Sister 3

Of course I can't rank my sisters, as I love them all dearly. But we are ordered, obviously, in the way we entered this very world.
Today, right very now, I celebrate the anniversary of Carmen's birth.
Happy Birthday number three.
I love that you're my sister.
I celebrate who you are and the life you live. It's a privilege to see you in the roles of wife and Mom. The beautiful spirit within your daughters was nurtured and cultivated by you and is most precious.
You are tons of fun to be with. And I don't mind your reminders, you know, to call, email, do the right thing, etc, most of the time! :-)

I'm excited to see what this new year brings.
God Bless you and keep you
God cause His face to shine upon you
and grant you His peace.
Happy Birthday number 3!

pace

my friend beth recently blogged about the summer slow down kids experience whilst in school.

This week I lunched with the instructor that had a major car accident back in January. She mused how before the accident, she had asked God for a break. Now she and her kids joke about being more specific in their prayers. Oodles of bones broken in her arms and legs, well, u can imagine that those fractures were not the type of break she was hoping for. And yet, her schedule drastically changed. She cannot keep the lifestyle or the schedule she once pursued.

Life's pace while on vacation last week definitely slowed down. We played cards, we read books, we took walks, we visited historic and other fun places, we ate when we were hungry, we snacked when someone else did, we took pictures, we talked, we watched movies, we played games, we slept in, we splashed in the pool, we sat in the hottub, we braved the sauna, we disregarded alarms and schedules...well you know the rhythm.

How does one schedule that type of pace into daily and weekly life? We need the leisure. We need the space. We need moments to contemplate, to read, to breathe, to sit and stare,
and yes, I might argue, even to roll down hills to provoke unrestrained laughter.
We need room in our schedules so we can be present to life.
Finding some semblance of balance can make all the difference.

Photo credit: these are all Hildred's from Galena 0608

a few of my favorite things

so last week on the vacation with very little sun,
but with so much fun, we were on a jaunt
in the quaint little town of Galena, Illinois.
We came upon a levy.
And my sister said, "hey, let's roll down the hill."
"What?" Kate responded, "what does that mean Auntie Hildred?"
And so we showed her.

People, I can't even tell you how laughter burst forth from the depths of me as I rolled and rolled and rolled down this hill.
Tears spring to my eye corners even as I type this.

It is one of those pleasurable moments of sheer delight and joy.
Fabulous.

One can't really capture all of that in a photo. But we tried.

060708

This really has nothing to do with anything.
But my Mom reminded me it was 060708 today
and it seems too fun NOT to mention it.

As Gilly in the UK would say, "you know that way?"

I've missed some other noteworthy days...
like 020408 for instance.
So this day, for the blog record, is now mentioned.

In other news,
in the category of just because,

today I'm featuring
a
few
favorite
fotos...
from vacation.

(Yes, I know photos is the correct spelling.
Alliteration, people.
It's the priority over spelling.)

But there are many more to come.
I'll find an excuse to post them,
I promise!
In the meantime,
vacation is over.
And laundry,
mail,
bills,
plant watering,
dinner,
you know, the regular things of life,
they're all waiting.

who knew?

This was new to me,
but it seems about right.

of reptiles, amphibians, and family

I don't know what it looks like in your family
but this is what happens after a few hours at a museum
when we're on vacation.

But before we got all goofy, we were appreciating the amazing animals
that were part of the museum and aquarium that we visited today.
Several of them truly captured our attention.
We saw snakes,
alligators (an albino one was particularly cute),
lizards,
spiders,
centipedes,
crayfish,
turtles,
but our particular favs:

The otters.
They play with frisbees. Did'ya know that?
Very fun.

yet another covert operation

Surprises, as you know, are part of our family's dna.
It would likely be no surprise that when I met up with my family for vacation we had a surprise planned for my nine year old niece Katrina (Kate).
My sister wanted to reward her daughter, my niece, for ways that she has contributed to the family, helped look after her younger sister and cared for younger neighbor girls, especially.
So Friday, my sister told Kate that something special was happening for her on Saturday morning and that two of her three aunties (myself and Auntie Hildred) would be coming to participate. (Not that you care, but this did not include us traveling to Fargo, as the Fargo family, of which Kate is a part, had already traveled to the Chicago burbs to meet up for our family vacation.)
We showed up Saturday morning and whisked her away.
We tried to mislead her by talking about swimming, water parks, amusement parks, etc.
We had a blindfold ready for the walk into the city.

