On Saturday night I rented Casablanca. This is a movie that for years I have been wanting to see, but just never have. I wanted a night to myself, and I figured this would be the perfect opportunity to watch it. (Which as a tangent, I think it is absolutely insane that Blockbuster charges the same price to rent a movie from 1943 as they do to rent a new release for the same amount of time. I told the sales clerk that as well, but I don't think he cared.)

Anyway, I loved it. I finally got to hear the famous lines everybody knows, but now in their appropriate context. ("Here's lookin' at you kid." or "We'll always have Paris." or "Louis, I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship.") I kept thinking it'd be fun to have someone to whom you could actually say "we'll always have Paris." I mean, how romantic? Oh well.

I cried at the end (surprise, surprise). So, if you haven't seen it, rent it. It's everything the movie critics, etc. say it is.

And it's a great way to spend a Saturday night.

A Time Waster

So, this is fun:

www.typingtest.com

You can see how many wpm you can type. Being the competitive person that I am, I forced my sister to compete with me. She got annoyed pretty fast. :-)

So, can you beat a net 99 WPM with 97% accuracy?


TGIF, actually Thank God It's PAYDAY Friday!

This and That

Some stuff I thought about today...

1. I nearly had a panic attack thinking about committing to living in Cincinnati today.

2. My friend Holly takes the bar on July 24. She is studying like crazy. She'll do great. It seriously seems like yesterday we had our desks right next to each other and I was distracting her while she was trying to study for her comm final. Soon both of us will be lawyers, that's kind of scary.

3. I walked to my car in a downpour when I left work. The whole time I kept thinking how the rain was ruining my expensive leather sandals. Then I saw three homeless people huddled under this overhang, and well, I gained a little perspective.

4. I don't get guys at all. And I don't get the concept of "closure" after many years. Guys are just so strange.

5. Sometimes I try so hard to really understand God, to figure Him out. But, we can never really know all there is to know about God. Just think, if we did or if we would, He wouldn't be God, He'd just be another one of our idols. I mean that's faith...being sure of what we hope for, being certain of things we cannot see.

6. My right arm is sore from throwing a football last night. And if you saw me throw it, you'd know how ridiculous it is that I'm sore.

7. What is the big thing with Transformers? I feel like everybody but me is obsessed. What am I missing?

8. I am quickly realizing there are a lot of bad lawyers out there, who are doing a disservice to their clients. And I look forward to and seize every opportunity I can to point that out to the attorney, the client, and whoever will listen. Remember--just because they have the biggest ad in the phone book, doesn't mean they are the best.

9. I love 107.1FM. I don't even really like R&B/rap that much, but I am addicted to that station. And they play old-er stuff. There's nothing like a little JaRule (or whoever) in the morning to get you going (and remind you of things from college you thought you had forgotten!).

10. I will never outgrow fireworks. And last night was no exception. Love the sounds, love the sparkling fire. Being sleepy at work was completely worth it.

Wedding Wisdom

But ultimately there comes a moment when a decision must be made. Ultimately two people who love each other must ask themselves how much they hope for as their love grows and deepens, and how much risk they are willing to take... It is indeed a fearful gamble...Because it is the nature of love to create, a marriage itself is something which has to be created, so that, together we become a new creature.

To marry is the biggest risk in human relations that a person can take... If we commit ourselves to one person for life this is not, as many people think, a rejection of freedom; rather it demands the courage to move into all the risks of freedom, and the risk of love which is permanent; into that love which is not possession, but participation... It takes a lifetime to learn another person... When love is not possession, but participation, then it is part of that co-creation which is our human calling, and which implies such risk that it is often rejected.

-Madeleine L'Engle, "The Irrational Season"

This passage was read at my cousin's wedding on Saturday. I had never read or heard it before and loved it.

A Single Woman's Right to Shoes

On Saturday my cousin is getting married. I love weddings. Getting dressed up, eating, drinking, dancing...I've never had a bad time at a wedding. Plus, it's exciting to be in the presence of two people in love and excited to start their lives together.

That said, my sister and I were perusing their wedding registry to find the perfect gift and I started thinking--what if I never get married? I'll never get to have a gift registry. And I kind of think that's not fair.

