I have plenty of hard days as I continue to adjust to life as an oil patch wife. I grew up in an 8am-5pm work schedule household, where I had both parents home after 5 each day and every weekend, since I can remember anyways. TJ works a lot and I am not use to flying solo as often as I do. He is an amazingly dedicated man. He leaves for work around 6:45 every morning and he doesn’t get home until 7, 8, or sometimes 9pm and every now and then he is out until the wee hours in the morning. He works every third weekend so when it’s his weekend to work, it equates to 12 straight days of these hours before he (and I) gets a break (sometimes not quite as late on the weekend). Our lifestyle has been a major adjustment for me and it has really forced me to learn a lot about myself. For example, I never knew how much I would really, really need, and want, my spouse. I NEED him in many ways. I also never knew how much I would come to depend on my friends. I had to learn how to put my pride down and ask for help and accept help when it’s offered. I have learned how to lean on my God more faithfully than I ever have before. Acclimating to my new norm has not been easy for me, as many of my friends can testify. But, however slowly I’m getting there, I do know that I am getting there and I am learning a lot along the way.
Despite a few “down days” here and there, I think I am at a fantastic place in life, really. I believe the Lord knows when we need things the most and at our hungriest, He provides. Like rain in West Texas. As we have been suffering through the worst drought in recent history, we all have been praying and praying for rain. And when the sky fills with dark, promising clouds, we pray even louder and more fervently. Sometimes those clouds just hover. Sometimes, they come and go without so much as a single drop of nourishment for our thirsty land. And when this happens, we all take a deep breath, and we pray again, rest assured in knowing that He will bring it when we need it most. Never before have I been challenged like I have been challenged in the past few years. I have been praying and praying for years, and when I needed it most, He provided. He provided some amazing, beautiful, devout, new friends. He also provided me with an amazing, new appreciation for the friends I have had for many years. I need these women. And I hope I can be for them at least a fraction of what they have been for me. Some of our friendships date back decades (yes, Chelsea, Megan there is an “s” at the end of decade…..are we that old?!) and some have developed just in the last 5 or 6 years and some even more recent. But, regardless of how long they have each been in my life, they have been a tremendous part of my life. Serving in different capacities, each one of these very special ladies has been a vital part of maintaining a healthy attitude in the past few years. I simply can’t express my gratitude for their interest in my well-being. I praise God for the Christian friends He has surrounded me with. I believe that He gives me strength and encouragement through them. He works through each and every one of us! There isn’t a need for me to list everyone and point out special ways you each have touched my life; that list is just too long. You know who you are and I hope that my love and appreciation for you is evident. Thank you, thank you for all you do for me.
He knew I would need more Godly women in my life. And He provided. He provided.
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