Lots of EEEEEEEE!!!!

While God was busy getting started on what was to become a long-haul preparation of my heart, I was getting started on some short term preparation for the date-at-Nate's.

In very exciting news, our date had been moved up by an entire day. We'd planned to meet Friday evening after work, and then part ways Saturday evening. But he was able to take Friday off work, which meant he could be at Nate's Thursday night. He asked if I was free that evening. Well why confine it to an evening? I sent a vacation day request to my supervisor on the spot and also found myself with a whole extra day to spend with Isaac and the family. (Okay mostly Isaac.)

One night in the week between the dates, we were talking on the phone and in casual conversation, Isaac mentioned he'd told someone about his girlfriend. I froze.

He said GIRLFRIEND!!! I wondered if he knew he said it.

Only one way to find out.

I asked.

Turns out, yes he sure did know it.

More journaling! Guess what! Isaac called me his girlfriend! We were talking on the phone and he just mentioned it – and I asked him if he knew what he said and he said YES! EEEEEE! How happy am I? I know, I know. I'm so twelve. But you have to understand it had been ELEVEN YEARS since I'd been a girlfriend, and I sorely missed it.

If you don't know this about me...let me tell you. I love giving gifts. Love it. Love planning out things to give that will bring joy to people's hearts. Since Easter was just a couple of weeks away, I decided to surprise Isaac with an Easter basket. I drove to WalMart and for the first time in a lifetime, enjoyed the trip, because I pushed around that little blue cart and picked out all sorts of things to make him smile.

I chose a Cars bucket because he loves that movie – and blue grass because he loves blue and tons of candy! I also bought some little eggs with smiley faces on them and determined I would think of something extra thoughtful to put inside.

Woke up the next morning and wrote, Won’t lie. Loved waking up a girlfriend.

One day that week, he sent me a text that said, “I love praying for you.” And I loved hearing that he did.

At lunch time that day I made my way to the local Christian bookstore to purchase a new Bible. It was a tax refund treat, but it was also something I wanted to do to celebrate a new season of life. I once read that Billy Graham got a new Bible every year – to chronicle his path with the Lord year by year. Well, I can’t quite afford that, for one thing, and for another, I like to live in my Bibles a bit longer than that. But I do like to get new ones when I have major life changes, and this was a major life change. I told Isaac what I was doing and why, and he so loved the idea, he said he would get a new one too. I blushed with joy just at the very thought that he loved my idea.

The day before I left to go to Nate's, I found mail in my mailbox. Not junk. Not a bill. REAL MAIL. From Isaac. He sent me a card. Wrote me a note inside. I jumped up and down in the kitchen and screamed so loudly, the cats scattered. (Note - only two cats. Not the crazy cat lady.)

That night was a busy night jammed with working out, going to church, baking brownies, and packing to be gone immediately after work the next day! But I loved the text he sneaked in to me – “I want the pretty girl with the hazel eyes and pretty smile. Named Bekah.”

And before I drifted off to sleep, I wrote, I can’t even believe that at this time tomorrow (if all goes as planned) – I will be with him. Oh God – thank You for who You made him to be. He wrote me a card and I loved it that he said he was praying for direction over us. I loved it that he prayed for me today when I was so nervous about speaking in that class.

Streams says, “Jesus desires that we would be very specific in our requests, asking for something definite…Make your requests earnestly and specifically if you desire definite answers…Dare to be specific with God.” Jesus, as Isaac and I look ahead to our individual futures and our potential combined future, can you help us be bold enough to be specific?

And teach me, God, how to care for him in a way he understands. Teach me to watch over his heart. Teach me to protect him. Teach me to complement him.