Sappy story of the day

One of my friends messaged me to tell me that she's won a resort stay in Bali worth $10,000. 

I was one of the first persons that she thought of cos she started winning prizes after a conversation with me about a year back (and that time she rubbed her shoulders against me....sounds strange, I know! :P) 

Initially I felt a little jealous..and wished that I was the one who won the contest...

And then I think she tried to console me by saying "I'm sure you'll strike the jackpot again..."

I thought about it and replied that I already have....

The Keeper..

My biggest and most wonderful gift from God. :)

who's childish now..?

"It's so childish to unfriend people on facebook if they don't want to attend your wedding!"

*slight pause*

"Unfriend them a little later- after the party and show them what they missed out! And that you had a great time without them!"

Made me burst out laughing at the irony of it...but the person was serious...

but......if a friend doesn't think that my wedding is worth coming for even if they are in the same (very small) country.....maybe they don't really want to be friends......

The tale of two pendants

Last year I sorta realized something...that I was never truly happy with presents that people give me...even though some people might say "it's the thought that counts.." I couldn't reconcile that....and my primary love language is gifts (people whose love language is gifts are supposed to be happy when they receive gifts..!!) Somehow there seemed to be a leak in my love tank and that some of the love would seep out and I would never be satisfied...

For my 24th birthday, my best friend gave me a very pretty diamond and rose gold cross pendant and necklace...she was really excited about it and could hardly contain her excitement and couldn't wait for me to open the present and put it on.

At that time I was rather tanned and the color of the rose gold pendant just melted into my skin and it was also a tad short...it looked gorgeous on my friend though..she's slim and fair (exactly like what I wished to be actually! Even now..) and I was really upset.. with the gift and with my friend..cos it was unflattering on me and highlighted the things that I wanted to be but wasn't.....we ended up going back to the shop to purchase a longer necklace which was two inches longer but cost a hundred dollars more (which I was sorta jumping up and down at how expensive it was..) and I tried to rectify the situation by telling my friend how much I loved the design of the pendant (I do..) and how the straight vertical line represents God's truth and the curvy diamond horizontal line represents God's grace and mercy. But I think I must have traumatized my friend a fair bit cos she never did get me another gift like that and would usually just get me vouchers..

Ironically now a decade later, the cross pendent is one of my favourite pieces of jewelry and I love it so much that I even chose my wedding ring to match it...

This year for my birthday, I received a pendent from another friend...she's a few years older and works in church and I know that she loves me a lot from the way she answers my phone calls.,.when she realizes that it's me, her voice changes to a cooing and delighted tone..she's the friend who has really helped me a lot in my journey to wholeness and provided a lot of godly counsel and I'm really grateful to her...and the present....she put a lot of thought into it and said that she had considered a few items...books (too heavy for migration), food (eaten quickly and forgotten), cash (spent and easily forgotten too)..and finally decided to get a pendent with a pearl in the middle surrounded by diamonds and white gold. 

I was really touched when I received it.

She asked me if I liked it and gave me the option of changing it for something else. 

I told her that I did like it and that I will wear it and think of her often.

To be truly honest, it's not a design that I would have choosen for myself and I was surprised that I had refused the offer to change it...and I really did appreciate the gift very much...

And to my greatest joy, I think this means that God has finally sealed the leak in my love tank!! Now I can receive gifts without being worried about being disappointed and reply sincerely: "it's the thought that counts.."

Your goodness and mercy overtakes me...

Once in a while you get a gift so extravagant that you don't quite know how to react... 

That was how I felt when a friend whom I had met only for three times whatsapped me late one late and said that she and her husband would like to bless me and my husband with a stay at Capella hotel..

When I thanked her, she told me that "there's no need" as both her husband and her had felt prompted by God to bless us...

some long winded background: (sorry, I don't think I can stop being rambly..! :P)

A couple months ago, one of my dearest friends whom I love like a younger sister told me that she would be transiting into Singapore as part of her honeymoon and would like to meet the friends who are here...I knew that their budget's rather tight and asked her where she would be staying..I thought that I'd ask around and see if I can further help her cut her expenses and see if any friend could host her and her husband...I was very excited when I found a couple who graciously agreed and told my friend the good news..to my surprise, she didn't seem to share my joy..and demurred that they would prefer to stay in a hotel as it's the first night of their honeymoon and was Valentine's day to boot.. I deliberated over the matter and after discussion with the Keeper, decided to bless my friend and her husband with a hotel room stay...we chose a 5 star hotel which is in a very central location and had lots of attractions and eating places nearby.

My friend was rather overwhelmed when I told her..and couldn't stop thanking me...

I'm usually quite happy to bless people with gifts and presents and was feeling a bit puzzled why I didn't feel as light hearted this time...and was even bemoaning a bit..."I don't even bear to book a hotel for my own husband when he's in Singapore...how I wish a friend would do something similar for me too!!!"

I sorta worked out that it's because I felt that I have given out of my own resources and not from God's riches 

...that I didn't feel like the beloved daughter of a God who is immensely good and generous and owns every single molecule in the universe and has promised to see to my every need and more...

Now...back to Capella Hotel...out of the hundreds of hotels in Singapore...I was really really shocked that my friend had chosen Capella 'cos yes, it is an extremely beautiful and exclusive 6 star hotel and....actually... I had gone for lunch there with the scumbag ex-boyfriend..it was for some restaurant week promotion and I had brought him there and paid for the meal...it wasn't an especially bad or wonderful date but just one of the memories that I have with the guy...

And God is blessing me through friends with a stay there...and this time, I'll be going as a very happily married woman with my husband who tells me regularly how much of a blessing I am to him...

God, thank you for answering my prayers AND indeed restoring the years that the locusts have stolen AND redeeming even my memories. 

Indeed your goodness and mercy overtakes me..thank you thank you thank you. :))

RSVP

actually I do not like going for wedding dinners and reckon that they are usually rather boring and costly affairs.....

two years ago, I had friends getting married almost every month and the expense over a year was the equivalent of a month's salary which I thought was quite painful..... :P

so I came up with some guidelines..that when a friend invites me for their wedding dinner.. the criteria is:

"Have we met up more than 3 times in the past year?"

If not, then most probably I should decline...though I think I am the sort of person who finds it easier to say yes.. :/

and of course, this is barring friends who are overseas or friends from 'childhood' days....

the criteria that I gave to my younger sister when she asked me whom she should invite for her wedding dinner was "Do you want to see them at your funeral?"

Hmm.

I've invited almost half of the friends on my facebook list and was surprised and extremely touched at some who said yes and some who said no... I guess the best reasons to decline would be travelling in a different country for training or work....the most filmsy one so far was "I would have to work that day".. (I was thinking maybe he's going through some financial difficulties..)

Well, there is a reason why an invite is given months in advance so that you can try to tweak your work schedule....so says the person who finds it hard to hear a 'no'...

but actually that's preferable to a maybe or non-response...at least some closure.. hmm.

God, you are our most important guest; thank you for attending and please bless all the guests who will be there as well!! Amen!