Love Avails: 2013

Thursday, December 26, 2013

Meisner 2013 Highlight Reel

Let's take a quick walk down memory lane, shall we?

In January, we had little Truett, still such a baby, and with a pacifier? Wow, I can't believe it's the same year. Truly amazing.

In February, I remember lighting lanterns with Jonathan. I found out I had MS on Valentine's Day, and it was a hard week. Jonathan took me out to the lake, and we attached our prayers to two paper lanterns, and sent them up into the sky. It was a memory and a half.

In April, we had the best Easter lunch with our new LifeGroup! The kids have all turned into great friends, and so have the adults! We love you guys, and Ava, Ruby, Henry, Koen, Kash, Jack, Graham, and ...Belle. :)

This year, our friends Evan and Candace had a beautiful baby boy, Cam, and I thought he was a girl for a good long while. :) He'll forgive me someday.

By May, Truett learned his animals, colors, shapes, numbers, and letters. He loves to read, and I love being his mom.

In the summer, Jonathan and I went to the Bahamas to celebrate our 6 year wedding anniversary. I'm in love with this man!

Truett and his best friends, Aiden and Koen. This picture is the only one framed in his room. :)

In October, there was Halloween, of course :)

This guy grew up.

What a great year. We thank God for every prayer, every friend, every hug, every laugh, every meal, and every smile. We have the best friends in our lives, and we are so very very blessed!

And please don't fail to watch Truett's Mixtape. You won't be disappointed with his killer 2 year old moves. :)

Friday, December 20, 2013

Small Words

You know what I love? Small words. Lots of them! I love writing them and saying them, and using them to make people laugh. They're so magical really.

You know what I hate? Big words. Mostly because I can't spell them very well, but people think that since I have an English minor, I must be good at words. Well, yes, I kind of am. I like using them sometimes, but not spelling them necessarily.

I also have this thing about big words. If they're too big, I don't like them. You know why? Because they exclude people that don't know them, and I like people to feel a part of the conversation! Sure, I know big words, but you may not hear me use them very often, and it's for a reason. Talk so people understand, and don't make their lives harder. That's my under the radar motto. They already have to google directions, restaurants, and their next haircut style, so don't make them google a word they don't know, right? Doesn't fancy language tend to make in people feel in, and out people feel out? I think so, so let's blur the lines and bit and include everyone, right?

You should know that I'm going to write a book and finish it in 2014. It's my one and only personal goal, so you know it's good. The purpose of the book is to make people feel hopeful and loved and understood. I want them to walk away thinking they are someone special for a million reasons, and that just from reading the pages, we could be friends for life. So here's to small words with really big meanings. I love small words, and I'm getting ready to write lots of them.

My 2 Boys

I sure love my husband and that sweet son of mine. Those boys make life grand. They aren't perfect, but neither am I, thankfully. How exhausting that would be, to be perfect I mean. :)

I love that Truett accidentally squashes peas on the floor when he's done eating, and hops out of his chair without asking to find his favorite dog, Jingle.
I love that Jonathan clicks his teeth together at night and that's how I know he's falling into a deep sleep.
I love that our house is so small. Who knew I'd fall in love with 900 square feet so much? I get to be closer to my favorite people!
I love that I'm a wife and a mom. I just love loving those boys.
I love the laughs and smiles of those men. They are both genuinely happy to see me, and it means the world.
I love that they're both into push-ups. At any given time, those boys are working on their fitness!
I love that they look like each other. Clones, actually, in almost every way.
I love that they know how to laugh. Like hard.
I love how they eat applesauce and cheerios together, even though it's completely nasty.
Boys are so different than girls, but they are so much fun!

Thursday, December 19, 2013

Lately

Ya know, lately, God has been telling me some pretty cool things...when I am paying attention. It's like I should pay attention more often or something. :)

Like today, when I was driving home from a longer commute, he reminded me, "Hey Michelle, I know you think you're busy, and you are, but you're doing all the wrong things. Yes, you're doing really important things, and you'll finish those too, but you are forgetting to love people. Love is the best thing you can spend your life doing. Don't forget that, ok? Just love other people. You may not make awesome things or be the greatest leader that ever lived, or make everyone happy. Those are all good things, but do you know what I think is the greatest? Loving other people, and you're really good at that."

And then later tonight, I was reading Truett two books before bed...one book called Opposites and of course, Are You My Mother, which I have no idea why he loves so much. :) We finished them and he asked to read the Bible. Of course, I wasn't going to say no to that so I flipped through until I found the story about Christmas, and the wise men traveling to meet Jesus. I love this Bible he has by the way, and I think every kid should have one (Jesus Storybook Bible)! It puts stories so simply and beautifully in a way I've never read before. I actually enjoy reading it as an adult just as much or not more than Truett! The last lines of the page, just as the wise men gave the toddler Jesus their gifts said something to the effect of, "...he didn't come to be rich. He was poor. He didn't come to be a powerful boss. He was a servant." And guess what? Tonight, Truett's little kid bible made me cry, because for those 30 seconds as I reread those last words, I felt Jesus hug me long and tight, just like a little kid. I literally was a little kid for 30 seconds in my mind. He said in such plain words to me, "Michelle, be more like that. Be poor, be a servant, and be ok with loving other people like a kid loves. Depend on me and see how life goes." He came to show me how to live, and I'm a fool not to take note of how he did it. He's reaching out, and I'm listening.

God is so real, and he really does talk when we ask questions. He really does care about your day! IF you STOP and ask him questions, he promises to be with you and answer you. Stopping your life to talk is YOUR responsibility, and answering is his. He is faithful. I have never not received an answer to a question that I have asked the Lord. Never, not even once! It might not be the answer I was wanting, or he may have been silent, but his answer was to wait, and that was still abundantly clear.

Lord God, all I need in life is to be known for loving you and loving others. That's really all I need. Help me be more of that. I suck at knowing how to do it, but I'm going to do my best to listen and follow your lead. Can you help me?