tomorrow is my birthday.
i thought about what i was doing 28 years ago. so i asked my mom, she would know best.
as she was playing cards and eating a hamburger or some type of food that my dad made, i was preparing to make my presence known in the world.
i was born march 1, 1981 at 12:31 am.
i cried a lot. and i was probably pretty darn cute :).
a lot of friends have had babies this week and i'm in awe at new life...there are new humans in this world today. i find that fascinating. i really do. and i've loved accompanying my friends during their pregnancy. i've loved calling them to see how they are holding up...i love calling to celebrate and i love hearing a new human in the background.
i would loved to have seen what it was like for my parents to welcome me into the world. i'm sure there was a lot of anticipation and nervous energy and probably some pain.
and a lot of love.
so this birthday i'm reflecting on the love that my parents have embraced me with over the years.
i'm biased, but i do think my family is the best family in the world. kenley and i have really struggled to figure out how to share holidays because i obviously would prefer to spend it on horsemint trail with my family.
i think i'm actually a half/half mix of my parents. seriously. i love to get up early and workout - dad. i also love to hit snooze - mom. i'm 5 ft. 4 inches. i think. once i put 5 ft. 8 inches on my license. i was a little confused. dad - 6'3'' and mom 5'2''. :) i like to be around people and talk - dad and i can also enjoy being on my own or with a small group of people - mom. when i travel i enjoy taking tours and learning history - mom and i sometimes want to nap and watch tv - dad.
throughout the years my parents have blessed me beyond belief. i've become more aware of the ways that they have sacrificed each day. i also see God's grace all over my life.
my parents have taught me:
that early morning workouts are worth it
eating well pays off
doing the roger rabbit is a good dance move
pancakes on saturday mornings are better than any other day
soccer is fun
watching basketball is fun with my dad
naps are fun
serving others is essential
loving God is foundational
supporting friends and family is important
hope is important
faith is important
laughing is good
tomorrow is my birthday! and i'm thankful for the ways my parents have lived and supported me.
they are the best!
Saturday, February 28, 2009
Thursday, February 26, 2009
childlike joy
i don't think that i could ever pick one thing that i love the most about my friends.
this morning around 130 when i was feeling really crummy (i still blame peanut butter) i was in my bed, shivering. and couldn't help but think about a sweet moment i had yesterday.
after attending an ash wednesday service, kenley and i went to his house so i could get my car. he stopped me and got really excited.
he had seen the first signs of the tulips we planted in the fall. it was fairly dark outside, but he got his cellphone out and tried to show me. i couldn't see. so he ran inside to find a flash light. so there we were, the two of us, huddled over a little plot of dirt, looking at four little shoots. his childlike joy made me happy and made my day.
this morning around 130 when i was feeling really crummy (i still blame peanut butter) i was in my bed, shivering. and couldn't help but think about a sweet moment i had yesterday.
after attending an ash wednesday service, kenley and i went to his house so i could get my car. he stopped me and got really excited.
he had seen the first signs of the tulips we planted in the fall. it was fairly dark outside, but he got his cellphone out and tried to show me. i couldn't see. so he ran inside to find a flash light. so there we were, the two of us, huddled over a little plot of dirt, looking at four little shoots. his childlike joy made me happy and made my day.
take me away
i want to take a break. it's weird. since kenley's been here i haven't traveled much. it's not even the traveling part. about once a month i was taking a little bit of time away. i didn't know how much i missed it until i wasn't getting it.
anyone have some frequent flyer miles you'd like to donate to me? fly me to where you are :) i'm usually a good guest. or fly me to chicago. or fly me to a beach.
thanks.
anyone have some frequent flyer miles you'd like to donate to me? fly me to where you are :) i'm usually a good guest. or fly me to chicago. or fly me to a beach.
thanks.
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
lent
saw this on heather's blog.
Catch me in my anxious scurrying, Lord,
and hold me in this Lenten season:
hold my feet to the fire of your grace
and make me attentive to my mortality
that I may begin to die now
to those things that keep me
from living with you
and with my neighbors on this earth;
to grudges and indifference,
to certainties that smother possibilities,
to my fascination with false securities,
to my addiction to sweatless dreams,
to my arrogant insistence on how it has to be.
to my corrosive fear of dying someday
which eats away the wonder of living this day,
and the adventure of losing my life
in order to find it in you.
Catch me in my aimless scurrying, Lord,
and hold me in this Lenten season:
hold my heart to the beat of your grace
and create in me a resting place,
a kneeling place,
a tip-toe place
where I can recover from the dis-ease of my grandiosities
which fill my mind and calendar with busy self-importance,
that I may become vulnerable enough
to dare intimacy with the familiar,
to listen cup-eared for your summons,
and to watch squint-eyed for your crooked finger
in the crying of a child,
in the hunger of street people, in the fear of the contagion of terrorism in all people.
in the rage of those oppressed because of sex or race,
in the smoldering resentments of exploited third world nations,
in the sullen apathy of the poor and ghetto-strangled people,
in my lonely doubt and limping ambivalence;
and somehow,
during this season of sacrifice,
dnable me to sacrifice time,
and possessions,
and securities,
to do something…
something about what I see,
something to turn the water of my words
into the wine of will and risk,
into the bread of blood and blisters,
into the blessedness of deed,
of a cross picked up,
a savior followed.
Catch me in my mindless scurrying, Lord,
and hold me in this Lenten season:
hold my spirit to the beacon of your grace
and grant me light enough to walk boldly,
to feel passionately,
to love aggressively;
Grant me peace enough to want more,
to work for more
and to submit to nothing less,
and to fear only you…
only you!
