It's HERE.
2013 has passed oh so quickly.
Virtually ‘in
a blink.’
As I sit here
in awe, I marvel at God’s timing.
His
perfect timing.
And I
sigh.
For during
the past year, as with many years prior,
I’ve
experienced God’s
•Unmerited Grace
and Favor
-G-God’s
-R-Riches
-A-At
-C-Christ’s
-E-Expense
From having wonderful children,
To having
great health.
From
making great memories,
To making
new girlfriends.
From Ohio’s
fabulous four seasons,
To the
sunny shores of Jamaica and Florida.
Yes, I
have experienced the Lord’s Grace and Favor.
A ton of
it.
And I am
thankful.
Recently,
I ran into someone who had wronged me.
And
apparently
I hadn’t
forgotten about it.
I
needed additional and final closure.
I thought
I had already had that closure thing.
And was
finished with the forgiveness thing.
But
apparently, I hadn’t and wasn’t.
After
speaking with this person
About
nothing in particular,
The Lord
extended me Mercy
For this person.
And forgiveness.
And closure.
And
reminded me that
Without
Him, there go I.
And I
rest.
•Everlasting Love
This year
began a little shaky and a little lovesick for a former broken relationship.
Sigh.
Ah, but
then Jesus reminded me
That He,
and He alone, is my very first love.
My One
true love.
He always
has been.
And He
always will be.
And that
made me exceedingly happy.
And content
in my circumstances.
Last July,
I found out my position at the University
Will end
June 30, 2014.
My dream
job
With
wonderful colleagues
On a
beautiful campus
In a
fabulous office
With a
window (that means a lot)
Within 15
minutes from my home
Where my
children attend
That provides
a 100% tuition waiver, even though my children are all on full academic
scholarships
That allows
me to visit with my children daily in my office
That pays
my bills
I have
peace about it.
Sweet,
tranquil peace.
This is a
God ordained job.
Originated
in heaven
Just for
me.
Soon to be
over.
And God
has another plan for my career trajectory
 |
| The University of Toledo, Main Campus |
Am I
anxious?
You bet.
But not in
that worrisome, “Am I going to be unemployed? Will I be able to pay my bills?”
kind of way.
Rather, in
an “I can’t wait to see what the Lord has in store for me,” kind of way.
In an, “I
know the Lord is keeping me on campus, but where? In what department?” Kind of way.
And I rest
In the knowledge
and promise of
Romans
8:28
28 And we know that in
all things God works for the good of those who love him, who[a] have been called according to his purpose.
And in the
peace of
Jeremiah
29:11
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 future.
And I am
tranquil.
As the
year brought service projects a plenty
From
serving at the Cherry Street Mission
To
volunteering at the Crisis Pregnancy Center
From
sorting clothes at the Unwed Mother’s Home
To Hosting
a Garage Sale for a friend (which, by the way, was, by far, the most difficult)
My small
acts of service
Were
rewarded
One million fold.
One million fold.
And then
some.
•Sweet Kindness
My
daughter, Joy’s, employer gave all of their employees the choice between
Two passes
to the company “All You Can Eat Buffet”
Or
Four
passes to “The Lights Before Christmas,” at the Toledo Zoo.
Joy opted
for the Buffet party
And she
chose me to be her invited guest.
She could
have chosen anyone,
But she
chose me.
It wasn’t
about the food, as awesome as that was
It was
about her sweet kindness.
Her
genuine desire to ‘hang’ with her mom.
And that
was
And is
From God.
Joy also knew that I had been wanting to see the lights at the zoo for years, but just haven’t quite made it.
Joy also knew that I had been wanting to see the lights at the zoo for years, but just haven’t quite made it.
So, when someone at work offered two of their
four tickets, Joy took them and presented them to me.
So, guess where I am going on New Years Eve?
So, guess where I am going on New Years Eve?
•Joy Unspeakable
August
brought our annual Grayczyk Family Vacation to the warm shores of the Atlantic.
I hadn’t
planned on going because all of my children couldn’t come.
But…..I
did.
Joy really
wanted to go with me.
Just her
and her momma.
What?
We ended
up inviting Joy’s girlfriend, too.
And we
experienced pure joy.
We had a
blast.
