In a nutshell

As I sit in my bedroom, listening to the rhythmic purr of my dishwasher, I can think of no better way to summarize my current state of being than this: 

"Surely God is my help; the Lord is the one who sustains me." - Psalm 54:4

I am coming to the place where I realize how critical the attribute of 'helping' is in a relationship.  For me, love without service is sustainable when my spirits are high and life is pleasant.  It's when the coin flips and circumstances or emotions take a dive that people who are built to serve can offer me support in ways others simply cannot.  It's so life-giving to know that God is equipped to be the best kind of helper.   He served me in the biggest way by sending Jesus to pay for my sins & now enters into my life with perfect help every time I need it.   Although it is sometimes hard to feel God's help & sustenance, truth is not dependent on my emotions.  Psalm 54:4 paints a picture of the Lord that is truly life-giving.   Surely God is my help; the Lord is the one who sustains me.  In a nutshell: it is because of who God is and what He does for me that I can face tomorrow.  

   

The Final Count Down.

Spring is in the air, which means that the school year is racing to a close.   For the next couple of weeks, each day holds a special significance because finishing well requires unique attention to each new day as it unfolds.     I am thankful to be making this final push to the end and pray that I can wrap things up with a clear head and accomplish the great task before me.  My biggest take-away from the year is that faith truly does require trusting in things unseen.   It is incredibly hard to believe that Gods ways are higher than mine when circumstances seem anything but 'high'.   And yet, God is present even through doubt, sadness, frustration, hurt and fear.  Only Jesus could see the depths of my heart and love me the same.

Speaking of my heart - this warm weather has been so good for me.  I even came up with a strategic plan to take up running again. . . that is until I actually went running again.   I don't know what it is, but running puts my whole body out of whack.  Ultimately I had to decide that my fantasy of running on all of the scenic trails in the twin cities is not very kind to my body.  The good news is that I don't have to give up my exploration of walking trails just because I'm not going to run them. . . I just won't complete them as fast (or as sweaty).   

Smelling flowers on a walk in Iowa, on April 1st!  

 

 

 

April came and went.   May is here and something tells me it won't be here long.   In light of what a gift time truly is, I am choosing to be thankful that I get to face a new day tomorrow, with new energy to tackle the challenges the day will bring.   What are you thankful for today?    

Organizing

When life takes unexpected turns, organization seems to be one of the few things that helps hold me together.  So, after hearing the unfortunate news that my landlord needs his Condo back, I started looking for apartments and  went on a hunt for some much-needed moving tips.  I have moved every year expect for ONE since first moving to the Twin Cities in 2005 and while I have learned many things about the process, there is still great room for improvement.   The advice is great and it even gives me a tangible starting point despite the fact that I am still in the 'search & wait' stage of finding my next place of residence. 

Here's what I found for the pre-move/organizing stage:

 Start early-  Almost everyone has more stuff than they think they do, and almost no one leaves enough time to pack it.

 Room Lists- Start by forming two room lists, one for your current place and one for your future place.  This will help you manage what has to go where.

 Room Inventory- Go to each room and write down the types of things that need to be packed: furniture items, length of shelving, closets, etc. 

Time Allotment- Make sure to leave enough time.  The most common timeframe reported by people moving is that it takes a month to pack.  One study reported that it takes 4-5 hours to pack an average dorm room, so that should give you an idea of what’s involved.

 Calendar- Pull out a calendar and plan by day when each room will be completed.

Delegation- If you’re moving with family members, agree with them exactly while tasks they will be doing and the date they will be finished.

Track your progress- at least once per week track where you are against the date on the calendar.  Revise your plan if you’re falling behind.

Read more: http://www.Movers-Edge.com/101-Best-Moving-Tips-s/29.htm#ixzz1rVVQIexU

 

I look to You

This might be the only week out of the entire year that I will do absolutely no cooking.  Seriously.  I've totally enjoyed spending the last four days eating nothing but breakfast leftovers from my birthday weekend.  If you ever have a chance to go to Coffee Cup in St.Paul, do it.   They aren't shy about their portions and they have a pretty extensive menu to explore.   I have to admit that I did miss cooking a wee bit but I did not miss the dishes.  Oddly enough, my distaste of washing dishes is the primary difference between me and my fellow condo dwellers.   Many of them have shared with me that they like to cook because doing dishes is so relaxing to them.  I am waiting for an appropriate moment to invite them to wash mine.  Just kidding - I always get them done. . . it just usually takes me a couple of days.  

