Angels in the Outfield

When you step out of your comfort zone and take a risk into the unknown, a range of emotions comes over you: 

excitement, fear, anxiety, happiness, independence, confusion, doubt, peace... 

It's just craziness! Driving toward Florida this February, I had my lovely mother riding with me. Every once in a while I'd tell her how excited I was. Then a couple hours later my stomach was in knots! I was looking forward to a new adventure and a new life as newlyweds, but I had no idea what the next 7 months would hold. 

I've had that new adventure feeling before... Going off to college, leaving to study abroad for 3 months, taking my first job... All life-changing events! I was confident in all those decisions, yet, anxious as to what would come of them. If there's anything I've learned it's to have faith.

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a dare to live fully right where you are.

Have faith that where you are is exactly where God wants you to be at this very moment. Have faith that whether it's a good experience or a bad one, you will learn something and become a better person because of it. Have faith that God is with you in all that you do.

In Ann Voskamp's book, One Thousand Gifts, she makes a point to write down 1,000 of God's perfect gifts within her life. 

God is all around us. But sometimes we get caught up in our emotions and don't take the time to seek him. I started reading her book one year ago. I never finished it (oops... new goal!), but since then I seem to take notice of the craziest, most insignificant beauties in life. 

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For Example:

• Having to step over Beau while trying to cook dinner because he won't leave my side. 
  
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• The sound of the wind through the trees out our open window
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• New tubes of toothpaste 
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• Drops of rain into the creek behind our NY home
  
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• The smell of ground beef cooking on the stove 
  
• (if I become a celebrity, that's what my perfume scent will be. yummy!)
  

With all the random acts of violence in the world, 
I find it hard to see the best in everyday, passer-by kind of people. 
{I have no problem finding beauty in nature, family, close friends, or material things.} 


So begins 

A story of those strangers that make a difference in my life. 
My angels. 

1) Newspaper Clippings: There's a sweet man that works at the B-Mets field, Dan. The very first game of the season was freezing (like below 32 degrees freezing), so there were probably 100 people, including employees, at the game. It was easy to spot me and the other fiancé - what other girls would sit through an entire baseball game in that kind of weather? Dan spotted us and introduced himself. Logan had a good game that night, and a couple weeks later at the next home game he pitched, as I walked into the stadium Dan handed me a cut out newspaper article. It was an article all about Logan's opening day start! I was SO thankful.

He now gives me an article after every single one of Logan's starts - home OR away. If it's printed, he finds it. 

In college I would collect all "LARIAT" clippings that mentioned Logan and kept them in a box to eventually make a scrapbook. I finished the book the night before he was drafted by the Mets and used it as a "Congratulations" gift. Since he moves so much now, all the articles I read are online. At some point I'd like to print those out, but it is so special to have articles from the local paper to add to the book. I think it will be an incredible keepsake to look back on in the years to come. 

What a thoughtful person to take the time to cut out each article mentioning his name. Everyone is so busy these days, time is all it takes to add joy to someone's day/week/life! Especially someone you barely know.

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All we have to do is decide what to do with the time that is given to us.  - J.R.R. Tolkien

-E