pooh bear

i love the simplicity and the sweetness found in the words of a. a. milne.

i received a treasure in a small book of his sayings for my birthday. i also discovered three other books at a thrift store in may and have been enjoying the wisdom and humor from this writer since.

here are a few of my favorites from here, there and everywhere in between-

“if the person you are talking to doesn't appear to be listening, be patient. it may simply be that he has a small piece of fluff in his ear.”

“it is more fun to talk with someone who doesn't use long, difficult words but rather short, easy words like "what about lunch?"”

“when late morning rolls around and you're feeling a bit out of sorts, don't worry; you're probably just a little eleven o'clockish.”

“you can't help respecting anybody who can spell TUESDAY, even if he doesn't spell it right; but spelling isn't everything. there are days when spelling tuesday simply doesn't count.”

“poetry and hums aren't things which you get, they're things which get you. and all you can do is go where they can find you.”

“piglet sidled up to pooh from behind. "pooh," he whispered. "yes, piglet?" "nothing," said piglet, taking pooh's paw, "i just wanted to be sure of you."”

hope

sometimes i ask God, "why me?"
today was one of those days.

nothing bad has happened to me. no tragedy has struck me. no evil has befallen me.

instead i was once again reminded of the grace that God has shown me.

mommy and i went to a lunch today put on by shared hope international. what i heard broke my heart-the little girls who are forced into slavery, forced into prostitution. some of them are sold by their parents, who know full well of their child's fate. others believe they are acting in their child's best interest, sending them off to school or a better opportunity. yet, the result is the same: bondage for these girls.



unlike these precious ones who have been sold into slavery, i was free to remain innocent and girlish for longer than most. unlike these beautiful girls who were prostituted against their will, i have been protected by my family. unlike these shame-filled women who are just beginning to experience the love of God, i have been loved all my life and have known of God's grace and love for me since childhood. girls who have known torture and abuse, when i can only imagine the horrors they have experienced.

i don't know why God chose to save me. i don't know why others must suffer such horrors because of the greed and sin of others. but i do know that as bleak as this situation is, i was also shown hope today.

hope for a future. women who have thought of themselves as nothing,able to own their own homes. women with seemingly no future, being able to learn skills and having a profession of their own. women who were forced into prostitution, being able to their dream of romance through marriage to a christian man. girls finding safety in hope houses. girls getting to go to school for the first time. as i watched the video i was struck by the joy found in the laughter and smiles of these daughters who had been hurt so much. only jesus could make a blind man see, a lame man walk and heal these hurting girls.










he truly is the God of miracles. he truly is the God of wonders. praise our God!

restoration. freedom. life. hope.

these are the promises of our savior.

give me jesus

my prayer for tonight is in the words of this song.

in the morning, when i rise/in the morning, when i rise/in the morning, when i rise, give me jesus

give me jesus/give me jesus/you can have all this world/but give me jesus

when i am alone/when i am alone/when i am alone, give me jesus

give me jesus/give me jesus/you can have all this world/but give me jesus

when i come to die/when i come to die/when i come to die, give me jesus

give me jesus/give me jesus/you can have all this world/you can have all this world/you can have all this world

but give me jesus

summer goals

for the past few summers, brio magazine has put out a 30 day challenge, offering teen girls the chance and incentive to better themselves over the summer months. while i don't plan to engage in all of the activites that are laid out in this article, i do want to utilize the rest of my time at home during these sunny days.

a few of my summer goals-

-bless my family. whether this means running errands, paint a bedroom for my grandma doing chores, going to a movie with my daddy, playing games with my brothers, talking with my mommy, making gluten-free food, i want to be a blessing to some of the very most important people in my life.

-read uncle tom's cabin by harriet beecher stowe.

-get a passport. australia is only 11 months away!

-work on curbing my tongue. i think in the last year i've become more critical, more unkind with my words due partly to the influence of those i've been around but also because of my own sinful nature. i want to work on building other people up with my words and not saying the thoughts that amuse me when they are at another's expense.

-memorize colossians 4:6 to help me with curbing my tongue.

-spend minimal time on the computer. i can easily waste hours on this machine, but i want to commit to using it to communicate with people i am away from and doing useful activites. and getting off of it when i'm done!

-pray for my upcoming year. with a full schedule of nursing classes and exciting opportunities as a r.a. i know i will face opposition. i want to be a blessing to those i am serving!

-read the space trilogy by c. s. lewis.

-spend time with some of my dear friends here at home. its easy to take for granted living on campus, close to all my friends at school. while it takes a bit more of an effort, i want to be able to spend time with those that i am away from when i'm at school.