Bequeath me not becalmed seas,
slack sails and premature benedictions,
but breathe into me a torment,
storm enough to make within myself
and from myself,
something…
something new,
something saving,
something true,
a gladness of heart,
a pitch for a song in the storm,
a word of praise lived,
a gratitude shared,
a cross dared,
a joy received.
from: Ted Loder, Guerrillas of Grace
Catch me in my anxious scurrying, Lord,
and hold me in this Lenten season:
hold my feet to the fire of your grace
and make me attentive to my mortality
that I may begin to die now
to those things that keep me
from living with you
and with my neighbors on this earth;
to grudges and indifference,
to certainties that smother possibilities,
to my fascination with false securities,
to my addiction to sweatless dreams,
to my arrogant insistence on how it has to be.
to my corrosive fear of dying someday
which eats away the wonder of living this day,
and the adventure of losing my life
in order to find it in you.
Catch me in my aimless scurrying, Lord,
and hold me in this Lenten season:
hold my heart to the beat of your grace
and create in me a resting place,
a kneeling place,
a tip-toe place
where I can recover from the dis-ease of my grandiosities
which fill my mind and calendar with busy self-importance,
that I may become vulnerable enough
to dare intimacy with the familiar,
to listen cup-eared for your summons,
and to watch squint-eyed for your crooked finger
in the crying of a child,
in the hunger of street people, in the fear of the contagion of terrorism in all people.
in the rage of those oppressed because of sex or race,
in the smoldering resentments of exploited third world nations,
in the sullen apathy of the poor and ghetto-strangled people,
in my lonely doubt and limping ambivalence;
and somehow,
during this season of sacrifice,
dnable me to sacrifice time,
and possessions,
and securities,
to do something…
something about what I see,
something to turn the water of my words
into the wine of will and risk,
into the bread of blood and blisters,
into the blessedness of deed,
of a cross picked up,
a savior followed.
Catch me in my mindless scurrying, Lord,
and hold me in this Lenten season:
hold my spirit to the beacon of your grace
and grant me light enough to walk boldly,
to feel passionately,
to love aggressively;
Grant me peace enough to want more,
to work for more
and to submit to nothing less,
and to fear only you…
only you!
Bequeath me not becalmed seas,
slack sails and premature benedictions,
but breathe into me a torment,
storm enough to make within myself
and from myself,
something…
something new,
something saving,
something true,
a gladness of heart,
a pitch for a song in the storm,
a word of praise lived,
a gratitude shared,
a cross dared,
a joy received.
from: Ted Loder, Guerrillas of Grace
chaaarch
i'm so happy at the church kenley, marcia, brittany and i have been attending. mar, brittany and i had been on a search for a church for quite awhile on our own. i was looking for a church since i arrived in omaha. i visited churches that people in my office attended and visited churches that i thought might be interesting. i received free cookies, coffee mugs and other things from churches but i didn't find what i was looking for in any of those churches.
so marcia, brit and i combined our search and after our first visit to st. martins in south omaha we were won over. i grew up in a small methodist church for the first years of my life in indiana and have grown to appreciate the liturgy that is present in the methodist tradition. so st. martins has been a perfect fit to my life. it's a sweet episcopal church in south omaha. the congregration is small and it's perfect. i love that we found it on our own, well, God led us there together. and it's been a sweet time of fellowship with my friends. i love that we carpool together and leave each week inspired.
the church is committed to serving its neighborhood. so right now they are serving the teen mothers and fathers at south high school that is right across the street. they offer education, tutoring and support to the students who attend that school. the pastor, father ron, is committed to reminding us of the church's commitment and response to the neighborhood. and father ron inspires us each week with his homilies. i appreciate the structure of the services on sunday and the history that it represents.
i also love that i'm in the choir. with two other people...and two kiddos. so it's me, the organist, a sweet lady and marcia. and then two kids. and i also love that there are about 15 people in the congregration. anticipating what God will do in the neighborhood.
i'm attending st. martin's ash wednesday service and am looking forward to the beginning of Lent.
so marcia, brit and i combined our search and after our first visit to st. martins in south omaha we were won over. i grew up in a small methodist church for the first years of my life in indiana and have grown to appreciate the liturgy that is present in the methodist tradition. so st. martins has been a perfect fit to my life. it's a sweet episcopal church in south omaha. the congregration is small and it's perfect. i love that we found it on our own, well, God led us there together. and it's been a sweet time of fellowship with my friends. i love that we carpool together and leave each week inspired.
the church is committed to serving its neighborhood. so right now they are serving the teen mothers and fathers at south high school that is right across the street. they offer education, tutoring and support to the students who attend that school. the pastor, father ron, is committed to reminding us of the church's commitment and response to the neighborhood. and father ron inspires us each week with his homilies. i appreciate the structure of the services on sunday and the history that it represents.
i also love that i'm in the choir. with two other people...and two kiddos. so it's me, the organist, a sweet lady and marcia. and then two kids. and i also love that there are about 15 people in the congregration. anticipating what God will do in the neighborhood.
i'm attending st. martin's ash wednesday service and am looking forward to the beginning of Lent.
Saturday, February 21, 2009
birthdays: the gift of parties :)
birthdays. we are in the midst of the birthday season. i've had two friends give birth this week. and tomorrow we're celebrating kenley's birthday. kenley shares a birthday with matt neher. we're celebrating matt's birthday tonight. the 15th of feb was john fowler's birthday, we're also celebrating his birthday tonight. and then next sunday, it's my birthday. and then the next week it's jonathan's birthday. and then in two saturdays we're celebrating my birthday. and then mandy's birthday! then liz' birthday. i'm sure i've forgotten some, but this gives you a brief idea of the birthday season that is here.
birthdays. birthdays. birthdays.
birthdays. birthdays. birthdays.
Friday, February 20, 2009
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