tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34662165716047840532024-03-14T09:13:49.772-04:00Soliloquy<p align="right">a series of unspoken reflections...</p>Caithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13819676207718945809noreply@blogger.comBlogger538125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3466216571604784053.post-25487040903174030442021-12-30T20:53:00.000-05:002021-12-30T20:53:29.211-05:00In Between<p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;">I feel so caught in the in between. Christmas is over, but the new year hasn’t started yet. I find myself standing with one foot in and one foot out. I’m not ready to take my tree down, but the Christmas clutter that litters my countertops has me feeling claustrophobic. And as sad as my heart is to see the holiday season come to a close, my head longs for a fresh start, a clean slate. And even still, deep down, a sense of trepidation at what the future could possibly hold. I used to have a plan.</span><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;"> </span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;">And so. These in between days when it’s popcorn for dinner and clothes that linger in the dryer cycle after cycle just begging to be folded each time I get them hot but undoubtedly forget. I think for a moment maybe this is how I should feel all the time. The longing, the waiting, the in between. Maybe expectation starts here. A heart made for heaven should long to go home.</span><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;"> </span></span></p><p><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">When the fanfare ends, when the bells stop ringing and all is still, what fills the quiet voids of my heart?</span></span></p>Caithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13819676207718945809noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3466216571604784053.post-76914026969954673902021-12-21T09:21:00.000-05:002021-12-21T09:21:26.190-05:00Joy<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">If there is joy</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">In butterfly wings</span></div><div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-kerning: none;">In marigold petals<br /></span><span style="font-kerning: none;">The song the bird sings-<br /></span><span style="font-kerning: none;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-kerning: none;">Where is that joy <br /></span><span style="font-kerning: none;">When caterpillar’s cocooned?<br /></span><span style="font-kerning: none;">When the seed is still buried?<br /></span><span style="font-kerning: none;">When the egg seems a tomb?<br /></span><span style="font-kerning: none;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-kerning: none;">And when the night<br /></span><span style="font-kerning: none;">Brings weeping and sorrow?<br /></span><span style="font-kerning: none;">Are we still promised <br /></span><span style="font-kerning: none;">Rejoicing tomorrow?<br /></span><span style="font-kerning: none;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-kerning: none;">Long may he tarry,<br /></span><span style="font-kerning: none;">In darkness we wait<br /></span><span style="font-kerning: none;">But we aren’t forgotten,<br /></span><span style="font-kerning: none;">For God is not late.<br /></span><span style="font-kerning: none;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-kerning: none;">There’s joy in the process,<br /></span><span style="font-kerning: none;">There’s joy by design<br /></span><span style="font-kerning: none;">Because our creator<br /></span><span style="font-kerning: none;">Is gracious and kind.<br /></span><span style="font-kerning: none;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-kerning: none;">Even when joy<br /></span><span style="font-kerning: none;">Feels flimsy at best<br /></span><span style="font-kerning: none;">I take hold of gratitude,<br /></span><span style="font-kerning: none;">It shows me the rest.<br /></span><span style="font-kerning: none;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-kerning: none;">Protection, provision,<br /></span><span style="font-kerning: none;">Strength for today<br /></span><span style="font-kerning: none;">When my footsteps falter,<br /></span><span style="font-kerning: none;">He still leads the way. <br /></span><span style="font-kerning: none;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-kerning: none;">And so I ask <br /></span><span style="font-kerning: none;">For eyes to see<br /></span><span style="font-kerning: none;">And feet to follow<br /></span><span style="font-kerning: none;">Wherever he leads<br /></span><span style="font-kerning: none;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-kerning: none;">When legs grow tired,<br /></span><span style="font-kerning: none;">My blistered feet weary<br /></span><span style="font-kerning: none;">I’ll finish the course<br /></span><span style="font-kerning: none;">And trust he stays near me<br /></span><span style="font-kerning: none;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-kerning: none;">There’s joy in the journey <br /></span><span style="font-kerning: none;">Even when the path’s steep<br /></span><span style="font-kerning: none;">There’s joy in trusting<br /></span><span style="font-kerning: none;">He cares for me</span><br /><br /><span style="font-kerning: none;">There’s joy in the flower<br /></span><span style="font-kerning: none;">Bloom, seed, and bud<br /></span><span style="font-kerning: none;">There’s joy in the growing</span></span></div><div><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">The days in the mud. </span></span></div><div><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-kerning: none;">There’s joy in the waiting,<br /></span><span style="font-kerning: none;">His promise is true<br /></span><span style="font-kerning: none;">There’s joy for tomorrow</span></span></div><div><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">He’s making us new.</span></span></span></div></div><div><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">For further Reading:</span></span></span></div><div><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Psalm 16:11</span></span></span></div><div><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Psalm 30:5</span></span></span></div><div><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Psalm 32:8</span></span></span></div><div><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Hebrews 12:1-3</span></span></span></div><div><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Psalm 145:8</span></span></span></div><div><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Isaiah 42:9</span></span></span></div>
Caithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13819676207718945809noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3466216571604784053.post-81147583028424707412021-12-11T12:14:00.002-05:002021-12-11T12:16:42.998-05:00Peace<div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;">I didn’t realize I was settling. This idea of what peace should look like, what it meant, how it felt. I had reduced it to an absence of anxiety, one often inextricably tied to some fixed outcome that my heart and mind agreed was “good.” It’s the reason I watch Hallmark movies… the predictability, comfort, and ease. I thought peace came from this unshakeable sense that things would all work out the way I wanted them to. And so, in this advent season of waiting and anticipation I found myself doubting and questioning. I know the outcome- we all do, but the road from here and now to then and there suddenly became anything but predictable and I got scared.</span><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;"> </span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;">I made peace too small.</span><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;"> </span></span></div><div><i style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></i></div><div><i style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">“For if, while we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life!”</span></i></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">It was never about a life without fear or confusion. Peace is knowing the war is over. From children of wrath destined for eternal damnation to beloved sons and daughters and co-heirs with Christ! This is peace! Reconciled to God through the precious blood of his Son. So when anxiety’s fiery fingers wrap themselves around my throat and chest in the middle of the night I can rest assured, peace has a name, and his name is Jesus. I don’t know what tomorrow looks like, but I know how eternity goes.</span></span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;">An often quoted line from the Grinch that reads, “What if Christmas...perhaps...means a little bit more!” What if peace isn’t about the years I spend on this earth, what if peace is about eternity instead. The sooner I accept that there was never a guarantee that my days would be easy and my burden light, the sooner I can live into my purpose and calling and the sooner I stop expecting this place to be heaven.</span><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;"> </span></span></div><div><i style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></i></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><i style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;">“I have said these things to you, that in me you may have</i><b style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;"><i> peace</i></b><i style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;">. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”</i></span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;">I think about all these advent themes and the watered down versions I’ve reached for as a cheap substitute. I traded <a href="http://soliloquyspot.blogspot.com/2021/12/hope.html">hope</a> for desire. I replaced peace with calm. Joy was reduced to happiness. And instead of love I willingly settled for warm feelings of fondness or general affection. But God is so much bigger and so much greater than our finite minds can fathom, and he lovingly placed eternity within our hearts. We just have to take the time to reach for it.</span><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;"> </span></span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;">Turns out <a href="https://youtu.be/flA5ndOyZbI">John Lennon was right</a>.