Saturday, December 24, 2011

...this is Christmas




I've been making lots of messes in the kitchen this week because that's what I like to do best. Baking and Christmas go together like Coffee and 1st hour.

 I've gone caroling not once but twice. On the first occasion the neighbors were rather startled to find young ladies clothed in 1800's clothing singing Christmas tunes on their porch.

There has been lots of shopping done as well and it seems all the store clerks feel obligated to ask such questions as which I high school I'm going too. Ahem, never mind that I've been graduated for several years.

Cheesy Christmas movies have been playing too and they make us laugh, but never make us cry as they are intended to do.

I got to go to a family gathering and it was lovely to see my cousins. Strange too, because now the traditional program has less of piano pieces and more of sharing of the lost loved ones. Two uncles, one aunt, and our grandma.

Tonight none of my brothers will be here to fulfill Christmas Eve traditions. They are married with their own families, so now it is time to be spontaneous and plan new exciting traditions. Like watching It's a Wonderful Life with my two very lively aunts. I think it should be a delightful evening.
In the midst of all of this holiday business there has been added stress. Grandma fell 4 times this week and the last fall put in her the ER at 11:00 at night. We are thankful that Grandma is resting comfortably with no broken bones in her care home. Just a few doors away from grandma her cousin lies in a bed hardly aware of the surroundings around her. The daughters keep watch by the bed and we wonder if grandma's cousin will truly be home for Christmas.

Maybe Christmas this year has had some unplanned things. Christmas though is not about what happens or doesn't happen. It's about what we are stopping to remember the start of life on earth that would eventually be given to save our own lives. Remember this instead of remembering that your Christmas shopping still isn't done and you have forgotten to make the ridiculously traditional pluma moos.

 "who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross".

(Philippians 2:6-8 ESV)

And that's why Christmas really is the most wonderful time of the year.

Tuesday, December 20, 2011

....2011 in just a few words


Sitting down and recording your year in words is a bit of a hard thing to do. What shall I write about? What shall I not write about? What all happened in my year anyway?

In one year I went from being a junior in college to now only having one semester left between me and graduation. I'm not going to deny it, this year had some very hard spots. There are things I wish would not have happened. Some things as hard as they were I'm glad they happened, because I know they were just tiny pieces of a plan much bigger than I .

The year started just the way it ended. Only 3 weeks after my uncle died my aunt also died, and so together they were in heaven. I had left school early for a funeral and nearly returned to school late because of a funeral.

During my Junior semester I became the author a 20 page paper on Biblical food of all things. In counseling class learned how to be a marriage counsel and yes I still I am in a single state. When a literal plague of flu swept across campus I managed to miss all of my midterms and was confined to my room for three very long days. When schoolwork wasn't being done two other classmates and I planned the senior banquet and lets just say Hobby Lobby will always have some very interesting memories in our minds. Just when I thought school couldn't get any busier I found myself working ahead furiously, so I could skip out on classes to go to a wedding.

My big brother's wedding.

Mere feet away from me stood my big brother making a pledge before God to his girl. He promised to love her forever and I know he met it every word of those vows that were spoken in beautiful love and seriousness. Pretty much it was one of the top moments of my year.

Before I went to the wedding I went on another trip to Utah. To say I had fun would be literally the greatest understatement of the year . Road tripping is pretty fun especially in a very ancient Oldsmobile filled with some very amusing passengers. The trip wasn't all laughter though, because seeing such blindness of the Mormon people is simply horrifying. Memories of the trip either make me laugh from all the fun or they make me sad from seeing all the spiritual darkness.

Somehow the time between spring break and graduation flew by very fast and all people seemed to be asking me about were my summer plans. Those lovely little plans did not become finalized till the last week of school. God though put them together just the way He wanted it. When summer was over I had made 6 road trips and lived the entire summer out of my little black carry on suit case.

Pieces of my summer took place here and there. First at home then in a tiny town with some people with a very big heart for the Lord. Then I was in a big city doing things I had never done before learning lessons in the most unexpected ways. I had the opportunity over the course of the summer to serve children who had homes, but they were less than perfect. I served children with no home at all and few belongings, but their emotional baggage was enumerable. Every child needed the same love of Christ and I was thankful to show it to them despite my own shortcomings.


I started my senior year and yes every time I think about the word senior I want to smile. Being a senior has been wonderful even when the freshmen expect you to know everything and you don't know. Somehow I procrastinated more than ever this year and somehow friendships have grown even deeper this year. Oh there have been the bumps and far too many of them I think, but God's grace was just right for every situation. Everywhere I looked I saw God's grace. Even the one's that did not involve me personally, but still made heart ache very hard.

Resident Assistant. Being referred to as one of the RA's still makes me think they are talking to someone else. I have loved it though, because there are just some pretty special girls in the dorm whom I love getting to know. Mostly myself and the other RA just do normal things like lead dorm meeting and remind the girls for the 10th time to put away their shoes... Sometimes though we facilitate an impromptu fire drill because somebody's popcorn got a little too done:) What can I say dorm life has been amazing!














