Meli's world

I said yes.... and no he did't just propose and its not a big rock on my finger. Its actually the ring we bought 10 years ago on his Checker's (fast food restaurant) salary. It is real gold and has real diamonds, but I had to laugh at the fact we picked it out inside Kmart's jewelry department. Its funny someone asked me about the other day since I still wear it on my right hand from time to time... and it just dawned on me, that was our "engagement" and "wedding ring" for a long time.  Today is not our wedding anniversary. Today marks 11 years together. It was Friday the 13th in that warm February that we became more than friends. It's also kind of ironic that I name titled this blog "I said yes" cause on this particular day that we celebrate every year, I didn't actually say yes. Nothing was asked. He had actually called me that Tuesday evening to tell me he "liked" me. The week progressed by me telling him I did ...

         I know conflict and cheating! Ooohhh controversial title for a post entitled Marriage is Awesome. My marriage is awesome! But I'd be lying to you if I said we are conflict free. Or that we are so perfect cheating is something we are completely exempt from. So to clear up misconceptions if you're a newly wed, engaged or contemplating marriage, don't look forward to a conflict free happily ever after kind of marriage. Instead be prepared and take some pointers from someone who thought each conflict was the end of her marriage. And as for cheating, its a temptation you may have to deal with as a married man or woman but there's so much you can do to prevent it. Broken doors, holes in walls, driving out in the middle of the night. Yup. Anger. Conflict. Disagreements. Marriage is not always awesome. And as two immature teenagers who have basically figured everything out as we went along, things weren't always hearts and cloud...

That day in the car something changed. I heard God. I felt His love. I saw His forgiveness. I saw my sin. I saw how far I'd come and how much wrong I had done. I saw that I had made the idea of this perfect love my idol. And now that it failed me and it hadn't been perfect, I was ready to give up. I'd made Emerald my idol, and even in my idea of "love", I hadn't been able to love him wholly and pure. All that love wasn't even able for me to extend my forgiveness to him as he had to me in the past. That day had to be the day mercy came down and found me right there in my car. I can't quite explain it. It was like I had been given a new set of eyes. I could feel the hurt of betrayal yet I could feel His love fill my heart. I could see the mess I was in, but I could see the pieces He could put back together. I could decide to quit and have that be the end to my dream, but He showed me it could a new beginning. He wasn't only working in me, but ...

High school started with me trying to follow Christ and  be different. I was meeting new people and had the chance to change myself without any one knowing me. But I can say I still truly hadn't surrendered my pride, my needs or my heart to Jesus. The minute a cute guy told me he liked me I was back to wanting a relationship. It was a battle wanting to live a life free of sin and dealing with the real world and high school and all the temptations it had to offer. But I kept on going to church, learning more of the Bible.... And I kept on longing for a relationship, with respect and no cheating. I wanted love. A couple months into high school, I met my husband as most of you already know. He was so different. He was a senior and more mature than any guy I had dealt with. He was a great student. He was friendly, outgoing, respectful and didn’t have a “player” reputation. We became friends. We ate lunch together everyday and we had so much in common. He was a believer ...

 So I've been reading lots of blogs, and watching lots of spoken word.  I've come up with new ideas and was reminded to keep God first.  I always knew writing and expressing was my calling.  I didn't know how He'd use it so I started to write.  To write about experiences and all HE has done.  To tell you about my life and the things HE made right.  Not to brag about me as if I did it alone, but to point you to Christ, the one who died for me and for you,  so that we wouldn't have to.  Its a matter of life or death and I need to warn you.  You're headed nowhere fast and your chances of dying are 1 out of 1.  You need to know there is more to life than what you've been living.  Salvation is free, His grace, love and mercy,  You can be forgiven.  I don't know what else He will do with my life,  but I want to continue about Him to write.  I don't want to place limits on what He could do.  His thought...