This time, every year...

...2 things happen:

1 - I roll my age another year older

2 - elections are held

This year is a presidential election - it's very special! I'm blessed to work near home (and thus near my polling place), but also in an environment where we're strongly encouraged to do our civic duty and take advantage of the privilege we have in choosing our leaders. Indeed, when I laid my work out before my boss on the 4th, asking for help prioritizing, with "VOTING" on my list of to-dos for the day, he moved voting to the very top.

We made history that day, some of us voting for the first black man on the ballot, some of us voting for the first woman (by proxy) on the ballot. Hopefully America is getting beyond petty discrimination. Time will tell.

I was definitely suffering from election fatigue, however. Living near DC, national news is local news, so Obama/McCain banter is all I've been hearing for the past...um...well, you get the idea.

A friend said to me on the 4th "It'll all be over tomorrow." I responded "I sure hope so - I hope we don't have a repeat of 2000... I'm already open to the guys flipping a coin as it is...that would push me over the edge."

Of course I was being facetious about the candidates flipping a coin - no way would I say that in reality. But I was SO ready for this election season to be over - that's the truth!

You can almost smell politics around here. It just seems to waft up the Potomac from the City. Yesterday, you could tell that, either way, there were going to be a large group of people who would be very dissapointed, because there were lots of folks who were putting their hope in a man.

That's the biggest heartbreaker of this election, even more than I've seen in past years. People are looking around at growing threats of terrorism, an incredibly long war with no end in sight, and an economic crisis that's crippling many of us - and not just us, but others around the world. The world is scary. We want change. We want hope.

Stephan was up late last night doing homework. When he finally crawled into bed around midnight he whispered the verdict to me. "Obama won."

I wasn't either happy or sad. I wasn't enamored with either candidate. I didn't feel I could put stock in either Obama's message of change or McCain's energetic determination. They are both men. The world is scary to me too. I want change and hope as much as anyone else in this nation. I want someone to protect me from the trouble that could be coming. But I'm not going to find any of those things in men.

So where can we look? Scripture tells us:

"God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear though the earth gives way...The nations rage, the kingdoms totter; he utters his voice, the earth melts. The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress...Come, behold the works of the Lord... He makes wars cease to the end of the earth; he breaks the bow and shatters the spear; he burns the chariots with fire." (from Psalm 46)

This passage is so clear that God is over all the earth - the nations of the world rage and fight and fall, but it's God's voice that could melt the earth and all on it with a single utterance. He is sovereign over any war humans are fighting.

And for the Christian, he is our fortress, our very present help in trouble.

This passage ends with a thrilling declaration from God himself, giving us our marching orders for times of trouble:

"Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!" The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress." (from Psalm 46)

This is the hope of my heart as we transition into new leadership. No matter who we put on America's (figurative) throne, God has already decided that one day, he will be exalted throughout the earth. We're to be still - or trust him - until that day. This doesn't mean do nothing (we still vote knowing we're pleasing God, for example). But our ultimate hope is not in those votes. It's in the Lord. We're to confess and believe that he is God.

I was cleaning up my home earlier and had music playing. One of the songs was the old hymn Crown Him with Many Crowns. The closing verse struck me today as we put a (again, figurative) king on America's throne. It was hope-giving. The last phrases go as follows:

Crown Him with many crowns
As thrones before him fall;
Crown him, ye kings, with many crowns
for he is King of all.

One day the thrones of the earth are going to fall, and all those leaders will acknowledge God's over-arching reign. Let me interrupt myself here to clarify that I'm not preaching doom against America's government - nor do I think scripture is. One of my prayers this election season was that God would continue to have mercy on and sustain our nation, despite our horrendous rebellion against him, in order that we'd would have longer to repent and turn to him. That is still my prayer. I don't want to see America fall. But it would be short-sighted to think we can put our hope in our government. God is our only hope, for, as Psalm 47:8 tells us plainly, "God reigns over the nations; God sits on his holy throne."

