Episode 11 – What did you expect? Let’s talk.

Welcome to Marriage Mixed with Spencer and Shirley.

Marriage Mixed is a resource that opens the door on interracial marriage.

We share real experiences from our interracial marriage, and let me tell you, it has not been easy, but it is rewarding.

We talk about our differences, what has worked for us, and what is still difficult.

We also share our views on important topics like food, from a white guy's perspective, and from a Haitian girl's perspective.

What is our goal?

Our goal is to reach people, like you, who may be struggling in an interracial marriage, and, through the sharing of our own story, prove to you that you are not alone.

The battle for your marriage is real, and thankfully, you have reinforcements.

Our hope is that by using this resource, you will grow in love and grace for your spouse, and ultimately find hope, help, and healing for your marriage.

Sometimes it will be tense, and other times you will be laughing with us as we discover new things about each other.

Thank you for joining us and enjoy this episode of Marriage Mixed.

Hello, everyone, welcome to Marriage Mixed with Shirley and Spencer.

We were in the doozy.

In the doozy?

I don't know how you use the word doozy properly.

I'm not.

Hopefully, we have a bomb episode for you guys because we have been through it, trying to start recording this episode.

And even if it's not bomb, hopefully the Lord uses it because we, it was a struggle to get to this point.

Yes.

Started off with our toddler, like fake crying kind of for like 15 minutes until she realized she needs to use the bathroom.

And she actually did in the middle of the night.

Then when we were gonna start the episode, we were having some technical difficulties.

Yeah, with the mic.

Microphones making an obnoxious chainsaw noise.

Jackhammer.

It's just, hopefully you guys won't be able to hear it and not be able to isolate it out of the audio, but it was very frustrating.

We tried to start almost an hour ago, and we're still here.

Well, we mentioned starting an hour ago, but yeah, this took a while.

What's the lesson in that?

The battle is not against flesh and blood, but against principalities and rulers of the dark world.

It's never this difficult to like pick up my phone and watch YouTube.

That's pretty easy.

There's no obstacles to that.

That's what the enemy wants you to do.

He wants you to numb out or feed yourself that stuff.

Yeah, it's pretty interesting.

There's a battle for your marriage.

The enemy hates marriages and families.

It's really, really true.

Your spouse is not the enemy.

The enemy is the enemy.

That's true, too.

It's a good reminder.

It's so easy to make you out to be the enemy when I'm upset or going through hard times.

It's the easiest thing in the world.

So tonight, we're going to start with something I heard on Gary Chapman's podcast, and I read in his Love Languages Devotional, which I own.

I think I read, yeah, he probably talked about it in there.

He basically, well, this is more of an expanded version he had on his podcast.

He was talking about how, like, just the expectations of getting married, like, with his wife, like one of them is a morning person and one of them is a night person.

And he had all these expectations of what would happen.

Yeah, I think he was a morning person and she's the night person, the night owl.

And he had, like, expectations of, like, I don't remember exactly.

But it reminded me of me, Spencer and I, because I am more of a morning person and he's more of a night owl.

And it just reminded me of, like, the anger, I guess, that we felt towards each other.

You felt anger towards me?

I know I felt it, but did you feel anger towards me?

I mean, I do.

I have.

But I think I probably was more reminded of your anger towards me, maybe.

But yeah, like, because you are a night owl, I'm a morning person, so I will get mad at you for not waking up, like, in a weekend or whatever you always would sleep in.

And like, I'm awake at, like, early in the morning, and I'm dreaming of all this stuff, like, oh, we can go to the beach, or we can do this, we can do that, like, all of these.

This, that, and the other, and Spencer's just sleeping away.

And then on the flip side, you're mad at me, because I always fall asleep really easily at night.

Like, it's 9 p.m.

when we're watching something, I'm falling asleep.

I'm asleep.

What else?

Yeah, that's probably the biggest thing.

I can definitely relate to Gary Chapman in that.

I think he had gone through a few examples.

I don't remember his examples, but I know mine.

Just expecting to, like, have deep conversations after the kids go to bed and check in with each other, watch movies together.

For example, like growing up, my parents would lock the door as soon as we all went to bed and watch movies together.

You could always hear their television going.

They'd have different shows they'd watch or movies, and it's how they primarily connected every day.

Are they both the same type of person?

Like, are they both night owls?

No, your mom's...

No, my mom's early.

My dad is probably more of the night owl.

She gets up, like she has insomnia, so she'll get up sometimes, but she's probably more of an early bird than anything.

