Posted by giveawayboy on June 16, 2001 at 00:56:37:
In Reply to: A word of thanks posted by Paula Vaughan on June 15, 2001 at 09:23:53:
: Hi everybody,
: As most of you know last night we dedicated our daughter Roan to God, to the Lord. It's still hard for me to say "Lord" but I'm getting better at it. I've recently re-become, if you will, a Christian. For those of you that know me this may or may not be a surprise to you. The term and the state of being still don't feel like a comfortable shoe, but I understand that this relationship grows each day. I will say that I feel lighter, steadier and more peaceful in my soul. I know that this is the right path for me. However, this path will never diminish my belief that we are all called to God but as human beings, we do not all follow the same path to get there.
: I want to thank all of you I know and perhaps even those of you I haven't met yet. Especially Steve, Cari, Bill, Jen, Stephanie and my beautiful husband, John. All of you have accepted me and my beliefs regardless of whether or not they exactly matched yours. I feel such a sense of kinship and wonder when I'm with you and your families. John had told me for years how special you all are and about your amazing relationships. He was so very right. You are the most creative, kind, sincere, honest, vulnerable, real people I have ever met. I love you all very much and thank you for your love and support.
: The night that Pastor Steve came to bless our home, I stayed up into the night reading the Bible to allay fears and search for hope. The passage that was given to me is Job 4:12-5:27. Steve, Bill and those who know my story, take a few minutes and read this. The parallels are astounding. I was truly called home. This is why I can't look back.
: Thank you all for being who you are. Thank you mostly for my wonderful, beautiful, kind, Grace-given husband, John who waited for me and loved me all the while.
**************
Paula, the shoe is not always comfy. I am struggling in it right now, but knowing you helps me to keep it on. You have always been a beacon to God for me. Funny, even in our apparent disparity of belief (here I am referring to me coming to Boulder, scared to death that my Catholic beliefs would be a turn off to you--only to find out that you were much more fair and spiritually graced than I had previously assumed--please forgive), you became such a strong connection point for me. You still don't know the whole story since I have not found it all out myself. But, suffice it to say that there were moments, night, etc, when I might have abandoned faith rather easily, but instead I hung on because I could see through you the value of serving God. I could see God all over you since the first time we met at John's mothers' house at Christmas time a few years ago, and again, when I visited in Niwot. I just felt like you wanted to have a very sacred life, and this made it possible for me to believe in such a life. Thanks. I sure do love you girl. Oh yeah, and thanks for the chiu-kun.
Bill