Ice Cream Coupons

Coupons are wonderful! Especially coupons for expensive things, like Marble Slab ice cream. :) For those of you not familiar with Marble Slab, let me enlighten you. This wonderful shop serves freshly churned ice cream to which you add a "mix-in" of your choice and then choose from a selection of dipped hand-rolled waffle cones. Tonight I had eggnog ice cream with skor pieces served in a dark chocolate dipped cone. Delicious! The eggnog ice cream was perfectly spiced. My friend had mango ice cream with raspberries in a white chocolate dipped cone. The best part was that I had a buy-one, get one for $1 coupon and the server let us have dipped cones for free! We felt blessed. Yummy ice cream, a bargain and a good chat. :)

I am thankful for more than just yummy ice cream and good friends though. I am amazingly blessed if we just stop there. But no, God had to throw in another gift. You see, I'm very clumsy and rather awkward. I managed to empty my coins onto the floor seconds before spilling the contents of my purse also on the same floor. Then I dripped ice cream on myself repeatedly, crumbled my cone all over myself, and altogether had a very awkward ice cream eating experience. I have managed to eat ice cream properly before, really I have! The cool part was that in all of this, I wasn't embarrassed. I didn't lapse into intense self-doubt or turn bright red. In the past, a night like tonight would have been absolutely traumatic. Somehow I have become okay with who I am. It is okay that I'm clumsy. it is okay that I spill things. It is okay that I stutter and forget my words, sometimes even in midsentence. I know a large part of this is thanks to my wonderful husband who has such lovely self-confidence that he shares with me. I love that he loves me even when I drop things or do something ridiculous. He is so patient with my anxieties. His calm acceptance of me has gone far in helping me love myself. But today was even more. Today I received a gift of God: the gift of loving myself just as I am. I am sure I'll still struggle with this again, but today's ice cream eating disaster is going to be treasured in my heart as proof of God's wonderful healing. This memory will be held next to the one where I dropped my piece of apple pie in front of everyone, including this guy I was starting to build a relationship with. Far from freaking out, he calmly helped me out. He picked up my pie, cleaned up the floor and said something very sweet and reassuring to me. Eventually he married me. :) I am so thankful for both gifts of acceptance. I am loved just as I am. And so are you. :)