the dream called life

[This post was started on 20.10.2012 in Scandicci, Italy.]

I was hanging out my laundry when the thought first hit me. It was the start of a warm fall day. The mid morning sun was peeking over rooftops just enough to give a welcoming warm glow to the trees above me and a few blossoms in the window boxes. As I carefully spread my damp laundry out on the line, a feeling came to me - that surreal feeling of "Is this real life or am I in a dream?" (Hanging out the laundry below window boxes in Italy is the sort of thing you see in movies, not do in real life) - Yet in the midst of my ponder, I smiled. "This is a dream and I'm living it!" God loves to give good gifts to His children. We see this truth in all the beautiful and good things God put in the Garden of Eden (Gen 2:9) and all throughout the stories of the Bible and of course in the best gift of all, His Son. He doesn't just give mediocre gifts, He gives good gifts (Matt. 7:11, James 1:17).  

...give thanks to the Lord for His unfailing love and His wonderful deeds for men, for He satisfies the thirsty and fills the hungry with good things.                 ~Psalm 107:9

Why then, when He gives so abundantly do we question??? My dream has taken me to places, experiences and relationships with people I may never have expected, but the joy of living out this dream called life, is ABUNDANT. 

For those who don't know, for some time now, I have been in a long distance relationship with Kyle Thompson. In following my heart and going through Providentially opened doors, I find myself serving as a teacher of English and Bible in Florence, Italy while also being as involved as possible with Kyle's work with the Harding University study abroad program in Florence. This is where I often stop in awe and marvel at the path God has placed me on. As if working as a traveling speech therapist wasn't enough!?! 

I am daily blessed by learning to love and be loved by a man whose heart seeks to be used by the Spirit. I am challenged weekly by conversations with individuals who come for an hour a week to sit and talk about the stories and teachings of the Bible, many for the first time. I have the joy of getting to learn a new language and culture! I get to be in a place and with people where explorations and adventures abound. The conveniences that we covet in American life seem so unimportant and I am refreshed by appreciation for the simple joys of enjoying a breath of fresh air while taking time to hang the laundry out to dry. 

Please don't get me wrong, my life is no where near perfect, and there have been and will continue to be many challenges in this journey. But what if it were all just a matter of perspective? What if we approached each day with expectation for the ways that God fulfills His promises and pours out His love in our lives? What if we lived each day as if we were living out the dream we've always wanted, not in dread of what might happen, but with joyful contentment for what He is doing.