In other news, I was completely blessed by this song today.   It's so comforting to know that even when I feel like I have nothing left to give, Jesus is real, present and able to provide a way.  Hope is found in no one else.  Following Christ is certainly not easy but there is no greater safety or support then being held firmly in the hand of the Lord.  

John 10:27-29

New International Version (NIV)

²⁷ My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. ²⁸ I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand. ²⁹ My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand.

25 and counting

One thing is for sure: I feel happiest when my family is around.   Life is better when it is filled with people who love me and who I love me in return.  My parents and my brother made the way all the way to the land of 10,00 lakes to spend some time with me celebrating my birthday.  Surprisingly, I did not take any pictures of our adventures together.   Thankfully I've got plenty of backups to share with you today, all documenting other adventures I have had with my favorite brother Jonathan.

Getting our Christmas tree (November 2011) 

Roommates on family vacation (May 2009) 

Seeing The Fray live and in concert in Minneapolis (Summer 2009) 

Last but not least, celebrating Christmas at Grandma's (December 2011)

A year ago I celebrated my birthday on a cruise in the Caribbean, this year I hung out at Ikea, perused the shelves at REI, ate a LOT of cake, and laughed outrageously hard.   Adult birthdays are the best!

Striving.

I have come to the realization that I am hard-wired to strive for things that are ordinarily unreachable.   I am built for commitment and function best when I am motivated to work towards a greater goal.   As trivial as growing my hair out so that it can be donated and as significant as not.giving.up in college, there is no situation that doesn't have me fighting for the finish line.  I live my life in milestones and am constantly dissecting the task at hand so that I can achieve it in a tangible and realistic way.

On a much smaller scale, this is the very thing that makes me a good cook.   Driven by the promise of new and delicious food, I follow recipes to the very last step.  I cook because it feels like a journey, and there is something deeply satisfying about exploring something new.  

Just in case you also feel the urge to strive for something new, I will disclose my most recent kitchen victory with you.   Roasted Red Potatoes (recipe found here).   While this may not be the best weather to crank up your oven, these bad boys are hard to pass up! Did you know that the secret to getting your potatoes extra crispy is using bread crumbs?  Round up some olive oil, salt, pepper, bread crumbs along with your sliced potatoes and you have got yourself some of the best oven fries out there.   Totally worth sweating over if you ask me!

Magnified blessings

As I prepare to go to bed tonight, I can't help but meditate on a quote I stumbled upon this morning:

"How much more pleasant this world would be if we magnified our blessings the way we magnify our disappointments."  - Unknown.

Humbling, right?!  Off the top of my head I can rattle off trivial disappointments like my failed attempt at a car wash because the machine did not accept my cash,  forgetting to buy kidney beans at the store, waiting for over 15 minutes for a lane at the pool, and spending half the day with my name tag from church still displayed on the front of my sun dress.  And that's just scratching the surface.  

On the other hand, communicating my blessings takes far more work.   Even at a trivial level, listing my blessings doesn't seem to prompt the same kind of discussion that disappointments do.  This is not to say that blessings don't prompt conversation, but for some reason most people are much better at relating to disappointment then they are at identifying with blessing.  Perhaps this is because we tend to have more practice at one than the other? 

For me, the answer to that question poses a call to action.   I am literally minutes away from closing my eyes and sleeping away the last moments of my freedom-filled spring break.   Being back into the swing of things will inevitably throw me into a situation where my disappointments will be easy to name in contrast with the quiet and restful week that I am leaving behind.  Given the fact that work in and of itself is a blessing, something tells me that whatever I am seeking to share with others is what I will see.    It may be easier to magnify a disappointment but it is far more edifying to give voice to a blessing.