-write at least 2 letters to my sponsored child in india. i know letters are such a treasured thing. during the school year, i often neglect this important part of my ministry to this little girl whom i have never met. during the summer, i'm afraid laziness more than business prevents me from blessing her in this way.

-eat less dessert. self explanatory.

-make my decorations for the apartments' doors. i want to have as much ready before training week as possible!

-read the last of the mohicans by james fenimore cooper.

-exercise. with a varied schedule almost every day, it isn't always possible to exercise in the same way. but i want to be ready for walkabout this august and i want to be in shape anyway! i want to make an effort to be active in whatever way i can each day. i know the value of convenience hinders my progress in this area and feeds my lazy nature. no more!

-scrapbook my school year. enjoying the pictures taken of my friends and family during the school year while preserving them in a special way is something i discovered was impossible to do in the midst of res. life and nursing!

-watch less movies. play more games as a family.

-not mindlessly watching movies, but making the choice to evaluate the content with a biblical worldview.

-read ephesians every day. the week that was spent in the study of this book during my last semester made me realize how much i wanted to learn more from the wealth found in this book intended for all believers.

wow. i guess i had more goals than i realized!

jesus, help me to not waste the precious gift of these summer days.

a wedding

there's something indescribably beautiful about weddings where God is honored.

this weekend we drove to a special wedding. i suppose all weddings are special but this one felt especially so, for several reasons:

-i got to see my daddy as a groomsman for a young man he had known since the days as his sunday school teacher in elementary school
-i witnessed two people who loved God even more than they loved each other
-i saw their commitment to purity through their decision to wait until this day before kissing
-i also saw their first act as man and wife to be a way to honor God, instead of the traditional kiss

what a blessing to witness such a union. and what a reminder of what i am waiting for...

chapter of my life

on sunday, daddy received "the pursuit of happyness" for father's day. i liked the messages found in the film, even if his hard life was difficult to watch. i liked the father-son relationship portrayed. i also liked the way in which the narration included the various "chapters" in his life.

"this is the chapter of my life called 'being stupid.'"

"this is the chapter of my life called 'running.'"

this is the chapter of my life called "hanging out with my best friend."

-driving to the store where she works

-trying on dresses

-having her act as my saleslady, telling me how flattering the dresses looked

-discussing how to compliment someone even when a dress isn't flattering

-picking out earrings with my birthday gift certificate

-eating spaghetti and salad with her family

-learning archery

-feeling heroic while aiming at the target

-actually hitting the target!

-making a list of our intended summer adventures together

-thinking our many years together as friends, with moments both remembered and forgotten

-showing her my hawaii scrapbook and wishing she could have journeyed there with me

-carrying the mattress to her floor

"if it fits, its meant to be."

-sleeping on the mattress and talking until we fell asleep

-walking up in the middle of the night and being happy to be sleeping next to my best friend

-eating watermelon and bumble bars for breakfast

-listening to country music on the drive to our hike

-hiking around the edge of lake cushman

-enjoying the peace of the lake while swapping stories of our separate adventures this year

-drinking water out of nalgenes

-having her recite poetry to me, including the tree poem

-hugging good-bye with the anticipation of seeing each other soon to begin fulfilling our list

-realizing that even distance and different experiences has not changed our friendship

plaster and large red top tubes

sometimes i have expectations for how things are going to be-

on sunday i taught sunday school with mommy. prior to getting there, we were informed that we would be making plaster hand-prints with the kids for father's day. when i found this out, i was less than thrilled. i dislike crafts that are not simple and do not fit with the story. unfortunately my fears were not unfounded. the plaster turned out to be rather a disaster, but fortunately mommy was there to help. she took over the plaster, which ended up using up most of the class period, while i taught the children about joshua. and i would like to point out that they were much more excited about the pieces of paper we rolled into trumpets than the plaster. =) simple but fun.

on monday i went to get tested for allergies. as i held the letter in my hand on the way to the lab, i was filled with anxiety over the words, "please fill one large red top tube...and spin it." yikes. after a small prick, a vial of my blood and a sore arm later, i realized that my fears were somewhat unfounded. i thought the worst was over.
then today, i learned that it was all for naught. the tube of blood was not spun enough and will have to be re-done. yuck.

expectations. sometimes i'm right and sometimes i'm wrong. sometimes i like the satisfaction of being right, but would prefer being proven wrong. and sometimes i hope that i am incorrect...

