Hello loves! It's been ages since I've posted anything, and I'm sorry for that! A lot has gone on in the past six months. Though I'm not sure it's necessary to write out all that has occurred in this time, I do want to highlight one life-changing experience I had at Timber Wolf Lake, while I was on work crew there this past month. I was reminded in full force of how high and deep and long and wide Jesus' love for us is. We are his favorite part of creation. I say this not to preach at you, but to remind you that you are so unbelievably gorgeous that the creator of the universe simply cannot get over it. He counts the hairs on your head in his free time.
In this line of thinking, I came home with a fire in my belly for reading the Bible. No, seriously. Let me tell you how absolutely fascinating this book can be.
From there Elisha went up to Bethel. As he was walking along the road, some boys came out of the town and jeered at him. “Get out of here, baldy!” they said. “Get out of here, baldy!” He turned around, looked at them and called down a curse on them in the name of the Lord. Then two bears came out of the woods and mauled forty-two of the boys. (2 Kings 2:23-24 NIV)
Let's just take a second to appreciate the concept that this made it into the Bible.
So I started in Genesis the day I got home from work crew, and decided I would write down thoughts, questions, and doubts as I read. My ideas are not always profound. Sometimes they're ridiculous and I'm not sure wholly worth sharing. However, I wanted to share this all with you, in hopes that you might perhaps grow in it. I will post as often as I can, but I urge you to understand that it may not apply to Flint.
But since we're on the topic of Flint, this week is Back to the Bricks, which means that this city is hopping like never before. Let it be noted that I misplaced my brother yesterday in a crowd of people and he didn't get mugged or killed. Cheers to that. No, but in all seriousness, this city always has and continues to give me hope for the human race. It's fun to see people be unexpectedly kind in a city that reeks of a bad reputation. People are awesome.
Tomorrow I'll post my Bible journal thing, for Genesis 2-6. I'm sorry, but I didn't write one for chapter one. Feel free to follow along, I read a chapter every day!
You're amazing, and have a glorious Saturday!
Saturday, August 17, 2013
Friday, November 2, 2012
Simple Joys are the Best Kind
I've been drinking a lot of tea lately.
I drink a minimum of two cups daily- a cup of green in the morning to wake me up, and a cup of chamomile at night to shut me down. I enjoy both thoroughly, and it's gotten to the point where I wonder if my mouth will ever feel as though it is not slightly burned. This is far from a complaint, as I rather enjoy the reminder that I have this tiny aspect of my life- tea- that daily brings me an immense and unexplainable amount of happiness.
The joy in a cup of tea may seem to many to be a very small thing indeed. However, a mug of my favorite often has the ability to start my day off perfectly. It not only awakens, but soothes. My unusually high stress level for a girl of 15 goes down as I sip. The sense of calm and dignity in this one thing enlivens, bringing me great joy with less that a liter of hot tea.
(Yes, I am drinking tea while writing this.)
My odd love for a beverage, however, is not the point.
Not to quote One Direction, but it's the little things. It pays off sometimes to be detail-oriented. It allows end to get joy out of things others don't necessarily see.
I tried to take a picture of steam rising of of a mug the other day, because it was simply so lovely. Needless to say, my steam-picture failed miserably. Photos can't always capture everything. Had I not stopped to gaze at the steam, I wouldn't be able to envision it at I write, giving me the small joy I try to acheive.
There have been big joys lately, as well. (Though these are merely small joys mashed together.) The connections and friends I've made this week have been unforgettable. Theatre has made me inherently brave. Brave enough to ask a charismatic upperclassman whether she hated me (she didn't), and brave enough to ask a silent senior whether he was talkative (he wasn't). This bravery has given me friends in both of the aforementioned.
I haven't only made friends with seniors, either! The freshman friends I've made are glorious human beings, filled with talent and potential. I just want to hug them, they make me so happy. Reaching out to these people reminds me why I love people in the first place.
