Happy Birthday, My Love! (Part One)

             Today I had planned to do a “Bekah’s Bookshelf” update – to catch you up on all the things I’ve read this month. What I’ve read this month is, well, basically nothing. I haven’t had a moment for it. So instead, I am expanding Ryan’s birthday post to TWO days to celebrate his special day, which is tomorrow!

Today and tomorrow I invite you to celebrate with me who he is and what a gift he is to every single person he encounters! I want to share today some of the things from this past year that have been celebration-worthy!

Ryan, you are a gift to many. Your unending optimism, joy for life, and hard work are some of my favorite things about you, and I see them every day in how you treat those around you. For example…

            You are such a gift to our little godson. Thank you for loving him the way you do, for investing in his life, for patiently teaching him new things, having all the fun with him, and encouraging him to be bold and brave. He doesn’t yet understand how blessed he is to have you in his life, but I understand it, and it makes me love you so much. 

            And of course, you are such a gift to our sweet Lexi Grae. I love her with my whole heart, but her life would be missing so much without you in it. She loves you so much. She watches for you at the door every single day, curls up with you in the evenings, and can’t imagine a day without you. I love watching how you love her, how you take her on adventures, how patient you are in teaching her, and how she has you completely captivated, proving I was right about you wanting a dog when you thought you didn’t. 😉 

            You have been such a beautiful gift to my parents – always, but especially this year. You’ve been the key to their whole move this month, but you’ve done so much more, too. You’ve answered questions, given great advice, done all kinds of literal heavy lifting, and loved them absolutely every bit as much as you’ve loved your own parents. It is a gift I do not take for granted. I love how they love you!

            You have brought so much joy to your workplace. Your coworkers love you, your residents love you, and I never get tired of hearing the stories of how fun you are. (And I loved getting to be part of it all at the Valentine’s Day game show!) You are where you are meant to be, and I love the story of how God has written this chapter of your story – preparing you for this role through all your years of Physical Therapy, and preparing you to be here, now, for Mom and Dad. 

Silly as it may sound, you are a gift to our home! I love all the strength, creativity, and knowledge you put into making it a beautiful, better place to live. Thanks for all the labor you put into the shoreline last year. It looks amazing!

 You hauled the spare refrigerator from the garage into the house when ours went out so I didn’t have to keep running out just to cook every day. Then you worked tirelessly to get our warranty recognized so we could get our broken one replaced. 

You helped me decorate for Christmas – more than just hauling in the (many!) tubs of things I’d need. You helped me set things up and make our space beautiful for the holidays.

 You put together furniture when we have a new vision for a space. (If I tried it, none of it would stay put together) You work hard to keep the house in working order and are, let’s face it, a way better housekeeper than I’ll ever be. 

You are a gift to our friends. Thank you for loving my friends as though they had always been yours too! 

Thank you for being a fun teammate when we’re working together in competition - and for encouraging us when we feel defeated.

 You are a welcoming and accommodating host, always making sure everyone who comes over is comfortable and cared for!

You never hesitate to serve when someone needs you, even if it’s hard work. You’re always the first to sign up. 

You make hangout nights so much fun. 

 You jump in with new groups and make friends immediately.

 You are the favorite for all the kids!

You are a gift to our church. You are quick to help wherever you are needed. You serve on the worship team with such joy – and you join in with solos and ensembles too. 

You pitch in with extra things – like carnivals and the Boutique, even coming up with great systems to make everything run more smoothly. 

 You led our service day project last fall with joy and organization! 

You help teach Sunday School, serve heartily as a deacon, and have learned nearly every single person’s name. 

And finally (for today), you are a gift to your Boot Camp class at the gym. You do such a great job of writing workouts each week, encouraging us when we are weary (ahem….burpees, makers…) and teaching us to do the moves correctly so we get stronger and don’t get hurt! You work hard personally, too, and you encourage those around you to do the same. 