For the first time it didn't work for me to go home for Thanksgiving. I dreaded the day I normally loved, because there would be no family to spend it with. Needlessly I worried because when Thanksgiving break was over I had the best of times with friends. I'm not going to lie though I could not wait for Christmas break to come so I could see my family.




An eternity of projects and tests seemed separate me from my family. It's amazing though what can be accomplished in a few late nights. Just as usual all the work got done although we may have shortened our lives by several years. You forget about that though when you wake up at 8:30 on Monday morning and don't feel the least bit guilty for sleeping through first hour because your on Christmas break and it doesn't matter.











So that was my year...well a very small fraction of it. I've already gotten too wordy and still I only told you events not actual stories. Some things were not for me to tell, but instead are secrets between me and the Lord. I could write a big long book of all the very many things God did this year. There are exactly 10 days left in the year 2011, and so much could happen in those few days. I have learned to never estimate a day as only ordinary for you just never know what is going to happen.





I await the adventures of 2012 with anticipation of all the things I know God will do. Those little and big things that only God can do. With so much faithfulness seen in this year alone there is no doubt the Lord will continue to be faithful. My prayer is that I will continue to be faithful in all that I am called to do.

To God be the Glory!

Post Card Exchange at ylcf.org

Monday, December 19, 2011

Connection

Sometimes you can't see it at first. Your too blinded by the bitter disappointment and dashed hopes to really see joy. When the pain is over though the connection is evident. A connection that states the pain was there for a reason. At the time you just couldn't see the reason because your view was blocked by disappointment. Only afterwards is it so very evident that there was a connection to something else you never knew about. It takes a long time sometimes for the shades of life to be drawn back, but when they are there is light and understanding.



Connection

I admit I would rather not see the connection. Instead to have my own way and take pleasure in the things I would like. Then I think though of connection I cannot see. God is at work and even if the work threatens to grip me with pain I do not want it too stop.

Tell me please what are those connections you could only see after the fact. God works too much for their be none in your life. Every life lived for God will have many connections.

Wednesday, December 14, 2011

...and so we clean




 Maybe its more like for me that I get distracted doing my cleaning when I should be doing homework.

The girls dorm is about to go into complete disaster...White Glove is upon the campus and the bleach will be out in full force.

Last white glove...the entire school was campused because of failure to clean certain small areas.

Last white glove I was up till 1 one in the morning and consequently felt really tired the next day.

Last white glove I took the trash out after curfew...shhh don't tell.

But this white glove?

There is no tests tomorrow to worry about and of course this year we have learned to be better house keepers. Maybe at least learned how to hide our stuff better.

Future housekeepers of America we are so ready for this!

Monday, December 12, 2011

...a small brown box

The finals were kind of getting to me today.

Too much to do and far too little time.

It seemed like every little thing wanted to make me upset.

Discouraged

I saw the little package by the mailboxes. Not uncommon lots of students get packages, but hardly ever me. So why should this time be different?

This time though there was my name on the little brown box. A brown box with Christmas goodies from my family.

I don't think it was ironic that it arrived on Monday...the day of a really big test. Monday the start of finals week...a very long week at which at the end I can go home.

God knew...it was a little thing yet so big to me.



Saturday, December 10, 2011

color

The color of my uncle’s coffin was shinny newly varnished wood. Last Christmas while most people were out shopping my cousins were making their father’s coffin.

It seemed on the day of the burial color was lost from the eyes of my family as grief colored their life instead. 

Gray and dismal was the color of the sky while we stood in the cold burying my uncle.

The tears threatened to freeze on our cheeks while we listened to the bagpipes place “Be Still and Know that I am God”. 

One year ago today my uncle saw the color of heaven for the first time. It must have been breath taking and indescsribly beautiful first sight. Surely there is nothing beautiful than then the color of seeing your Savior. 

Life’s color sometimes bares sadness and pain, but the color awaiting us is only beauty. I have yet to see this  color, but somehow I know it's going to be the most beautiful thing ever.


Thursday, December 8, 2011

...of typos

In the midst of finals, life, Christmas decorating, snowy days, not sleeping, and drinking too much coffee...

I'm thankful for my amazing niece...

because she is not like her aunt.

Her aunt is the one who failed 2 college English tests...and just barely passed Basic English class at all.

But my niece well...

She is a writing coach and is very good at it.

And she makes time too for proof reading a paper that is due in less that 24 hours...because somebody well procrastinated.

The typos in the post...sorry she is not at my disposal. I only wish...


Tuesday, December 6, 2011

...of procrastination



So I'm a senior and for some reason the above picture describes me a bit too well.

There were the days when homework was done weeks in advance and the night before was never for paper writing. I've digressed though and now well sometimes I have to drink a lot of coffee and only sleep after 12:00 am. And then I laugh too much at the tiniest things, because well the only way to really and truly cure stress is to laugh until all those around you are embarrassed.

Only 7 days till I'm finished...deep breath.


Another deep breath.

I wonder how hard it would be to contract a very contagious sickness and get sent home early? 
 
I'm going to stop writing now before I get accused of procrastinating.