But they both enjoy movies.

So, that's what I expected, that all the serious conversation and relational connection would happen after the kids are in bed.

And I was very surprised.

Even before we had kids, I was surprised that around 8.30 or 9, you were done.

You would be mad at me.

I was devastated to be precise, and I was angry.

And I would be mad at you too in the mornings.

Like, wake up, boy.

You would be.

But I guess neither of them are bad.

It's not bad to be more of a morning person or more of a night person.

That's nice to hear, like, your dreams of, like, just you using the word dreams that you expected.

You know, we could do this or we could do that.

Like, you're dreaming while I'm literally dreaming.

Ha ha ha.

Yeah, I mean, I still think that, like, the morning, I have, like, all this potential for the day.

Like, all these things in my head.

Hmm.

Maybe we could make space for every now and again, we can plan to get up early because I can do it.

It's just not something that I would ever naturally want to do unless there's something like that has to be done early.

But I can get up early.

I feel like I had more content about this closer to when I had first listened to that podcast, but more content is limited.

That's okay.

I'm probably wondering at this point why we haven't done a couple question when for every episode we've done one.

Well, I want to stay on this topic a little longer.

No, you can keep going.

I didn't mean we had to change.

I guess as a couple, you just have to figure out how to make both things work, I guess.

And also like one thing I probably had to learn is like just like, you know, sleep is a blessing because I would or do get mad if Spencer's like napping in the daytime or he won't get up in the morning.

But, you know, sleep is a good thing.

On that note, were you mad when I fell asleep this weekend?

I think I have a different perspective on it now.

Now you can't overdo it, but I think I have a different perspective because like, you know, sleep is restorative and it's good for you.

So so I was thinking, you know, that I like, I don't know, that's a blessing or I'm honoring you or something like that, that you get to sleep like right now.

Hmm.

It's nice.

The nap this weekend definitely felt good.

So it was nice that you gave me space to do that.

I was out.

Yep.

Sometimes on Sundays, everyone in the house is sleeping but the mom, aka me.

Do you think there's any, not merit, but any truth that there might be cultural norms to night owls or early risers, or is it just independent of culture?

It probably doesn't matter.

I think probably, at least from the outside looking in, I feel like the majority of Haitian culture is probably morning and that they go to bed as a rule early.

That's what I think.

I don't know.

I don't know if you can isolate a culture.

I know one of my cousins is a night person.

I know one of my close friends is a night person.

So you probably can't isolate a culture.

It's probably individual.

Hmm.

Yeah.

I mean, for my own culture, I or ethnicity or whatever you want to call it, I can't think of any norms that we follow.

Really?

The other topic that we wanted to cover is the missing couple question for today, which is actually multiple questions that we're just going to ask each other.

But feel free to take those questions and ask your own spouse as we kind of interview each other.

The reason I wanted to do this, well, one, I just felt it that it might kind of felt it on my heart to do it.

But I just know that Shirley and I are in a very kind of tumultuous part of our lives with a lot of changes and transition on the horizon.

And it just seemed like a good spot to stop and check in with each other and see like where we're at kind of zoomed in but also zoomed out for like the immediate where we're at, but then also just on the timeline of our lives where we find ourselves so that we can kind of connect on that.

So no further adieu at this stage of your life, Shirley.

They're not that serious.

Without further ado, at this stage of your life.

I don't know how to talk about a podcast.

At this stage of your life, pause.

It's not like you asked me what's my favorite ice cream flavor.

What's one thing that occupies most of your time these days, honey?

If you had to say one thing that occupies the majority of your time, what would it be to your initial response?

I guess all the house stuff.

House stuff and taking care is mostly what I do.

House stuff and taking care.

So what's a quick run through of house stuff, like laundry, dishes, groceries, diapers?

Yeah, laundry, dishes, making food, cleaning up food.

How did I leave that out?

Yeah, that stuff, cooking, cleaning, cleaning the kitchen, cooking the food, prepping the food.

I guess grocery shopping is a little less because it's not like every day, but I spent a long time in the kitchen, doing the dishes just like dishes never end.

Did the dishwasher twice today.

Like today, I made breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Don't you do that every day?

Well, like made on the stovetop, breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Some days, it's like prepackaged or something.

Yeah, some days, it's like, I mean, I guess lunch wasn't that serious because it was just boiled potatoes, but that's still was the thing I made on the stovetop, but that's still a pot that you have to wash.

