Saturday, January 29, 2011

a few of my favorite things

Bubble Tea- Authentically Chinese!
Sharing Tea with Friends
The Power of A Smile
The Story Behind Each Face

Children- Joy! Fascination! Wonder! Curiosity!
Friends! Sisters! Travel... The World!

Babies! Didn't we all start as one?

Thursday, January 20, 2011

wish list

I really want one of these. so beautiful. so elegant. wink, wink :) (orchid)

Thursday, January 13, 2011

102


"We care for only what we love.

We love only what we know.

We truly know only what we experience."

(Steven Bouma-Prediger)
* I forgot to mention that I wrote my 100th post the other day. This is blog entry #102! Thanks for reading! Peace be with you!

Tuesday, January 11, 2011

each of us is a flower...


growing in life's garden (it's a children's song by Charlotte Diamond)
I like this funny little Christmas Cactus. It seems silly, but I'll be honest and say that I feel proud when I look at it becuase at the office it's my responsibility to water the plants every Saturday. I really have no idea about how to care for plants, but I faithfulfully do my duty every week of watering the plants in each office. When I walked in one week and saw this little plant with these purple flowers, I made me so HAPPY! A little purple added to that December Saturday. I felt like I helped bring life to that little thing. I had no idea the potential that little plant had. I didn't even realize that a flower would come out of it. I have a lot of learning to do. Throughout our science module at school, I have had an increased sense of WONDER and AWE for God's creation. May I help foster that same sense of wonder and awe in my students' for the natural world. Perhaps they get it even more than us. Perhaps they are already in awe. They have a deep fascination with the world around them. They probably don't need to be taught it. EMBRACE BEAUTY FOLKS! appreciate and celebrate God's handiwork and know that you are an integral part of God's creation.

are we changed?

The
love
of
God
changes
us-
and
we're
never
the
same
after we
encounter
the love of God!

Friday, January 7, 2011

glean truth where you can...


Desiderata- by Max Ehrmann (1920)

"Go placidly amid the noise and haste, and remember what peace there may be in silence.

As far as possible, without surrender, be on good terms with all persons. Speak your truth quietly and clearly; and listen to others, even to the dull and the ignorant, they too have their story. Avoid loud and aggressive persons, they are vexations to the spirit.

If you compare yourself with others, you may become vain and bitter; for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself. Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans. Keep interested in your own career, however humble; it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.



Exercise caution in your business affairs, for the world is full of trickery. But let this not blind you to what virtue there is; many persons strive for high ideals, and everywhere life is full of heroism. Be yourself. Especially, do not feign affection. Neither be cynical about love, for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment it is perennial as the grass.



Take kindly to the counsel of the years, gracefully surrendering the things of youth. Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune. But do not distress yourself with imaginings. Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness.



Beyond a wholesome discipline, be gentle with yourself. You are a child of [God]... You have a right to be here. And whether or not it is clear to you, no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.



Therefore be at peace with God, whatever you conceive Him to be, and whatever your labors and aspirations, in the noisy confusion of life, keep peace in your soul.



With all its sham, drudgery and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world.



Be cheerful. Strive to be happy."


Although you may not agree with everything in this poem, I hope you can glean some wisdom from it. I had to alter the one part because I had to insert truth into it. This poem has so much wisdom. This past week my science teacher has been reminding me about some of the things that matter most in life through reading Ecclesiastes. "Each day is God's gift. It's all you get in exchange for the hard work of staying alive. Make the most of each one! Whatever turns up, grab it, and do it. And heartily!" (Ecclesiastes 9:8- the mesage).


"Love from the center of who you are; don't fake it. Run for dear life from evil; hold on for dear life to good. Be good friends who love deeply; practice playing second fiddle"
(Romans 12:9- the message).

Calvin is someone who lives life with gusto! Whenever he plays, he is beaming.

He is so inspiring to listen to and watch because you can see how fully he lives life.


Tuesday, January 4, 2011

Ordinary Miracle

Each Day is a gift.

Someone said, "Our goal should be to live life in radical amazement. Everything is phenomenal; everything is incredible; never treat life casually. To be spiritual is to be amazed." (Last Child in the Woods, Page 292- A great read, if you're looking for something to pick up).

