Dear J.A.G. {31 Days of Letters}

October 8, 2012 ~ Emily ~ 7 Comments

DISCLAIMER: In an effort to not falsely excite my family, let me just clarify that this letter is not some creative way of announcing my pregnancy. I am NOT pregnant. If all goes according to plan (which it usually doesn’t when God’s in control…), there won’t be some cutesy pregnancy reveal for a couple years.

Also, in my future perfect thinking, this little guy would precede a baby sister. I have an amazing older brother, thus I am fairly prejudice towards that sibling situation. So, when I talk about our family unit, that’s what i’m picturing, though I will be thrilled with whatever gender order our little Gardners come in.

I do hope Baby J looks something like this…

My dear little J,

I am both terrified and thrilled beyond imagination at the thought of you. I don’t know why God intrusts such beautiful, fragile beings to such broken people. Since God gives us the gift of life, He must equip us with the tools to protect it, therefore, I trust He has given provided us all that we need to love and care for your sweet self.

I can’t wait to stroke your fuzzy little head, nuzzle your soft neck, and just enjoy all of your baby-ness. I’m amazed that two people could create a person so marvelous and intricate. Know that I am in awe of your mere presence in our lives and pray for your already.

My prayers for you are often pleas for shelter from hurt, protection from evil, defense against wrong-doing. I realize those are enabling prayers. I most certainly want to shield you from harm, but I realize that is impossible and what I really want is for you to know where to turn when bad things happen. I want you to intimately know your Shelter from the storm, your Protector, your Defender. My precious J, you have a Father who loves you even more than is humanly possible. As you grow, cling to Him.

It will be a great joy to see you grow. If you’re anything like your dad, you’ll enjoy Legos and preaching to stuffed animals. You’ll probably enjoy making music too, and with any luck, you’ll inherit your dad’s singing ability not mine. We’d love you even if you did get my (un)tunefulness, though.

There’s a sappy, but true, quote that says “Don’t marry a man unless you would be proud to have a son exactly like him.” You know what, J? You can’t be exactly like your dad – that would be a bit weird – but you have an amazing model of a Godly man in your life. Not everyone has that gift. Take note of his caring spirit and soft heart. He is full of integrity and quiet strength.

Both your dad and Uncle Tim are great examples of what manliness is all about. Take note of their sensitivity. Little J, it’s okay to cry, to empathize and have compassion. Take note of how they treat women. Little J, it’s important to respect, esteem, and protect women. Take note of their relationship with family. Little J, be kind to your sister. She will be one of your biggest fans and greatest allies.

Though these are scattered thoughts to you, my beautiful boy, know that my feelings toward you will never be scattered. My love is unconditional. It pains me to know that I will fail. I will not be the perfect mom. But you have an Abba that IS perfect and won’t ever fail. I can rest well knowing that you were made in His image and held in His hands.

With a full heart of love and anticipation,

Mom

You can find all my letters here.

For more information about the 31 Day Challenge, visit The Nester.

Dear Cold Weather {31 Days of Letters}

October 7, 2012 ~ Emily ~ 3 Comments

Dear Cold Weather,

Hello old friend! I haven’t seen you since Kansas City. I know you passed through town a few times when I was in California, but you never stayed long enough for a cup of tea.

To be honest, you kind of shocked me with your arrival. I wasn’t expecting you so early, or maybe I was just hoping you’d be a little late. Not that I don’t enjoy your company – I do! I love that you usher in the Fall season. You make the leaves turn a spectrum of beautiful auburns, rusts, and golds. I feel like blue skies are more clear and crisp when you’re around.

However, you snuck up on me and I was mentally unprepared. You forced me to box up my sandals, shorts, and summery dresses prematurely. I was a little bit peeved. In an act of rebellion, I kept out one pair of shorts and my Rainbow sandals, though I can’t bear to wear them while you are still here. So, I have to apologize for being passive aggressive.

It’s not you. It’s me.

In time, I think we will get along swimmingly. I like the idea of combatting your brisk temperatures with blankets, hot cocoa, and wood-burning fires. I can embrace scarves and boots with enthusiasm. Eventually, my vanity will even recover from the perpetually red nose you subject me to. On the bright side, it helps me channel my inner Rudolph, and you know how much I love Christmas.

With your arrival, I’ve been wondering… Is it normal for you to make people want to change species? Ever since you’ve arrived I’ve had the strongest urge to hibernate. Your chill compels me to stay in bed longer, move slower, and eat more. If I were the suspicious kind, I’d say you spiked the air with some sort of bear potion.

Bears, I’d like to extend my warm welcome to Northern Idaho. I do hope you’ll stay awhile – maybe four months?

Sincerely,

Emily

You can find all my letters here.

For more information about the 31 Day Challenge, visit The Nester.

Dear Sarah Rose {31 Days of Letters}

October 6, 2012 ~ Emily ~ 4 Comments

Dearest Sarah,

Your letters always come at the right time. You words are full of encouragement, commiseration, affirmation, and wisdom. I have so appreciated your correspondence and regret that I have not been as good a pen pal.

My best intentions before we moved were to tell you how much your friendship means to me – via note, of course, because I am much better at expressing those things via written words (to a fault). I’ve been avoiding the task for the past month for fear of not being able to properly say all that I want to say. But, it’s high time I at least made an attempt!

