My Window & A Soap-Box

When I wake up in the morning the first thing I do, after convincing myself that I should actually get up, is look out my window.  

It is a very nice window, right next to my bed overlooking our backyard.  Like a painting of my childhood.  The trees I grew up with, the grass that refuses to grow, the power lines that stretch out across the sky, the gutter that sits waiting to be used.  

Long ago did the stump of one of my favored trees disappear, as did the swing set that served the purpose of an air plane, house and safety from lava.  A honey suckle bush sits in the back of this window picture, the one that Siah taught me how to pick flowers from and extract the nectar.  

Slowly childhood fades, slowly new games are made, but I often see what used to be when I look out my bedroom window.  

The scene outside slowly changes - winter, spring, summer, fall.  And long has it been since I played with my friend.  So completely separate we live now, nature and I, but our memories are intertwined.  Like a friend that is always there to cheer me up if only I would remember.  They may call it Mother Nature but to me nature is a brother, a best friend, a lover.  It is a reflection of God, His beauty and power.  An expression of love towards us.

How can we not look at the things around us and not see beauty in all of them?!  It seems illogical that we go about our days without seeing how God has made everything, absolutely EVERYTHING(excluding sin) beautiful if we can just look at it as art, a creation, a gift.

Take mold, look at how it grows, the different patterns it makes, the colors, the texture, the shape.  Yes, it may ruin things, but is it not amazing that God made it in so many varieties?

Look around you... what can you realize is beautiful that at first glance seems ugly?

And now I will step down from my soap box... the end...
-written 2/3/2011-

The Simple Sound of Life

I stood beneath the once yellow tree, whose leaves now rustled brown.  The sound they uttered was much like that of a cheerful rain.  

Hopeful... the dry grass listened - then drooped upon finding the source of their hope, but the rustle of parched leaves. 
A man whistled a tune, a dog barked far away, as in the sunshine and in shade, I stood and listened to life.

- written 3/31/09 -

The Sound of Light!

"The sound of light is far too high for us to hear, yet we feel it.  Its laughter as it glitters and skips across rocks & glass.  We also feel its secrets as it seems to whisper desperately something to us.  We feel its rosy cheeks as it smiles at us and babbles gaily.  Even though we hear it happy, we also hear it sad.  When rain comes it is sad and so hides behind clouds, until it peeks out again to play & laugh.  We hear it in the morning as it says good day and we see it in the evening and hear it yawn.  We also feel & hear its calm when it is quiet and still."

-written 4/28/2009 -

Third Person

"I can kinda look at me in third person but my mind is so befuddled I can't quite do it all the way.  Which makes my third person view of the opinion that I'm befuddled.  It's kinda a cycle.  I'm confused so I look at me - outside of me - and all I see is a befuddled girl which doesn't help me clear my mind.  It just clouds me up even more."

- written 11/18/2010 -

The workman's hands...

The sacred palm of a workman's hands, the dirt beneath each fingernail, the calluses on each fingertip.  To the touch - is rough - but in the eyes of those who see true beauty; a masterpiece.  Worn and stained with dirt, but full of love and tenderness.  That is where true beauty lies, in the workman's hands...

- written 6/25/2008 -

(i love you daddy <3)

The Rink of Life

Life is like a skating rink.  While young you stand outside the rink in but your socks gazing at the colors of the lights and at all the beautiful skates as they do tricks that you don't quite understand.

As you become a bit older you wander past the many rows of skates, studying them all until you find the perfect pair for you.  The right size, color, and style.  Once you've chosen your skates you learn to put them on and how to lace them up and tie them.  You grow wiser and watch all the skaters while you start to test your own skates on the carpet until you think you've got it.  

Then cautiously, or for others boldly, we make our way to the rink.  Putting first one foot in the rink, while holding on to something, then the other foot.  The wood flooring is slicker than the carpet that you are used to.  With baby steps you inch around the rink for the first time holding on to those you trust mindful of the other skaters that whiz past you.  Holding on to something with first both hands then one and finally none you skate.  

You then strike out on your own.  Yes, you do fall when you pick up too much speed, but there are those who help you up, dust you off, and help you along.  There are also those who push you down.  You will whiz past those lights that you had once wondered at.
Once you have skated that rink many times you will start to slow down.  you will skate at a more leasurely pace and begin to once again look at those lights that you had so long forgotten.  Finally you will slow to a stop and step out of that rink, the rink of life, to rest your weary, blistered feet.

- written 3/31/2009

A Trusting Hug...

Today I babysat two amazing little kids.  One was three years-old and the other was just over a year old.  Both of them were amazingly cute, but that isn’t really what struck me.   

As soon as their mom left, and it was just me and them, the three year-old runs over to me and gives me a big tackling hug.  They don’t really know me, and have never spent much time with me, but in complete trust he just runs over to me.  I was rather stunned by it.  There was no fear that I would reject him, no dislike, or sign of being tentative, no judgment.  Only trust.  

 If only we could have the trust, and love of that little boy when we run into God’s arms.  But we come tentatively, fearful He will turn us away.  The God of the universe, the same One who died on a cross because He loved us THAT much!!  The One who is deeply pained by our rejection of Him.  That same God is the one we come to hesitatingly?  

 Oh how I wish I had the trust of a child.  To be so unafraid that not even death itself could cause me to lose faith in God.  But I block myself off from Him at each bump in my road of life.  There is much to learn from a child… trust being only a part of it.
-written 1/28/2011-

Arise Ski Trip!!! :D

I haven’t posted for a while because I have been very busy.  But I just had to write something about the ski trip I went on last weekend!

It was insanely amazing!!!  I conquered several pretty steep blue squares… after practicing on some greens first.  It was awesome!!!  I started the day off hardly able to ski around on one ski… and ended completely confident in my skiing abilities!  Yeah… I have yet to try a black diamond but next time I will!

We arrived at the lodge at a quarter to midnight and stayed up at least another hour after listening to Ray Vaughan (amazing!) and unpacking the van.  It was a crazy ride up but well worth it once we got there.  After very little sleep, we woke up, ate a big breakfast(very bad coffee), headed out into the freezing cold weather, and hit the slopes.
Skied with Colin Bland for the whole day… joined by others some of the time.  I was constantly bickering with him & trying to convince him to go do harder slopes.  It was hilarious!  Shea took us both out on some harder blues and afterward I was ready to do more. I saw Travis wipe out on the slopes while sitting on a ski lift.  Ouch, but very funny!!  I think I wiped out less than 8 times all day.
After a huge-normous supper we went back out on the slopes again.  The temperature had dropped drastically and was probably well below 20 degrees… INSANE!!  I was very glad for Aunt Amy’s ski gear!
Ski lift(btw - Ski lifts are amazing!!)… the rush of going down a hill… then ski lift again… etc…
Exhausted we finally headed back to the lodge and shed our wet, cold cloths and headed back to the cafeteria for a talk with Ray.  He told us about how parallel marriage is to our relationship with God.  Very interesting!
Even less sleep… and up again for a long car ride home.  A great worship time before we left and Ray talked again.  This time, about sharing the gospel and it was great the way he explained it and how important it is.  Then home again… sore… but not badly bruised…
The End!!

I can only say that it was crazy fun!! (I can't wait to do it again!!!) 

Yep… I count it as a WIN!!!  :D
-written 1/27/2011-