more than a garage sale

what a privilege to be around family: both relations and dear friends.
people who may not be related by blood, but who know you.
kindred spirits and gentle hearts.
delicious food and shared memories.
so many conversations that blessed my heart.

i think the day can be summed up with one happy thought in the words of john avery whitaker, "you can never put an age limit on friendship." or distance limit...or time limit...or any other kind of limit!

what a gift God gave us in relationships with other people. days like today give me a small glimpse into the beautiful character of our God.

counter-culture

this summer, our church is doing a series on "counter-culture christianity." even though i've heard so many times that we are to be "in the world, but not of it," these lessons always seems so much more real when seen in my own life. even though i wish i could learn by simply reading the words on the pages of my bible, i'm glad God gives me the visual reminders that serve as the lessons i need.

today i was taught the lesson of what freedom really looks like. we're told that happiness will happen when we have the latest [fill in the blank]. these messages can be subtle as a line in a movie or blatant as a billboard, but it is easy to buy into the idea that stuff brings satisfaction and contentment. i know growing up during the depression influenced poppop's habits and purchasing choices, but i can't help but think that he too bought into this belief. as i hung up almost all of his 124 shirts to (hopefully!) be sold/given away tomorrow, i was sad for several reasons. the first was the obvious sadness of knowing poppop would never wear the shirts again. i didn't like seeing his favorite shirts without him. the second reason was the realization that having so much stuff brings about bondage, as the number of shirts is just one of the many examples to be found in the garage and house being prepared for the sale. it made me sad to think that he was unknowingly not truly free as he held onto so much stuff unnecessarily. there was no possible way for him to wear, use or much less enjoy all of the things we are discovering in his absence. even though it isn't what our culture teaches, i am venturing to believe that freedom comes, not from stuff, but from God. i am far from having this lesson applied to my own life, but i think i'm going to start by memorizing this verse...and maybe cleaning out my closet better than i ever have before:

"yet true godliness with contentment is itself great wealth. after all, we brought nothing with us when we came into the world, and we can’t take anything with us when we leave it. so if we have enough food and clothing, let us be content."
1 timothy 6:6-8

and can i mention how much i love brooke fraser? i find her lyrics filled with truth, her heart bursting with righteous causes and her voice passionately and genuinely praising God with sweet melodies. today on the way home from the service, mommy, john and i listened to the soundtrack for moulin rouge. while hollywood attempts to distinguish between love and sex with this film and its music, the blurry confusion about pre-marital sex remains. no matter how "sweet" the music is, it seems to reinforce the message that freedom is found in sexual activity, in any context where "love" is found.

brooke fraser has a song called "love is waiting." although waiting is hard, God makes it clear that true freedom is found by following his plan. i know jeremiah 29:11 is quoted at every graduation ceremony and casually said so often that it is no longer meaningful, but i feel like this verse helps to show the desire of God for our lives. he wants the very best for us when we seek after him and choose life. i love the lyrics of "love is waiting" and find hope as i also wait, because i am also trusting.

on the autumn on the ground/between the traffic and the ordinary sounds/i am thinking signs and seasons/while a north wind blows through/i watch as lovers pass me by/walking stories, who's and how's and why's/musing lazily on love, pondering you/let's give it time, give it space/and be still for a spell/when it's time to walk that way/we wanna walk it well

i'll be waiting for you baby/i'll be holding back the darkest night/love is waiting `til we're ready/'til it's right/love is waiting

it's my caution not the cold/there's no other hand that i would rather hold/the climate changes, i'm singing for strangers about you/don't keep time, slow the pace/honey hold on if you can/the bets are getting surer now/that you're my man

i could write a million songs about the way you say my name/i could live a lifetime with you and then do it all again/and like i can't force the sun to rise/or hasten summer's start/neither should I rush my way into your heart

disclaimer

yesterday i received my order from rei. one of the items was a pair of hiking socks, with liner woven into the material. yay for walkabout adventures in august! on the packaging of the socks was a sticker reading, "slightly imperfect."

as soon as i read it, i felt as though i should stick the disclaimer on my forehead...for the rest of my existence.
"there has never been the slightest doubt in my mind that the God who started this great work in you would keep at it and bring it to a flourishing finish on the very day christ jesus appears." -philippians 1:6, the message

to switch subjects, we are going to a service for poppop today. we get to see his urn get placed in a wall and see his plaque. guns will be shot and taps will be played. people who loved him and want to honor his memory will be there. and i'm sure tears will also be present.

and as i write, i'm listening to casting crowns. i like them.