Longing Fulfilled or I Am Hooked

I am hooked

The feeling of closure ...it is like adding that final ingredient to a complicated recipe. It is the satisfying "click” when a plethora of different devices close properly. It is pressing the last puzzle piece into place in a 2,000-piece puzzle. It is snapping into place the finishing block into a difficult (12+ years) LEGO creation. It is holding a diploma in-hand following years of education. 

A peace dove we recently spotted, probably released at a wedding

Our satisfying closures, on the looming cusp of COVID-19 and during, include bucket list trips to the Grand Canyon and New York City (dreams-come-true), career fulfillment after a half decade of trying years, and family relationships reconnecting after 25.long.years. Also, after 38 years of persistent prayer, one specific and earnest answer was ideally fulfilled, with a beautiful Midwest wedding on August 1, 2020. The COVID-19 pandemic has had its downs, but I will not forget its ups.

On a different note, we will feel relief and joy when the virus is eradicated. It will, one day, come. Pandemics come and go. The 1918 Spanish Flu passed, and this, too, shall pass. For now, we are in the thick of it. Sadly, people are still dying, alone. The stories are heart-wrenching. Social distancing and mask-wearing help to keep others safer (and, FYI, the mask-wearer is safer, too). During our recent air flights and activities associated with an out-of-state trip, masks hopefully kept us and others healthy (time will tell). Masks are a bit of a nuisance, but so is wearing a seat-belt, and heeled shoes, and women's undergarments!

Our dreams-come-true are actually answers to many, many prayers. After years of making time to meet with God, I am hooked. Like a breath of fresh air, I see God in the little details and everywhere. So many families are experiencing school children home and daily life changed by COVID. It might be difficult for them to see there is time to actually get to know God. It happens by intentionally practicing the art of regular prayer and Bible reading time... no need to be regimented; small beginnings are better than nothing. Satisfying "snaps" and “clicks” can be fulfilled. And, while we're at it, pray for November's upcoming elections, as well.

Disney's thriving business is based on films with the idea: Dreams do come true. The Bible has promises, too: Believe for miracles. 

Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life

(Proverbs 13:12, NIV)

And, check it out. The Bible's John 3:16 really is true

You see an un-retouched, most unusual, jaw-dropping and double-take 7-30-2020 Tulsa skyline

I see a visual, of hope, for wedding days with an undeserved but prayed-for COVID protection line drawn