Monday, February 23, 2009

A Note from Gary's Wife

First off...Gary, this is not YOUR blog. This is MY blog. And I'm taking it back from you. (LOL)

Second off...you guys are seriously Amazing! When I read all of your comments on Gary's post, I was extremely touched. I even cried a little bit (well, actually...A LOT). One of the special times during a Walk to Emmaus is when the attendees get to find out about how other people in their lives feel about them, and Gary was hoping to re-create that for me here on my blog. And he did wonderfully on it, and it just made me feel so grateful to have friends like you.

Third off...it's really hard to even put into words how awesomely wonderful this past weekend was. I went to give...to serve as a helper for one of the groups of ladies, and to present a talk...but I ended up getting so much more than I ever expected (isn't that how it usually happens? :-)

We laughed. We cried. We prayed. We sang. We were inspired. We ate (TOO much!). We made new friends. It was just a wonderful, wonderful thing.

It's really hard to explain what a Walk to Emmaus is and does for you. It's a three-day experience where you hear talks on different spiritual topics, then have some wonderful spiritual moments sprinkled throughout the days. It's also filled with moments of agape, when you learn that other people love you and want to serve you.

So, I'm not really even going to go into a lot of detail about specifics about it. But, I did want to just give you a few insights into what I brought back from the weekend...

~ Let people know that you love them. Tell them today.

~ Believe in the power of release. Burdens that have weighted you down for so long have no purpose; they do nothing to enhance your life, or your relationships, or your spirit. Let them go, give them up, and throw them away. If you need to, ask for forgiveness, then delight in the fact that it is GONE.

~ Be joyful. Dance. Clap. Act silly. (I give you permission.)

~ Realize that YOU are the special person God made you to be. Don't feel the need to conform to other people's expectations of what you should be. Be yourself. And know that you are loved as you are.

~ Find a need. And then go meet it.

(~ And, last but not least... Don't make your password so predictable that your husband is easily able to hijack your blog.)

I love you all!

13 comments:

Mz.Elle said...

Words to live by,that's for sure.
And they come at the right time for me as I'm working my way through some teenage stuff.
Thank you my Friend!

Since I missed your hubby's sweet post I shall include my thoughts
about you here!

Your positive good nature is inspiring and makes me want
to be like you! Your honesty
and openess shows me that while it's not always easy it's certainly attainable
and well worth the effort:)
XOXOXO

Lynilu said...

I happy that you are so joyously pumped! Keep the momentum up!! Wonderful!

hippo chick said...

Luckily, (or maybe not so much) Jim doesn't even know how to turn on the computer. But, your husband gave us a wonderful opportunity to express our admiration and caring for you. I, for one, was delighted to have that chance.

The pastor here in our Henderson home away from home is preaching on Grace and yesterday talked about releasing our anger and resentment. It was great.

I'm so happy you had sucha wonderful weekend.

Have a great week.

~hippo hugs~

Adrienne said...

~ Believe in the power of release. Burdens that have weighted you down for so long have no purpose; they do nothing to enhance your life, or your relationships, or your spirit. Let them go, give them up, and throw them away. If you need to, ask for forgiveness, then delight in the fact that it is GONE.

THAT IS SOOOOOOOO TRUE! I'm so glad you had a great time!!!

Phats said...

Gary's such a great husband eh? haha

Edleen said...

hehe...so so cute!

have a wonderful week Cheryl :)

Unknown said...

If I'm such a great husband why does C make me sleep in a box on the back deck? :)

C you better change your password! Who knows when I'll highjack it and not give it back!

Cheryl Wray said...

Ms. L-- You are so sweet (and hugs and kisses back at ya!). And, I know that the teenage years are definitely some of the most trying. Hang in there girlfriend!

Lynilu--I'm gonna do my best to stay positive! :-)

Hippo--That sounds like a wonderful sermon. We really need to hear that message. :-)

Adrienne--Ain't it the truth??!!

Cheryl Wray said...

Phats--He's not bad. LOL

Ed--hee hee. You have agreat week too (I'm gonna try and get by your blog, and everyone else's, at some point soon!)

Gary--Now, don't be telling people about your back deck sleeping situation. :-)

Dawn Bibbs said...

Wow, Cheryl, sounds like you had a very fulfulling and uplifting weekend. That's awesome. And all the words of advise that you give here are very true and very well accepted. I just wish some of these were easy for me to do. I'll have to work on that.

Glad you got there and back safely. Hugs!

Monogram Queen said...

Very good advice and I can't wait to read Gary's hijack down below. Yes I am STILL playing catch-up but at least i'm here... and reading! and commenting!

Nnairda's said...

Sounds like an awesome experience. I'm inspired just reading about yours!

You have a sweet husband. :)

Adriann

Auburn Kat said...

You really do have a sweet husband! Glad to hear you had such a wonderful time!