Much has gone on.
My younger brother recently got married (YAAAAY!!!)
{above photo courtesy of Meredith Sloan Photography}
The farmer's market that our family does every Saturday from May-October will be starting back up once again this Saturday.
{above photo by Maggie Goodman Russell}
And, last but not least, I am no longer in the relationship that I so fondly blogged about at length back in January. I debated with myself as to whether or not I should mention it, because I thought: "Yeahhh. Well, that's super awkward." But no, not really. That's just my pride talking, and I'm not going to allow that to get in the way of sharing what God is doing in my life. Because you know what? There is no shame in releasing something that began to appear....shall we say....NOT right. At all.
I'm the type of girl that doesn't date around. I entered this relationship because there appeared (note, "appeared") to be real potential in it. I'd never even been in a relationship before this one. But it ended quite badly, and the last conversation I will ever have with him ended abruptly when he hung up on me. Classy. This was just last week, it's all still very fresh. I shall spare you the details, which are no secret, but let's just say I am so very thankful the true colors of this guy were made apparent and were clearly shown in the end, with his behavior and parting shots to my parents making it easier to walk away.
Yes, I am a Christian. Yes, I confess that I don't understand it all, or understand "WHY?" this had to happen to me, or why I was so deceived. But I don't have to understand. Nor do I need to go and wallow around (though yes, wallowing can sometimes be fun, and the mud is good for your complexion.) What I do understand is that my God works all things for good {Romans 8:28.} He is giving me a new and fresh understanding that every day, in the truest sense, He is really all I need. {Psalm 125:1-2} and {2 Peter 1:3} My *faith* will not pull me through, but my faith IN God will pull me through. He is teaching me and I want to be a good student.
But before all the above changes and bumps in the road, a couple months ago, out of the blue, I was handed the opportunity to travel to Germany with my great Aunt Rachel. She would be visiting her son, my cousin George and his family.
Over the years, the Navy has had him living all over the place. I visited them when they lived in VA and when they lived in Oahu. They currently live in Stuttgart, Germany, and when I heard that they were moving there, way back two Thanksgivings ago, I took it upon myself to start learning German via a free iPhone app, thinking that maybe, perhaps, the time may come when I could visit them.
This May, that time will come. My Aunt and I get along just famously, and so I am quite thrilled to have three plus weeks as her traveling companion, and we shall be seeing sights, eating stuff, and I heard a rumor about someone saying something about AUSTRIA?! The timing couldn't be more perfect for me, and I owe it all to the Lord. He knew I would need a little get away after the recent drama.
And so, starting May 18th, just as I chronicled my last adventures in England, Scotland and Paris, so shall I chronicle my Germany trip here, on my blog. And if you have not read those, and wish to blow a few hours with some ramble about English culture, the inner working of the London Underground, Scottish oddities, how I did something that could have gotten me kicked out of Westminster Abbey, and the story of how we missed our flight to England, then feel free. :) (Just select September 2013 from the blog archives on the sidebar.)
Let's just hope my German holds up. Right now, I know enough German to carry me through a few select chit-chat scenarios (provided they don't speak too fast), order myself a latte, say "Don't hold it against me, I'm American" and tell the tour guide that his hat looks nice. All very useful, right? And thanks to reading The Book Thief last year, well, let's just say that I've got a few *choice words* memorized. I should be all set. ;)
His girl,
Congratulations on your new adventure! I am sorry to hear about the relationship not working out because I was keeping up with your posts, aaannnnddd I was concerned. I can be the ultimate skeptic at this stage of my life especially about the opposite sex but you are SO young! God has amazing things in store for you in His time, which you already know. It still hurts though. Know you are always in my thoughts. You're a little younger than my daughter and she's still single too so you're not the only one!! Hugs!
ReplyDeleteDear Margaret,
ReplyDeleteYou have taken me back (way back) to my youth and the remembrance of love(s) lost, and the struggle(s) not to give up. I read about relationships, identified with the poets, and took self-enlightenment courses, dug so deep to understand WHY I was such a failure in relationships. The first thing I was taught was to not ask WHY because the answer is, "It just IS". I truly believe that God was instrumental and saved me from a lifetime of pain and suffering because I was so eager to give myself to the wrong person, but He saw what I couldn't, and stepped in to save me from a lot of heartache down the road. So now, at the ripe age of 66, I quickly try to remember what I've been taught, and get that I'm single because I've got a lot to give to a lot of people, and there is just so much life to fill that one hole and make the best life possible for my happiness. You know what real love feels like from the family you are so blessed to be a part of, and so never settle for anything less. You are going to have a magnificent journey soon as you head back to Europe, and just feel the history ooze into your skin and leave you in awe. I love you, Margaret.
I love your heart in this blog. I know it cannot be easy to share the "break up," and it wasn't easy to read either...I can only imagine some of the emotions are still a bit raw. But! I so loved, too, how the Lord had your next step long before in place and in His ever perfect timing, away you will fly to Deutschland! We lived for several years in Augsburg, which isn't far from Stuttgart in Bavaria (Boone was born there, actually). You'll enjoy the spectacular beauty of the place from Oberammergau to Berchtesgaden and Salzburg is quite close (take the Sound of Music tour!), etc. Some of my very favorite places in the world! Know I am continuing to pray for you; after all, you're still far and away my very "favoritest" baker! Love you!
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing, Margaret. I am excited for all God has in store for you. Keep trusting!
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