But we needed nothing to distract her, because she had no idea where we were taking her.
Her delight in the experience spread like the shifting shades of color in a Lake Michigan sunset. Her spirit is so unassuming and sweet.
You may have guessed that we are at the American girl store.
Today, i want to appreciate the beauty and innocence of my niece's delight.
Although she was a bit overwhelmed to choose a doll, the smile barely left her face.
At one moment, Kate noticed the cafe and excitedly expressed that she had heard of people eating at the store and that the cafe experience included seating and "feeding" the dolls. How fun it was to show her the ticket for our reservation later that morning!
The lunch was delicious. Kate ordered this creatively presented plate.

Although we were definitely the minority
by not celebrating a birthday,
we still enjoyed cake and other delicious things as dessert.
From the menu to the napkin holders, they definitely attended to details.

And no matter what I think about the business of the American Girl doll industry, the way my niece received the gift and the experience in itself made for an amazing memory. And a very lovely day!
Mission accomplished.

landmarks

People who know things will undoubtedly
know this picture location (what and where this was taken).
I'm not to be included in that set, however.
Imagine my delight, then, biking around on Memorial Day, when I discovered this lovely campus.

I'm particularly drawn to their doorways and windows. Something about the opening, the vision, the view, and the framing particularly captures my attention.

They appear to have intentionally tied new construction
to the styles and architecture matching older buildings.
It truly is lovely.
It's not enough to enlist me as a fan
for their football team or anything.
But I'm definitely a fan of the
beauty of their buildings and structures!

If we can so quickly recognize features such as the golden dome at Notre Dame,
it makes me wonder what is easily recognizable in us as people?
What do people see or notice from afar?
What qualities are associated with our personality or character?
Hmmm. Much to consider.
It's perhaps easier to simply appreciate the architecture.

breaking the rules

I wonder if I committed a social sin today.
See, I had a meeting to go to, and I didn't know what to wear. So I decided to wear the same thing to work that I wore the day before.
It wasn't dirty, soiled, or stinky. And I liked it. So I put it back on.

I'm wondering how this started.
By this I mean, why and how did we decide that clothes should be changed every day? What is that about? If we're honest, we likely all have way more clothes than we could ever need. And caring for all those clothes certainly takes a ton of time, resources, and energy. We must feel the "need" for new clothes because we pursue and purchase them. But seriously, what drives this?

A few years ago I had the privilege of traveling to the Far East to teach on small groups and prayer. The precious people I met with risked their lives to be together and to pursue God and grow the church. And they wore the same clothes almost every day of the seven days I was with them. It was not insulting or offensive. I became very fond of the people AND their clothes. :-)

I remember being uncomfortable (embarrassed?) as a young girl if my Mom wore the same clothes more than once in a week. But really, it's ridiculous. Why not? Why the excess? Could we not break down some "unspoken" social rule and give freedom in this area? I know, there are way more important things in life. Thousands of people have died recently and may even be trapped alive related to the events in china and myanmar. I know. This subject simply pales in comparison.

But, I've been thinking about it
and wondering
and perhaps, breaking the rules.

overhead

"Ladies," he directed, "take a look at the clouds."

And this is what we saw.
Amazing.

AND my photo can't capture it.

The artist swept his rainbow brush
to offer another masterpiece.

Fabulous work, Father!

So i sent a photo to a local tv station and they responded back with this. Check it out.

inevitable

It's happened.
Upon my return from NYC things at my house have changed.
My housemate decided it was time to have internet access--and so the choices to facilitate that are either phone lines, or cable.
she chose cable and asked if I minded a hole in the wall of my house.
(I didn't mind!)
So now we have wireless.
And we have cable.

I've decided that having cable simply means it takes longer to realize that there is nothing worth watching on television.

But the internet access is great--as I type this from my own very bedroom.
Thanks roomie!

