the scent of spring

it smelled like spring yesterday... what an amazing gift our senses can be. this is going to be my last post here. i think the allure of xanga has worn off, and no, i'm not jumping into the world of facebook either.

here are a few things i found while doing research at work yesterday. recommended reading, if you will...

http://falsani.blogspot.com/

this blog by sun-times religion reporter cathleen falsani is candid and fresh. i appreciate it.

http://www.theatlantic.com/doc/200303/rauch

this article struck a chord with millions when it was originally published in 2003. i recall hearing the hype the never came across the article itself. here it is. its funny and rings so incredibly true to this introvert.

Godspeed.

Currently Reading The Short Day Dying By Peter Hobbs see related

thanks for the prayers. i honestly felt them. the wedding went off great! the newlyweds are now soaking up the sun in punta cana. i'll post a link to pic's (if it's okay with the bride) once they're online. 

Godspeed.

dum, dum, da-dum

My baby sista is getting married in less than 72 hours! yikes! Weddings are a lot of work and a lot of fun and quite exhausting- both physically and emotionally. Pray for God's peace to rule over the last-minute details and the impending event. Pray that Jonah and Eden- the Bell Ringer and Flower Girl- make it down the aisle! (Eden is the self-proclaimed "pwincess" of the event.) Pray- more importantly- that my Dad makes it down the aisle. He's a big teddy bear and he finds the thought of walking Noelle down the aisle nauseating.

Godspeed.

Currently Listening Dancing Queen: A Tribute to ABBA By Various Artists see related

the blame game

white person commits a crime= it's supposedly the parent's fault, particularly the mother's if she works

black person commits a crime= it's because they are black and it's supposedly in their nature

hispanic/latino person commits a crime= it's because they are supposedly all poor and uneducated

asian person commits a crime= it's because they are supposedly maniacal as a result of their super-intelligence

arab person commits a crime= it's because they're supposedly inherently evil, don't you ever watch fox news?

jewish person commits a crime= it's because they supposedly love money so much they can't help it

any immigrant or child of an immigrant commits a crime= it's because they supposedly hate America and resent all Americans.

It's funny how things get portrayed in the media. The older I get the more I realize how sensationalized everything can be. "News" outlets- if that's what you call them- don't necessarily report news but what they think people want to hear and what, most importantly, sells. I know this is nothing new and you've all heard it before, but take a close look at our local media agencies.

I picked up a copy of our local "newspaper" at my parents the other day and noticed the front cover was flanked with photos of people killed at VA Tech last week. Not so disturbing. What is disturbing is that their small photos surrounded a large photo of their killer. The message: "The most important person here is the man who shot and killed these people."

Then there's the television news. We get to see this disturbed man's manifesto broadcast on the nightly news. The message: "Hey, disturbed people out there, want to get the world's attention, here's what you do..."

So what can we do living in a city where the weather trumps all news that happens outside of West Michigan? I don't know but there's got to be something.

Godspeed.

Currently Reading Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy By Gary D. Schmidt see related

Back to the grind that is life in Michigan...

We returned Friday evening following a family vacation to visit my Grandpa & his wife in West Palm Beach, Florida with a short stop in Asheville, North Carolina. It was a fantastic trip- 80's and sunny every day, beautiful scenery, the kids were great (after the first 48 hours, that is), and we enjoyed spending time with my Grandpa & his wife who we stayed with.

Stopping in Asheville was part of the trip I was really excited about. The scenery around there was amazing. The kids and I were talking in the car and imagining how God carved the mountains out of the landscape by bending down and sweeping His thumb across the earth. If you're ever there, I highly recommend that you stop at the North Carolina Arboretum. It's free, you just pay $6 to park your vehicle, and it has the most gorgeous gardens and hiking trails and art on display.

We went to church on Palm Sunday at my Grandpa's church- a fledgling United Methodist Congregation. I think Kevin and I agree that if we moved down there, that's where we'd go to church. The people are friendly and earnest in their desire to expand the kingdom of Christ. They were recently in the news in West Palm because one Sunday morning the congragation arrived at church to discover someone had written the N-word in the letters on the church sign. (Their pastor is an African-American woman and the congreagation is somewhat diverse). It was good to see another church out there standing up to end the racial divide that plagues Sunday mornings.   

The greatest challenge while we were there was that my step-grandma received test results back that said her cancer is back and spreading around her pelvis. She's big on not losing her quality of life so she doesn't do aggressive treatments, although I'm sure the Chemo pills and daily Radiation for 6 weeks still are not fun. I've mentioned before what an incredible woman she is and it is so hard to see her down. I bawled like a baby as we were driving away. Please pray for healing. She's just seventy years young and my grandpa turns 80 this May. I honestly don't know what he'd do without her.

West Palm has a large population of elderly transplants from the East Coast. I had so much fun just people watching. My favorite moment was staning in line at Dunkin Donuts to get my daily coffee fix (Grandpa buys instant! Yikes!) and a little old man steps up to the counter next to me and says to the kid behind the counter in his raspy, East Coast voice, "Got any stale donuts?" Maybe it doesn't sound that funny to you, perhaps you had to be there, but I almost busted out laughing.

So, back to housecleaning and work (we have a youth writing festival in just two weeks!), reading and Bible study, and all the other fun things that occupy my time. God is so gracious and good. 

WOMEN OF GR- FYI- Wednesday nights, 6:30-8:00pm Bridget is leading a study on Ephesians at Oakdale. We're in the green house across from the church. She's a great teacher and a fount of Biblical wisdom! You should come.

While I'm using silly abbreviations...

BTW- I am now officially a Seminary student! ...Now to figure out how to pay for it. :)

Godspeed.

Currently Reading A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier By Ishmael Beah see related