When I first met you at the Urane’s, I had no idea you would become such an important person in my life. I sat across the living room from a girl with a contagious laugh, great teeth (yeah, I notice weird things), and pretty, dark curls. We watched The Bachelor among mutual friends and parted ways with little thought of meeting again. Mere months later, we were sleeping in the same bed, overseeing a bunch of crazy 9th grade girls during Disciple Now. God works in mysterious ways…

After I started volunteering with youth group, we got to know each other in a much more sane environment – no Party In The USA karaoke on two hours of sleep… I wish I could say that our friendship was born with a pure heart and clean motives, but I wasted a lot of those early months being jealous. I was so threatened by your obvious (and God given) talents/abilities/passions. You are a natural leader, gifted in working with youth, and a lovely person on the outside (inside too!! I just wasn’t focused on that at the time…).

I wasn’t mature enough to look beyond my envy and see the jewell of a friend that God was providing. Lucky for me, God eventually got through to me and, for the most part, I stopped being such a turd.

I regret the time wasted in petty dislike but am blessed by what our friendship has become. I’m not sure I have ever encountered someone who was so similar to me and, yet, so different. Those differences have challenged my perspective on community, women in ministry, relationships and stretched my understanding of the God we both serve.

Sarah, I’ve always admired your faith in God’s provision during uncertain circumstances. In situations where I would have freaked out and concocted my own solutions, you trusted God with the future – the future of your finances, your education, your housing, and your job.

You are a generous friend, a loyal friend, a thoughtful and encouraging friend. You are a gorgeous woman, a strong woman, a smart and talented woman. You are an Ideal.

This past season deserves another letter entirely, but let me say this: I have seen more beauty in you through this whole mess than during any other part of our friendship. I may be dating myself (is 25 too young to be doing that?), but I was reminded of a Crystal Lewis song… Since I can’t grace you with my tunefulness at this time, here are the lyrics:

I once was lost but God has found me. Though I was bound I’ve been set free. I’ve been made righteous in His sight, a display of His splendor all can see.
He gives beauty for ashes, strength for fear. Gladness for mourning, peace for despair.

Know that there is plenty more I could say about how wonderful you are. I miss having coffee with you. I miss talking about books and laughing over our shared perfectionist tendencies. I miss doing life with you on a day to day basis.

Thank you for your friendship during old seasons and new. I love you sister-friend!

So much love,

Em

You can find all my letters here.

For more information about the 31 Day Challenge, visit The Nester.

Dear God {31 Days of Letters}

October 5, 2012 ~ Emily ~ 2 Comments

This is a plagiarized letter – a prayer, really. Set A Fire is written by Will Reagan. I heard this song two weeks ago at Unite and was immediately taken by the simplicity of the lyrics. I identify with the plea for more of God, the desire to be held tightly in God’s love. Everything in me detests feeling out of control, but I also want to surrender my soul in its entirety.

In this letter, I use Mr. Reagan’s words to say:

Less of me and more of you, God.

Dear God,

There’s no place I’d rather be.

There’s no place I’d rather be, then here in Your love.

Here in your love.

Set a fire down in my soul that I can’t contain, that I can’t control.

I want more of You God.

There’s no place I’d rather be.

There’s no place I’d rather be, then here in you love.

Here in your love.

Sincerely,

Emily

Lyrics by Will Reagan. Find out more about Reagan and United Pursuit here.

You can find all my letters here.

For more information about the 31 Day Challenge, visit The Nester.

Dear Thomas Hammer {31 Days of Letters}

October 4, 2012 ~ Emily ~ 4 Comments

Dear Thomas Hammer,

If the coffee industry operated like a high school, you’d be the Prom King. Your the cool kid of coffee shops, and instead of envying you for it – I love you for it! You possess the mysterious quality intrinsic to popularity that makes everything you do beyond awesome. I think you could start serving coffee sludge and it would gain traction.

There are plenty of coffee options in my neck of Idaho. The Christian crowd congregates at Kootenai Coffee (for good reason – they have a pleasant environment conducive to conversation) and the hipsters mingle and do hipstery things downtown at Java (who could resist Java’s delicious hot chocolate). Plus, there’s a squadron of Starbucks to choose from.

For the coffee obsessed like myself, its certainly not a chore to make the coffee rounds. It took Tim and I two weeks to get through your doors and, boy, do we regret our two weeks of Hammerless existence. I was immediately impressed with your clean lines, smoky blue walls, and industrial – yet warm – feel. I was instantly transported from Northern Idaho into an Ikea catalogue.

When I realized you differentiate cup sizes by the typeof hammer printed on those crazy-cool orange cups of yours, I about died. I was sold on your simple, sleek vibe alone, then I tried your coffee. You make a white mocha that isn’t cloyingly sweet, a vanilla latte that I would drink everyday, and a chai tea that is nothing but perfect. I would make you a daily habit if I could legitimize spending three-ish dollars a day on coffee.

photo (7) — Photo taken by my coffee loving husband.

The worst part of my time with you is when it has to end, when I reach the bottom of the cup and cannot suck one last drop from the inside of the cup. But when my chai runs dry, I can oogle your crazy-cool mugs and shirts. I plan to represent the Hammer (via Kelly Green t-shirt, perhaps?) and am working on Tim to sport one of your cardigans. If that fails, he will certainly rock a beanie or travel mug.

So, if i’m not sipping a chai, know that I’m wishing I was holding a Hammer cup. You and your eclectic background music rock my coffee world!

Sincerely,

Emily

You can find all my letters here.

For more information about the 31 Day Challenge, visit The Nester.