On very rare occasions my sweetheart and I write each other messages in soap on the bathroom mirror.
The most recent message from my husband stating, "I love you today" caused some consternation for my youngest who said matter-of-factly, "You love someone every day. Why make a big deal about loving them just for today?"
THAT is a very good question.
Happy Saturday friends.
The air is crisp, the leaves crunch under my feet and I'm here for it.
I'm not sure what first prompted me to take off my wedding rings and put them on the left hand of my sweet sister in law, then right around 14, but the desire to do so was strong.
I remember how her eyes shone with the delight of having such a precious stone on the fourth finger of her left hand.
THAT was exactly why I did it.
I wanted her to see what was coming.
I wanted her to show her that something wonderful will happen to her too.
I wanted her to catch the joy that I was living that very moment in the middle of church.
I'done this to many teen girls and to all of my own girls as well.
It's kindov like a tradition for me.
I do it because I wish that someone had done it to me when I was their age.
I wish someone had allowed me to feel the weight of rings on that finger- see the glints of light making the diamond sparkle just for me and making me feel a teeny bit of what it will feel like to be someone's special someone.
I wish someone had given me a vision for marriage- been excited for me to have one of my very own someday.
And so I do this little thing as the Lord prompts me to.
The funny thing is that whenever I do this, the recipient always wants to give the rings back quickly.
It's almost like the joy that it gives them in that moment makes them feel a bit embarrassed and they don't know what to do with such a vision of the future.
Or perhaps it's because they feel they shouldn't be taking such excitement from something that belongs to me.
Either way I always prompt them to hold on to it for a bit longer.
Silly? Maybe.
It wouldn't be the first time I've done something odd and for sursies won't be the last.
Recently my crew has been taken keen interest in these "personality tests."
You know the ones.
The ones where you answer a quick questionaire and then it tells you all of your personality strengths and a whole list of weaknesses.
Okay that just may be my personality type.
This is not to be confused with the enneagram nonsense that for the life of me I cannot begin to understand.
This is simple personality types which we all have and some of us want to keep a little quiet about.
So we all take this test and we laugh at how accurately it pinpoints each of us.
This one is more judgmental, that one would make an excellent salesperson, and so on.
And then someone made the mistake of googling what personality types are compatible.
It was cute,
It was harmless.
It was all fun and games until it was my personality type finding out me and and my husband's personalities should basically only see each other at family reunions.
For ten seconds.
I mean we weren't even on each other's "Christmas card list."
There was the "romantic partner" suggested list.
Nope.
Then there was the "these personalities really shouldn't work together" list.
NOTONYOURLIFE.
There were only TWO personality combinations on this list.
It was like someone who works at Google was just waiting for me to type this into the search engine just to prank me.
It was THAT specific.
One of my daughters laughed at our new discovery chortling something in jest about us not finding our "soul mates."
And it was in that very moment that MY soul was ready to reach in and choke HER soul just for a moment....
And being the forgetful woman that I am, my brain decided to HYPERFIXATE on this fact all day and all night and into the next day just because.
It ruined my dinner and frankly just made me mad.
It also brought to mind just about every argument we've ever had.
And that's a hefty list.
I began to ask myself if we would've saved each other quite the mess if we had had this test so very many years ago.
"Wanna go to the snack shop?"
"Hmmm.... lets take this ultra-specific personality test."
.........
"So, yeah, I'll have my nachos and cheese to go please."
This reminded me of that one time I was interested in someone in college and he in me, until he met me in the library to tell me that the HOLY SPIRIT told him not to date me and I was left standing there wondering how ON EARTH I had offended the HOLY SPIRIT so badly.
True story.
It must have been my personality.....
I thought of this stupid test while I washed the dishes.
I thought of this stupid test while I brushed my teeth.
I thought of this STUPID TEST WHILE I DID EVERYTHING.
And then it happened.
My oldest daughter asked my husband if it bothered him at all that this test showed us basically incompatible.
And here I thought she loved me and everything.
Here she was just throwing this out there when I was just hoping to sweep it under the proverbial "rug."
But then again this is so like her personality.
(See what I did there?)
He didn't even flinch.
I was secretly wondering if it was time to pack my bags and live in the basement while he said this,
"NOT AT ALL. This just shows us that we need the Holy Spirit's filling, and I'd much rather need him than lean on our own personalities."
(cue the angelic choir and sunbursts.)
I smiled like I had thought THE EXACT SAME THING in my own brain when in reality I was thinking, "WHY DIDN'T I THINK OF THAT!"
I didn't think I could love that man any more than I already do, but turns out I was wrong.
I was wrong about lots of things actually.
As I usually am.
But we are perfectly right for each other
Does my personality still make me cringe at the list of "weaknesses?"
Youbetcha.
Does it serve, just like my marriage and my children and my laundry and my friendships, okay I'm not sure why friendships came after laundry....
....And my everything to remind me that I NEED the Holy Spirit's filling and control every moment of every day?
For sure.
Diamond days are days filled-to-the-brim with the Spirit's control and soap reminders that we are loved in spite of ourselves.
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