snow day thoughts

Things I'm loving so far about this post-Fall season:

-gingerbread latte's from Dunn Bros.
-Christmas lights
-cozy socks
-fleece pants, actually just fleece in general
-Bing Crosby
-cuddling up (with a book, with a blanket, with the cat, etc.)

And so the beginnings of a another winter in Kansas. It's a joyful time, a cold time, and a snuggly time. I love it. I may complain about it at times, but I love it. I can't wait til it's time to go sledding. Happy day, my friends. Hope you're enjoying this time as well.

settling

My apologies for not updating here. You'd think while on "sabbatical" I'd find the time to do things like this, but that's not the case. I find other things to fill up my time. Important stuff like getting coffee with friends, reading books, and living into fall. God has granted me this time to actually see Him. Feel Him moving in me, not just brushing past. My pastor once said that one of the devil's greatest schemes is to make us so busy we don't have time to stop and focus and study. I think that's true. So, this Fall has been all about not being busy and stopping and focusing and studying. Thank you, Lord. When you rest, you see Him everywhere. In lazy afternoon lunches in the sunshine, cups of hot tea, dinners by candlelight, carving pumpkins, and late night conversations. He's present everywhere. And shows His love through many people and things.

The other day I was visiting the library and ran into a teacher I had in Jr. High. She shared something with me that I will always remember. She said that every morning when she gets up she meditates on the fact that if you take time to let the mud settle in your life, the water will clear and you will see what is coming up next. This all hooks back into getting to a point where you are going 7 different directions at 100 miles per hour. The 'mud' gets so mixed up that pretty soon all you have is a clouded mess. No way to see to the other side. But when things get a chance to settle, it's much easier to see what is ahead.

No one has ever seen God. But if we love each other, God lives in us, and his love is brought to full expression in us.
--1 John 4:12

gimme a break

I guess it's kind of expected for the posts here to be few and far between. That's okay.

It seems to me that when life is crazy for one, it's crazy for all. My little chunk of the world seems to be dealing with a whole lotta crazy lately. Everyone I know has something big going on in life, including my self. I'm losing my job, losing friends, losing my mind some days, and in some senses-losing touch with what's important. It's one of those things where you get so busy with the meaningless and petty things of life that you forget to focus on those things that do mean something. You lose touch with that which brings you peace and understanding. So instead, you stand surrounded by a mess wondering how you got there, how you got buried so deep-so fast, and how the heck are you going to climb out?! I forgot that it's as simple as a prayer or taking a breath. So. I've made the decision to take a sabbatical of sorts. Take some time to breath, to pray, to just be. I want to be with friends & family, be with God, and soak up the fact that Fall is almost upon us. Life at 21 can be crazy, but in the midst of it all, I realize how thankful I am. For a God who has a plan. For a life that was meant to be lived.

just now

I'm sitting at work, eating Veggie Tales fruit snacks and cleaning up my desk. The phone rings. I answer, using the name of the doctor that I work for, and the guy on the other end says:

"Is this the farm?"

Me: "No, this is the doctor's office."

Guy: "You mean, this isn't the farm?"

Me: "Umm...No. This is a d-o-c-t-o-r's office."

Now that my friends, is random.

oops

Man. I apologize for the lack of postage here at Illuminated. I've been soakin' up summer for all it's worth lately and haven't made it here to document it. Hopefully tomorrow or the next day I can catch y'all up on what's been happenin'. Ciao.