</span><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;"> </span></span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">For further reading:</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;">Romans 5:10<br /></span><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;">John 16:33<br /></span><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;">Romans 8:17<br /></span><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;">Ecclesiastes 3:11</span></span><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 12px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 12px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 12px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 12px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 12px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 12px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 12px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 12px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 12px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span></p></div><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 12px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 12px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 12px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 12px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 12px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 12px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 12px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 12px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 12px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 12px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span></p>Caithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13819676207718945809noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3466216571604784053.post-19715313325107906072021-12-03T19:20:00.010-05:002021-12-03T19:29:54.597-05:00Hope<div><span style="font-family: georgia;">It’s the first week of advent so I make my morning coffee and then I try to sit and meditate on “Hope,” but the timing just feels a little cruel. I have always loved this season of waiting, the eager anticipation, but this year it just doesn’t resonate like it usually does. There are songs of Bethlehem and the manager, but even the angel costume from the Christmas pageant has a hole in it. Instead I find myself abiding in the 400 year gap. What does it mean to hope in the midst of so much disappointment?</span></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">There’s a wedding dress hanging in my guest room collecting dust. And there are thousands of private prayers that feel like they went unanswered. Hearts weren’t changed and lungs weren’t healed and tiny flutters in a hopeful mama’s womb never materialized and dogs don’t live forever so I’m sorry but hope feels about as slippery as the bar of soap in the shower and her suds and my tears seem to disappear down the drain just the same. </span></span></div><div><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><i><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></i></span></div><div><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><i><span style="font-family: georgia;">“The people living in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned.”</span></i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">And so. Maybe hope isn’t something solid for our hearts to take hold of, maybe it’s the light that peeks through the cracks the broken things have left behind. So instead of trying to take hold of it maybe we just let it illuminate the path and our hearts while we lean into the darkness, the not knowing, the dreams that never came true and the sorrows that took root in their place instead. In this land of short days and long nights, when all seems lost maybe hope is simply exhaling and saying, “ok.”</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">Because hope was never meant to be the balloon that carried us blissfuly to our hearts desires, but the anchor that holds within the veil. So I stop making it about my hopes and dreams and rest in His faithfulness, believing we serve a good God who is still at work making all things new. At times it is an act of bravery to let our hearts hope, even more so, an act of courage to let our hearts heal. </span></div><div><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">The twinkle lights on my Christmas tree stay lit all day, but you can’t see them gleaming from outside my window until dusk settles. Hope shines a little brighter when all around feels bleak. So I tuck a handful of tissues into my purse before I head into church, and when the hard feelings come- <i>when I remember my affliction and my wandering, the bitterness and the gall… this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope. </i></span></span></div><div><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Our solace in so much darkness is that heaven shines brighter still. </span></span></div><div><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">For further reading:</span></span><br /><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Lamentations 3:19-33</span></span><br /><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Isaiah 9:2</span></span><br /><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Matthew 4:16</span></span><br /><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Hebrews 6:19</span></span></div><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 12px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"></span></span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 12px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"></span></span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 12px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"></span></span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 12px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"></span></span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 13px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><i></i></span></span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 12px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"></span></span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 12px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"></span></span></p>Caithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13819676207718945809noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3466216571604784053.post-52184696764761764012021-11-29T11:17:00.000-05:002021-11-29T11:17:28.827-05:00Unpublished 12/21/15I wake up in the middle of the night. Something stirring me from my sleep, eyes opening: Darkness. In the still quiet I hear the soft, shallow breath of my dog curled up beside me. My heart fills with love and warmth and peace.<br />
<br />
I think back of the sleepless nights of months past, fearful, fretful hours spent pondering and wondering.<br />
<br />
"She laughs without fear of the future..."<br />
<br />
I don't know why it took me so long. To listen, to obey, to rest.<br />
<br />
Peace is a gift, but we can't unwrap until we submit to obedience.Caithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13819676207718945809noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3466216571604784053.post-74851063287068807532021-11-19T17:56:00.010-05:002021-11-19T19:51:53.060-05:00On Broken Faucets (and waiting)<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Things are harder than they have to be. Faucets break and disposals jam, I feel like I’m flying from one task to the next in a hurry to fix one thing before another one breaks, but in the frantic frenzy to pull my toolbox out an entire bottle of ammonia gets knocked over and noxious fumes fill the room as it pools under my dryer. It’s supposed to get easier. Things are supposed to work out for the good and people are supposed to keep their promises and damnit nobody ever said it would be this hard. </span></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 12px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">And so. On hands and knees I sop up the ammonia with the dirty dish towels that have accumulated in my hamper. And then I try to replace the cartridge in the broken faucet and every piece that the nice man on the YouTube video says should “slide right out” is stuck. And it’s my first time and I’m doing all this alone so I open another tab and google “why is my cartridge stuck?” And I’m reassured by Men Who Know More About These Things that I could break it if I try to force it so the best thing to do is douse it in white vinegar and give it time. And that’s only hard when you feel like you’re running out of time or when you think maybe you’ve missed your chance. But they know more than me and I’m absolutely terrified of breaking something else so I let it sit a while as I stew over my big mug of tea. It’s warm and comforting and it feels like a hug, but in this moment I feel so very alone and abandoned. </span></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 12px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">By the time I reach the bottom the soothing liquid’s gone cold. I hold my breath and give the cartridge a gentle nudge and I see her budge ever so slightly and then release. It feels like a reminder from God and the universe to be patient, to not force things, and in that moment I want to flip the whole wide world the bird. Instead I rush to finish fixing the faucet and damn if I get that thing reassembled and my hot water still doesn’t work. </span></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 12px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Refusing to accept defeat I take it all apart again, this time it’s easier, the pieces that are supposed to slide right out do just that and it’s my second time taking it apart so it all feels natural, familiar. And yet- I don’t rush. Slowly, methodically, piece by piece I go all the way back to square one. I take my time, painstakingly cleaning out every nook and cranny. The cartridge is new, but the same sediment that jammed the old one is still lingering in the dark places of the faucet’s heart. Carefully, lovingly I remove the debris. Slowly, methodically I put it back together again. On my knees, I turn the valve and say a silent prayer. I push the handle and water springs out, warm at first and gradually heating as it flows over fingers that reek of ammonia and vinegar. Before I know it it’s even hotter than the tears that stream down my face. </span></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 12px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">I look up at the letter board that sits above the sink and notice the “F” in “Thankful” is crooked and it only irks me for a second before I find it oddly amusing, like it’s given its last “F” too. I can’t help but laugh. </span></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-family: georgia;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7-uM67b2OdhiFvEvLEJ1CAev_LwRjkRbBFI6ZouoD7w4TnY0YBpbaYN2-HgHEUSHhzxgeNwhMfDLA0EbYHfpdietYUcYOIpj0E9xCzRVOiVHG_jBmOLRTtd-wJ19vlX8ib20UmH33I5S6/s2048/f.HEIC" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7-uM67b2OdhiFvEvLEJ1CAev_LwRjkRbBFI6ZouoD7w4TnY0YBpbaYN2-HgHEUSHhzxgeNwhMfDLA0EbYHfpdietYUcYOIpj0E9xCzRVOiVHG_jBmOLRTtd-wJ19vlX8ib20UmH33I5S6/s320/f.HEIC" width="240" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span><p></p>Caithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13819676207718945809noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3466216571604784053.post-24494017354722802902016-10-02T22:57:00.000-04:002016-10-02T23:01:38.226-04:001!<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Crazy to think, one year ago today we made our way through