Yes, Ryan, you're loved by many and a gift to all of us. Thanks for being YOU. Hard-working, fun-loving, always-joyful YOU. And come back tomorrow, because I'm just getting warmed up! 

Speaking Snapshots: April 2024

 

I had the opportunity to speak three times this month – and they were all in one week’s time! (I like to keep our schedule interesting!)

            A week ago Saturday, Ryan and I traveled to North Webster so I could speak at the Big Lake Church of God retreat. I think this is the fourth time I’ve shared with this group, and I just love them. They are all so very sweet. Their theme this year was “In HIS Time,” and per usual, the topic was probably more for me than anyone there. I spent some time wrestling with lessons I needed to learn from it for my own life story!

            They hold their retreats at Epworth Forest Conference Center, and for the first time in several years, they had a beautiful day for the retreat.

            They also had a beautiful breakfast. Ryan was particularly excited about the homemade scones. I had a bite – YUM!!!!!

            I spoke for a morning session and then again in the afternoon, and in between those two times, they did a fun craft project of painting flower pots! We could all paint our own pots and then bring home flower seeds to plant in them and wait to see them bloom…in His time.

            (I was highly impressed by the artistic talent of the entire group. Mine was elementary in comparison, but I don’t care. It will remind me of these ladies and that topic, and that’s what matters.)

            Thanks, Big Lake, for inviting me back again. You make retreats a dream for a speaker!

            The next morning, I spoke at the church where I’ve been sharing once a month, and my parents came with us to hear me speak. Everyone was so kind and welcoming to them (because this church is so sweet), and they had a great time worshiping with us.

            I shared the story of Naaman in the Old Testament and how sometimes our healing and harvest come from messy, muddy adventures. Ryan led the singing and read the Scripture passage for me, as he does each time I visit.

            And then this past Friday night, we traveled back to our county-of-birth to speak at the same church we attended when we got married. They invited us to come for a couples’ dinner. It was supposed to have happened back at Valentine’s Day, but they had to reschedule, so we just had Valentine’s Day in April! Nothing wrong with that!

            They had the room so beautifully decorated with ambient lighting, roses, and pretty decorations. They had a catered meal, the pastor played the piano while we ate, and a photographer came in to take pictures of each couple at the start of the night.

            We knew most of the people there, and we sat at a table with some friends of ours from high school and their parents, and we had the best time. They were so much fun. We told tons of stories to each other and did a lot of laughing.

            I shared about the importance of choosing your spouse and being intentional in your marriage. I was worried that talking at the end of the night, when everyone was warm, tired, and full from dinner would be a challenge, but they were a great and fun crowd!

            Three very different events, though equally fun and meaningful, made up our April ministry days!

Sunday Sentiments: Many Are the Plans

 

Proverbs 19:21 says, “Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the Lord that will stand.”

            Boy, isn’t that the truth.

            Ryan and I, as you know, have had a crazy few seasons, recently. Lots of change. Lots of fresh starts. Lots of decisions. And we decided this year would be the year of calm.

            Isn’t that adorable?

            Many are the plans in the mind of a man…or the Shaffers…

            It hasn’t been a calm year. Now, don’t misunderstand: it hasn’t been a bad year. But it also hasn’t been a calm one. We’ve had some high-level plot twists. Unexpected decisions to make, unexpected expenses, unexpected opportunities!

            But in all the unexpected, the one thing we have seen so clearly is God’s hand. We have no idea how He plans to direct or resolve some of the things we’re facing. But we believe He will. We believe He’s writing some extra special chapters in our life story.

            All the changes, twists, and turns have made us grateful for God’s sovereignty and for our marriage. We’re holding hands and jumping into the things He puts in front of us, and as Ryan reminded me the other day, it’s more fun to look at it all as a grand adventure.

            I still believe in planning. (You read my post about my new day planner!) But I also believe that despite my many plans, it’s His purpose that will stand over mine.

            He is, after all, the ultimate Planner.