Ten days
of Fun-in-the-sun
A long,
albeit fun, rental car ride
With
shopping adventures
Karaoke
Swimming
Picture
taking
A Movie
Morning
walks along the beach
And the boardwalk
And the boardwalk
And going
out at night
Despite
the fact that two thirds of me was still in Ohio.
I rested
knowing they were happy coaching the love of their life…..soccer.
And the
Lord let Joy, Danielle and I experience
Pure Joy
•Compassionate
Sorrow
A few
months ago, my friend’s just turned ten year old daughter unexpectedly, albeit
joyously, met Jesus.
Face-to-face.
Ellie was
an otherwise healthy little lady who suddenly became ill.
Within two
days, she was entering heaven’s gates.
Although I
didn’t know Ellie that well, I was overwhelmed with sorrow for this family.
Ellie was
Homeschooled
And is
And is
The oldest
of four young children
The
daughter of the King and of a Pastor and his wife
Ellie
loved Jesus with all of her heart.
She lived
her young life accordingly.
By Divine
intervention, she had been preparing her exit from this word.
She had
painted a picture of Jesus receiving her into heaven
Written an
associated poem
Recently
danced a dance depicting the same.
So,
goodness, we all knew where she was.
But that
didn’t change the fact
That she
will be missed.
And the sorrow
was great.
And God
was Compassionate
On
everyone.
•Unwavering
Patience
2013 saw
an entirely new realm of patience in the Grayczyk household.
On many
levels
From
Bethany’s seemingly never ending illness
To Joy’s
three jobs.
From
Jonathan’s job
To my children’s boyfriends.
To my children’s boyfriends.
From my
relationships
To the
lack thereof.
From my
mom’s illness
To my mom’s
recovery.
And God
provided the patience needed
In most
every circumstance.
And it
prevailed.
He was
also unwaveringly patient
With me.
From my
forgetfulness to read His Word to me day and night
To my
complaining about the weather.
From my
leaning upon myself
To my
obedience being tested.
Thank God,
He is patient.
Whew!
•Divine Revelations
And January
brought our annual Mission Trip to Jamaica.
And even
though we virtually break our backs with hard, physical labor
The Lord
reciprocates.
He shows
me that love has no boundaries.
That joy
can be found in wet dirt.
That pain
is universal.
That
spiritual hunger is just as prevalent as physical hunger.
The helping
hands make happy hearts.
That true
friendship requires action.
That no
one cares how much you know until they know how much you care.
And God is a God who sees beyond
Race
And God is a God who sees beyond
Race
Denominations
Geography
Status
And I am
Divinely Blessed.
•Rock Solid Protection
My son,
Jonathan, was travelling home from a track meet last May.
He had
been up all night studying for an exam and up early for the meet.
He fell
asleep behind the wheel of his Pontiac Sunfire
Travelling
58mph
He struck a
utility pole
And a mailbox
And
flipped his car.
His track
coaches were following shortly behind him and witnessed the crash.
Jonathan had already
Crawled out of the broken window
And was
sitting on the hood of the car
retrieving his insurance card.
retrieving his insurance card.
He walked
away from the scene with only minor scrapes on his face from the windshield
shattering.
Virtually
unscathed.
Now, THAT
is Rock Solid Protection.
Even a
Glock can’t provide that.
•Trustworthy
Presence
Anyone who
knows me knows that one of my love languages is time.
Time spent
together
Watching a
movieEating a
meal
In each
other’s presence
And Jesus
provides just that.
Every
minute
Of every
hour
Of every
day
Of every
week
Of every
month
And I feel
it.
I know it.
I relish
in it.
•True Friendship
This year allowed me to remember who my true friends are
 |
| Competing in the Color Run for my birthday, Nov. 2013 |
Most importantly,
My children.
Yes, 2013, provided experiences that not only brought us closer together as a family,
But solidified the sometimes fragile friendships between
A mother and her daughter
A mother and her son
A sister and her sister
A brother and his sister
A sister and her brother.
And that is incomparable.
We've remembered that blood truly is thicker than water.
And then I remember that Jesus shed His blood.
Just
For
Me
And that solidifies it even more.
Dear reader, I hope you enjoyed a wonderful Christmas season, filled with many memories.
I'd also like to wish each and every one of you a Blessed New Year. Thanks for stopping by. Love, Shari
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