Snowflakes dust the deck
Welcome to Africa, love
Summer is winter
*(In)Courage challenge to soar and create beauty: Write a haiku. Head over there and join in on the fun!
summer
Rubbish
“Imagine taking a walk in a beautiful forest on a splendid summer’s day. The earth is ablaze with the fire of God and the sights, sounds and smells are enough to make you want to take your shoes off before the burning bush. But if your mind and heart are hopelessly torn, and if, for example, you are painfully infatuated with someone who has just rejected you, you will see virtually nothing on this walk-not just of beauty and creation, but nothing at all. You are inside yourself, torn by your pain, endlessly reviewing past and future conversations, possibilities, and fantasies. For all you are actually seeing, hearing, or smelling of beauty and nature, you could just as profitably be walking in a parking lot or a rubbish dump. You are locked in an inner world whose obsessive reality absorbs all your awareness.”
ht: Pete
Shooting Stars
“Do everything without complaining or arguing, 15so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe 16as you hold out the word of life…” Philippians 2:14-16
Lately, I crave summer: swim suits, laying on the beach, driving with the music blaring and the windows down, fluffy happy books, shorts and tank tops, flip flops, going out on the lake, meteor showers, star gazing, looking at the moon, sitting on the deck or dock, and happy summer music. In response to my craving, I’ve decided that my room is now summer. Basically, I wear shorts and a tank top. Pretend the heater and the sleeping bag are just for fun and look at the happy summer pictures while listening to happy music. My heart is extra happy so all of this fits.
Alright, so by now you may be wondering how the verse above fits into all this talk about summer. Well then, let me tell you a little bit about today. Today the weather was warm, sunny and perfect. I wore flip flops, ate delicious pancakes with mixed berries (I love and miss fresh berries like strawberries and blueberries!), walked around outside and read Gone With the Wind. But the best part consisted of later at night when the stars came out. Tentative plans to watch a movie were thwarted by other events, which turned into new plans to star gaze by the pond. To be prepared, I outfitted myself with my sleeping bag, two pairs of pants (one with stars on them of course), lots of layers, a hat, mittens and even socks (I hate socks, but thanks mom for sending me some…though I really don’t need more…I really hate them!).
Needless to say, God blew me away with His creation. Everything made me smile and soak in the beautiful night. The moon hid away until the right time when we saw its amazing orangish color and sat astounded at its huge size. The shooting stars took my breath away and I got sad whenever someone else saw one, but I missed it. The random conversation took the edge off the rest of the day. And I’m still pondering which names fit the category of a “cuddly” name. Yet, through all of this, I return my thoughts to God to thank Him for a wonderful ending to another day. To ask Him to help me show that kind of beauty and light to everyone around me. To live out the call to shine like stars and take people’s breath away. To glorify His name and live a life full of love in such a way that others see Him.
Because that’s when my heart is happy.
Brrrr
Cold weather in Africa? What? Yep. I even saw frost on the ground when I ran this morning. Not to mention the ridiculous winds. I felt like the wind almost blew me over a few times. Can I have summer back?
Miss You
“I miss you. I thought of you on your birthday. November 15, 1985. I thought of you again with the snowy roads and the car accidents and the anniversary of your car accident coming up. I like the earlier memories better. Memories of chocolate malts, going bowling every day in the summer, biking all around town, babysitting, making a business out of selling green mints, chatting about boys, bffs, writing notes, sleepovers, camping out on the trampoline, making a trampoline dance to “My Father’s House,” going to Indiana for tennis camp, painting dozens of little houses, and just being with you. I wish you were here so that I could share life with you. I miss you.”
p.s. To all of you who are here, please drive safe with the slippery roads and pretty snow.
Love it!
I am loving the weather today 🙂 I’ve spent the morning reading and laying out on my deck enjoying the sunshine. Heavenly. Summer finally seems like it might be here. I’m not holding my breath, but here’s to hoping.
Favorite Place
Thanks to my roomie’s friend (who happens to be her sister’s fiance’s sister–do you get that?? heh) we get to take care of this lovely outdoor bench/loveseat for the summer. I’m stoked. Now we just have to find lots of other deck furniture like a table so that we can entertain! I have been able to sit and eat breakfast on the deck for the last two mornings thanks to this little chair. I love it! Perfect place to eat cereal and read the Bible 🙂 I’m really hoping this will help me improve in my consistency in reading the Bible (aww yeah and thus begins the performance review references). Either way, I’m happy to have a spot to sit outside!
Planet Earth
I am loving on God’s creation lately. Saturday night consisted of an amazing night filled with leftovers, brownies, banana bread (minus the middle…special baking by a certain boy), “Planet Earth”, friends, Target, and seat warmers. We watched the Ocean and Desert episodes of Planet Earth. The filming blew me away and I’m still in awe. Now I just want to travel all over! Who wants to come!? Then, at church, the sermon started out with a comparison of the Sun and the Earth. Incredible numbers and visuals. I am astounded at how many earths would fit inside the sun–I’d tell you the exact numbers, but they’re too big for me to remember. Go wikipedia them 🙂 Anyway, creation has so many neat things and I love it! Probably why I love running, walking, hiking, biking, waterskiing, stargazing, meteor showers, sunsets, sunrises, and all those other outdoor activities. Now if only the cold temperatures would go hide so that summer can come right in!
Inside Out Forehand…Here I come!
I went to the last Gopher basketball game of the season tonight. The game started out with some exciting 3-point shots and really made me miss competitive sports. Oddly enough, I’m older than most of the people on the team–except for the few seniors. Though, definitely shorter! I definitely got that twinge of “this is the last game of some of their college careers…” feeling. Oh, the joys of endings and beginnings.
I am SO ready for spring and summer so that I can play outside. From running to tennis to golf to rollerblading to kayaking to everything else, I can’t wait! Especially after trudging through snow this morning in heels at 7am to bring out the garbage. Not fun at all. Such is life. Sometimes we have to suck it up and trudge through the snow and hard times to get to the feeling of “amazingness” that comes from hitting that inside out forehand or the 3-pointer to win the game.
b'ahava 