Taking care of the kids, cleaning their faces after they eat, in their hands, bring them to the bathroom, changing diapers, sweeping.

Man, this floor gets dirty so often.

It's crazy.

So it's not necessarily one thing, but like just sounds like chores, like sustaining the family.

Yeah.

That's very others focused.

I mean, you have to do it.

I guess if they didn't stay home, then I would spend way less time doing that stuff because I wouldn't have to like make their food or clean up the areas as often.

Like I wouldn't have to clean up the table and their bibs and all of that stuff.

Yeah.

How about you?

You work.

Um...

I mean, working is the easy answer.

Just going to work, trying to bring home an income to support the family, which is a pretty frustrating experience right now.

Not where I want to be with that.

Um, in some ways.

Um...

Yeah.

That takes most of my time.

Next up would be, like, just making sure that you're okay and have what you need.

Also, like, mentally?

Yeah, like, I want to make sure I'm supporting you, because I know that, like, you have a really big job that takes a ton of energy, and you're exhausted.

I'm not the best at it, but, like, making sure that I'm helping you.

And then spending time with the girls is a big priority for me.

Like, when I get home, I want to make sure that I spend some quality time with them.

So I guess I answered multiple things.

That's nice.

I'm sure they'll appreciate the time you spent with them when they grew up.

I hope so.

What is...

What's one thing that you would change at this time if you could?

So it could be a chore, it could be...

It could be anything.

You know, time you wake up or go to sleep or the food you eat.

Maybe those are too broad, but what's one thing that you would change if you could?

Just make it go away or add something in?

I don't know.

Well, I cannot answer, but I don't know if I would change.

I have one for you.

Diapers.

Oh, yeah.

And bathroom duty, if you could just snap your fingers and make it go away.

Yeah, I really don't like the poops.

They make me poopy booties.

What were you going to say?

Oh, like I didn't know if I was going to answer with that.

But yeah, I definitely don't like that.

I don't think I realize how big of a part of motherhood it is.

So I do appreciate your help like on the weekends when you help with our older child in the bathroom.

Or even when you're home.

Yeah, because I do that a lot.

A lot.

Yes, you do.

Yeah, so I was already off duty for tonight, and then our child decided to wake up and need to use it.

And it's just like, I'm off duty.

Yeah, it reminded me of what life will be like when we have a newborn, which we are expecting baby number three, which we never said on the podcast yet.

So it was just like, in the near future, we'll be up or just on duty hours of the day.

It's not going to be like 9 p.m.

and we're done with the children.

It's going to be like around the clock.

Yeah, at least we know so much more now, though.

Okay, honestly, I mean, I'm sure it'll be hard to have three, but at least it's not like, why is the baby still screaming?

Like, oh, no, we know the baby needs food, the baby needs sleep.

Yeah, we do know a lot, but I think we'll still be tired.

Yeah, we'll still be tired.

And that affects so much.

And they take up so much of your, like, time and energy.

Like, just feeding a little baby takes up so much time.

And right now, I already feel so busy with, like, two kids.

That's like, how do you throw in a third kid to the mix?

Like that you have to, like, sit down and feed several times a day while still doing everything else.

And when I say several times a day, like, many, many, many, many times a day.

And you're tired because you didn't get consecutive sleep.

Right now, you're making all the people who are pre-child shiver in their boots.

I don't know.

I feel like you don't really completely understand it until you actually go through it.

Because, like, you're told that you're tired.

You're tired when you have a baby, but you don't really realize how exhausted you are when you wake up every two hours for, like, months.

It's not like, oh, you did an all-nighter and you recover in a week.

It's like you get interrupted sleep every single night for weeks and months.

And you still have to show up and keep going and take care of other kids, too, once you have more than one.

Yeah.

I think for me, like, knowing that it ends, excuse me, depending on the kid, it'll end sooner or later.

And that helps me to know that, like, okay, the stage will end.

When I first had our first, like, our first child, I had no idea when it would end, if it would end, if we'd ever get control and get sleep.

And everything was overwhelming and terrible.

So I, like, now I know it's like, all right, I'm gonna straight up suffer for months.

But honestly, I take comfort in that, knowing that those months will pass and I will move into a different stage of life.

It's because you're like a big brain, long term person that you just, like you see the moment and you're like, this is never gonna end.

Hmm.

But here's a plug for the book that we read that someone recommended to us after we had our first child called The Natural Baby Sleep Solution.

It's a really good book by Polly Moore.

