Here I am again. Sitting in bed thinking of something to tell you.
There are many cultural differences outside our newly formed family. Many of the people around us think and act the way they do because that's the way the culture and society has formed them to be. So naturally the people around us had many conceptions or outlooks on or about the outsider. Many even created scenarios about why we would even think of getting married to one another. To many it seemed ridiculous that either one of us would choose to marry someone from a different culture.
The subject of racism has always made me gag. I grew up around it. Sadly enough. But after moving to Guatemala, I excitedly thought that I had finally escaped this narrow-mindedness. And I had, temporarily. Then came the move to Mexico. Sadly I was welcomed into a country where many people think the complete opposite of the people I knew from the U.S.
In the beginning, no one said anything. Not a word. Not until marriage in the air.
Why does racism exist? It serves no purpose. It benefits neither party. It's pointless.
If you don't understand something, why mock it or make jokes about it?
Well here we go again. My hubby, God and I, proving you all wrong again. We're making it. With HIM in the middle of our everything.
Our decisions.
Our sadness.
Our joy.
Our prayer.
Us.
We are nothing without Him and refuse to try.
So just because statistics say we'll fail. Just because the world fails without Him. Doesn't mean we will.
Monday, July 20, 2009
Thursday, July 16, 2009
God Shows Up The World
Here we go - blog number two.
I've been bouncing ideas around in my head about what I should write. Should I write about us before marriage, after marriage, or maybe us from the beginning?
But I think that there's something that stands out to both of us, something that we will always remember and they are the people's reactions when we "announced" that we were getting married. I remember being so excited but not sure about how some people would react.
We were happily shocked when people were unexpectedly happy for us! But we were greatly hurt by the unexpected criticism and the questioning of "why?"
After the engagement, I took a trip North with my parents so they could visit family and friends. On this trip I, personally, was "counciled" by so many people who thought that they had the right to give their opinion. If it's possible to be beaten with words, I was definately stoned.
Supposedly these opinions and questions were out of love and were thrown at me like rocks, only for my well being. Maybe these people thought they could guide me just like when parents punish or scold their children - they do it out of love. But in my case, it was and still is hard to believe that all of the comments came from love.
Knowing how most family members and even some friends might react, I was prepared to answer their many, hurtful questions. But then people I didn't even know, people who were only acquaintances to me, thought they had the right to guide me through life without even knowing me. Some were almost quizzing me on why I thought I was old enough, wise enough or mature enough to be getting married!
Well after months of being ambushed, after months of praying hard and just trusting God, we got married. It wasn't too long ago that we were pronounced husband and wife, but I know for a fact that every negative, supposedly "guiding" word was wrong. I know I made the right decision. I know that I'm doing what God wants me to be doing and he has already blessed me more than I could have ever hoped for. My husband is the most amazing man, even better than the one I had dreamt about as a little girl.
So, that only goes to show that God is in control, [thankfully!] and not the world.
I've been bouncing ideas around in my head about what I should write. Should I write about us before marriage, after marriage, or maybe us from the beginning?
But I think that there's something that stands out to both of us, something that we will always remember and they are the people's reactions when we "announced" that we were getting married. I remember being so excited but not sure about how some people would react.
We were happily shocked when people were unexpectedly happy for us! But we were greatly hurt by the unexpected criticism and the questioning of "why?"
After the engagement, I took a trip North with my parents so they could visit family and friends. On this trip I, personally, was "counciled" by so many people who thought that they had the right to give their opinion. If it's possible to be beaten with words, I was definately stoned.
Supposedly these opinions and questions were out of love and were thrown at me like rocks, only for my well being. Maybe these people thought they could guide me just like when parents punish or scold their children - they do it out of love. But in my case, it was and still is hard to believe that all of the comments came from love.
Knowing how most family members and even some friends might react, I was prepared to answer their many, hurtful questions. But then people I didn't even know, people who were only acquaintances to me, thought they had the right to guide me through life without even knowing me. Some were almost quizzing me on why I thought I was old enough, wise enough or mature enough to be getting married!
Well after months of being ambushed, after months of praying hard and just trusting God, we got married. It wasn't too long ago that we were pronounced husband and wife, but I know for a fact that every negative, supposedly "guiding" word was wrong. I know I made the right decision. I know that I'm doing what God wants me to be doing and he has already blessed me more than I could have ever hoped for. My husband is the most amazing man, even better than the one I had dreamt about as a little girl.
So, that only goes to show that God is in control, [thankfully!] and not the world.
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
Our Name
What is our name all about? Well, it's not a long interesting story about how we came to be chocolate milk makers... (if there is such a thing?)
When my husband and I started dating, we got hand fulls of racial comments (some pertaining to our different skin tones). I have white skin and my husband has very dark brown skin.
We were called the "Oreo couple," "Duvalin," and various other nicknames. Even though most of this came at us in a negative way, my favorite has been "chocolate milk makers!" This meaning that our children would be a mixture of our two skin tones. It was, in my opinion, the least hurtful or judgemental of them all.
So maybe we will take something scrumptious like chocolate and something healthy like milk and make ourselves a little "chocolate milk!"
This is where we'd like to share with our friends and family about what it's really like to a live a multi-cultural life and be apart of a multi-racial family.
When my husband and I started dating, we got hand fulls of racial comments (some pertaining to our different skin tones). I have white skin and my husband has very dark brown skin.
We were called the "Oreo couple," "Duvalin," and various other nicknames. Even though most of this came at us in a negative way, my favorite has been "chocolate milk makers!" This meaning that our children would be a mixture of our two skin tones. It was, in my opinion, the least hurtful or judgemental of them all.
So maybe we will take something scrumptious like chocolate and something healthy like milk and make ourselves a little "chocolate milk!"
This is where we'd like to share with our friends and family about what it's really like to a live a multi-cultural life and be apart of a multi-racial family.
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