I thought of all the gifts I've bought for the MANY wedding and baby showers I've attended. For some people I've even attended more than one of these showers--which means multiple gifts. So it will never be even until I get married and have kids.

One of my favorite episodes of Sex and the City is where Carrie gets fed up buying presents for wedding and baby showers (while having no husband or kids herself) and decides to "register" for a pair of Manolo Blahnik's. She decides the world discriminates against 30 something single women who don't have kids. I say, Amen.

I think I'm going to spend some time putting together a registry of my own. And I'm not wasting time with stuff like forks and china.

Just Can't Help It

Peter and John Before the Sanhedrin

1The priests and the captain of the temple guard and the Sadducees came up to Peter and John while they were speaking to the people. 2They were greatly disturbed because the apostles were teaching the people and proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection of the dead. 3They seized Peter and John, and because it was evening, they put them in jail until the next day. 4But many who heard the message believed, and the number of men grew to about five thousand.

5The next day the rulers, elders and teachers of the law met in Jerusalem. 6Annas the high priest was there, and so were Caiaphas, John, Alexander and the other men of the high priest's family. 7They had Peter and John brought before them and began to question them: "By what power or what name did you do this?"

8Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them: "Rulers and elders of the people! 9If we are being called to account today for an act of kindness shown to a cripple and are asked how he was healed, 10then know this, you and all the people of Israel: It is by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified but whom God raised from the dead, that this man stands before you healed. 11He is
" 'the stone you builders rejected,
which has become the capstone. 12Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved."

13When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus. 14But since they could see the man who had been healed standing there with them, there was nothing they could say. 15So they ordered them to withdraw from the Sanhedrin and then conferred together. 16"What are we going to do with these men?" they asked. "Everybody living in Jerusalem knows they have done an outstanding miracle, and we cannot deny it. 17But to stop this thing from spreading any further among the people, we must warn these men to speak no longer to anyone in this name."

18Then they called them in again and commanded them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus. 19But Peter and John replied, "Judge for yourselves whether it is right in God's sight to obey you rather than God. 20For we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard."

Acts 4:1-20

This is one passage I consistently return to. I don't know if it's my favorite, but it's up there. Isn't this how we want to live--in a way where those around us and those we encounter in our ordinary lives know that we have been with Jesus? With passion and courage that don't die down at the possibility of persecution, embarrassment, criticism or fatigue?

Peter and John were facing prison, and probably torture/death, and Peter uses the opportunity to talk about Jesus. He doesn't plead for his life, or beg for mercy--he says: c'mon guys, that crippled man is healed--you can't deny what happened. He seizes an opportunity, takes a risk, and then men know that he and Peter had been with Jesus.

And even when they are let off the hook and told they can go as long as they leave the Sanhedrin and stop speaking about Jesus, they refuse. They had to share what they had seen and heard.

Sometimes for me it's so easy to get in a routine, to just get through the day and move on to the next. But, I want to be like Peter and John--I want to feel like I can't stop talking about what I myself have seen and heard. Sure, maybe I haven't seen a crippled person healed in front of my very eyes-- but I'll tell you what, if you knew me a year ago, you would see transformation.

Every now and then I step back and gain some perspective on where I am today from a year or so ago. I'm not going to bars and drinking in excess in an attempt to not feel lonely, I'm not seeking security from guys in the form of shallow, meaningless relationships, I'm not driven to just make money and get a great job, I'm relying less and less on my own ability to change circumstances. My life has changed. And I didn't do a thing. I couldn't have.

And moments when I get persepctive like that, those are the moments that make me truly feel like I can't keep my mouth shut about Jesus. I'm not perfect. But, I truly believe with my whole heart that Jesus can change a person in a way that nothing else can. And if we are more willing to share and be open about the changes in our own lives, others too can see that we have been with Jesus.

I think there is such great power in sharing that. Power that is bigger than rambling off Bible verses and teaching people the "sinner's prayer" (bleh). How better can we share the Gospel than by showing and sharing how deeply we ourselves have been changed by Jesus?

As promised.

40 Year Old Virgin makes me laugh. Just add this movie to the list you shouldn't watch with your parents--I did (along with Boogie Nights way back when- another mistake). I watched it again this past weekend and forgot how funny it is. Time for laughs...

