Wisdom with a bit of humor on the side

I'm not normally one to appreciate cheesy cliches,

but when I stumbled across these they seemed not so cheesy and actually somewhat informative and a couple gave me a good laugh too!

See more here .

Community

It was a year ago yesterday that I began this blog, making me one day late in commemorating it! My first post was written in honor of one of my best friends Alyssa who died of a brain tumor 5 years ago on July 4th, her own sort of independence day. We had our annual Lap for Lyssa where dear family, friends, and fellow neighbors gather in the Alyssa Anne Smelley Memorial Park, pick a balloon, write a message on it for Alyssa, walk a lap around the neighborhood, and upon completion of that lap send up their message balloon up to the heavens just for her. Each July 4th is filled with its own bout of emotions, bitterness, confusion, and just plain missing her; but at the same time it's a beautiful reminder of the sanctity and fragility of this earthly life we live. Alyssa's life and her memory motivate me to appreciate the beauty of the present and the gift of the incredible community I am surrounded by. After these last few days remembering Alyssa especially and looking through some of my posts from the last year I am left especially struck by the importance of the people who I hold dear, those from school, those from my neighborhood, church, team, and family, and as I think about these beautiful souls a wave of gratitude washes over me, because I have been blessed by a beautiful community. Being home in Santa Barbara for summer was not something initially planned or appreciated, but lately I have loved just settling in to the community of my home, of those who have known me long before my college years and those little ones that I find myself constantly surrounded by. So all that to say I am learning to affirm those around me, love the present moments I share with them, and appreciate the community I call my own.

Chalk Dust and "Summer" Nights

The last week or so has felt like summer; balmy and warm days followed by crisp breezy nights.

Last night I went with some friends down to Seaport Village in downtown San Diego to run around, climb some trees, cover the sidewalk with chalk, and enjoy watching the sun set over the water. I felt like I was five again and it was absolutely beautiful. Why don't we just allow ourselves to be little kids more often? We got so many laughs, stares, questioning eyes asking, "What the heck are those college aged kids doing on their hands and knees, giggling, covered in chalk dust?". The real question is, why the heck not? Lesson learned: let your little five year old self come out to play every once in a while because it gets a little stir crazy and cramped if it's stuck inside of you for too long!

Twas the night after Christmas,

Last night I sat in Starbucks drinking their Joy Christmas tea out of their red christmas cup in my pea coat and scarf, in complete denial that Christmas is over. The 26th of December sometimes feels like a little bit of a bummer day because the whole past month has been filled with Christmas carols, gift exchanges, peppermint mochas, Santa footie pajamas, spiced cider candles, and light adorned houses. It's been a flurry of excitement, anticipation, and warmth. But the things listed above are all worldly temporary things. When you really think about it Christmas, the entrance of Jesus into this world in human form to dwell with us, die for our sins, and save us has importance year round, it's beautiful significance is not limited to a season characterized by candy canes and Santa Clause. Jesus came into this world to rescue us and to allow his love to confirm our worth. It's difficult for me to remember this truth, necessary in all seasons of life, that we are so loved by God that he went to the extreme of sending his son to earth so that he may die in order to save us from ourselves. In an excerpt from author John Eldredge's blog it says:

"When a great King rescues his beloved, we all know she is precious to him. And we see his greatness. We also see her worth. If that great King were to rescue a potato, we would not think him great at all; we would find it bizarre. So away with this doctrine of 'the worthlessness of the rescued shows the surpassing greatness of the rescuer.' That is not how Jesus saw it. That is not the language of love at all. This nativity had an object in mind. That object is you and me.

I think this will help us to celebrate Christmas for what it is – as a daring rescue. Not in a vacuum. In the context of love. I think it will allow us to be stunned at the way God goes about things. To fall in love again with his amazing heart. And to allow ourselves to experience some deep shift in our soul, as we come to feel our worth. We must really matter.

We look at the manger. We see the angels, the wise men. We see the little boy. And then we boldy sing, 'and the soul felt it’s worth.'"

Full version available here.

Let us be reminded of this ultimate gift long after the Christmas season, while still holding on to the sweet memories of Christmas in our own homes. Christmases in our home that may contain joyful celebration as well as reminders of why we are so desperately in need of God's son in the first place.

Here are a few of the sweet memories i'll hold on to...

Abigail and David's serious wrap jobs-

-The Fam, thank you self timer-

-Abigail and her new cookbook-

Jeans...thanks mom!

-The leftovers-

-The best pie known to mankind, Dutch apple pie made by mom-

-Staying true to my roots-

Who Knew??