The friends I've had forever continue to amaze me. Oftentimes, at the begininning of the year, I don't feel the love. Fortunately, the love lately has been n full force. I feel it strongly.
Then, theatre in itself is just so good for the soul. I truly cannot rave enough about it.
All these tiny aspects- people, an activity, tea- have this effect on me. Tonight, they and the energy that accompanies them, have put me on top of the world.
Notice the little things. They add up, I assure you.
I drink a minimum of two cups daily- a cup of green in the morning to wake me up, and a cup of chamomile at night to shut me down. I enjoy both thoroughly, and it's gotten to the point where I wonder if my mouth will ever feel as though it is not slightly burned. This is far from a complaint, as I rather enjoy the reminder that I have this tiny aspect of my life- tea- that daily brings me an immense and unexplainable amount of happiness.
The joy in a cup of tea may seem to many to be a very small thing indeed. However, a mug of my favorite often has the ability to start my day off perfectly. It not only awakens, but soothes. My unusually high stress level for a girl of 15 goes down as I sip. The sense of calm and dignity in this one thing enlivens, bringing me great joy with less that a liter of hot tea.
(Yes, I am drinking tea while writing this.)
My odd love for a beverage, however, is not the point.
Not to quote One Direction, but it's the little things. It pays off sometimes to be detail-oriented. It allows end to get joy out of things others don't necessarily see.
I tried to take a picture of steam rising of of a mug the other day, because it was simply so lovely. Needless to say, my steam-picture failed miserably. Photos can't always capture everything. Had I not stopped to gaze at the steam, I wouldn't be able to envision it at I write, giving me the small joy I try to acheive.
There have been big joys lately, as well. (Though these are merely small joys mashed together.) The connections and friends I've made this week have been unforgettable. Theatre has made me inherently brave. Brave enough to ask a charismatic upperclassman whether she hated me (she didn't), and brave enough to ask a silent senior whether he was talkative (he wasn't). This bravery has given me friends in both of the aforementioned.
I haven't only made friends with seniors, either! The freshman friends I've made are glorious human beings, filled with talent and potential. I just want to hug them, they make me so happy. Reaching out to these people reminds me why I love people in the first place.
The friends I've had forever continue to amaze me. Oftentimes, at the begininning of the year, I don't feel the love. Fortunately, the love lately has been n full force. I feel it strongly.
Then, theatre in itself is just so good for the soul. I truly cannot rave enough about it.
All these tiny aspects- people, an activity, tea- have this effect on me. Tonight, they and the energy that accompanies them, have put me on top of the world.
Notice the little things. They add up, I assure you.
Friday, October 19, 2012
Why I Love Theatre
I never forget my love for theatre, but I always forget the level on which I love it until I get there. My effervescent adoration for the activity feels rekindled in full force this lovely Saturday morning.
The creativity that occurs in that auditorium is absolutely beyond gorgeous. I love trying, and seeing my friends try, something completely new on stage. Even if the effect is less than perfect, it's so refreshing to be able to be a new character, get involved in someone else. Every character has so much depth of their own. It lets me forget about what's troubling me, and focus on what's troubling my character.
Plus, it's unimaginably fun to see so much talent in one room. Skill is abundant in the theatre, and you don't have to look far to find someone you love. Everyone is vulnerable there. All of us stand up on stage and put ourselves out there. That itself is lovely. The fact that we can be so real with each other.
So ourselves that we can slip into the person of someone else.
The honest light of the theatre is a light hard to find. The people are of a special caliber, a rare breed. The talents of cast-mates feed each other. Inspire. We move each other to tears, and make each other laugh so hard our stomachs hurt. We are a beautiful, intricate people who know that an actor playing an evil character is probably not inherently evil in himself, and that two characters in love can be the most platonic of friends.
All of these are secrets of the backstage. The audience never sees these. They see only the beautiful masterpiece of a show, and that's what is fun for them.