pouring rain and rising floods to pick up the part of my heart I never knew was
missing.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I could tell you the story of heartbreak, of hard days and
lonely nights, a year of tough decisions, of struggle, of hardship. Aint it just like
a dog? To turn my life upside down. The story of the past year looks so
different now- such sweet mornings and belly laughs, new experiences, a love I
longed for but failed to fathom.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I’ve said it a thousand times: he’s the best gift I’ve ever received. The reality though? So much more. He’s been such a promise of what’s to
come, a down payment, proof of God’s faithfulness, the giver of all good gifts…
Oh to think what else He has in store!</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I can’t end
without a thank you—To my amazing mom, who braved the (literal) storm and made
the trek to Lynchburg with me to pick up my boy. To my sweet aunt (and uncle)
who hosted us on the way home that first night, reassurning and kind, feeding us
pizza and calming my nerves as I stressed about the possibility that he might
pee on their rug (he didn’t!) To Q’s precious foster mom who opened her home
(and her heart) during his transition. To countless friends and family who
encouraged me along the way (and understood when I cancelled plans because I had
left my dog home alone all day and couldn’t justify leaving him again.) Thank
you doesn’t seem like enough, but please know that I am blessed because of you.</span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">“Dogs are not our whole life, but they make our lives whole.”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="background-color: white;">—</span><em style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box;">Roger Caras</em></span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibMIDMn6wNykMPKUgoG8jqt3DyGyLDgxOjIhBZealz15cfubUbpUYe-ui2ssvYAgePdWww_8z48xTQPal1KicXpOO02AjLQ2GQpWU-tIoTC7_0Vyjai8ho8wlbKfxb7QC3srljqzuLlf1P/s1600/1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibMIDMn6wNykMPKUgoG8jqt3DyGyLDgxOjIhBZealz15cfubUbpUYe-ui2ssvYAgePdWww_8z48xTQPal1KicXpOO02AjLQ2GQpWU-tIoTC7_0Vyjai8ho8wlbKfxb7QC3srljqzuLlf1P/s400/1.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGsoxXXCvEoMG6Ot0C8gBD0PGmVkb5pLxv13FjYVFM2gekbkWsQaeIO7YG8PY6fwUU_AYLt054gbD-yuZUWbECoFGFbA4H2ZWm4eOESEIeAZ4wtImbRvbZrEJVSO7qowl4UDeAVBIq62Qe/s1600/2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGsoxXXCvEoMG6Ot0C8gBD0PGmVkb5pLxv13FjYVFM2gekbkWsQaeIO7YG8PY6fwUU_AYLt054gbD-yuZUWbECoFGFbA4H2ZWm4eOESEIeAZ4wtImbRvbZrEJVSO7qowl4UDeAVBIq62Qe/s400/2.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXO7Ui4QaldXbEthsurXSf8G5wzyXCQpBahCo3oagsT7sH4uwKHEKDWvBaoWP1FY8jBs_DYdbq59EvmKEAz96Ub3xbFu-Uv-Tr9OYT8yM6uJiWo_-aDt5xPDeMkuBl9YjAsKpt7rzwHFgj/s1600/3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXO7Ui4QaldXbEthsurXSf8G5wzyXCQpBahCo3oagsT7sH4uwKHEKDWvBaoWP1FY8jBs_DYdbq59EvmKEAz96Ub3xbFu-Uv-Tr9OYT8yM6uJiWo_-aDt5xPDeMkuBl9YjAsKpt7rzwHFgj/s400/3.JPG" width="225" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTX-8R10oOBtWE7nGDAOqL9HS7KBuGJ8U5A4TvV_Ow6qd61THz-8p3Tu4fdeOQCKBh2jWtgWFq3RIXRV15_IbQiJNK_6DhI6ZRoLjfwcVfBOd80ZWplm_4P_KRlmArGnWjple264TpqMzX/s1600/4.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTX-8R10oOBtWE7nGDAOqL9HS7KBuGJ8U5A4TvV_Ow6qd61THz-8p3Tu4fdeOQCKBh2jWtgWFq3RIXRV15_IbQiJNK_6DhI6ZRoLjfwcVfBOd80ZWplm_4P_KRlmArGnWjple264TpqMzX/s400/4.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir9n2YqDoE007L_GEUs7ujPDLZ524IwIdrNlat0O26nFl6g-HeZkCVoiPViloT29HXN7GcvC82ciqHGcHSPGvALVPE-UTONAqR5HGRnXMhdbHMNIh6MHl7L16VMa_O_699FuWHUOm2sWxf/s1600/5.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir9n2YqDoE007L_GEUs7ujPDLZ524IwIdrNlat0O26nFl6g-HeZkCVoiPViloT29HXN7GcvC82ciqHGcHSPGvALVPE-UTONAqR5HGRnXMhdbHMNIh6MHl7L16VMa_O_699FuWHUOm2sWxf/s400/5.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYw29Wt3XnyRDIaD4CTzo_cZYaa8SVheaISTHcvJrrpi2JCynpj2wkeNnnSE4XCGTd5-9g4EvGFmFpKoTcUaxmuy1lBq82m4YxbWQdOl8cNrwQAvIC2UgT-wTi5KspSJ5o4bsxwERkcjgt/s1600/6.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYw29Wt3XnyRDIaD4CTzo_cZYaa8SVheaISTHcvJrrpi2JCynpj2wkeNnnSE4XCGTd5-9g4EvGFmFpKoTcUaxmuy1lBq82m4YxbWQdOl8cNrwQAvIC2UgT-wTi5KspSJ5o4bsxwERkcjgt/s400/6.JPG" width="225" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPF9NfiopCG93GckdJfezrogFLDnEnamfkeDZqvSOksV0fFqBT6NZlURkLohhPygEf_iaq7LceVFxW9Vx5M0w_2cv2DIm01ec1cPWl4cEkFMUCQZCJZ7URqrZyv4ELZ2vJ8Tpjf_Bd8PyW/s1600/7.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPF9NfiopCG93GckdJfezrogFLDnEnamfkeDZqvSOksV0fFqBT6NZlURkLohhPygEf_iaq7LceVFxW9Vx5M0w_2cv2DIm01ec1cPWl4cEkFMUCQZCJZ7URqrZyv4ELZ2vJ8Tpjf_Bd8PyW/s400/7.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfNsYf9WFDBfDcFzVGGFbGKKSX6E-2OPYuZsm0O0H4HNNCiomcpSCioxNqhChSh1YTQBDHhC2xJBZ_emjbnUxrqyIp9MV6NJYCv9PYli6XwvdJtzwQjOTQIpMNlB456x-4JAJOPjiq0_3X/s1600/8.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfNsYf9WFDBfDcFzVGGFbGKKSX6E-2OPYuZsm0O0H4HNNCiomcpSCioxNqhChSh1YTQBDHhC2xJBZ_emjbnUxrqyIp9MV6NJYCv9PYli6XwvdJtzwQjOTQIpMNlB456x-4JAJOPjiq0_3X/s400/8.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
Caithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13819676207718945809noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3466216571604784053.post-31367068249540560742015-12-24T10:22:00.000-05:002015-12-24T17:18:24.110-05:00show me your glory<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">It’s a familiar path, this is home. I feel my body
relax as soon as my feet hit these salt-stained, splintering boards.
They lead me out into the water, closer to the deep. I know these waters; I’ve
splashed in her brackish shallows on sunny days of seasons past. I’ve watched
her rise, angrily battering these same weathered boards, leaving them warped
and twisted, but better for it. Tonight, in the quiet stillness, she reflects
the sinking sun, the daytime sky’s final dramatic act before the nighttime
curtain call. She doubles the beauty that dances above and everything seems
multiplied. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">“Show me your glory!” Moses cried out to Creator God. A
humble man’s bold request in a moment of passion. My plea echoes the same. Just a
girl standing on the edge of the earth, peering up at the almost-night sky,
“Show me, God. Teach me your ways, show me your glory.”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>“I am loving and I am compassionate and I will show you. But
there are things far too wonderful for you to see.”</i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">So God placed Moses in the cleft of a rock, high enough and
close enough to see his goodness, but hidden and protected and from the
things too wonderful. The mighty hand that lovingly reached down to cover him on that hill is the same hand that curled around a mama’s finger in a stable somewhere in
Bethlehem. And when those same hands grew strong and calloused, they climbed a different hill to do the
only thing that would truly accomplish what they had set out to do since the
beginning of time when they gathered dirt in a garden: <b>to make us close to him. </b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">That is the hope and the heart of this season, and the joy of this promise is what sustains us throughout the year. While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Not to be close to us, but so we could be close to him. That is reconciliation, that is forgiveness, that is hope. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I pause to take it all in, living in the cleft of this
mountain is daunting and thrilling and scary, but the view is impossible to
beat. When I’m overwhelmed by the wonder of it all, I can’t help but smile at
the glorious unseen. The things too wonderful…</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Someday.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtWSSn-6UcWZJCT8Z99x7O6RvHIkqyyR15kwPeOuCHDbmGbeS2T3c-fbXSE05Xb5mYDppTF_OttV4pty1HSaSBjrK32UIiXg-fFkAho1kW3F0M8Bk3H5zRAiCKEAVK1wkl-BB3sjgGT0Dk/s1600/IMG_1072.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtWSSn-6UcWZJCT8Z99x7O6RvHIkqyyR15kwPeOuCHDbmGbeS2T3c-fbXSE05Xb5mYDppTF_OttV4pty1HSaSBjrK32UIiXg-fFkAho1kW3F0M8Bk3H5zRAiCKEAVK1wkl-BB3sjgGT0Dk/s640/IMG_1072.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">For further reading:</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Exodus 33:12-23</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Ephesians 2:13</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Romans 5:8</span></div>
<a href="http://www.pinterest.com/pin/create/extension/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.blogger.com%2Fblogger.g%3FblogID%3D3466216571604784053%23editor%2Fsrc%3Ddashboard&media=http%3A%2F%2F2.bp.blogspot.com%2F-8FAm-d5OEq0%2FVnwMYvyZ2fI%2FAAAAAAAADxE%2Fr5KE4wsxnL8%2Fs640%2FIMG_1072.JPG&xm=h&xv=sa1.37.01&xuid=6SvzP8PMJYvq&description=" style="background-color: transparent; background-image: url(data:image/png; border: none; cursor: pointer; display: none; height: 20px; left: 42px; opacity: 0.85; position: absolute; top: 664px; width: 40px; z-index: 8675309;"></a><a href="http://www.pinterest.com/pin/create/extension/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.blogger.com%2Fblogger.g%3FblogID%3D3466216571604784053%23editor%2Fsrc%3Ddashboard&media=http%3A%2F%2F2.bp.blogspot.com%2F-8FAm-d5OEq0%2FVnwMYvyZ2fI%2FAAAAAAAADxE%2Fr5KE4wsxnL8%2Fs640%2FIMG_1072.JPG&xm=h&xv=sa1.37.01&xuid=6SvzP8PMJYvq&description=" style="background-color: transparent; background-image: url(data:image/png; border: none; cursor: pointer; display: none; height: 20px; left: 42px; opacity: 0.85; position: absolute; top: 664px; width: 40px; z-index: 8675309;"></a>Caithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13819676207718945809noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3466216571604784053.post-65252985253886458912015-10-25T17:48:00.001-04:002015-10-25T17:48:44.579-04:00He binds up our wounds<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXGgMzQy-vuQk1NniqLz1Lifu_lREMCd1JxEcx5nGi9HMaWTxSgZqMmr7S6XvtMQEYQ3LmjNaS0hxY9yo4gIOaWy6is5R7ijN3nxj3UOCs_ESjeQZwZaIJtK77sn5adY9jf-YIy6FyrOHg/s1600/FullSizeRender.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXGgMzQy-vuQk1NniqLz1Lifu_lREMCd1JxEcx5nGi9HMaWTxSgZqMmr7S6XvtMQEYQ3LmjNaS0hxY9yo4gIOaWy6is5R7ijN3nxj3UOCs_ESjeQZwZaIJtK77sn5adY9jf-YIy6FyrOHg/s400/FullSizeRender.jpg" width="393" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">By the time I make it to the bottom of my
