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Ready or Not . . . PUSH !

/ Marianne Memoirs / 1 Comment

                – Ready or Not . . . PUSH ! –

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Pick a word you’re pretty sure you know what it means but you really don’t. That is, you don’t until you experience it. The word I’m talking about is ‘contraction‘. Yep, I finally was learning what that word REALLY meant.

The morning of March 9, 1987  I, a pregnant nineteen year old, woke up early a bit more uncomfortable than normal. Then, pondering if I should get up . . .

. . . my water broke.

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–  “EEK!”  –

 (1* Click to read what led up to this unforgettable moment) 

The saying ‘Scared silly’ fit’s perfectly right here, knowing my new life as a mother was about to begin.

As soon and my dad left for work, out popped “MOM! QUICK!” as my thoughts took over a mile a minute.

What’s all this going to be like? How long will this take? I can already tell this is not gonna be fun. NO! Not the next contraction already!

My mother, your typical 55 year old driver who normally took backroads to go anywhere, zoomed right along that freeway, by-passing all other cars.

I’m at the hospital now. It’s actually happening. I can’t believe it!

I don’t dare go into detail what took place. Having my older sister right by my side sure helped. I felt she was a ‘pro’ having had her youngest child just a few years before. Contraction after contraction went by. The increasing of the pain and frequency seemed to be far above what I expected.

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Five hours felt like five years, but at the same time felt five minutes. I’ll never forget something I finally told my doctor. “I feel I need that epidural stuff now being I’m so young, and going to be a single mom. I don’t think I’m really mature enough to go through it all. If it’s this painful, and I most likely have hours still to go . . . ”

Please oh please oh please let that be a good enough excuse to TAKE THIS PAIN AWAY! 

For the life of me, I’ll never forget her reply.

“Too late. Time to push.”

To be continued.

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If you want to read the entire story, grab it in book or kindle form through Amazon – You can follow Marianne on Twitter at @marimemoirs and read more on her blogs, mariannesmemoirs.com.

 

 

Ready or Not, Her New Life Soon Begins

/ Marianne Memoirs / 1 Comment

         – Ready or Not, Her New Life Soon Begins –

 

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How was your break from any routine life this last month or so? Have you gotten life all back to normal? A few months back, I took a break from sharing bits and pieces of my book called God and Your Pillow.  With projects, the holidays, visitors, plus more, I wasn’t able to keep up with sharing more about my book. Finally, with things slowing down, I’m now back to sharing more about the trial I went through, hoping to encourage others going though an unplanned pregnancy. But I also want to touch the hearts of all, showing that God is there with His perfect plans at His perfect time.

For those of you who have not read my last posting on this subject, or need a fresh reminder of my last, I’ll have you read it now before going on next week.                     Click  here to read. –  I’ll wait till you’re done.

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Glad you’re back. As you wait till next week when I continue, here is a bit more I want to share.

I grinned big time when something dawned on me during this break. My last story I wrote months ago, the story you just read, shared my last day I needed to only think of me, myself, and I. The first new writing after this long brake explains when my new life began. Perfect timing ! Perfect time to end my old me, and perfect time to start the new me.

Do you ever think how even something simple as that, like the perfect break between my writing, is in God’s hand. I know I didn’t plan that. I’d much rather think of something as simple as that to be in His hand than to just think ‘oh, that’s cool,’ and leave it at that. Are you like that? Do you find that the simplest things that bring you a smile are still a part of God’s plans? Try to remember in all times that God uses all circumstances, sweet and simple or, yes, even tough and terrible, to move His perfect plan forward.

Let’s just try to recognize that whenever you focus on your small or big plan, keep your thoughts focused on the planner. Like it says in Ephesians 1:1 – All things are done according to God’s plan and decision.

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Make sure you catch next week’s writing as my  next posting shows . . . ‘Ready or Not . . . Her New Life Began.’

Marianne Petersen’s book God and Your Pillow is now available. (Amazon) – You can follow Marianne on Twitter at @marimemoirs and read more on her blog, marimemoirs.com.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Two Adults Who Molded My Thoughts

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                     – Two Adults Who Molded My Thoughts – 

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This post, similar to my last, shares another important lesson I learned during my unplanned pregnancy. (1*) But this one is a bit different. I take that back. It’s a lot different. My previous story was about one young boy I was around for a couple months who taught me a few things about me becoming a mother soon. This one is about two adults in my family I’d been around all my life that applied to me becoming a wife someday. Those two people? My parents.

