Live!

Last post today. Promise.

Fantastic quote:

"To live is the rarest thing in the world. Most people exist, that is all."
-Oscar Wilde

Hope that helps you get out of bed in the morning...to watch the sunrise. ;D

domino...no, no, no

domino is my latest discovery...LOVE. I just subscribed and got my first issue in the mail this month. I go on their website today to browse, get some ideas, you know, the usual. On their home page they have the announcement that they're not going to publish anymore!!! Really? Really?!?! Now I have to search for an equally delightful mag. Finding one? Not likely. Send any recommendations my way.

Anxiety. No, Strength.

By no means am I a social commentator, but I would like to share some thoughts I had this morning about the current state of affairs.

Several days ago I received an email from a friend who lost his home and most of his possessions (including lots of music equipment) in the recent California fires. He suggested I read Matthew 6:19-34 as it had been a daily dose of strength to him since then. The words written there speak so clearly to the economic crisis! We are taken care of. We are sustained by the Almighty Creator. "What shall we eat? What shall we drink? What shall we wear? ...your heavenly Father knows that you need them all."

I'm almost done, but also read 2 Corinthians 5. Chapter 4 ends with this: "So we do not lose heart. Though our outer nature is wasting away, our inner nature is being renewed day by day. For this slight momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal. 5:1 -- For we know that if the tent, which is our earthly home, is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens."

This puts all (most) of my anxiety to rest. No matter how big the government gets...egh. We have a hope and a promise beyond this.

Fortune Cookie

This is what cookie told me:

Stop waiting! Buy that ticket. Take that special trip!

How did they know my soft spot?! Cruel.

Baby Boomer Technology

Today: Mom and I spent all morning transferring her contacts from the paper Rolodex to her online address book and calendar. Kudos to the older generation learning technology! She's learning how to text, how to use the calendar and contacts on her cell phone, and we're going to add important numbers to speed dial on the home phone! She's catching the vision that you and I couldn't function without. I'm impressed with Dad too -- he's quite proficient on iTunes and his iPod, once he figured out that the reason it suddenly wouldn't turn on was not because it was broken but because he hadn't charged it. No, the battery is not eternal. Slow but steady, that's the method.

These are a few of my favorite things

In no particular order:
moonlight on water, especially ocean water
city lights
sending snail mail
receiving snail mail
pistachios
the color of avocado
the color of grapefruit
curling up on my couch with a good book
an early morning run
great music in the car, windows down
breakfast with mom
climbing into bed with clean sheets
quirks
the "ah-ha" moments
inspiration sessions with erica
the time of day right before the sun sets
sore muscles
laughing at myself
laughing at/with people
poems
finally understanding something
red doors
cool gardens
the hymn "how great thou art"
and "the lord's prayer"
"great is Thy faithfulness"
warm towels
chocolate: any shape or size
travel, or the very idea of it
sun-dried apricots
a creatively decorated room or wardrobe
worn books
tulips
accomplishment, big or small
watching people do what they love
freedom
forgiveness
new mercies every day
a clean closet
boots
dimples
cinnamon rolls

These are all gifts from God, reminders that He is the source of all beauty and joy. Without Him, none of the above would exist. Tomorrow, from the minute you wake, take note of all the little things that bring you pleasure...even if it's the way the morning sun hits the fresh fruit in your cereal bowl. Thank God for it. It will change your perspective. Make a habit of it and just may change your life. The most remarkable thing is, we're given far more than simple pleasures. We're given life, and because of Jesus, we have life to the fullest.

I'd love to see your list.

Peace with time

"Time is the arena within which all human quests run their course. It is within time that the issues of life are contested and sometimes resolved. Without making one's peace with time, a person will not solve the question of how to find the good life."
-Leland Ryken