second cup, the last few sips have gone cold. I'm reading through the framework
of the faith, the pages written by spiritual giants, scrawling out notes as I try
to make sense of it all. </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">But the truth is, I'm distracted. The snoozing
pup beside me, the hum of the washing machine upstairs, a buzzing phone at
arm's reach.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Be still//And know//That I am God.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">But what does that even mean? And who am I to
stand before a holy & righteous God, perfect in wisdom and power, and yet-- mindful of me.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I find Him in the beautiful. The flaming
sunsets and twinkling stars. Changing leaves and roaring oceans. The cooling
air and a blazing fire. I feel the warmth of His presence like the sun on my
skin.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">But the ugly?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I wrestle with the demons of doubt. Nights
clouded with fear. Anxiety that sneaks up like a thief at my door, stealing
joy. </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">There are wounds. Old hurts that ache as the
weather changes. Stiff ankles and creaky knees. "Why haven't you </span><i style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">healed</i><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">
me yet?" I cry out in frustration, bleeding and crying.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">He's tried. Lord knows He's tried.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">But the stitches He used to bind my broken
heart? I tugged them out long ago. The nasty, ugly scab that He forms time
& time again? I pick at it like a child. At my darkest I doubt His
goodness...<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>God what do you know about wounds?</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">And He reaches out His hands. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>What do you know about pain</b>?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">He pulls me close to His pierced side. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>What do you know about bleeding?</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Faithful and patient, abounding in love and mercy... <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“Child, what do you know about <b>healing? </b>Will you trust me this time? Give up the jealousy and the bitterness
and fill your hands with the hem of my garment instead?”</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I will try. Because the last woman spent 12
years bleeding. And that’s no way to live.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
<o:AllowPNG/>
</o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:WordDocument>
<w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom>
<w:TrackMoves>false</w:TrackMoves>
<w:TrackFormatting/>
<w:PunctuationKerning/>
<w:DrawingGridHorizontalSpacing>18 pt</w:DrawingGridHorizontalSpacing>
<w:DrawingGridVerticalSpacing>18 pt</w:DrawingGridVerticalSpacing>
<w:DisplayHorizontalDrawingGridEvery>0</w:DisplayHorizontalDrawingGridEvery>
<w:DisplayVerticalDrawingGridEvery>0</w:DisplayVerticalDrawingGridEvery>
<w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/>
<w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>
<w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent>
<w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>
<w:Compatibility>
<w:BreakWrappedTables/>
<w:DontGrowAutofit/>
<w:DontAutofitConstrainedTables/>
<w:DontVertAlignInTxbx/>
</w:Compatibility>
</w:WordDocument>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" LatentStyleCount="276">
</w:LatentStyles>
</xml><![endif]-->
<!--[if gte mso 10]>
<style>
/* Style Definitions */
table.MsoNormalTable
{mso-style-name:"Table Normal";
mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;
mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;
mso-style-noshow:yes;
mso-style-parent:"";
mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;
mso-para-margin:0in;
mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast;
mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;}
</style>
<![endif]-->
<!--StartFragment-->
<!--EndFragment--></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">There’s no doubt I find Him in the beautiful. But
He finds me the ugly. Right at the center of my broken, fallen existence. He
binds up our wounds. This is the fullness of grace.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">For further reading:</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Matthew 9:20-22</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Psalm 147:3</span></div>
Caithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13819676207718945809noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3466216571604784053.post-59198120055514290852015-09-23T11:44:00.001-04:002015-09-23T11:44:44.891-04:00what a difference...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-pc6dgKr-0xWKEscZ9IAke7gtCT4KizytJHymmzjV5oU0nt28pLbcR_8oXw2gsDo3gugNDEhEUv-xIYdSAhmU2eVRQHZv3OcIcXc9o9RnX7dnfS1XiINyys1L975LW9Kz7MtVQkBEquil/s1600/1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="396" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-pc6dgKr-0xWKEscZ9IAke7gtCT4KizytJHymmzjV5oU0nt28pLbcR_8oXw2gsDo3gugNDEhEUv-xIYdSAhmU2eVRQHZv3OcIcXc9o9RnX7dnfS1XiINyys1L975LW9Kz7MtVQkBEquil/s400/1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">He picks us up.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Dollar plants, sitting parched in garden store bins.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Wilted and lifeless, He takes us home. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Easing us out of our plastic containers,</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">carefully tearing us from the things that hold us back.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">He breaks up our roots; awakening, stirring...</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">pouring leftover soil into hand me down pots. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Chipped and tarnished: in broken vessels He places this:</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>hope.</b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Summer is rough. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Oppressive heat chokes the life out of us. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Torrential downpours leave us battered and bruised.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Deadly pestilence eating away...</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">But we are not destroyed.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">All along- He is watering and feeding,</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">pruning and nurturing the life He sustains. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">‘til one day you look and suddenly see:</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
<o:AllowPNG/>
</o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:WordDocument>
<w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom>
<w:TrackMoves>false</w:TrackMoves>
<w:TrackFormatting/>
<w:PunctuationKerning/>
<w:DrawingGridHorizontalSpacing>18 pt</w:DrawingGridHorizontalSpacing>
<w:DrawingGridVerticalSpacing>18 pt</w:DrawingGridVerticalSpacing>
<w:DisplayHorizontalDrawingGridEvery>0</w:DisplayHorizontalDrawingGridEvery>
<w:DisplayVerticalDrawingGridEvery>0</w:DisplayVerticalDrawingGridEvery>
<w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/>
<w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>
<w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent>
<w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>
<w:Compatibility>
<w:BreakWrappedTables/>
<w:DontGrowAutofit/>
<w:DontAutofitConstrainedTables/>
<w:DontVertAlignInTxbx/>
</w:Compatibility>
</w:WordDocument>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" LatentStyleCount="276">
</w:LatentStyles>
</xml><![endif]-->
<!--[if gte mso 10]>
<style>
/* Style Definitions */
table.MsoNormalTable
{mso-style-name:"Table Normal";
mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;
mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;
mso-style-noshow:yes;
mso-style-parent:"";
mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;
mso-para-margin:0in;
mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast;
mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;}
</style>
<![endif]-->
<!--StartFragment-->
<!--EndFragment--></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>growth.</b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFiDb2JsSPHYVAjpNvYKbVCiExrJS0G2bX9-hy4CEle6G8utckafF9nI762UmQUvCeBlvqiUjrClSf7LSye4_FALtcsuG0XJnfqpM0nkph3bCPEBjYaZKWgY50_eUfDs9MCkie-_OQ3vfI/s1600/2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="395" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFiDb2JsSPHYVAjpNvYKbVCiExrJS0G2bX9-hy4CEle6G8utckafF9nI762UmQUvCeBlvqiUjrClSf7LSye4_FALtcsuG0XJnfqpM0nkph3bCPEBjYaZKWgY50_eUfDs9MCkie-_OQ3vfI/s400/2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">What a difference a season makes.</span></div>
Caithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13819676207718945809noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3466216571604784053.post-80174960180037321342015-09-14T10:06:00.000-04:002015-09-14T10:06:08.638-04:00the cure<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">It's a strange juxtaposition... The floors are still sandy but the house smells like apples, cinnamon, and cloves. Pumpkins sit perched on tabletops while beach towels tumble in the dryer. The sun hangs high, brave in the sky right now, but I already know she'll go to bed a little earlier today than yesterday. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Isn't that the way it goes?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The calendar says summer for another week or so, but my heart? It's ready for harvest. This is our fallen existence. A heavenly creature landlocked on earth, a spiritual being trudging through the monotony that is this physical life. It's not all bad. The joy of fellowship, His revealed truth, the blessings of a truly beautiful existence. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">But all too often I catch myself clawing selfishly, longingly for what lies ahead just beyond my reach: certainty, an explanation, answers. The day I look back and say, "It all makes sense! The struggle, the pain, the joy, the victories, the defeats." Other times </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I find myself holding on white-knuckled to the things of the past: comfort and the familiar. </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The terrifying unknown terrorizes me. My dreams taunt me with what might have been, the things I let slip through my fingers like sand upon the shore, too numerous to count.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I'm a kid at summer camp. A girl in a foreign county with no luggage of her own. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">But He calls to me. Like a crying baby, He hushes me in the stillness of the night. He knows my wistful spirit, my homesick heart. He breathed life into these bones, <i>for such a time as this</i>. And it hits me, maybe my comfort isn't His top priority. Maybe I'll never be fully comfortable in a place that isn't my <b>home.</b> And maybe, probably I'm not supposed to be. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Maybe the nagging, the longing isn't for anything seen, it's the unseen. Maybe the desires of my heart were for Him all along, I just didn't realize it. It only makes sense that the cure for our ailing hearts would be found in the One who formed them. </span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmEqkRCsD3F8TgGz-ldSKwyUssTeZKnQMGkZ-l7GnrlbXKQ7HuvQrWp2pb3z4BzKUBearLTJ4QVcnusTI0oJs7AqEoho8vqX1VUEYEABCIR_m7cD_hhfXYTjuRRanNjiNa5BuMZo8rAWDY/s1600/FullSizeRender.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="393" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmEqkRCsD3F8TgGz-ldSKwyUssTeZKnQMGkZ-l7GnrlbXKQ7HuvQrWp2pb3z4BzKUBearLTJ4QVcnusTI0oJs7AqEoho8vqX1VUEYEABCIR_m7cD_hhfXYTjuRRanNjiNa5BuMZo8rAWDY/s400/FullSizeRender.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Anchor of my soul- you sustain. </span></i>Caithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13819676207718945809noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3466216571604784053.post-86423219576750642012015-08-08T12:47:00.001-04:002015-08-08T12:47:14.099-04:00this is love<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I went to Hospice yesterday. I rode along with my mom who went to visit her precious aunt battling a brain tumor. In the car I watched a video of a pregnancy announcement, in an entertaining turn of events, the husband surprising the wife. His eyes filled with happy tears when he realized they were going to be bringing another little life into the world. When she finally caught on to what was happening she was elated. As she started to cry, I did too, thinking to myself, "This is love..."</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Moments later we pulled into the facility. A kind woman with a warm face pointed us in the direction we needed to go. Quiet and clean, peaceful yet sterile. We rounded the corner and entered the room. Her breathing was heavy and labored, the morphine and the swelling of her brain keeping her in that place just beyond our reach. After a while in the room, we went outside and talked with my mom's uncle. He had spent most of the morning working out the excruciating "details."As we talked, tears filled his eyes and he said, "I'm glad it's her. I would hate for her to feel this pain, this loss." And then, I realized, "THIS is love."</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">There's more to love than pregnancy announcements. It's miscarriages and infertility. We get caught up in weddings and forget about funerals. It's not simply the person standing beside you on the mountaintop, it's the one prostrate beside you in your deepest valleys. We think it's hours of endless conversation, but what about the time when no words can fill the space? It is more than having a hand to hold, it's the one that keeps holding on when the other can no longer squeeze back. Love is sacrifice, pain, and vulnerability. It's risking it all for another. Sometimes better sometimes worse, sometimes sickness sometimes health. Til death do us part. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">So love, sometimes, means letting go. But holding fast. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">For her, today holds the hope of heaven. For him, it's day 1 in a world that for 34 years his precious wife held together. Choose love and choose wisely. </span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4Ko4mvNNN8yPm5eTOGOMAOgaAWIzUqvsSq3ePgjZYRwCkeHxkFgABCp9recKf8SKnMF1gnoi5D2UM98V8Qa8mXM_NmbgrrTOrbDv3XkZKdbGaFdCVypbiFqvOpnR89Tz9_fXMayKZdKRq/s1600/tumblr_nnudb79ZGV1qdk1qco1_500.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4Ko4mvNNN8yPm5eTOGOMAOgaAWIzUqvsSq3ePgjZYRwCkeHxkFgABCp9recKf8SKnMF1gnoi5D2UM98V8Qa8mXM_NmbgrrTOrbDv3XkZKdbGaFdCVypbiFqvOpnR89Tz9_fXMayKZdKRq/s400/tumblr_nnudb79ZGV1qdk1qco1_500.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div>
<br />Caithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13819676207718945809noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3466216571604784053.post-18358842433051289302015-07-30T11:51:00.000-04:002015-07-30T11:52:38.037-04:00Oh July<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">July is the oldest sister, established and stable.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">She's fiercly independent, but painfully nostalgic...</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Naturally nurturing and overly empathetic.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">High standards and expectations, she can't help but be disappointed at times. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">She's cutoff jeans and a hand-me-down ring.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">A calculated risk, understated elegance, saving grace.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">At times predictable, but the kind of girl you can count on.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Tears of pride pooling in her smiling eyes</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Wise beyond her years, but the first to admit... </span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">She's got a lot to learn.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Sometimes she lets her heart get in the way.</span><br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEG_-a2hyphenhyphenlB2bm3sNVpiqrou_FUvGHHbt0GxyOKux2ksN_sJfLLQWvWcGUlFvb5z7sZQeuwSoi0g7mRihuE__9joCrIGpeNbNFZ7DTck2jJHhHaHXQkWGUj8_gmEN61PRgNk3972Yk3ScA/s1600/july.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="275" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEG_-a2hyphenhyphenlB2bm3sNVpiqrou_FUvGHHbt0GxyOKux2ksN_sJfLLQWvWcGUlFvb5z7sZQeuwSoi0g7mRihuE__9joCrIGpeNbNFZ7DTck2jJHhHaHXQkWGUj8_gmEN61PRgNk3972Yk3ScA/s400/july.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
Caithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13819676207718945809noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3466216571604784053.post-67910049078372763692015-06-29T10:34:00.000-04:002015-07-30T11:52:24.594-04:00Oh June<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">June, June... we thought you'd never make it. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">She's fashionably late, always the life of the party. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Warm, suntanned skin that only you can feel the burn of fresh sun. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">She's old enough to know better, but too young to care. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">She's vibrant, but temperamental </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Cautious with others & reckless with herself. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Unfinished business, unsolved mysteries</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">life's great intermission</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">She's sunshiney days and dark, stormy nights. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">She's the first cold beer, condensation running down the glass</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Flighty and fleeting, here today and gone tomorrow. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Always leaving you breathless in only the best way.</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh20KZDOVAdmHcafHNXkRXeiGj7WmEyYat9hpWfBcfA_SIYBwYMMAYhVN7FyBgaerdzMtcz0hpdtVl4yswcHPDGKeUtMOH_MGlRk4huBzG6ew2675g0d4bZUOUJTYBp85Qo7bwvXjQ19NU3/s1600/tumblr_ngxxm7a2ET1qm9dpqo1_500.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh20KZDOVAdmHcafHNXkRXeiGj7WmEyYat9hpWfBcfA_SIYBwYMMAYhVN7FyBgaerdzMtcz0hpdtVl4yswcHPDGKeUtMOH_MGlRk4huBzG6ew2675g0d4bZUOUJTYBp85Qo7bwvXjQ19NU3/s640/tumblr_ngxxm7a2ET1qm9dpqo1_500.jpg" width="478" /></a></div>
<br />Caithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13819676207718945809noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3466216571604784053.post-55192034622233807272015-03-02T10:08:00.003-05:002015-03-02T10:08:54.946-05:00set apart<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I had a painful conversation with some friends last week. We
got together for lunch and on the way there, one shared that she was absolutely
heartbroken over news she had received. A friend from college had
called to tell her she was considering having an abortion. She had become
pregnant by someone she didn’t see a future with, and in the days since, had
continued partying, drinking, and had even done cocaine several times. My
friend was devastated, and against her best efforts to dissuade her, the girl
proceeded, arguing that having a baby at 25 "wasn’t right for her" even though
she “knew the baby would be beautiful.” So at two months old, a life was ended
and my two friends in the car were in tears. I sat quietly in the passengers
seat.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I recounted the story to my mom and dad at dinner last
night. Their eyes filled with tears, but I was filled with something else.</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Anger, disgust, righteous indignation.
How can you be so careless? Reckless? At 25 years old, with a college degree,
how can one not realize the consequences of her actions? I openly admitted it
to my parents… “I don’t feel grace. I don’t feel sympathy. I feel disgust.”
