Friday, January 18, 2008

Joy

Favorite things of this very moment (2:43 pm):
  • Having plans for next Friday night to hang out with Amber (I can finally give her the Christmas present that has been sitting on my dresser since the last time I saw her)
  • Having plans for this weekend with Herminder and possibly Cindy (It's so weird to actually have plans to do anything at all on the weekends considering my practically hermit-like state for the past 6 months or so)
  • The wacky lamps here at the office
  • Much Ado About Nothing by William Shakespeare
  • Having finished De Profundis by Oscar Wilde

Yes, things are going to be just fine.

You know what brings me joy? Lots of things. I've decided to share some with you in light of a friend recently sharing with me some things that really brought her joy and therefore made me feel compelled to share some joy here as well...yeah...

For instance, I love watching the snow fall while sitting in my big orange chair sipping tea or hot chocolate. I could sit there all day reading and listening to some Coldplay or Train or John Mayer, something that makes me feel safe and comfortable. It's one of those things that makes the rest of the world disappear for awhile. Just to be able to think and relax and enjoy the beauty of the snowflakes floating down creating a new world in such a short span of time. It's overwhelmingly beautiful at times.

I also find pleasure in my drive home from work every evening. It's a very short drive and incredibly uneventful, but in the fall and winter I usually get to see the sky at sunset...the clouds that turn into cotton candy pastels or dark and royal shades of purple or even neon pink to a point you expect to see advertisements. But the only thing the clouds really advertise is that God is definitely at work. I think the way the sunlight plays across the fields dancing in the shadows of the snow hills or bushes...it's beautiful. I look up into the sky as I go along wishing I was a painter...it would be wonderful to paint the sunsets of every evening.

I recently was thinking about how wonderful it would be to own my own business if for no other reason than the fact that I could make sure I was able to go outside and watch the sunset every evening. No matter what time of year, I could always make sure I was out and watching the sun as it set, and there are few greater freedoms. It makes me envy generations before me that didn't have such hectic schedules or structured lives. People who were out in the fields watching the sunrise and set every day...I'm sure there were many things about their jobs they didn't enjoy all of the time, but I can't imagine anyone not being able to pause for a moment and thank God for the splendor of His design. The skies were some of His most glorious and beautiful works when I think about it.

Just think of the stars. And the moon. Oh. How I love them all. I live for summer nights when I can go out and lay on the trampoline at Kayla's and we count shooting stars and talk about whatever crosses our minds. Or simply those magical warm nights where the moon shines pure silver across everything, so bright you could drive home without headlights (I'll admit, I've done it before, I was just so entranced with the pale light...I had to try). It makes everything seem magical. Sometimes I feel as if fairies should appear, but in their absence, the fireflies will do. There's a complete and beautiful perfection in the stars...I adore it.

One of these days, I'd like to head to Montana or Wyoming or Alaska or even somewhere in the Canadian tundra....just so I could look at the night skies without all the light pollution. It must be magnificent. Can you imagine? And endless summer sky full of stars with the moon shining down on you. Definitely the perfect romantic setting. I think I'd want to lay on the grass and read A Midsummer Night's Dream on a night like that. Wouldn't it be perfect?

Well, now that I've really digressed...but that also brings me joy. I enjoy the silly tangents and daydreams that my life is so full of. Sure it's sometimes hard to get yourself back on track, but maybe that's for the best. Maybe the tangent you got off on is really where you need to be anyway. It's not improbable that's for sure.

Children's movies are another thing that brings me great amounts of joy. They're innocent and silly, and often they have a beautiful underlying message for children: Be who you were meant to be, Stand up for your friends and family, Be loyal, Be honest, Be generous and kindhearted, don't need to know where you're going as long as you know where you've been, and my favorite "Keep moving forward." That last one is especially true for me right now. (Is it strange that I find lessons in everything?) It's the one that I need to remember and find joy in the task. You keep moving forward. Will do.

Alright, enough of my nonsense. I just wanted to say that even though life gets messy, and my heart feels broken all too often anymore, there is still joy and so much beauty. Even in the brokenness.

Keep moving forward.

Monday, January 7, 2008

Send the Light

Favorite things of this very moment (11:07 pm):
  • Having a stack of letters from Nikky to reread tomorrow
  • Having a stack of new books to read
  • A notebook covered in squirrels...bwahaha
  • My cell phone
  • Ben's honesty and logic
  • Prayer
  • Beds that don't try to eat you

I've been home from Ohio for 4 hours, and I already wish I was back.

God and I had a talk on the way home. The tears I've held in all weekend magically appeared several hours into the trip and lasted for quite awhile. I need to be more positive and more confident, but it's been a real struggle lately. Between the issues with money and the hopelessness and the overwhelming feeling of restlessness...I just don't know what to do next.

It's just that ever since I've been home from ABC, I feel I've lost something. A piece of me is missing...my worth, my purpose. People keep trying to explain my purpose to me, and so far, I haven't found a single one of them to be truly right. Sure, I've been able to help out in different areas, but as far as permanent position here...no. Nothing.

Where am I supposed to be? What am I supposed to do?

I am scared. I'm scared to uproot myself and move, but to be honest, I need a bigger space, new room to grow. It's like those plants that have to be transplanted because their roots start to strangle them...that's kind of how I feel.

I adore my family, and if I end up being called to leave, I will miss them terribly. Don't misunderstand that, it's just that...I feel like I may need to be somewhere else.

Ben thinks I need to be somewhere else. I've got a lot more praying, reading and pondering to do...but he may be right.