I would call it a really good book.

It's a good book.

It teaches you.

It has one good fact that's strung out over like a hundred pages, not written that well, in my opinion.

It literally helped us so much.

How could you not say it's good?

You agreed in it, like we both quit reading it like two thirds of the way through.

No, I read the whole thing.

You don't want to be quitting on books.

You are so wrong.

That's the falsest statement.

You just need to wash your mouth out with soap in front of the audience because that was a lie.

You do stop reading books.

Do you read books?

When I read them, I usually finish.

I heard the last book you read was Dr.

Seuss.

Anyway, I do think it starts slow, especially if you're suffering from lack of sleep, but I do think it has really good information.

And it just talks about the science of baby sleep and just the science of sleep, and it has just really good information.

It does talk about the cry it out method, which is really controversial, but that's not the only thing it talks about.

It literally is just really helpful to just learn signs for when babies are sleepy.

So if you're expecting a baby or if you have a newborn or whatever, just know that even if they slept already, they are probably tired.

Like the younger they are, the more often they're tired.

Like when they're newborn, they're basically ready to sleep like every 90 minutes, something like that is what the book says.

And then like as they get older, it's like I think 90 minutes cycles or I don't remember.

Yeah, so just being able to read their sleep signs.

Because I know when I was a new mom, I was like, you're not tired.

You just you just slept.

But they actually they sleep for the majority of the day.

So just being able to pinpoint those signs is good.

Don't miss the 90 minutes.

That's what I meant when I said the book has like one fact.

And then the rest, you know, it doesn't feel as essential to me.

But the 90 minutes like kids really do seem to get groggy when they're young around every 90 minutes.

So if you like literally set a timer when they wake up, 85 minutes or 90 minutes, they're probably going to be tired around that time.

And if you look for the signs, you'll see it.

And basically what I didn't know when I was raising a newborn was that they cry when they're tired.

So you just have to push through the cry and they'll scream like they hate you as you try and rock them to sleep, at least depending on their personality.

But there you can trust and know they're actually tired.

And if you keep at it, they'll fall asleep.

So that gave me hope and it worked.

Yeah.

We had a, like our first was like, you could probably call her a colicky baby where she just screamed and screamed and screamed.

I don't think you can call her a colicky.

I mean, I think she's high spirited.

It's her personality.

So it was weird to be, have a child screaming, bursting her eardrums, but she's also at the point of sleep.

That was interesting.

I don't know if you want to ask me the question.

I don't remember the question.

I'm trying not to read your questions because you didn't want me to pre-see them.

What's one thing you would change at this stage?

What is one thing you would change at this stage, Spencer?

I felt like you would change a lot of things.

But what do you...

I mean, just immediately, like, not having any financial stress.

That would be...

I mean, it would just trickle down and change almost everything.

Reduce married stress, reduce my own stress so I can be more present, allow us to do more things, be easier to take dates, be easier to be generous.

I mean, there's just a whole list of things that I feel like it would help with.

So that would be the biggest thing.

Mm-mm.

Is there more to that?

Do you think you would actually be at peace if you had more, less financial stress, or is that just, like, the facade?

No, I think it would really help.

I think before when I was making more, there were some things that I hadn't learned yet.

Not that I've, now I'm, like, learned everything.

There's always more to learn, but I think I have my priorities straight now because before I was putting work first and getting a good income, but you guys were suffering.

And now I've flipped.

You guys are first.

Work is getting second.

You better be.

But work is, you know, it's just a real struggle right now.

So I think if I was able to make more, just be in a better financial situation and also have the same priorities, I can't see how it would be bad.

I think it would just be better.

Yeah, I think it will be better.

God is certainly teaching us something in this season.

Yeah, he's been specifically breaking me down, taking away all my power.

Those who have been listening for a while picked up that I do calisthenics and exercise and stuff, and he stripped that away recently.

I had an injury that just leveled me out.

It can do hardly anything.

Then he took away my voice multiple times.

I couldn't even speak.

Not able to sell, not able to work.

So pretty dramatic ways of stripping away everything that Spencer relies on.

We've had issues and arguments and struggles, and I depend on that a lot, to stay steady.

So he's really just showing me how weak I am.

Show us our need for him.

Yeah, which is a blessing, because that's our true position, whether we're wealthy or not, that we desperately need him.

I think one thing I've been dealing with right now in my life is needing to use the bathroom all the time, because I'm pregnant, needing to pee all the time, which I was thinking of that as a potential answer to one of the previous questions about what I would take away or something like that.