I’ve become conditioned to this way of thinking and have even put a personal
spin on it: my brother and sister are adopted. Their biological mom is a heroin
addict (or was at the time.) She has made a lot of really bad decisions. But
she made two really good ones. Having her babies, and realizing she was unfit
to keep them. Because they are the best gift God ever gave our family. I left
dinner feeling self-righteous.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Until this morning... I was reading in Romans and I got to
chapter 2…</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">“1 You, therefore, have no excuse, you who pass judgment on
someone else, for at whatever point you judge another, you are condemning
yourself, because you who pass judgment <u>do the same things</u>. 2 Now we know that
God’s judgment against those who do such things is <b>based on truth</b>. 3 So when
you, a mere human being, pass judgment on them and yet do the same things, do
you think you will escape God’s judgment? 4 Or do you show contempt for the
riches of his kindness, forbearance and patience, not realizing that God’s
kindness is intended to lead you to repentance?</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">5 But because of <i>your stubbornness and your unrepentant
heart</i>, you are storing up wrath against yourself for the day of God’s wrath,
when his righteous judgment will be revealed.”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">And then I heard that still, small voice say “She’s my baby too.”
And my selfish heart shattered into a thousand pieces. How can you be so
careless? Reckless? At 25 years old, with a college degree, how can one not
realize the consequences of her actions?</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">It’s easy to sit with likeminded friends and talk
about the goodness of God… but approaching a nonbeliever with that same
boldness? Banish the thought. At the end of the day, I am no different from the
girl in the story. My sins seem more sophisticated, but the consequences:
eternal. The fullness of God’s grace is that this precious baby that died too
soon will spend eternity in heaven. But the unbelieving momma? My inaction will
only result in her spending eternity in hell.</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">At best my actions are careless, at worst they’re truly
diabolical.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">We have a family friend who has been an activist for the
pro-life movement for many years. He tells a story of a pro-life rally and
someone coming up to him and yelling, “You only care about the babies!” He took
it to heart and came back and started a nonprofit to provide support for
expectant moms. If abortion breaks your heart as much as it breaks mine, do
something about it. But don’t forget, it starts with the moms. </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">There is no life apart from Christ, and
we have no business identifying with a movement that calls itself just that,
pro-life, if we are unwilling to reach souls for Christ.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjru7VAalOh0uWDb6-X4aofk_4Bsg71hud15Yqjp5hLWX75hYoYjz4_tveWwoQN28x9MhMtAuEuRJ2Fb3TEHCtZdeNPfVUeUn2mXMbDuynoW39dk5zkiVKD_6NyIFCwIWoHtFcBMI-ksqZg/s1600/fd9b9ba9e5bf4435dd5f95b03dfed440.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjru7VAalOh0uWDb6-X4aofk_4Bsg71hud15Yqjp5hLWX75hYoYjz4_tveWwoQN28x9MhMtAuEuRJ2Fb3TEHCtZdeNPfVUeUn2mXMbDuynoW39dk5zkiVKD_6NyIFCwIWoHtFcBMI-ksqZg/s1600/fd9b9ba9e5bf4435dd5f95b03dfed440.jpg" height="640" width="508" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
Caithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13819676207718945809noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3466216571604784053.post-81873708068381877212015-01-15T14:44:00.000-05:002015-01-15T14:44:08.816-05:00Cheers!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxP17BJ4K3HnsM2Eozkepav53Mv_MjiDnRAldcrfuvnY1KRQiE9woO70Qbvc-qWEzGm4uyZ9E5JJcx3oftfXkM4sGY4Hav6I35NIvh_kmXBX0hwnQ7SNHDs0AiIohtnnq3Z7xHWEsxFNSR/s1600/cham.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxP17BJ4K3HnsM2Eozkepav53Mv_MjiDnRAldcrfuvnY1KRQiE9woO70Qbvc-qWEzGm4uyZ9E5JJcx3oftfXkM4sGY4Hav6I35NIvh_kmXBX0hwnQ7SNHDs0AiIohtnnq3Z7xHWEsxFNSR/s1600/cham.jpg" height="400" width="293" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Here's to...</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br />
...choosing happy, making someone's day</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br />
...house to home</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br />
...contentment</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br />
...making the days count, not counting the days</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br />
...seeing the good, being the good.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br />
...not trying so hard</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br />
...eliminating the excess</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br />
...singing in the shower (even off-key)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br />
...taking pictures, taking the time to stretch, taking deep breaths</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br />
...patience/persistence/peace. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br />
<b style="line-height: 24px;">Never a resolution, always a toast.</b><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 24px;"> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 24px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 24px;">Here's hoping your year is off to an exciting start & that 2015 is full of new adventures. </span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 18px; line-height: 24px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 18px; line-height: 24px;">[<a href="http://soliloquyspot.blogspot.com/2010/12/cheers.html">2011</a>, <a href="http://soliloquyspot.blogspot.com/2011/12/cheers.html">2012</a>, <a href="http://soliloquyspot.blogspot.com/2012/12/cheers.html">2013</a>, <a href="http://soliloquyspot.blogspot.com/2014/01/cheers.html">2014</a>]</span>Caithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13819676207718945809noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3466216571604784053.post-39897562214914358562014-11-24T11:56:00.000-05:002014-11-24T11:56:14.513-05:00walking on water<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">We are walking on water. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">It hit me this morning during my "quiet time" with Jesus. I was reading and praying and drinking, arguably, too much coffee. My devotional was about giving thanks in all circumstances as an act of spiritual obedience. It's not easy. The best way to explain what happened next is to say the Holy Spirit hijacked my morning and took me to another passage of scripture entirely (he's funny like that.)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I found myself in <a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+14%3A22-36&version=NIV">Matthew 14:22-36</a>. The story of Peter walking on the water resonates with me. Peter is not challenging Jesus when he says "If it is you, command me to come to you!" He is exhibiting bold, unwavering trust. He knows only Jesus can give him the strength and the ability to do the impossible. And he's right! But moments later he loses sight of that simple truth, and that is when he sinks. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Isn't this the perfect picture of how we live? </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">My faith is bold, my trust runs deep. I can thank God for my circumstances, I can trust that He is using them for my good and His glory. Until</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> ugly, nasty fear and doubt creeps in and pulls me under. Suddenly I catch myself drowning in a sea of anxiety. It rushes over my head. I panic. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The truth is, anxiety feels a lot like drowning. So frantically Peter calls out "<b>Lord save me!</b>" </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I've been there. I've so been there. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">There are deep pains. There are hurts that you think can never be erased. There are fears and struggles and disappointments. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The life we have been called to live is impossible. We simply cannot do it on our own. To give thanks in the worst circumstances? To lift our hands in praise when we are weary and burdened? To put the needs of others before ourselves? To trust that God is working in every situation? It's like walking on water. That's why we cannot do it without Him. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">We are walking on water, one step at a time. Sometimes we sink. But before we even utter those three simple words, He's already there, reaching His hand out to save. </span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPSAbvpQFsrgg9anR5udyqJmYpwSB2n5eXQD5UZ2qr7rF-AYsW-E7Qt2HVRcK31Rd9CJXWsCTycDS3N3dfr6O0k0x-UNnhs1QdUGfyf9a3Iyi7-7rgzF12ScXOjIoYnh4F2two5TiO4Ot-/s1600/bce6dc9bb7b939e0a82424315a109498.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPSAbvpQFsrgg9anR5udyqJmYpwSB2n5eXQD5UZ2qr7rF-AYsW-E7Qt2HVRcK31Rd9CJXWsCTycDS3N3dfr6O0k0x-UNnhs1QdUGfyf9a3Iyi7-7rgzF12ScXOjIoYnh4F2two5TiO4Ot-/s1600/bce6dc9bb7b939e0a82424315a109498.jpg" height="400" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">[throwback: more thoughts on anxiety <a href="http://soliloquyspot.blogspot.com/2012/01/as-of-late.html">here]</a></span>Caithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13819676207718945809noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3466216571604784053.post-87478935904866939932014-11-11T10:19:00.000-05:002014-11-11T10:19:39.844-05:00on my wind...<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">revving up, s l o w i n g d o w n. stop then go. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">hear the sounds of cars passing right outside my window</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">it's locked closed but air seeps through it's worn-down weatherstrip</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">that empty space, it leaves a crack</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">that's the way it goes. