The dress is out...portraits are Monday :)

I am THRILLED!! I am currently letting the train of my dress down so it can hopefully pull a few wrinkles out before Monday. What is Monday?

Bridal Portraits (and day 54 on the countdown :D)!

I am getting so excited just thinking about being married to Ben. Everyone keeps asking us "where are you going to live?" and "what is he going to be doing?", which are both hard questions to hear right now because we have no answer.Waiting on God's timing has never seemed more difficult, especially due to the fact we wish it was already completely planned out. Yet despite all the difficulties we are facing right now, I'm glad it has not dimmed the excitement of the moment.

Plus, so many people talk about how the first year of marriage is the hardest because it changes the dynamics and because the engagement is usually spent with your head in the clouds. Although I'm sure Ben and I will definitely encounter some difficulties, I can honestly say that we have worked through so many differences over the past year and worked hard on our communication, our first year of marriage will probably be similar to the "head in the clouds" effect most people experience in the engagement. It makes me excited thinking about it, mainly because I have sought counsel from many people who expereienced a lot of fighting throughout the engagement as Ben and I have and they have all said their first year was great. Not without its difficulties, but not what most people experience.

I do have to say I'm beginning to think it is the only positive to a long engagement. Neither Ben nor I wanted a long engagement originally, but then he decided "why wait?". I have actually been an advocate against it, even after we got engaged. But the longer it is and the more we have worked through and experienced together, I have found that the time together has been a great asset to our relationship.

Anyway, all this to expound on thoughts I am continually chewing as my bridal portraits are coming up and the countdown is getting mighty low on the number scale!!!

If you happen to think of us, please, please pray we will continue to trust and follow God's guidance as we are waiting for Him to open the door with one of the jobs Ben has applied for. Also, please be praying for living quarters. We are pretty certain we know where we will live if we have yet to hear of a permanent job for Ben, it's just working out the logistics, taking the time for everything to work out and waiting on God's timing.

Our Self-centered Minds

So I got to thinking the other day, not that we don't know this, about how self-centered a people we are. All people are self-centered but it seems to encompass the heart of the American culture. I include myself amongst all those people, unfortunately.

Anyway, I made a comment about how sweet and friendly one of Dr. Babin's patients was, following it with, "I could take care of patients like that all day long. They make you want to help them."

As I stopped to think about exactly what had parted my lips, I realized how selfish I was to think that way. Of course it would be easy to care for patients like that all day. It's hard to be in a bad mood when the people who are coming to you because they either perceive or truly have an illness are pleasant and carry light conversation with you. It would seem as though you were visiting with someone all the time, which granted isn't my cup of tea due to being an introvert. Yet, I would much rather those circumstances since I have no option to avoid humans in the work world.

However, most patients are not happy when they walk in. They feel terrible and with it comes the grumpiness. They complain about the blood pressure cuff being too tight (Let's face it: the cuff makes EVERYONE feel like there arm is going to be pumped off). They whine about having to step on the scale (some step on backwards or stare at the wall so they don't have to know...and not all of them are overweight). They complain about all the medicine they're taking. They even make sarcastic remarks about how the doctor is going to "yell" (I've never heard him raise his voice and you can hear everything through these clinic doors if they're talking loud enough) at them for smoking (Oh and shouldn't you have never picked up the habit in the first place?!). They will literally find anything and everything to complain about. Although some of them are legitimately sick, others truly have nothing wrong with them physically.

Either way, they are the harder patients to take care of. Not to mention, some you want to slap in the face for how rude they are to you. But, those are the people I am called to love. Some of their ailments may purely be from a spiritual battle they are fighting and do not know it. Some may purely be physical. Some may be a mix of both. No matter the cause, they need care and compassion as much as those patients who have a warm, accepting attitude.

Please understand I am not saying I have ever neglected a patient due to their treatment of me or their attitude. As tempting as it has been, the most I have done is complain to a coworker once off the phone or out of the room. What I am saying, is as frustrating as it may be, I should love the person to the point I am not even complaining about their treatment of me as wrong as it may seem and as frustrated as I may get.

Just a little something God laid on my heart.