Congratulations to President elect Obama! I'm thrilled to have a black president!! I'm also excited to give you the respect and support your office deserves. However, I do still confess with Proverbs 21:1: "The king's heart is a stream of water in the hand of the Lord, He turns it wherever He will."

Happy Birthday...

...to ME!

Friday I will officially enter my late 20s.

Friday brings the big 2-6!

Friday I'll arguably be a grown up.

Friday I'll have been married for 4.5 years - WAY longer than I'd planned before having kids...

But, by God's ENORMOUS grace, I wasn't bemoaning the fact I'd wanted to be a mom by 23. I've been so outrageously blessed over these past 3, different-than-I'd-desired years. I can't say I want those trials back, but now, after I've see the fruit borne from them, I wouldn't trade them.

Indeed, Sunday, when Stephan announced we were celebrating my birthday that night, I was celebrating!

Stephan had some homework to finish before we could paint the town red, so he dropped me at our local Borders to have my quiet time and read while he did 'one last thing'. While he was out I saw a coworker and her new husband (hurray!) shopping for a cookbook. It was lovely seeing them while I waited.

When Stephan returned he had his quiet time too and after a couple hours of work for him and reading for me, we were in the car heading out for dinner. He didn't tell me where we were going, but as we drove along my suspicions narrowed until they eventually pin-pointed in the parking garage outside my favorite Spanish tapa bar, Jaleo!

"Before we go in," Stephan said, reaching into the back seat, "...your gift!"

Inside the gift bag was a bottle of my favorite face scrub (which was the 'one last thing' Stephan had run out to get) and a red shirt. This is a special red shirt - it's from Gap's (RED) line, the products they sell and donate proceeds to AIDS research and relief in Africa. The red shirts have different words across the front, and where the letters R-E-D appear, they add the parens and Voila! you have INSPI(RED) and CULTU(RED) and now, on my shirt, TREASU(RED). I saw this shirt in the store and loved it - but remembered commenting to Stephan that "THAT is not a shirt you buy for yourself..." It had to be bought by someone who, well, treasures you!

'Nuff said. I was pretty moved. If ever I wondered how Stephan felt about me, it was printed across the front of my shirt - treasured.

After reading a very sweet card (written on one of the Thank You notes we used after our wedding!) we headed into the restaurant!

We ordered 6 tapas and Sangria, and as we nibbled Stephan had some meaningful encouragement for me. I was pretty taken aback and very edified. The food was wonderful, as usual at Jaleo. The company was phenomenal, as was to be expected with Stephan. Then there was another surprise.

Stephan pulled a piece of paper out of his pocket and handed it to our waiter.

"It's my wife's birthday," he explained. "She recieved this in her email."

The waiter smirked and nodded, then slipped away, assuring us he'd 'take care of it.'

Moments later the hostess popped over to our table and, after confirming it was indeed my birthday, presented me with a small vial of Spanish saffron. THAT'S a present that blows free dessert or a drink out of the water. I'll definitely be back at Jaleo next year.

Stephan lead really well in conversation through dinner. It was so pleasant to just sit down and have him available for chatter. School is bearing down on him and those times are less and less frequent in this season. His sacrifice of time was probably the most meaninful of his gifts.

On the way home he asked if I'd like to rent Prince Caspian to watch together. After affirming that I would, we swung by Blockbuster only to learn it wasn't released on video yet. So instead, Stephan asked if I'd be blessed by him giving me an hour of his time to help me clean up the house. I emphatically said it would, being as our home had gotten a little messy and I knew it would take a large chunk of time the next day to normalize the place. With Stephan's help, it was done in half the time and I could get on to non-urgent tasks I'd been putting off. I was EXTREMELY grateful!

The last present of the day was getting to bed on time! Try as we might, this doesn't happen too regularly in our home. It was wonderful.

Stephan, you're an incredibly thoughtful and sacrificial husband. Whenever I reflect on it, I can see how, in every way, you are the perfect match created for me by God. Thanks for making 26 so special. Thanks for treasuring me. Even if children never come for us, you're more to me than 10 sons. Love you buckets!