So Sentimental, Not Sentimental, No

Last week I...

• said goodbye to some dear friends from Woodland Ridge church and closed out VBS there.
• hung out with my awesome Truman family (though sans the Erins).
• saw the new Winnie the Pooh movie.
• continued bonding and relationship building with my cousins.
• crafted and wrote some letters.
• saw my little sister in her first play. Also saw that she was nearly my size... Though her arms might be bigger. I have little arms. 
• went back to New Haven for the first time in nearly 10 weeks.
• tried more tea.
• met with my friend Jordan for the last time before she moves to IL for her job.
• went to Staples, got what I needed on sale and mildly geeked out over school supplies.
• cried.
• laughed.
• hugged.
• prayed.
• procrastinated.
• watched Boy Meets World.

I don't have some sort of moral or profound thought or life-revelation for this post. Just this, this glimpse of a week of my life. And this is life. Maybe that is profound. Maybe it was my lazy way of writing a post because I wanted to write something and couldn't make something else work and this did work and just came about. 

So here's some things that happened in one week of my life.

So We May Tell

11."You have turned for me 
my mourning into dancing;
you have loosed my sackcloth
and clothed me with gladness,
12. that my glory may sing your praise
and not be silent.
O Lord my God, I will give thanks 
to you forever!"
~Psalm 30:11-12

11. This is what God does.
12. This is what our response should be.

God has turned and is continually turning my mourning into dancing. He clothes me in gladness, bidding away my sadness. For why? that my glory may sing your praise and not be silent. I want to--and ought to-- tell people all that he has done for me.

My hopes were crushed, my plans set to ruin, my heart hurt. And yet I dance. He drew me to himself and showed me his grace daily. He wrapped his arms around me and assured me of his love for me, his daughter.

O Lord my God, I will give thanks to you forever!

I am Accepting Limits

Last week was busy. Maybe not the busiest compared to some, but for who I am and for what my summer typically looks like, it was pretty busy. And it's been ridiculously hot and humid and the AC in my car doesn't really work. So I've just been wiped.

So on Thursday night I just hit that feeling, that "I'm gonna cry, I need space, I need sleep..." kinda moment. Something along those lines needed to happen. When I'm tired, I get slightly more irrational... (oops) Your physical, emotional, spiritual, and social lives/health are very connected and are affected by each other. And being too tired led me to be more emotional, which led me to feel more exhausted.

Feeling like I was doing so much stuff and that my health might have slightly suffered made me think about how you have to know your limits. You need to know how much your body and spirit and mind can handle. Sometimes setting limits makes you feel like you're not fun, or not working hard enough, or like you're letting people down, because you say no to things. But you can't do EVERYTHING. And you need rest.

Sometimes I overdo it. So then I have to take some time off. Knowing my limits and listening to them is actually something I think I do fairly well. Which is good in dealing with my asthma, and perhaps one of the reasons my asthma isn't very bad. I listen to my body and know what I can and can't do. (Though sometimes I do push it, because I want to be stronger...)

Setting emotional and social limits is also healthy. We can get too involved somewhere, or not involved in the right way. We can over think things or let ourselves get wrapped up in heart drama when it's not necessary. Sometimes we know what's not good for us... And do it anyway.

If your car is working properly, the gas light will go off when you need to fill up soon. You have some time, but you're reaching the limit. So know how much farther your tank can go and fill up when you need to, friend. :)

God-Sightings

So my friend and roommate, Julie, and I went to the mall. When we were there, we went for frozen yogurt at Cherry on Top. It's one of those self-serve places-- "Endless Possibilities." LOVE it. Anyway, on the right sleeve of their workers' shirts it says "Eph 1:11." Julie asked a worker if their shirts said Ephesians 1:11. YES, she said! She didn't say it that enthusiastically, but we were pretty excited. AND, it's a verse about God's plans.

Julie said, "You and I would end up at a ice cream place with a verse about God's plans." Julie's favorite verse is Jeremiah 29:11, and I'm also encouraged by knowing God has plans for us. I've been learning a lot about God's plans this summer. Not what they are, mind you. Ha, no. But I'm learning that they are better than our plans. And not always the same as our plans. I'm learning they'll work out in his time. Anyway, that's another topic for another day... The point here is that it was a reinforcement. And besides that... Seeing God in a frozen yogurt shoppe... It was a God-sighting. Not physically. I didn't have some sort of movie-Morgan Freeman experience.