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">he doesn't care if he's welcome</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">anyone will tell you that</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">permeating hidden spaces, buried deep in this old house</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">too hot in summer, too cold in winter:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">extreme and uninvited. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">try your hardest just to fight it</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">resist with air conditioning and manufactured heat. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">fill that space with new air, breathing life into these rafters </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">but that old window can't be trusted</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">she'll let the bought air out</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">so now it's cold and I should've seen it coming </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">it's happened time and time again</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">the Indian summer is all too cunning</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">he'll have you believing he's a faithful friend.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">when that October breeze wraps itself around you..</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">don't buy it. don't give in.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">this tired game we play so often, I know it <i>all too well. </i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">he doesn't need an open the door, he much prefers creeping in</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">so batten your hatches and play pretend</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">tell yourself you're safe. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">but wait.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">boy you take the cake</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I've made my share of mistakes </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">but you are-- by far-- my greatest disappointment</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">revving up, slowing down. that's the way it goes. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">the problem with old houses... </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">all the old windows. </span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJBihbFaCzO0DccZrruK3J13yCSe_FIRL8QW5DArWYRzRUqiSj6LuzyARv72TA7MW5k1mwRl2zJXTWjra6p1duUm5KwIy5FGe7gS1vUsCyZbgQh7IwcT_Tp5f4LN90SaMhY03pL_kg1Zyu/s1600/FullSizeRender.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJBihbFaCzO0DccZrruK3J13yCSe_FIRL8QW5DArWYRzRUqiSj6LuzyARv72TA7MW5k1mwRl2zJXTWjra6p1duUm5KwIy5FGe7gS1vUsCyZbgQh7IwcT_Tp5f4LN90SaMhY03pL_kg1Zyu/s1600/FullSizeRender.jpg" height="396" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />Caithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13819676207718945809noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3466216571604784053.post-81580876922279900372014-10-22T11:46:00.000-04:002014-10-22T11:46:06.640-04:00beloved<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I went for a run yesterday morning. The sky was clear, the air crisp, the day promising. I set out on an old familiar course, a looping path I often take. I felt good until I rounded the last turn and saw the final mile stretch out before me. I felt the wind blow hard against my face. I resented it. I battled it. I struggled and pushed through that last mile, relieved when I finally reached the finish. </span></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I set out again this morning for that same familiar path. It was another glorious day, and feeling all the wiser after yesterday's struggle, I reversed my regular course, thinking I'd tackle the long stretch first, thinking the wind would push me along, thinking it had to <b>be easier</b>. But from the first few strides I struggled. My joints were achey, my muscles sore, and my mind was a jumbled mess. I didn't feel the wind helping me along, I felt my ankles locking and my heart hurting. And then I rounded that turn, only to realize my familiar course didn't seem so familiar after all. I never noticed the way those winding turns all have a slightly downward slope. Only this time I was fighting an uphill battle. And I was losing. When things go your way, you don't realize that you're coasting down easy hills, taking His provisions for granted. You don't realize that the other side of the street has always been shaded until you have sun and sweat burning your eyes.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<b><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">It's supposed to get easier.</span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Like training for a marathon: each day gets a little easier, you're a little lighter on your feet, your gait becomes more natural, your stamina increases. Except when it doesn't. I struggled through my run and I caught myself wrestling with God. Instead of His beloved bride, I morphed into a bitter, nagging wife, bending His ear and hurling accusations. "I cooked dinner! Can't you <i>at least</i> do the dishes?!" What was relational became contractual in my limited mind. "I'm holding up my end of the deal, God! When does it get easier?! WHEN are you going to SHOW UP and make everything BETTER?!" I was drowning in my sinfulness, clinging to my self-righteousness like a flotation device, failing to realize it was a weight pulling me down even deeper. But grace abounds. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">He doesn't see me for my faults and my failures. He doesn't see a nagging wife, He sees His blushing bride. Sanctified, a new creation entirely, wearing the veil of righteousness of His perfect son. </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Your Maker is your Husband. (Isaiah 54:5)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">YOUR MAKER is YOUR HUSBAND!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">He created the <u>entire</u> universe and He cares for me. He holds <u>eternity</u> in one hand and my hand in the other. (Isaiah 41:13) On my own I am stubborn and indignant. In His sight, I am blameless. (Colossians 1:22) No matter how many times I fail Him, no matter how many times I turn or push Him away, He never gives up on me. He pursues me relentlessly. He reminds me who I am. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">So I'm realizing that sometimes it doesn't necessarily <b>get easier</b>. I can't say He didn't warn me. <i>"In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world."</i> (John 16:33) There's peace in knowing I will never have to figure it out on my own. </span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbRQ_k39DJqcuqoLmBvyLvMgU9OmhZPVSlqX2dLoe4UxrXAeB2Moc9Km9sENxNaPBFEMkCBzbo_NrpP6TmmEuMIFy8v_LMPc41uRHgWdkIhHBKHJcFm3ITmQV9lxU8rGm6abva_kMFHkhr/s1600/beloved.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbRQ_k39DJqcuqoLmBvyLvMgU9OmhZPVSlqX2dLoe4UxrXAeB2Moc9Km9sENxNaPBFEMkCBzbo_NrpP6TmmEuMIFy8v_LMPc41uRHgWdkIhHBKHJcFm3ITmQV9lxU8rGm6abva_kMFHkhr/s1600/beloved.jpg" height="397" width="400" /></a></span></div>
Caithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13819676207718945809noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3466216571604784053.post-56531711159721570292014-10-14T10:18:00.004-04:002015-07-30T11:50:20.933-04:00Oh October<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Oh October… She's stolen a place in my heart forever. Summer's final flourish, one-upping the months before her with a welcome change. A breath of fresh air. She can't keep a secret, heralding good things to come. She's sandy toes wrapped in a beach blanket. A clean house and messy hair. An old soul, a kindred spirit. "A pretty girl who plays her cards as if she were plain." She'll knock the wind out of you, an unexpected icy chill, but her golden rays will warm you to the bone. She's a quick wit, a kind heart with a sharp tongue. She means no harm, but she'll break your heart. It's not her fault, she knows good things-- they rarely last. She's used to getting her way & some will call her a show off, but I can't say I blame her. </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">She laughs 'til she cries and cries 'til she laughs. She's</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> a million contradictions, but her intentions: all good. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwCMOHeq7NwNqqhwqdLLjzMzb2U_4t4SXtWjMpQwiuC2MC_1BUKmXu_fbNgwNHNXh4zkT_9EOOUNTeKtjXXL29PjEIjfVI0iuXhYLQD_jKkJt_T41h12BxVRglQHoH4tB9kAXYocFCHhE4/s1600/Fotor.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="479" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwCMOHeq7NwNqqhwqdLLjzMzb2U_4t4SXtWjMpQwiuC2MC_1BUKmXu_fbNgwNHNXh4zkT_9EOOUNTeKtjXXL29PjEIjfVI0iuXhYLQD_jKkJt_T41h12BxVRglQHoH4tB9kAXYocFCHhE4/s1600/Fotor.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
Caithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13819676207718945809noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3466216571604784053.post-23489292430569784442014-10-10T13:32:00.001-04:002014-10-10T13:32:19.735-04:00the best sounds <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3ex6u-lNR5SJ-Zl5Urrj_GcA9iQpkxr1Topg1UiF8wav1VPbudw8yBMtoTnMlua_vR-viiYTK-Zk78HJvMdeeu8Egx5pICFO5RnDMsUgaStt322kOfEJqI76tacngqvmHsW0_o_VKXIu1/s1600/tumblr_nbonb5c1iM1tkj5kwo1_500.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3ex6u-lNR5SJ-Zl5Urrj_GcA9iQpkxr1Topg1UiF8wav1VPbudw8yBMtoTnMlua_vR-viiYTK-Zk78HJvMdeeu8Egx5pICFO5RnDMsUgaStt322kOfEJqI76tacngqvmHsW0_o_VKXIu1/s1600/tumblr_nbonb5c1iM1tkj5kwo1_500.jpg" height="256" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">wine glug glug glugging into the glass</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">that wobbly little laugh amidst tears</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">mom's old bread machine</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">distant waves on the shore</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">quiet.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">kitchen aid mixer</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>popfizzclink</i></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">the first three notes of that familiar tune</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">a snoring pup</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">tea kettle whistling</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">fire & rain</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">bicycle bells</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">laugh/cry/sighh</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">still, small Voice</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">the keyboard clicking faster than the words in my head.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
Caithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13819676207718945809noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3466216571604784053.post-55003580048668461112014-09-29T11:57:00.002-04:002014-09-29T11:57:36.908-04:00clayShe thought she was a painting.<br />
A fine French masterpiece.<br />
he beheld her in holy reverence,<br />
knew every shadow, edge, and curve.<br />
Contrived meaning, albeit superficial.<br />
She used to glow in his spotlight,<br />
held together by his frame.<br />
Underneath the awestruck wonder,<br />
a tinge of emptiness remained.<br />
Mere canvas stretched over wood,<br />
with watercolors running together, bleeding dry.<br />
<br />
Before that: a book.<br />
A spellbinding novel,<br />
a page-turning thriller.<br />
An epic, tragic, mystery. <br />
he learned her language,<br />
found meaning in her poetry,<br />
found comfort in her prose.<br />
Cover to cover, until the pages ran out.<br />
No promise of happily ever after, simply:<br />
<i>The End.</i><br />
These days she's at a loss for words.<br />
<br />
He tells her she is clay.<br />
Ever changing, malleable<br />
She's softening in his hands<br />
She's learning to trust him,<br />
sometimes s t r e t c h e d thin || she cracks<br />
He puts her back together, lovingly, carefully.<br />
He knows her, He's been knitting her together since the beginning.<br />
<br />
She is His, and she's finally realizing that's all that matters.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSWQ_kAbFzqmWs9uXCmGM8RdzXMTgEz06mA7Lt-XkT2OlY0PSRcTOOVEJgbLjFRuyIhQFBksLOYfXGsfxEHPa0cNvir5AZuzfPNGckxHsjv-UXASQ2SCQb8ITrU1E23bw4IcmeoiCmkoe2/s1600/clay.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSWQ_kAbFzqmWs9uXCmGM8RdzXMTgEz06mA7Lt-XkT2OlY0PSRcTOOVEJgbLjFRuyIhQFBksLOYfXGsfxEHPa0cNvir5AZuzfPNGckxHsjv-UXASQ2SCQb8ITrU1E23bw4IcmeoiCmkoe2/s1600/clay.jpg" /></a></div>
<br />Caithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13819676207718945809noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3466216571604784053.post-75035290110975740782014-06-02T12:45:00.000-04:002014-06-03T10:22:07.964-04:00On my mind...<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I am trespassing.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">It's a strange feeling, in a place so familiarly unfamiliar, the nagging feeling that I don't belong.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Like the house of your childhood, where you lost your teeth and your training wheels, returning with nostalgia, only to see someone else's bike in the garage.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Or even worse, it's empty. The shadow of a home. Peering in the dusty windows, hoping for a sign of life.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The hardest roads we have to walk alone//</span></i><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I flip through the archives, they stare back at me like an old photo album. Memories of a girl.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Memories of a voice. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">It's strange to see myself a stranger… to be inspired by words that I once claimed as my own. To be moved. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Even stranger still, as that bellowing baritone became more muffled, so did everything else. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">That baritone was my metronome.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Though deep down I believe: you can't lose it if it was ever truly yours, it never goes away. It's always home, the cozy spot, tucked away in the trees, where daydreams and fantasies take afternoon tea. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Everyone has their vices.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Vice, voice, virtue. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Truth be told- I'm a little rusty.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>I know, I know//</i></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKrUgIASRq0t0OH3rSi-OqQ2xlRdpCte6u-T1iSctBFZ4QYUIfA7R6_PGJWaq4eR5rbKCaZ39J9Fx5DnLtotLW-DSlfCYv4HzDJqOSnqQSjLzSTYyZ6uB5HcHVZYnB0YEHxwJ3ApsaVGVd/s1600/779c17b024b4a566f1c11dc231ea5b07.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKrUgIASRq0t0OH3rSi-OqQ2xlRdpCte6u-T1iSctBFZ4QYUIfA7R6_PGJWaq4eR5rbKCaZ39J9Fx5DnLtotLW-DSlfCYv4HzDJqOSnqQSjLzSTYyZ6uB5HcHVZYnB0YEHxwJ3ApsaVGVd/s1600/779c17b024b4a566f1c11dc231ea5b07.jpg" height="320" width="256" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i><br /></i></span>Caithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13819676207718945809noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3466216571604784053.post-8191238822845217282014-02-25T13:58:00.002-05:002014-02-25T13:58:42.043-05:00govino<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs2HuSZSif09uslscotOzUYzKffJxOmy6n-wfGbh2DoIYeXgCBV4U0FjDQDLOBgm1bR9R9zvkud8j7x-Q6xeiskLh5X2tprISV_4T0_5MK_XSrt2F6ox4CzQtAjaYDFFbAurZU_7nsQ_Kw/s1600/poetry.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs2HuSZSif09uslscotOzUYzKffJxOmy6n-wfGbh2DoIYeXgCBV4U0FjDQDLOBgm1bR9R9zvkud8j7x-Q6xeiskLh5X2tprISV_4T0_5MK_XSrt2F6ox4CzQtAjaYDFFbAurZU_7nsQ_Kw/s1600/poetry.JPG" height="400" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I've said it before: I can be a bit of a wine(glass) snob. I'd rather dink a mediocre wine out of a nice glass than sip the finest wine from a Dixie cup. Unfortunately, this can be problematic on the go. Enter: <a href="http://www.govinowine.com/">govino</a>. Flexible, shatterproof "crystal." I picked them up at my <a href="http://www.daretobewrong.com/">favorite wine shop</a> thinking they would be perfect on the beach this summer. We finally had a chance to use them at an oyster roast last night and they were a hit! I adore the feel and all my friends mistook it for an "real" wineglass. Can't wait to break them out on the boat for sunset cruises. (c'mon summer!)</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi79dYPwoE6lFu7KJZR6cJoiAbwS-CkxOqXcie3uC1MxLBnCtKIajwC71uMKbj6oM9oIIJwfBW_qIBM2pYNfr60Y3nWOz_GchqriuCt8tAYSPEKK3fUctURAklwc-r-TTiTJyBzO8gk1On8/s1600/gv.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi79dYPwoE6lFu7KJZR6cJoiAbwS-CkxOqXcie3uC1MxLBnCtKIajwC71uMKbj6oM9oIIJwfBW_qIBM2pYNfr60Y3nWOz_GchqriuCt8tAYSPEKK3fUctURAklwc-r-TTiTJyBzO8gk1On8/s1600/gv.jpg" height="640" width="394" /></a></div>
Caithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13819676207718945809noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3466216571604784053.post-79337195539192807172014-02-10T10:00:00.000-05:002014-02-10T10:00:36.767-05:00How to be an adult...<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Ok, so 24 isn't really an adult. I can still depend on my mom & dad's health insurance and I can go days at a time without cooking a real meal (unless protein shakes count) but there are a few things that as a twenty-something you just have to do.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">1. Own a coffee maker. Even if you don't drink coffee. Your grandmother will stop by or your best friend will come to spend the weekend with you and you should be able to offer her a cup of coffee.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">2. Set up your voicemail. Even if you hate how your voice sounds on the recording- I promise it doesn't sound so strange to everyone else. But really, it takes all of 30 seconds.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">3. Apologize. When it's your fault. When it's not your fault. Recognize that being happy is more important than being right sometimes. Move on.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">4. Recognize when you're being unreasonable. Don't be afraid to admit it.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">5. Accept the things you cannot change. (Even if it means only <i>after</i> trying your absolute darndest to change them.)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">6. Have a signature. A signature drink, a signature pose (even if it's hand on hip with a head tilt… guilty!) a signature style… And don't forget a signature SIGNATURE. You should know how to write your name, and I'm not referring to the scribble you scrawl on the credit card receipt after two drinks at happy hour or as the line builds behind you at Harris Teeter. Take pride in it.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">7. Know when to give up and have a a cup of coffee (or a margarita.) But also know when NOT to give in. Once you learn to quit, it becomes a habit. So when you're holding the most grueling squat in kickboxing, remember you're not just training your glutes & hams, you're training your mind to keep going even when it's tough.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">8. Trust yourself.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">9. Take care of yourself. This is a tricky one, because all your life you've probably had someone dedicated to taking care of you (and a little secret- they probably still are) but you're equally responsible for yourself now. Be kind. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">10. It's ok to hold on: that box of letters that sits under your desk. The stuffed animal from your childhood. The long hair you've been rocking for approximately 11 years. But sometimes you have to let go of some things to make room for others (that's the tough part)</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbZ_pzJKMnh7XD0X_AXr47narhqaw4AXHeKRJFPTB5MiKPnaekpmtR84_BjnCnen2nNt6CQ6cWUyyvGAb3oO3NCKARaRZ9jBqChKPQ1G5vTt-K3RvIAyUQLcw61Egz8h47KNiInH9ekLmF/s1600/trust.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbZ_pzJKMnh7XD0X_AXr47narhqaw4AXHeKRJFPTB5MiKPnaekpmtR84_BjnCnen2nNt6CQ6cWUyyvGAb3oO3NCKARaRZ9jBqChKPQ1G5vTt-K3RvIAyUQLcw61Egz8h47KNiInH9ekLmF/s1600/trust.jpg" height="418" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><a href="http://www.pinterest.com/c8linjohns/inspire-it/">(via)</a></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>Caithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13819676207718945809noreply@blogger.com0