The time when three words changed my perspective

{photo by me}

        I have the feeling that my life turns into a whirlwind of moments, problems to be solved, food to be cooked, phones to be made and friends and family who wonder if you're actually ok because you fell off the face of the Earth. I'm not complaining, I'm just looking around for the lessons to be learned and for strength from God. Last week, my car broke. In the middle of the street. Downtown. At rush hour (7am). Smoke coming out of it and the whole drama. I'm not complaining, I just wanted to share with you what I have learned. In those two hours I spent waiting for my hubby to come with a tow truck to get the car, I realized people are not as selfish as I thought they are. Four people stopped to ask if they can help in any way, one lady offered me her umbrella (never seen her before) and a lady from my job, which I've never spoken to, stayed with me so I wouldn't be alone. It was refreshing to see how God uses all kind of people to take care of you. And then, my sister (from England) sent me a text "count your blessings". I cried. In Reading downtown, middle of the street. Since then, when I feel tears coming  in my eyes, I start counting my blessings. It puts everything in another perspective. It makes me realize how helpless I am on my own, and how awesome it is with God on my side. Funny story is that last fall, I made this little card for Thanksgiving. I wholeheartedly agreed with it, but only now I came to understand better the meaning of these three words.

What keeps you smiling when life's not easy?

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Happy Father's Day!

                  We are shaped by people around us, either we realize it or not. One of the people who have a great influence in our lives are our dads. Now, to be honest, I've never had a close relationship with my father untill I got married and I started to understand some of my parents' decisions. Not that he's a terrible dad, but when I was a kid he was always working and when I was 13 they came to USA, hoping that in 6 months my sister and I will be reunited with them (because we were minors). Well, those 6 months became 6 years... But that's not what I want to talk about, I mentioned it to understand why I say my dad and I never had a close relationship. However, in the last 3 years, I've come to recognize his love, in the way he shows it. His hugs are protective, the way his voice fills with affection every time he says "I love you, Vio!", the happiness in his eyes when he looks at his children.  It's a process and I'm still learning to be closer to him, but that doesn't mean I love him less or admire him less. I secretly hope to be as patient as he is, strong and courageous and understanding.  I thank God because I have the chance to bond with my father and to get to know him.

   Happy Father's Day, Daddy!!! I love you!!

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10 things about me..

       This weekend, an old friend from Romania came to visit my sister, and of course I didn't mind an almost 2 hours drive to meet her and her husband. It was a sweet reunion, and the time spent together brought back so many memories. I realized how much I've changed in the past 5 years. In the same time, I thought that noting some things about me here will not only help me in couple of years to see the changes, but also you will get to know a little bit about me.

So, here we go... 10 things about me you didn't know:

- The only time I had long hair was for my wedding. Now I'm trying to let it grow again, but a glimpse of a great short haircut and makes me think twice;

- I make tons of To Do lists and plans, but I suck at keeping schedules (I planned this post for mid- May.  Enough said!)

- my first memory is being in the hospital with meningitis; 

- as a teenager, I said I would never wear skirts/dresses and any shoes with heels (including my wedding. Well, I wore the heels but once the church was over, I switched them with a pair of Chucks - much better!). Now, I'm learning that being feminine is actually a great skill to have it on your life's resume *wink*;

copyright Sandor Balint

- I'm a very shy person, even when I find a great blog it takes courage for me to leave a comment or get in touch with that person (weird, I know!)

- English is my second language. Yes, my dears, I have an accent that I am proud of. However, if you tell me I have an accent, the most likely reply you'll get is "what accent?";

- I love to read, it's just a challenge to find the time to. I'm curently reading Mere Christianity and Screwtape Letters by C. S. Lewis, The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Connan Doyle and the Bible(of course..);

- when I got married, I knew how to make only mashed potatoes... Now I'm pretty confident if I have someone for dinner;

- I would choose to watch Fast and Furious or Die Hard over a romantic movie;

- wearing make-up and getting my hair done are not my best skills, but I'm working on them.

Hope you are happy I shared some of me with you. I hope I didn't scare you away.

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