It is truly the most wonderful time of the year, as the famous christmas carol proclaims, and it is carols such as this one that truly make me love this season. I've always been a sucker for music, a singer most of my life, and this season has always been filled with multiple caroling gigs, 8 part harmony renditions of "Jingle Bells", and christmas concerts. I love the cheesy christmas carols about "Mommy kissing Santa Clause" and "chestnuts roasting on an open fire", but this is not all there is when it comes to these holiday tunes. The really good stuff is the christmas carol that proclaims Jesus' birth and sovereignty, the hope he brings, and the joy we experience because of him. Who knew that christmas carols could be so incredibly profound and beautiful. The song "O Holy Night" has always been one of my favorites. I absolutely love the powerful sweeping melody, but just recently I started listening to the lyrics and they are wonderfully raw, pure, and true. They go like this...

O Holy Night!

The stars are brightly shining,

It is the night of our dear Saviours birth;

Long lay the world in sin and error pining,

'Til He appeared and the soul felt its worth.

A thrill of hope the weary world rejoices,

For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn;

Fall on your knees,

Oh, hear the angels voices!

O night divine, O night when Christ was born!

O night, O holy night,

O night divine!

Led by the light of faith serenely beaming,

With glowing hearts by His cradle we stand;

So led by light of a star sweetly gleaming,

Here came the wise men from Orient land.

The King of kings lay thus in lowly manger,

In all our trials born to be our Friend;

He knows our need,

To our weakness is no stranger.

Behold your King, before Him lowly bend!

Behold your King, before Him lowly bend!

Truly He taught us to love one another;

His law is love and His gospel is peace;

Chains shall He break, for the slave is our brother,

And in His name all oppression shall cease.

Sweet hymns of joy in grateful chorus raise we,

Let all within us praise His holy name;

Christ is the Lord,

Oh, praise His name forever!

His powr and glory evermore proclaim!

His powr and glory evermore proclaim!

I Walked.

It has been nearly a month since I last blogged about anything. This is partly because when I don't have anything to say, I don't, and also partly because life has been off the wall crazy. I'm going to be straight with you, I'm a runner, in every sense of the word. I literally run, it's a huge part of me and without it i've learned something inside of me goes severely haywire. And right now I'm between two seasons and I'm taking some time off, and it's driving me bonkers. Running infiltrates all ares of my life, I don't stop, I don't slow down, I run.

This morning however, I walked. I got a cup of coffee, plugged in the i-pod with some good Phil Wickham pandora, and walked through the neighborhoods by my school, slowly, leisurely, enjoyably. And it soothed my soul, calmed my spirit, and forced me to notice things I never would have had I been running. I saw a mom with her daughter trimming their christmas tree with lights and ribbons, I looked to my left and saw the expansive ocean and to my right I saw the far off buildings of downtown San Diego against a mountain background, and I thought in solitude, in peace, within this slow pace I had chosen. And when I finished I felt full, thankful, and refreshed because I had taken the time to slow, to simply walk, appreciate, and be reminded of the importance of being still and simply knowing that He is God of all.

Remember...breathe. slow.walk.

Just a Little Reminder

I will not die an unlived life.

I will not live in fear of falling or catching fire.

I choose to inhabit my days,

to allow my living to open me,

to make me less afraid, more accessible,

to loosen my heart until it becomes a wing,

a torch,

a promise.

I choose to risk my significance;

to live so that which comes to me as seed goes to the next as blossom

and that which comes to me as blossom, goes on as fruit.

-Dawna Markova

Life is Beautiful

Yes it sounds cliche, but the people and setting and support in my life are truly that; beautiful. The blessings go unnoticed, and the friendships unaccounted for, and this place I call home taken for granted, but it's all so...beautiful and I am so blessed. And don't get me wrong, there is doubt, cynicism, insecurity, darkness, anxiety, but that does not belittle the beauty, "for I am [learning] to be content whatever the circumstances" (Phil 11). I am choosing to "Rejoice in the Lord always" because life is beautiful and it would do me good to remember that every once in a while.

BECAUSE

~There is beauty in bike rides with new friends~

~There is beauty in people gathered together grounded in the same purpose, united in corporate worship~

~There is beauty in the support and love of family, old and new~

~And of course there is beauty in the simple things too, like cute beachy breakfast joints, and burritos, and of course coffee~

SO all this to say, I am learning (emphasis on the learning) to rejoice, see the beautiful, and simply to enjoy the God of the universe and who He is in my life.

"Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth. Worship the Lord with gladness; come before him with joyful songs. Know that the Lord is God. It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture. Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name. For the Lord is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations." ~Psalm 100