4. Red

This time of year everything seems to be red. You hang red balls of shine on the tree and hang a wreath with a big red bow on your front door.

Red is the color of Christmas, but I think it holds more than festive brightness.

Red is the reason we celebrate Christmas. Red blood that was shed on the cross. At Christmas we celebrate the incarnation and focus on the joyous fact that a Savior came.

Blood as morbid as it might sound is the center of Christmas.

When Christ was born He came into this world just as any other baby did and it was beautiful. Birth is messy and a bit disgusting, but we see birth as beautiful and breath taking.

Some thirty years later when Christ was nailed to the cross, beaten and tormented there was nothing beautiful. Only pain and anguish, but three days later the blood was gone and the punishment for sin had been paid for.

Beauty came out of the shed blood of Christ. The birth of Christ was messy but, it was the most beautiful thing.

Red the color of Christmas. Red the color of redemption. Red the color of love. Red the color of beauty.

3. The Best Day of 2014

So I haven't been doing a lot of writing unless you count the 50 page paper I turned in last week. Anyways to get myself back in the game I'm going to do this.

Its really for taking pictures but, I'm not taking pictures, I'm going to write words. Because I see the world through words.

The Best Day of 2014

Its hard to pick the best day, there were the days where my big crazy family and I crammed into one house. The days where I watched my friends marry and at the end of the day my feet hurt, but I was too happy to care.

The day where I turned a large amount of homework that was literally cried over was a red letter day.

Maybe it was that night where my aunt and uncle and I may have eaten a large quantity of ice cream. But I'm not sure that day really happened...

Then there was the day where I made a new friend and was given discipleship and encouragement.

There was the afternoon where my friends and I ate leftover pie and drank coffee. I laughed so hard that I nearly spewed my coffee.

Perhaps it was the day where mom and I laughed over absolutely nothing. Well that happens more than just one day.

The days at work where I found out what makes someone smile extra big.

I admit, I can't pick a day and I am so blessed to not be able to pick a day. Each memory is a treasure and I'm very rich girl to have so many.

Excited that 2015 will not include papers with copious amounts of pages, but will include lots more fabulous memories. Because every day is an adventure given by God.

just a thought or two

The need to write a paper suddenly strikes a even greater need to write something that will not benefit my GPA, but will benefit the pleasure center of my brain.

Musings from the brain.

Its that time of year where the standard "how are you doing question" has a standard answer, "just trying to keep warm". This perplexes me of why announcing the temperature of your body is really so necessary. What are you supposed to say if you are not cold?

"Oh I am so warm and toasty, right down to my toes, thanks for asking and how about yourself". "How warm are you feeling?"

Thoughts from a person who sometimes likes to think too much outside of the box.

Not to be a Grinch or anything, but certain Christmas songs need to be permanently banned from this world.

Now that I have complained, or umm declared my current pet peeves about life here is some happy tidbits.

Listening to "All is Well" on repeat and remembering all is going to be well with the world.

Putting up the Christmas tree with mom and laughing hysterically over the fact that our tree bears a very similar resemblance to the Tower of Pisa.

The US Postal Service delivering homework on time and the satisfaction of completed work.

Enjoying leftover pie and the fellowship of some delightful friends. Sigh, why do we live so far apart?

The thought that my nice warm bed is waiting for me. And so I end this procrastination blog post, so I can procrastinate some more and go to bed.


Oh, and just in case you were going to ask how I am doing, I am mildly cold and wishing for a extra pair of slippers.

So long...

I'm going to miss this city.

Watch this time lapse.

 I think you would miss it too.

The old market, full of its scrumptious restaurants, quaint shops, and echoing with live music. Seeing, smelling, and hearing all this while while you feel the old brick streets beneath your feet.

It's beautiful.

The zoo is also quite tremendous. You can go a dozen times and not see everything.

You probably should not go a dozen times though, because your feet will fall off after about five visits. Either that or you will have developed enormous muscles from walking up all the hills.

Personally I go to the zoo for the overheard conversations.

Father speaking to son about the puddle in the middle of the road, "don't step in that water, its poop water".  Because of course the animals are let out of their cages to relieve themselves in the middle of the road.

I'll miss the charm, the sophistication, the coffee, and the sights. I will not miss the Ferris wheel, but I'll miss the people that have stole my heart.

Two wonderful cousins who have brightened my life in a many ways. They have helped me discover passions and dreams I never knew I had. To be the feet and hands for someone, what greater honor is there?

An Aunt that mentors me, who will talk about anything, lets me wear her belt no less than 3 times,and supports me in my ice cream addiction.

An uncle that always eats me cooking and takes us for ice cream and who is always a pleasant person to be around. 

Its been grand folks, but now its time to continue on down the road to who knows what else. 

Farewell lovely city, but I only hope for a short while.

storms

Hope.

4 letters, but its everything.

 I live because I have hope in Christ.

Hope doesn't keep the tragedies away. The negative feelings away. But Hope is always present in the hard times.

I have a tight fellowship of friends from my college days era. We know each other well and we love each other well.

Last summer one of those people I grew to know at that little college abruptly went home to Jesus.

Suddenly, he was gone and we were left in shock. While an entire nation mourned. We mourned a personality that left a hole in our circle of friends.

Things calmed down. We were holding onto hope. And than the little baby of one of my classmates died just couple of months before his due date.

Pain and shock again. I was starting to feel bruised from watching those I loved mourn.

God was with us. He has a plan. He is good.

Than a text, another life gone, suddenly taken in his sleep. The old guy who loved us all and we loved him back hard.

The afternoon I got that text it was starting to storm. I sat under the flimsily shelter of the gazebo and while rain fell fierce around me and the tears came down fast on my face.

Not another one. I thought over and over in my head. Not someone else I was close too

I ached and cried. I sought shelter inside but the storm raged outside and the rawness of pain raged in my heart.

Wanting to ask questions, but already knowing the answers.

The wind slowed, and the rain stopped falling. I looked out my window and there was a bright rainbow in the sky.

It was like a banner proclaiming to my battered heart that God was still faithful even in the midst of unexpected tragedy.

 I already knew the truth, but in that moment it was a beautiful reminder of God's faithfulness.

You don't always see the rainbow. All you feel is the storm, the pain and the uncertainty.

The rainbow is always there. Not an actual rainbow, in the sky but the promise that God will always be faithful. We may not understand the road but we can seek to understand the hope we have.

A slow journey of learning God's faithfulness. Forwards and than backwards, but never alone.

God has given us hope for this journey. Even when I can't see the rainbow I want to always trust in this hope.