Vision of Love

In middle school (or was it late elementary school?), Mariah Carey was one of my favorite singers.  You know, the old school natural Mariah.  The one who sang, "All I Want for Christmas is You" during the holidays and who was the shy girl next door type of rising star singing "Emotions" and "Dreamlover" on late night tv talk shows. 

One of my favorite songs of hers, back in the day, was "Vision of Love".  The video was simple with it's only downfall being that she is petting a cat rather than a puppy but hey, no one's perfect. 

I couldn't help but think of the lyrics to this song as I reflected on all the events from the last couple weeks, specifically while spending time with one of the most sincere men I have had the honor of meeting.  From being a complete gentleman to being up for adventure to rolling with the punches during last minute changes in plans to hanging out with my family, I knew Adam was one special guy and I was blessed.  I sure can't wait for the next visit and am thankful for technology such as Skype and Facebook that help to bridge the distance.

They say good things come to those who wait. 

They say nothing worth having comes easy.

They say distance makes the heart grow fonder (ha!).

They say love can stand the test of time.

Platitudes aside, I strongly believe God teaches us lessons and provides opportunities to grow in virtue (e.g., patience and humility) even if we don't want to be taught.  There is always something to be gained from what we are going through in life even if we don't immediately realize or recognize the lessons. 

In anticipation of the wedding Adam and I attended the other weekend, I got my nails done at a local beauty school.  When I said I wanted a reddish/neutral color to go with my bright red dress I planned to wear, the nail girl brought over a lovely hue of OPI nail polish.  The nail polish was called......wait for it............"Vision of Love".  The toenail polish was supposed to be a bright hot pink color called, "California Raspberry", but it was an old bottle and the polish was too dried up to be used.  That would have been a funny coincidence seeing as Adam is from California. 

Can you see my nail polish?  Hehe.

Ok, so nail polishes matching up with Mariah Carey songs may have been a stretch in terms of Godincidences, even for me.  However, just tonight, as I sealed an envelope in which I had placed a letter signed with, "Strange travel directions are dancing lessons from God", one of my best friends from high school had commented on a recent blog posting sharing that exact same statement.  Yes, indeed, God's plans that may seem like strange travel directions to us at the time, are indeed dancing lessons!  Would I have ever intentionally sought out a gentleman in California while living in North Carolina?  Nope. Would I have envisioned being in a relationship and building something with someone 101 days shy of graduation and destination afterwards unknown??  Heck no.  Money's tighter than ever (thanks to medical & dissertation bills, conference registration fees and travel expenses associated with presenting research, and of course upcoming graduation costs), no job is lined up for next year, and I don't know if I will be babysitting my family for the 7th consecutive summer yet.  I am so glad that circumstances evolved over the last three months the way they did though because I would never have had the chance of meeting this person.  In spite of these unknowns and the uncertainty, I'm going to keep dancing (Cupid Shuffle anyone??) and continue putting it all in God's hands.  I have faith in this vision of love and am savoring the dreams becoming reality part as of late; I also 100% trust in Jesus' timing and know God's plans are so much bigger than I can even try to dream up for my life! 

 I guess what I'm trying to say is I'm so incredibly grateful for what I've been given, thank goodness for second chances (and three minute speeches), & dare I say it.....impossibilities that become possibilities!