But then I was like, why would I?

I think one thing I kind of think of is, you know, it reminds me of my need, you know, this silly need to use the bathroom all the time, which is so frustrating to me.

It just reminds me of my need.

It reminds me to my need.

He's kind of teaching us the same thing.

All right, next up.

This is a more lighthearted one.

What is something that you really enjoy right now?

This one takes some extra thought based on your very strange facial expressions.

I don't know.

I think from the outside looking in that you really enjoy cute little kids.

Why do you say that?

Like you like fawn over our youngest so much, and seems to really or like teaching, enjoy teaching our oldest, seeing her make progress and read and write and stuff.

I don't know if I completely enjoy that stuff because it gets super frustrating sometimes.

Like today, I was tracing with her, and she was tracing a Z backwards.

She started the Z, the first part of it, backwards, and I told her to stop, that she has to start from the top.

And then she kept going and did the whole thing backwards.

And I was frustrated, and I made her stop tracing.

And we came back to it later.

She got punished.

Well, not punished, but I told her we were stopping because she didn't listen.

So it gets frustrating sometimes.

Another day, we were doing some preschool whatever stuff.

And I don't know, because she was hungry or something, but she was being a jitterbug or something.

And we only did one page, and she wanted to do more.

And I was like, that's it.

But it is cool to see her get so good, so good at it, and get to identify letters in her name.

And I don't know, just the progress that she's making and stuff is cool.

How about cooking desserts?

You say you enjoy that?

Yeah, somewhat.

I like eating desserts, kind of, but sometimes they don't hit the spot like I want them to.

Do you?

Mm-mm.

Yeah.

What was the question?

What's something that you really enjoy right now?

What's something you really enjoy right now?

Enjoy...

I think it's really fun, like, when I'm playing with both the girls, like, tonight when they were both, like, climbing on me and stuff.

Or enjoy when they're both, like, really happy interacting with me.

It feels good to, like, be their dad and be able to make them happy or silly.

They both want to get flung around by me.

Mm-hmm.

Definitely enjoy that.

Then after that, I would say just, like, free enjoyment for myself would be, like, doing calisthenics.

Just physical stuff feels really good.

Like, when I was working out at the calisthenics park this weekend, I kind of got teary-eyed just thinking, like, when I was injured and not able to do anything and how good it felt to be doing this stuff.

Rub's arm.

So I was grateful for that and God healing me.

Just thinking, like, because I was, like, frustrated with some stuff, like, I really want to be able to do this or that.

It's like, actually, I'm just super grateful I can do any of this without pain.

Like, this is great.

So that felt good, combined with all, like, the weak episodes I've been having, too.

It's like, this is pretty cool.

That's another thing that God's been doing.

Completely losing all my power in a flash.

That's a whole different thing.

But I do think our youngest is a cutie, and she won't be a baby for her.

She won't have that, like, baby preciousness for much longer, because once you have another baby, your youngest seems so old.

But right now, she can speak some, like, a word, but can't speak that much, and she's just, like, she's a cutie.

Both of them are cute.

Our oldest is very beautiful, even with her teary face today.

Tonight, she looks pretty.

She is pretty.

She reminds me of you.

Um, I don't know how much time we have for all these other questions.

Why don't you just say them all, and I can just answer whichever I feel like.

Uh, is anything different than you imagined it would be?

Is anything better than you imagined it would be?

And then there's a bonus question.

Which is?

Uh, what's, what is the best part, or what is your favorite part of an interracial marriage?

I don't know.

I don't, I don't quite imagine stuff, so those questions are the best for me.

What is my favorite part of interracial marriage?

I think you're cute.

You're handsome.

I got a handsome husband.

That's nice.

So your favorite part is my flesh.

I mean, that would, that would check the interracial box, because the stuff on the inside doesn't have a skin tone.

Mm-hmm.

But like, the culture is different.

Like, who I, you know, who I am.

Mm-hmm, it is different.

I definitely like how you look.

I like your features.

I think you're very pretty.

I like your dark skin and your hair.

I like that you have natural hair.

Thanks, honey.

You might confuse some white people by saying natural hair.

So for my white fellows and sisters, natural hair in black culture, they'll often perm their hair, which if your hair is already curly and you're getting a perm, it's actually to straighten it.

So if you're not around a lot of black people, you can thank me, I guess.

You don't have to thank me, but now you know.

A perm in black culture means straightening their hair.

