Dee Aspin

California native. Four immigrant grandparents, kitchen comforts, work-ethic, broken English...proud American citizens. Two brothers who loved American sports and weekend games on TV.

 

My parents split and stale religion led through disillusionment to life and purpose. At 17 I discovered divine love through a personal relationship with Jesus Christ and my life compass, the Bible.

 

Hiking and hosteling from our majestic Sierra’s to New Zealand and Europe fed my sense of adventure. Short-term missions in Australia, Japan, NZ and Mexico enriched my career and stability I found as a hospital RN.

 

Two decades volunteering in singles groups, Bible studies, prayer ministries and the Juvenile Justice Chaplaincy built faith and community, fueled purpose and filled the lonely times. I experienced the hope and joy music brings both to juveniles behind locked doors, children in Sunday school and adults circled around campfires with Jasmine, my acoustic guitar.

 

Gifted with the title of Aunt in my thirties, my journey of joy continues with loving, generous nephews. They eclipsed the pain of being childless. Through one born with Cystic Fibrosis, our family witnessed God’s grace and miracle—the strength of the human will to live, and the paradigm shift of dying to living, through organ donation and a double-lung transplant.

 

Dating and waiting is grating, even with faith. Friends to hang with, pray with and talk with to try to make sense of the crazy, to soothe the heartbreak of break-up's, excitement of a new potential... to bring balance - priceless!

 

Morning dog walks prompted by a happy yellow Lab, Sammy, and snarky mini-schnauzers inspired dog ten years of devotions. dogSpirations . A life joy was seeing them walk down the aisle  donned in bow ties at our wedding.

 

Engraved in my mind, the wise words of Grandma Elizabeth, though long passed. They continued to encourage me as I navigated the dream of a life-mate and I still share them.

 

• You can’t make it happen and you can’t keep it from happening.

• The only thing worse than waiting is wishing you had. 

• Life is like marriage… it’s up and it’s down.

• Act natural, be yourself. And, if he likes you that way...he can take you that way.

 

Single or married, I would not exchange the highs and lows of either part of my life. I love my husband, my iron man, who sharpens me like iron sharpens iron, sparks and all.

 

And, I love the memories and friendships forged for a lifetime, as a single. A young Olympian skier described his buddies well. “They know how to sort me out, calm me down and help me focus.”

 

Life continually creates the opportunities to stretch our hearts, doesn’t it? To enlarge our capacity to trust God with new challenges each season. To lean on Him alone, daily receiving His divine love for going power and staying power. Corrie ten Boom, a Holocaust survivor coined a wonderful acronym for FAITH—a Fantastic Adventure In Trusting Him.

 

I couldn’t do life without Jesus.