape, not athletic, and doesn't have a competitive bone in her body. That's crazy!

I can do all things through Christ, who gives me strength. Philippians 4:13

So why not? Well the idea is still up in the air for me but I'm thinking seriously about it. Maybe not actually run in a 1/2 marathon but it would sure help me get into shape & wiht the weight loss.

Now as for...in which direction?

It has always been my dream to teach math. When attending Tech I decided I would not be successful and changed my degree to special education. I just took the easy way out. But don't get me wrong...my special education degree has been a blessing and I have enjoyed the last couple of years teaching my resource students. However, every now and then I look into going back to school and getting my masters in mathematics. As the list of items I need to do to get started begins to grow, I become discouraged and just put the idea in the back of my mind.

Last week the opportunity came about to possibly move to a different position and teach math. I was so excited and began researching which test I would need to take to become certified. As I reviewed the practice manuals I became discouraged again. You see, it's been about 10 years since I have taken any math courses. So I begin to question myself. Will I be able to pass the test? Is this what I am supposed to do? So I finally gave up deciding on my own and ask God what He wanted me to do. Genius idea huh?!? Wouldn't all things be so much easier if we would just let go and let Him take over? Why do we always have to be in control of everything? So I told God, "You are going to have to be very specific in answering this because I'm blonde and you know the answer has to be right in front of my face to get it!" I know God has a sense of humor and was probably laughing at me as much as he was in agreement! Well, yesterday I got my answer. I found out the position is being filled by another teacher. It's just something that had to be done with all the financial decisions being made. Was I disappointed? Of course. Was I relieved? Absolutely! I don't have to take the test right now. But I do know this is God's plan for me right now.

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a furture. Jeremiah 29:11

I am hopeful in the plans the Lord has for my future. I may still work on taking the math test for my own personal accomplishments. Who knows, maybe the opportunity will come along again. As for now, I will continue to be blessed by my special students!