Rather, God-sightings are when you see him manifested in his creation, when you see him at work. We've been talking about them at VBS this summer. Here are two examples given by our lovely leader: 1. Metamorphosis.  Caterpillars start out one way and through a thorough process are transformed into beautiful butterflies. 2. Sharing. She told a story of a girl who left her bikes out during the day so that kids who didn't have bikes could ride them.

Often when something is said about seeing God in his creation, what is meant is nature. Remember--God created US. And that's a different kind of beauty, seeing God in his creatures who have souls (or are souls). In his creatures with souls, and words, and relationships. It does my heart and my walk good to see him in words and relationships. It warms me and encourages me.

I have a tendency (as I'm sure most people do) to feel a kinship with others with whom I share something in common. As C. S. Lewis said, "Friendship is born at that moment when one person says to another, 'What! You too? I thought I was the only one." I felt a kinship with the owners of Cherry on Top, though I had never met them. And knowing that others are starting businesses and through them witnessing, just warms my heart and encourages my soul and walk. It's a God-sighting.

As we say to the kids at VBS... Watch for God. :)

Why I Should Write for Runner's World

At Truman, I'm in a scholarship program that requires me to do what is called a "private victory project" my junior year. This victory project has to encompass the first 3 habits of highly effective people: Be Proactive, Begin with the End in Mind, and Put First Things First. (Yes, I will continue using the Oxford comma.) Sample projects include learning to play the folk harp. And others, but that was the best one. Anyway, I think mine is going to be running a 5k, maybe with other healthy actions (like vegetables) as well, but the 5k will be the main tenant.

So a couple weeks ago, I went on a 3 mile walk. (I did again a few days ago--the road to running a 5k has started! Sorta!) It was around 10:30 am, so not really weird hours where people wouldn't be out. But I really wanted to exercise and I needed to get out, clear my mind, just move.  So I set off on a walk, not sure how long or how far I'd walk (google maps-ed it later to find out it was 3 miles...yeeaaahhhh.)

I didn't encounter many people at first, just an elderly man who asked how I was doing with a nice smile. I smiled back and answered something that probably wasn't completely true. A bit later, I'm turning onto another street and this guy's power-walking, moving in the same direction. Crap. Okay, I'm turning really soon, maybe he'll keep going straight. Dear God, please let him keep going straight. Ahhh, dude, PLEASE go straight, because I'ma turn. He turned with me. Gaaaaah. (For the record, since it was like 10:45 am, I only had minimal fears of kidnapping or attackings or the like.)

This might seem a little crazy--to be praying for this guy to stay away from me and my walking, especially if I was pretty sure I wasn't going to get attacked by him and I was pretty sure he was just another walker, doing his exercising (which I assumed to be a regular occurrence. *mental note: don't walk at this time anymore.) But I am very self-conscious about my lack of in-shape-ness. Now, I will tell people I'm out of shape and probably can't even run an 1/8 of a mile. But people might not always believe that. They may think I'm one of  those skinny girls who says she's fat or something, you know? Just exaggerating and attention seeking. Nope, it's true stuff. So telling people this is one thing. But having people actually SEE this pitiful attempt at athleticism and brain-leg-foot coordination and cardio and endurance stuff? Totally different.

Okay, well, I'm ahead of him. How is this happening? This can't last. Oh, gosh, I feel awful if he passes me... I'm clearly younger and trimmer than he is. Embarrassing. Eeeeehhh. But still, PLEASE pass me! Just get this over with. Do NOT stop just so he can pass you! eh eh ehhhhhh. uh, what's that noise? Oh, he's coming closer. Act cool, keep your form, keep trying. But let him pass you. But don't slow down. Ahead of me ... gooood. Farther ahead of me WHEW. ahhhhh. jeeeesh, SO glad that's over with! Whew again. He's turning? YES. SO. GLAD. THAT'S. OVER. And then the rest of the walk was fairly uneventful; another elderly man greeted me, that's about it.

And this is why I hate exercising in public and why my 5k project might be more of a public victory than a private victory. Ha.