Kittens v. Cougars

I am so annoyed. I was all set to put up a clip from 40 Year Old Virgin for some laughs after putting in a long day, and as I was sitting down to post it I flipped on the television only to see the end of The Age of Love. This 40 year old woman had just gotten cut, and she was so upset and pathetic looking. It was awful.

Now, don't get me wrong. When I was in college, we had Bachelor night, full of wine, laughing, yelling at the tv--it was great. But, the shows seem to get more and more ridiculous. And all they do is continue to perpetuate a myth that women are nuts--and will scheme, plot, lie, cheat, sleep around and whatever else to get a man. Meanwhile, the guy looks like the innocent, do gooder who has a hard time making sense of all these nonsensical women.

I'm tired of seeing shows where these professional, intelligent, attractive women end up looking like idiots for the sake of entertainment. It was entertaining for a while, and now it's just ridiculous.

It's also sad. While I'm sure much of the women's reactions to getting cut, or not getting a rose is staged, hearing that 40 year old woman sob about how her life is so depressing because she doesn't have love is so sad. And it makes me start thinking and realizing there are lots of women out there who really believe that finding a man will be all they need to complete and fulfill themselves. How sad and how universally desperate we all are for unconditional love.

So contrary to television's depiction--not all women are not desperate, pathetic, schemers who will sleep with a guy at the drop of a hat just to win him over. Some women are smarter, deeper, and more independent than that.

Ok, rant over. Tomorrow 40 Year Old Virgin.

X-Ray to the Heart

From the corner of his eye he saw Norah watching them. Away from the bright motion of the party, she carried her sadness like a dark stone clenched in her palm. He longed to comfort her, but he could think of nothing to say. He wished he had some kind of X-ray vision for the human heart: for Norah's and his own.

For our book club this month, we chose The Memory Keeper's Daughter, by Kim Edwards. It's the story of a doctor who has to deliver his own twins due to a blizzard in the early 1960s. One of the twins, the daughter, has Down syndrome. The doctor has his nurse take the baby away to an institution, but instead she raises the girl herself. The mother has no knowledge of any of this, but is instead told the second baby died.

While the doctor's actions are shocking, we learn the reasons behind them, and that essentially he wants to protect his wife from the pain his own mother experienced raising a child with Down syndrome. However, his decision ends up creating a different kind of pain for each of them and their marriage.

I didn't love the book. I found it to be largely unrealistic and depressing. Edwards tries to construct a redemptive ending, which I won't give away, but I didn't care for it.

What I think is interesting, though, is the doctor's character. He is constantly trying to shelter his wife from pain. He also is always trying to solve her and their son's problems. And it's a battle that can never be won.

Sometimes, I find myself trying to figure out what is wrong with people (and myself)--what hurts them at their core, the real issue they (or I) struggle with. I reason if I can figure that out, then I can solve the problem.

It's so ridiculous to think about. Why is accepting our brokenness and realizing we can do nothing ourselves to fix it permanently so difficult sometimes? Why is admitting we can't solve the brokenness of others so hard? Why is it so much easier to offer advice or suggestions that are temporary and limited, rather than to accept the reality that we can never make things completely right?

Instead of trying to solve the problems of others (or myself), I just want to love people because of the bond we share as broken humans.

I'm so thankful we have a God who does have an "X-Ray" into our hearts, knows our brokenness, knows we can't fix it, and sent Jesus to make things completely right. I'm also thankful that I'm learning to unclench my own fist that used to hold so tightly the pain, heartache, mistakes, shame, and guilt that make up my own brokenness.

I think there is freedom in realizing we don't need to rely on our simple, short-lived cures for our broken hearts because there is a permanent redemption waiting for us.

Update!

I have been terrible recently about updating the old blog. But, I am working hard...so that's good. And I've been sleeping less, which is not so good. So here's a quick update--funny, ordinary, whatev... :-)

1. Driving home today I started panicking about finding an alternate route because I heard a traffic report that said there was an hour delay traveling on 75 South. Little did I realize I was driving NORTH...good job wasting time.

2. I'm bringing in a space heater for my office at work. It's so cold. Even when it's 95 outside, I am shivering...it's just not right.

3. I skipped my dentist appt. on Monday because I don't want to hear I need my wisdom teeth out. And my teeth have been hearting. How wise is that?