So, of course, I am sending you to another song. This is Srah McLachlan's song, "Ordinary Miracle" and it reminds me of Tamara because she always views life with radical amazement. Her and I joke that if people ever hear us talk, they must chuckle to themselves, simply because of the fact that we use the word "beauty" so often when we converse. We aren't overdoing it at all. The thing is she is a rare gem who is able to see the remarkable things in life. These radical moments capture her and often move her to tears and I find that beautiful. She inspires me.




This is one of the best places I have ever been to- Sabang Beach, Palau Weh, Sumatra, Indonesia. I would love to go there with you one day Tamara so we could soak up the sun and take in every beautiful moment in a place that is dear to my heart. Trip when I finish school?

Let's go!

Monday, January 3, 2011

growing growing

Growing, Growing, Growing

At first glance, you may wonder why I have posted these Pictures. What are these things anyway? This must stem out of spending time with a landscaper. These are cypress trees- cupressus. If you are willing to, you can learn something new everyday. But many times we must put ourselves in a position to be able to see. This is not an advertisement or anything of that sort, but rather a compliation of several thoughts that are best depicted through these pictures of growing trees. Let me try to first explain the title.


After reflecting on this past year, I feel like everything in my life is growing. I explained to Donny that my eyes are growing in order to allow me to see more and my heart is expanding, and larger than it has ever been. God is enabling me to see more and to gain wisdom and insight from others. God is calling me to something bigger than myself and using people, circumstances and experiences to enliven each day.

I was drawn to this first picture because it illustrates that God's hands are holding us. What happens if we spend time with the Father? Healing, joy, comfort, rest, peace (just to name a few).

Next, I chose this picture of the small trees growing together. It shows community. Being together is better than being alone. May our love for one another be genuine and may we honour one another (Romans 12:9). The Scriptures call us to grow in the knowledge of God. (Colosians 1:10, 2 Peter 3:18)This means to not just know about God, but to literally step into more of who God is and to scout out his attributes.


I've been asking the question, "Why do people come into our lives?" I've been trying to answer it in a few ways: Firstly, I believe we can learn from everyone we meet. Sometimes we have to look at what this person can teach us and how their life experiences can give us insight. I've also been thinking about how each person conributes to our own life experience. Finally I've been thinking that if each person bears the image of God, he/she must somehow direct us closer to God, revealing something about His character (ie. creativity, intellect, logic, the list goes on...). Do you have any other ideas that I didn't include? I could learn from you.

Finally, I included this last picture to show how big the cypresses are growing (all together, too!). I am including two excerpts from emails. Perhaps I should set the stage a little bit here. I realized after reading this post that it didn't make sense without a brief prologue. D and I have become walking partners. We often reflect on life and wrestle with some of life's big issues that we face and are working through. As I learned in science class today, we are constantly, de-constructing and then re-constructing our understanding of the world around us. We went for a walk the other day (to my favorite place, I must add) and this is a short message from D about his thoughts about that day. "...The best part of the lesson was when we got to the top of the hill at the end of the walk [and] you turned around and said, 'Look How Beautiful This Is' and I said, 'all I see was a farmer's field and I would get hay fever in the summer.' You saw beauty and I saw only grass. Look at what I missed (The beauty that God made). What a lesson you taught me. A person could not buy that lesson, you had to be there. "

[now look at me, trying to tell you about it although you weren't there!]

What he said was truly beautiful, and touched me deeply. We just don't know the impact we have sometimes, especially in the small moments. But the beauty is there. I wish we could capture the beautiful moments in a jar. My life has been increased by having D involved in it. In an attempt to let him know how much he has impacted me (for the good), and I'll try to capture just a few things he has taught me over the last year. He has taught me

~to listen

~ the value of being there for someone through thick and thin

~ the value of taking time to wrestle with things and carefully consider one's words, decisions and actions

~ the need to hear others speak honestly and that sometimes the truth is hard to accept

~ the value of words through spoken and written encouragement and affirmation

~the value of being real. Often times, people are too afraid to be real, probably because they have seldom seen other people expose themselves emotionally and do not know what it means to trust. There is real beauty, however, when we act out of trust instead of fear.

It's amazing which Tall Trees God puts in our lives- Which people we will grow with and grow beside. Sometimes we come across the most interesting Tall Trees, "unlikely friends" but truly Kindred Spirits who are meant to share part of the same stretch of land with us. Let's not be afraid to grow with one another.