Notice I said “applied to” being married, not an example to being married.

When I was a younger teen, my parents’ relationship wasn’t that positive. Yes, they showed love to me and my siblings, but displaying their love to one another was not so apparent. Having one or more of us kids around helped them find more to talk about than just the weather, what’s for breakfast, or where’s the mail. But, as year after year went by, joy, peace, and love between them was hard to witness.

“I’m sure not going to bring up little pet-peeve issues with the man I someday marry,” I began thinking in my young teen years. “Whoever he will be, him and I will not do any useless complaining or whispering a negative comment just loud enough for the other to hear. No huge arguments or even simple useless bickering back and forth. Nope. I refuse.” 

These thoughts formed before I became a Christian, so after my heart did a 180-degree turn at age eighteen, that thought grew even more each time I felt tension between them. Feeling sorry for them grew as well, knowing my parents did not understand what true peace in a Christ-centered marriage was about. They were a couple who kept God on that back burner, turned off.

Being pregnant, knowing I’d become a parent in just a few months, had me thanking God even more that He kept me from marrying Mr. Wrong, (2*) and having me see the importance of marrying a God-fearing Mr. Right.

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My thoughts about the importance of love between parents and their children, love between a husband and wife, and love between God and the family, were growing. I’m not saying I had everything figured out with my plans ahead as a mom and wife. Far from it. But my thoughts were slowly and surely molding in that direction. He had me start putting a puzzle together of my future by having me witness what was not going well outside and inside my home.

The point of sharing all this, along with last week’s story, is to have us see that we learn some important truths from ordinary day-to-day situations. None of us can foresee what He uses to teach us. He doesn’t reveal the entire path as we step into the unknown, but He slowly strengthens our faith through our experiences. Walking in God’s will is asking Him to show us what He wants us to learn and what He wants for our lives. Our responsibility is simply to obey and seek Him today, knowing that He holds tomorrow.

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Matthew 6:33:  But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things (like a bit more of a peace-filled family) shall be added to you. 

 

 

1* – click here to read my last post

2* – click here to read a bit how the father is not included in my story. 

Marianne Petersen’s book God and Your Pillow is now available. (Amazon) – You can follow Marianne on Twitter at @marimemoirs and read more on her blog, marimemoirs.com.

Three Important Questions – Part 2

/ Marianne Memoirs / 3 Comments

     – Three Important Questions – Part 2

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My last writing started with . . . Have you ever been to a conference? Have you ever spoken at a conference? Have you ever had a deep-down inside question finally answered after a conference? Why do I ask these three questions? Because after this last weekend, I can say ‘yes’ to all three. Let me explain the first two. (1*) 

Time now I explain the third, what that deep-down inside question that was finally answered was. I’m going to have fun, though, and tell you what that question was by having you play that well known TV game show called Jeopardy.

 

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Answer – Yes – As soon as she was done giving her speech at that one conference, she  felt she could.

 Question – Should Marianne, in some near future, try to give more speeches to encourage others?

These last few years, my thoughts have been forming to pass along my book, God and Your Pillow, to community support groups for woman dealing with unplanned pregnancies. Now that my book has been published, connecting my book with different organizations has made it to the top of my list of things I now need to do. As soon as I heard places like these often look for women to share stories like mine, this deep-down question began to form.

“Would I ever feel comfortable sharing my story, hoping to give encouragement, to a room full of women going through their own unplanned pregnancy?”

I now feel my speaking at that one conference a few weeks back was God’s way of answering that question if I could, while also answering my prayers if I should.

I’m not pursuing this only to show others what I’ve done during my pregnancy, or just hope those listening might consider buying my book. Nope, far from it. Instead, I want others to see two things.

1) The Lord is present, holding us during tough times. Proving He was present with me during my soap opera, I hope to get others to think that if they include God on their seemingly long and hard detour in life, He is ready to make His presence clear to them as well.  (2*)

 

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2) Sorry, but it looks like you have to wait until next week.  🙂

 

1* – Click here to read my last post.

2* – Click here to read what I did shortly after I found out I was pregnant.

 

Marianne Petersen’s book God and Your Pillow is now available. (Amazon) – You can follow Marianne on Twitter at @marimemoirs and read more on her blog, marimemoirs.com.