Love Does....by Bob Goffe (As It Turns Out My Life Is Just Expanding.)

This book.  I am just going to go ahead and put up there with "Bloom" by Kelle Hampton and "Daring Greatly" by Brene Brown even though I am not even fully done with it. I am two chapters into it and the opening line has just about caught me off guard that filled me up so much had to let a little of this feeling out in writing and imagination.  That is to say I had to DO something to show my admiration for this book...already.

"The world can make you think that love can be picked up at a garage sale or enveloped in a Hallmark card.  But the kind of love that God created and demonstrated is a costly one because it involves sacrifice and presence.  It's a love that operates more like sign language then being spoken outright. What I have learned about the brand of life that is offered through relationship is more about presence than undertaking a project.  It's a brand of life that doesn't just think about good things, or agree with them, or talk about them....Love Does."

It's always in times of transition and change that I am reminded that Love.Is.A.Verb.

Love does presence.  Love does color.  Love creates opportunities for life, even in the midst of chaos. Chaos being closing on a house, having extra work with an upcoming maternity leave, and the holidays approaching.  I am seeing that even though things are busy, love is still doing and showing up...even when I feel like I am too busy to see it.  I am choosing to not do that in this chapter of life.

I don't want Christmas to be rushed.  I want to enjoy this special Christmas that Luke, Shyla and I have together.  Due to the fact that I will be 37 weeks pregnant on Christmas day,  we are not travelling as we generally do to Kansas City.  Instead we are staying in St. Louis, making a fun meal on Christmas Eve, going to church, and watching movies. A few weeks ago I felt like my world was piling in on me with stress at work, buying a new house, and anticipating a new life.  As it turns out, my life is just expanding.  It was time I got out of my hole and understand that.

I was sitting in a long meeting today and started doodling on my iPad with Pages by 53 on varying concepts in this book I am reading.  I love doodling with this app.  I am one of those people that has to draw as I listen to people talk, especially when it goes over 2 hours.  Doodling is such a lost art in my life.  This app is helping bring it back.  My coworkers laugh because I am always doodling or drawing.  I have always been like this.

This week has love has been present and active in the following ways:

1.  Some of our favorite people throwing a baby shower for our family in anticipation of baby Asher.

2. My parents coming into town to watch Shyla while I do extra work to prepare for my up and coming maternity leave.

3.  The art that has been generated due to the tragedy in Connecticut.

4. Luke made an awesome dinner for us when I came home from work tonight, knowing that this week was going to be nuts---after working a few double shifts over the weekend.

5. People from our church signing up to bring us meals after Asher's arrival and during our move.