But what I love most about theatre is seeing the beautiful masterpieces that are people - the most glorious, inspiring beings of humankind. These are the people I'm lucky enough to call "friends," the ones that remind me why I so much adore what is humanity today. Their dedication, their talent, their honest, raw love for one another is the reason I joined theatre, and the reason I never want it to end.
The creativity that occurs in that auditorium is absolutely beyond gorgeous. I love trying, and seeing my friends try, something completely new on stage. Even if the effect is less than perfect, it's so refreshing to be able to be a new character, get involved in someone else. Every character has so much depth of their own. It lets me forget about what's troubling me, and focus on what's troubling my character.
Plus, it's unimaginably fun to see so much talent in one room. Skill is abundant in the theatre, and you don't have to look far to find someone you love. Everyone is vulnerable there. All of us stand up on stage and put ourselves out there. That itself is lovely. The fact that we can be so real with each other.
So ourselves that we can slip into the person of someone else.
The honest light of the theatre is a light hard to find. The people are of a special caliber, a rare breed. The talents of cast-mates feed each other. Inspire. We move each other to tears, and make each other laugh so hard our stomachs hurt. We are a beautiful, intricate people who know that an actor playing an evil character is probably not inherently evil in himself, and that two characters in love can be the most platonic of friends.
All of these are secrets of the backstage. The audience never sees these. They see only the beautiful masterpiece of a show, and that's what is fun for them.
But what I love most about theatre is seeing the beautiful masterpieces that are people - the most glorious, inspiring beings of humankind. These are the people I'm lucky enough to call "friends," the ones that remind me why I so much adore what is humanity today. Their dedication, their talent, their honest, raw love for one another is the reason I joined theatre, and the reason I never want it to end.
Saturday, September 15, 2012
Pursuing the Light
This morning, you can feel autumn in the air. It's a sunny 59 degrees, but it's beginning to scream for hoodies and falling leaves. This morning, in the spirit of autumn, I celebrated with a mug of cinnamon hot cocoa. Autumn is such a beautiful thing to celebrate.
Yesterday, I went on yet another bike ride through downtown Flint. I do this often. We visited the concrete playground, and raced through sidewalks adjoined to the cobblestone streets.
It doesn't always feel safe in Flint. I'm definitely not afraid of my beloved city, but being the human that I am, it's not hard to become mildly nervous.
I do something nearly unheard of when people make me nervous.
I say "hi" to the aforementioned people. The guy with so much swag his pants are to his knees?
"Hello!"
The lady who looks like she is getting ready to go kill someone, or maybe cry?
"Good morning!"
Let's be logical. EVEN IF we assume that people in Flint are as bloodthirsty as they're rumored to be, then the one thing that would keep a person safe is this: be kind to them.
If they're looking for someone to kill, the last person they're going to choose is the person that smiled at them and wished them a good day.
People love kind people.
Maybe you don't feel safe in this lovely city. Find the people that make you afraid and say hello. Just smile. Be the light you want to see in the people around you. Perhaps you'll find people are not nearly as scary as you thought.
Yesterday, I went on yet another bike ride through downtown Flint. I do this often. We visited the concrete playground, and raced through sidewalks adjoined to the cobblestone streets.
It doesn't always feel safe in Flint. I'm definitely not afraid of my beloved city, but being the human that I am, it's not hard to become mildly nervous.
I do something nearly unheard of when people make me nervous.
I say "hi" to the aforementioned people. The guy with so much swag his pants are to his knees?
"Hello!"
The lady who looks like she is getting ready to go kill someone, or maybe cry?
"Good morning!"
Let's be logical. EVEN IF we assume that people in Flint are as bloodthirsty as they're rumored to be, then the one thing that would keep a person safe is this: be kind to them.
If they're looking for someone to kill, the last person they're going to choose is the person that smiled at them and wished them a good day.
People love kind people.
Maybe you don't feel safe in this lovely city. Find the people that make you afraid and say hello. Just smile. Be the light you want to see in the people around you. Perhaps you'll find people are not nearly as scary as you thought.
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