Counting Hours...

I just emailed this to just about everyone I know but wanted to give God more props here too so here's my God story of the day!!

Oh My Gosh.

You all know how much pressure there’s been for me to complete the required hours for my clinical internship. I need 2000 total hours but the real kicker is 260 face-to-face client hours. This is tough because I have little control over how many clients I get and if they show up or not! In December Chris and I rearranged my whole schedule and prayed like crazy when we realized how much I HAD to make up this spring to finish in time. God started to bring more clients and my #s soared which has been exhausting but amazing! We knew I was getting within striking distance of the total # but hadn’t added up the hours in a while so last night, a client cancelled and I decided to go through my final #s and add everything together just to see if I was over yet or needed a few more hours.

So, I got out a calculator and my old paperwork from previous semesters and started adding. 48+50+68+93…it added up to 260 EXACTLY. I literally dropped the calculator like it was a hot coal! “Are you serious God??? You really gave me two hundred and sixty hours exactly??” I was shaking as I picked up the calculator again to double check. It took me a couple tries because my hands were shaking! Yup. 260. And that is without working this summer. Though I had NO idea, when I turned in my official paperwork at the end of the Spring Semester, I had exactly enough hours to be finished! God does not go half way!! He is precise and on time and I can honestly say I have never seen his perfection highlighted in such an extravagant way before in my life. It drives home for me the fact that every single minute, hour, session, person I counseled over the last 2 years was meant to be. He ordained every single moment, down to hour 260. Every cancellation was on purpose, every “no show” was His plan, every minute we went over time because a client was in tears was divine. I am in awe of how perfectly God has shown up.

So, I share this just to say Our God is a phenomenally personal, loving, wise, perfect God. I am so grateful!

More Conversations...

We were talking in the car about why I gave money to a homeless man
Me: Some people don't even have a place to live so we want to share some of what we have
Ella:Yeah. But there's one thing we don't give away.
Me: What?
Ella: Money. We save it in the bank.
Me: But we also give it away to people who need it.
Ella:Well, I'm going to save my money and buy us a house with stairs and a basement.
Me: (chuckling) Ok.
a minute later
Ella: Mom? You're right. We have a lot of stuff and we just keep getting more! I think we have enough now. We should share.
Me: I agree.


At lunch with my sister
Ella:Ok, who is one of my favorite people, who lives with Abuela, who is very funny?
Marissa and me: (laughing) ummm...we need another hint
Ella:ok...oh! He loves diners!
Us: Popeye!!
Ella: You got it!! Let's play again!
(she had just invented this game and we kept playing for a while and she was always surprised when we guessed right!)


In the car after picking Ella up from school
Ella: Mom? Does God ever tell you stories?
Me: Ummm...what do you mean?
Ella:You know, I hear God tell me stories all the time!
Me: Really? What does it sound like?
Ella:I dunno
(then I tried lots of voices but none of them sounded like God apparently)
Me:What kind of stories does he tell you?
Ella:ones like the kind Daddy makes up
Me: Oh! Those are good ones. When do you hear Him telling stories?
Ella: all the time! Like when mommy or daddy aren't talking to me...
Me: You hear it in your head when you're by yourself?
Ella: yeah, or when it's night time. He just tells really good stories.


After my dad read her bedtime story when he was over for dinner
Ella: Mom, Popeye is one of my favorite boys. He's great. He's so great at reading books and everything. He's my favorite boy. And I really like Daddy too.

Freedom from the normal...

I feel like God has been challenging me to do hard things. It's a long, deep story as to why but a lot of good won't get done if I'm not willing to do things that stretch me. It's been mostly little things but hard things nonetheless. I've become convinced of the value of stepping out of my comfort zone and not being bound by what I would usually do or what is easiest. There's much more to it but for the purposes of this story, suffice it to say, exercising outside in the rain counts as "doing hard things" in my world. But, I was up for the challenge so when Hurricane Gustav's remnants blew in on Saturday morning, I was still determined to go on my 2 mile walk/run. And, Chris was out so Ella got to join me :-) She was kept mostly dry by the stroller, a blanket, and her rain boots while I got gloriously soaked and enjoyed every minute of it. When we were almost home I decided that another somewhat "hard thing" for me is letting Ella get really messy. So, this was a perfect chance to buck my norms for the second time in one morning. I also don't want to raise a kid who is too scared of a mess or of being wild so though it took some persuading (she was not very interested in getting wet) I got Ella to abandon the stroller and go jump in some puddles with me. In the end we both had a great time and I felt God's pleasure in those raindrops as I experienced the freedom that comes with not doing what I would usually do.


pre walk, all suited up, one of us was not very excited

still not thrilled about getting wet :-(

starting to get into it a little...

"Oooo Mommy I found a deep puddle!"

WAY into it now!

A fun, wet morning for all :-)