4. My neighbor has worked in his garage (i.e. his wood shop) between the hours of 1AM and 4AM. It is becoming even harder to "Love" my neighbor.

5. My sister makes an amazing bean dip.

6. My grandma discovered we're related to Bill Cower. Pretty cool.

7. I'm trying to decide between the half or full marathon in November. Hmm.

8. It seems like I was at the beach forever ago (though the tan lines remind me otherwise).

9. I found out I am the youngest attorney at our office...weird.

10. I love summer. I love eating/drinking/hanging out outside. Fu-un.

Morning Has Broken

I'm exhausted. Waking up at 5AM is killing me. I've been slightly off with this whole "not getting 8 hours of sleep a night" thing. And there's something about running at 5AM that just doesn't seem right. But, I love my job. It's stressful, and busy, and I'm a complete newbie, but it's great and the people are awesome. It just feels right, ya know?

I had to completely change my morning running mix because at 5AM I need some tunes that are a little calmer. So this is my new theme song in the morning...since I basically see the sun rise each day :-) How cool that each day is a whole new creation by God, another day--full of potential and opportunities?

Morning Has Broken

Morning has broken, like the first morning
Blackbird has spoken, like the first bird
Praise for the singing, praise for the morning
Praise for the springing fresh from the world

Sweet the rain's new fall, sunlit from heaven
Like the first dewfall, on the first grass
Praise for the sweetness of the wet garden
Sprung in completeness where his feet pass

Mine is the sunlight, mine is the morning
Born of the one light, Eden saw play
Praise with elation, praise every morning
God's recreation of the new day

-As sung by Cat Stevens

All I Ever Really Needed to Know I Learned on Vacation

I loved watching my niece and nephew on the beach. They loved everything. And they ran everywhere, constantly full of excitement. Though I tired after about a dozen turns of setting my niece up to ride waves on her board, she never got tired of it. Each time she rode in a wave, she would run back out to where I was in the ocean to do it all over again, with the same amount of enthusiasm as the first time. It was the same with building sandcastles and playing wiffle baseball too. The beach fascinated them. Just standing in the ocean was "awesome," as they put it over and over again. But, we adults, we're "boring" in their vocab--sitting and reading, riding a few waves here and there, wiping sand off our hands rather than digging with them.

I couldn't help but think about how we get older and suddenly the excitement is gone from things. We use phrases like "I just need to make it through today" or "I survived another week." And I say these things so often. Four weeks ago I couldn't wait to start my new job and tonight I heard myself repeatedly say "I don't want to go to work, but if I can just get past Monday it will be ok."

Where'd the excitement go? Why does the day to day have to be boring? Maybe I just need to change my perspective a bit and realize that if I'm just surviving, I'm missing out--on opportunities, experiences, etc.

I want to get away from the negativity and start being more enthusiastic about each day--about its potential, rather than its obstacles; about who I could meet, rather than who distracts me from checking off my task list. I don't want to survive a lifetime, I want to live it.

NO SWIMMING

Today the Coast Guard put "No Swimming" flags at our beach entrance. I was so bummed out. So, we hit up the hot tub, took silly pics at the beach, and spent the rest of the day shopping. Here's the evidence... It was so windy...

Hopefully I wake up tomorrow to endless sunshine! I really wish I could stay here longer...I wonder if I could pass the North Carolina bar exam...hmm :-)

Vacation-Day 1

I'm really sunburned. I did a poor job putting on sunscreen and I think it was a year old. Even my ears are burned!

But, today was fabulous. Two long ocean swims, big waves, read a whole book, took a walk, went for a beach run, found a delightful coffee place, ate a big steak, won 2 games of cornhole, and took a shower outside. (I am a big fan of the outdoor shower). Now I am stuffed and exhausted. And, I found out my good friend from law school is down here at the same time! What luck!

Here I am--a lovely pose on the deck upstairs. I kind of don't want this week to end. There's something great about getting re-energized and being relaxed.

The Day After Tomorrow

I'm leaving for the beach on Saturday. Two more days of work. Two more days of Ohio. Then 8 days of freedom, sand, sun, ocean, saltwater in my eyes, suntan lines, seashells, amazing seafood, decks to watch the sunset (and sunrise if I so desired to wake up that early which I won't), cruiser
bikes, diving waves...ETC ETC ETC.! :-)

I definitely gotta go where it's warm!

