Treasures

The unpacking is happening. Also, I accepted a job. Starting January 21st, I will be a Data Programmer/ Analyst for a company located in Tacoma. Slowly and slowly, I'm beginning to see the start of "normal life" falling into place.

Note the oddly positioned sleeping puppy.

When we put everything into storage a year ago, I put aside one box of keepsakes and treasures to take with me. I knew I wouldn't need these things while I was in Illinois, but I brought them anyway because there's always the chance the storage place could have burned down. And- I feel justified now in this fear because a storage place in the town next to ours did burn down, so it literally could have been ours.

This box has our wedding album, letters that James wrote me during various times he's been away, and different things that he has made for me over the years. He's actually a pretty crafty guy, and I love how it balances out with the infantry manliness. Besides the letters, this Bible might be my most treasured possession.

Let me give you the back story to this Bible. When we were still dating, James and I decided to go "on a break" to pray about our relationship and try to figure out if being together is what God wanted (not just what we wanted). Coincidently, it lined up with the start of Lent. We're not Catholic, so we don't normally observe Lent but it seemed like a good timeline so we decided to give each other up. Kind of silly, I know. But it was just for us.

We still hung out to a degree, but it was still hard. We still saw each other every day at track practice and we had all the same friends. But we weren't a couple. At the end of lent, we decided to go rock climbing and then get dinner afterwards (at McDonalds- we were poor college students). I was completely ready to get back together and I was convinced that we were.

Then James pulled out this Bible with a cover that he had made me. He had cut up all those little leaf pieces by hand. It was beautiful. And then he told me that he needed some more time alone with God. He had just discovered "The Message" translation and really liked it, so he got me a copy of it too. I just remembering saying in my head "God, I really hope I marry this man." You know how people describe that moment when they just knew? Before that night, I knew I liked him a lot. This was the moment that I knew I loved him. (Oh and yes.. we obviously did end up getting back together later!)

Sorry to be super-mushy but I wanted you to understand why this Bible means so much to me and why I nearly had a heart attack when I realized that there was a tearing noise coming from underneath the bed in our bedroom and that the puppy had my Bible.

Luckily, the cover isn't damaged. The Bible itself is hardly damaged at all, except for 17 pages ripped out of the end of Leviticus and the beginning of Numbers. I still cried. I had that box of treasures beside my bed and the puppy actually sneaked in there and took the Bible out of the box. When I saw the box open, I expected the worst. Maybe some of James's letters. I think maybe that thought upset me more than the actual damage. I was so upset that when James put his hand on my back to try to console me, he told me I was sweating and shaky. 

I have no idea why she thought the Bible would taste good. Now that I'm calmed down, I'm really thankful. Of all the places of the Bible, 17 pages in an area I honestly don't read that much (especially when I normally use a different Bible anyway) is okay. I can even replace the Bible if I need to, and put James's cover on a new one. And maybe just store this one (in a safer place) and remember it was the first one James gave me and the one that our puppy tried to eat. 

What are some things that would give you a near heart attack if your puppy or a fire got to it? Has anything like this ever happened to you? 

<3 Amy