And they do a bunch of different stuff to get it straight.

That's not particularly good for it.

And ultimately makes them look more white.

Well, they'll do a bunch of stuff.

It's just a perm, but people don't really do perms that much anymore.

Something like a chemical perm, though?

Yeah, it is with chemicals.

Yeah.

And isn't it with heat as well?

No.

You just slap a perm in your head and rinse it out, and your hair is straight.

It's like a solution.

Goopy, sticky, wet?

It comes in a box.

It's like a white thing, and you mix in this liquid, mix it with a stick, you apply it to your hair, you leave it in for a certain amount of time, you wash it out, and then after you wash it out, it's straight.

But it's not really popular nowadays.

What you probably see more often nowadays is weave, which is real hair or synthetic hair that is sewn in or twisted in to the person's hair.

Or a wig.

Wigs are easier to spot for me anyway than weave.

But natural hair is typically like afro hair, or sometimes it can be dreads or twists or twist outs, or there's a bunch of different things you can do with it, but it has a very distinctive look once you're familiar with black hair that I really appreciate and surely used to wear weave.

But when she learned that I liked natural hair, she has only done natural hair for the majority of our marriage, and I really appreciate that.

I mean, I went natural before I met you.

You still wore weave every now and again.

Uh-huh.

But I did go natural before I met you.

But yeah, you don't like, you don't like weave.

No.

So I don't really wear it.

Um, yeah, but...

Weave is very prickly.

Plus it's really expensive.

I would do it myself too.

Yeah, and it takes a long time.

The last time I probably did weave myself was probably when we only had one kid.

Natural hair is much softer and nicer in my opinion.

What was more like really going on in tangerine hair?

What are we even talking about?

What our favorite part of being in interracial marriages.

I really appreciate the cultural aspects.

Like you naturally, I mean everybody is different, but Haitian culture is very giving as a whole.

And you're very good at giving and thinking about great gifts.

I really appreciate that about you and your culture.

I like the food that you guys make.

I like the community aspect where you guys are more tight knit and look out for each other, help each other.

That's really cool.

Your families all come together, stay around each other.

It's pretty cool.

There's some differences in my culture.

I like that they write down recipes.

Because in Haitian culture, it's like word of mouth.

And like you have to figure out a recipe.

But at least for white people, like they write down the recipe.

And, you know, you can actually follow it along.

But, you know, I can't hate on Haitian people too much because like a lot of them maybe don't read or write very well and stuff like that.

So that's why it's not written.

Do you have a quick Shirley's Fun Fact for us?

I, not really.

If you want to get more juice out of a lemon that you're squeezing, you can roll it on the counter first before you cut it in half.

Did you know that?

You didn't know that?

No, I just realized that's what's happening to us.

What?

If we're the lemon and we've already been juiced or about to be, we're getting smashed and rolled.

Before we're juiced.

Yeah.

And what's going to come out of us?

Is it going to be sour?

Okay, maybe the analogy isn't great, but.

And mix it with some God and it will be sweet.

Or you can also microwave it.

For a little bit.

Actually, it is a good analogy because we are pretty sour without God.

But when you add or when I guess he's we're the additive, though.

He's the main show.

He's the water.

Hmm.

That was a cool thing I heard today on the radio.

Dr.

Tony Evans talking about how dependent we are, basically.

Like he goes on these.

I don't know how to explain it.

Just word and now they're like stories and stuff.

He's like, you know, you think you can go to the grocery store and buy everything you need, but everything you need in the grocery store had to get grown somewhere, basically, and it got grown because God made it grow.

God made the rainfall.

No rain, no food.

God's the one making that happen.

You know, like, are you want to drink milk from the grocery store?

That cow had to eat the grass.

The grass had to come from somewhere.

And God's the one who made the grass grow so that the cow can make the nutrients that you're drinking, you know?

Like, this goes to real basic, like, you can't do anything without God.

And it's like a good reminder.

Somebody said, God's the water.

It's like, water is necessary for all life.

And yet, nobody knows, like, where water came from, how it got here.

All water is recycled and definitely on earth.

There's not new water.

It's all old water.

God put the water here.

We are totally defending.

We need God.

It's just as much when we don't feel like it as when we do.

Like, we desperately need him every single day.

Thank you, God, for showing us that.

I don't like getting smashed on the counter and rolled around, but I pray that you are, like, juicing us, that you're getting more out of us than we could get on our own power.

And I pray that we would be used to bless others and fulfill your mission for us and for our family.