Boat Drinks--Jimmy Buffet
Boys in the band ordered boat drinks
Visitors scored on the home rink
Everything seems to be wrong

Lately, newspaper mentioned cheap air fare
I gotta to fly to saint somewhere
Im close to bodily harm

Twenty degrees and the hockey games on
Nobody cares they are way too far gone
Screamin boat drinks, something to keep em all warm

This mornin, I shot six holes in my freezer
I think I got cabin fever
Somebody sound the alarm

Id like to go where the pace of lifes slow
Could you beam me somewhere mr. scott?
Any ol place here on earth or in space
You pick the century and Ill pick the spot

Oh I know, (I know)
I should be leaving this climate
I got a verse but cant rhyme it
I gotta go where its warm

Boat drinks
Waitress I need two more boat drinks
Then Im headin south fore my dream shrinks

I gotta go where its warm (I gotta go where its warm)
I gotta go where its warm (I gotta go where its warm)
I gotta go where its warm!

I gotta go where there aint any snow
Where there aint any blow
cause my fin sinks so low
I gotta go where its warm

Only the Lonely

On Sunday, I was in the check out line at Kroger picking up some necessities and I began watching the woman in front of me unload her cart. (I have a slight fascination with what other people buy--I think yhou can know a lot about a person by the contents of their cart) Anyway, in her cart were: a 12 pack of pepsi, a large thing of non dairy creamer, a HUGE thing of coffee, 4 cartons of cigarettes, and approx. 15 stauffer's frozen dinners. I casually mentioned I loved the Stauffer's lasagna to which the woman replied that she never bought that because she didn't have anybody but herself to eat it. As fate would have it, when I left the parking lot I was behind her car and I watched her drive (by herself) to this apartment complex down the road. I couldn't help but think about how lonely this woman must be.

And then that got me thinking....one of the worst feelings mankind can experience, I think, is loneliness. At all costs we avoid being alone. Because when we are truly alone, we have no supporters and no connection to anybody or anything. I think when we are feeling alone we are more apt to make destructive decisions.

When I feel alone, my first impulse is usually to go out--to make a connection, healthy or unhealthy. I'm so desperate to not feel lonely, I will do anything. And I see this in others--in friends who are in relationships out of a desperate fear of being alone, in people who stay in the same location because it's safe, etc, etc. We want that tangible connection because it's hard sometimes to feel connected to an intangible God.

But, God designed us to be with other people. We should surround ourselves with friends and people who encourage us to not act out of desperation, but to live with purpose. Friends who call us out when we're straying from the life that is intended for us. Friends who help us develop a level of discernment in our decision making. Friends who tell us when we're dating an idiot.

Without a community of friends who encourage your relationship with God, I think you miss out on a line of defense that keeps you from making decisions based on a fear of being alone, rather than on God's will for you.

I'm starting to develop a group of good friends that do just that...and I think that's super cool.

Listen...and Repeat!

My sister introduced me to Nickel Creek back when I made fun of her for liking mellow one-guy-playing-a-guitar-and-singing-softly type music. But, I am slowly starting to LOVE it.

I'm kind of crazy about When You Come Back Down. It's been on repeat in my car for days. To me, it's a song about the perfect relationship--one where each person can chase his/her dreams and the other is patiently supportive...whether the dream turns out successfully or not. Rather than being annoyingly dependent, he/she is excited for the other to take risks and live out his/her dream. That's cool. Plus, it's some good music!

When You Come Back Down
You got to leave me now, you got to go alone
You got to chase a dream, one that's all your own
Before it slips away
When you're flyin' high, take my heart along
I'll be the harmony to every lonely song
That you learn to play

When you're soarin' through the air
I'll be your solid ground
Take every chance you dare
I'll still be there
When you come back down
When you come back down

I'll keep lookin' up awaitin' your return
My greatest fear will be that you will crash and burn
And I won't feel your fire
I'll be the other hand that always holds the line
Connectin' in between your sweet heart and mine
I'm strung out on that wire

And I'll be on the other end
To hear you when you call
Angel, you were born to fly
And if you get too high
I'll catch you when you fall
I'll catch you when you fall

Your memory's the sunshine every new day brings
I know the sky is calling
Angel, let me help you with your wings

When you're soarin' through the air
I'll be your solid ground
Take every chance you dare
I'll still be there
When you come back down

Take every chance you dare
I'll still be there
When you come back down
When you come back down
-Nickel Creek

Outside the Box

I heard someone state that in the city of Cincinnati there are 10 people per acre. If that seems nuts, back when the book of Romans was written, there were 150 per acre in Rome.

It got me thinking. Aside from everything else a city can be/represent, it makes me even more in awe of how big/diverse/encompassing God's love is. I am so "me" focused. And I think, ok, God loves me--an educated, white girl lawyer from Toledo. And I get caught up in that picture of God. So, the Bible says God provides--well that means God provides for me--an educated, white girl lawyer from Toledo. Etc, etc. I get to thinking that the way I experience God, is the way most people experience God. Of course, I am so way off.

Think about a city-about how many different kinds of people there are. Artistic, straight-laced, poor, rich, smart, uneducated, black, white, foreign, American, married, single, childless, dogless (like how I slipped that in)...and so many more. And God lives in and LOVES all those different kinds of people.

I find it hard to have perspective on the fact that God knows everything about me. About my life and my heart...and yet, God is all knowing about everyone. And the cool thing about a city (so far) is how all the differences among the abundance of people crammed into one area sheds some light on how big our God is...and on how His love can be experienced in so many different ways.

I love getting a bigger picture of God and a bigger picture of the people He loves. People who aren't just educated white girl lawyers from Toledo.

No idea if that made sense...it's late and I have to wake up at 4:45AM! :-)

all is right again...TGIF

Wow. Thursday was stressful. I'm not really sure what my problem was. Do you ever feel like you have 100 things flying through your head and they are all demanding your attention? That was Thursday. And in the end, I was so stressed, I lost my temper (more than once) and cried when I got lost in Clifton on low fuel and couldn't find a gas station. Again, wow.

But then I came home, popped in Pride and Prejudice, poured my favorite new drink--diet green tea, and once again all is right with the world. I just can't give up Mr. Darcy. And why should I--he loves a girl named Elizabeth (or as he calls her, Miss Elizabeth) who's independent, doesn't hide her feelings, and is loyal to her family.

Favorite line, Mr. Darcy: You have bewitched me, body and soul and I love...I love...I love you. I never wish to be parted from you from this day on.




Enjoy yet another clip :-) AND TGIF!

The Wild Things

17"When he came to his senses, he said, 'How many of my father's hired men have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! 18I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. 19I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired men.' 20So he got up and went to his father.
"But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.

21"The son said to him, 'Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.'

22"But the father said to his servants, 'Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. 23Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let's have a feast and celebrate. 24For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.' So they began to celebrate.

Luke 15:17-24

When I was in college, I went through the worst break up ever. It was the worst I have ever felt, with nothing even close to comparison. I remember thinking that the way I had my life planned out was nothing like how it was going to be from then on. Then my sister sent me a package in the mail with Where the Wild Things Are in it. I thought she was silly sending me a children's book...but in the front cover, she left me the sweetest, most thoughtful and heartfelt note I have ever received--no matter how wild your life gets, or how far you wander off, you can always come home to me and your family who will always love you.

I'm sure you remember the story of Max and his escapade to the land of the wild things, only to end up longing for home and his supper. And he returns...and his dinner is still waiting for him, not cold, but just perfect.

I think we all have our own wild "escapades" where we decide to do things on our own, for ourselves and think that somehow we can figure out stuff without anybody's help. And, generally, it backfires. We end up feeling hurt, lost, confused, frustrated, and tired of being among the "wild things" and ready to return home.

I love that we have a God who is always waiting for us, patient while we live amongst the wild things in our life. I love that He can turn the junk and hurt into good. The other night, I had the opportunity to share some of my own "wild" escapades with a friend who suggested that people liked to talk about being "real" but never really seemed real. So, I just poured out the gory details. And I also poured out how much I have changed, how much my own heart has been transformed by a God who is ALWAYS waiting there, ready to accept and forgive. And I really think God used some of the junk I keep stored away to connect with her, to show her that she's not alone in her brokenness.

I just think that's really cool. :-)