And, yet another birthday to mention and celebrate. My friend Robin's birthday was yesterday! Happy Birthday dear lady.

almost famous two

Another really amazing thing happened on my way to NYC over the weekend. I was sitting next to a pastor originally from NYC and we were discussing spiritual formation and passionate spirituality within his denomination. I could talk about that all day, except, I also wanted to talk about the subway. I love riding public transportation. Subways, trains, well, they're a good place for me to observe and interact with people.
I was asking this lovely gentleman about riding the subway late at night and he said, "of course, it's one of the safest cities in the world." Even though a nagging doubt lingered, I was excited.
Until I got to the airport and asked a gentlemen where to catch the subway.
He raised one eyebrow and asked, "you plan to ride it alone, tonight?" To which I confessed I didn't really want to shell out all kinds of cash for a cab. He told me about shared rides and their price. I was easily convinced it was the best thing to do and waited for him to contact me.
Guess what? He put me together with the three "kids" pictured above. And they were from none other than Grand Rapids. Crazy small world! But the exciting thing? They were in NYC for the media pre-screening of the new Narnia movie. They have a website about Narnia that has caught on beyond their wildest expectations. Disney pays them and invites them to things like this (the prescreening). So their whole week was set up to meet and interview the stars of the movie, along with the early screening, etc. They were completely geeked and excited.
And so we prayed together about their opportunities to talk to people about Jesus and just the overall witness they could have while in NYC around the famous people. And did I mention, they were kids? What a ride.

Oh, and, speaking of rides, we were in a big-ol STRETCH limo. Like celebrities ourselves. No subway this time. But still a great great experience.
In other news, we also visited one of my favorite places: the Apple store. Literally hundreds of people flooded in and out of this store. The checkout line alone was at least a hundred people long. That is pure craziness. Mostly folks from Europe a salesperson explained. (I suppose that's good for our economy.)
And if you haven't already guessed,
that's Barkley with me.
For those bugging me for a picture. :-)

almost famous

You know those conversations where people trade information back and forth about the people they've seen or met?
I don't have much to offer in these cases except for the time that I almost got close enough to Bono to ask if Beth could take a picture of him. But alas, even though we chased him at the Dublin airport, he vanished into an elevator before we got up the nerve to ask.
And then there was the time we went to Bono's house...well, sort of. We were walking in the general vicinity of his house outside of Dublin, b/c Beth had tracked it down. We were trying to be all nonchalant, walking toward where we thought it was. So, we casually asked another walker if we were headed toward a certain area. To which she said, "oh, are you looking for Bono's house? That's his wife just ahead of you I think."
Of course we scrambled after her, in a "oh, we don't mean to look like we're following or stalking you" kind of way.
But, that's not really my point.
Friday night I had the distinct pleasure of seeing Wicked! the musical. I must confess, friends of mine in Zeeland (Hi Johnsons! I so miss you) listened to the soundtrack all the time when last I saw them. And while the songs were catchy and memorable, I never really knew the story. (Perhaps I wasn't sure I should be interested in something with the title of Wicked? or something?) I am now a huge fan!! The untold story of Oz indeed. It is fantastic. I was completely captivated. I think my Mom would love it--her, and oodles of other people, but for whatever reason she came to mind.

Anyway, afterward, Barkley knew enough to go to the door where the cast exits. And we got autographs and photographs with nearly every principle (oh dear, should that be principal?) and some of the other cast members. And when I say we, I mean, he did. Because really, I don't care so much. And when he asked if I wanted my picture taken with the stars, I didn't. And truly I only possibly regret one choice. Because I immediately recognized the lady who played Madam Morrible. She was none other than Professor Sprout from Harry Potter. And she was fabulous there and fabulous here. Still, I didn't really care to have a picture with her. I suppose I don't know what I'd do with it, really. I'd much prefer sitting down with any one of them and asking about their experiences than grabbing a photo with them.

But for those who delight in these types of things please, continue delighting. Someone needs to take the picture afterall. I can be good for that!

In other news, I missed two other birthdays. May 1 Karen!!!
and May 2, Karla!!! Happy birthday to you both, friends!!
(I'll upload a picture when I'm back on my own computer!)

number two

Happy Birthday Cindy!!!
I celebrate your life and
wish you all God's best in this new year.

(Wouldn't a pic of you be lovely right about here? Sigh!)

fearless

We retreated this weekend. A large percentage of women at "my" church got together
and invested in each other,
our relationship with God
and in the fellowship.
We ate.

We laughed.
We listened and talked.
We prayed.
We pulled practical jokes. (Some of us experienced them anyway.)
We played games.

We DIDN'T sleep, or at least, not much,
but it wasn't a sleeping retreat, I suppose.
I feel quite privileged to get to know
the fantastic women in our community of believers.

Some of these women I know a bit more. And after the retreat, we just HAD to go to the Lake. Because the temperature had fluctuated so greatly, we knew that the waves would be large. And the surfers were there, too, donning wet suits, attempting to tackle the waves.

Surprisingly, at first, the sand wasn't cold on our bare feet. Mostly because we were blessed with some 70+ degree weather during the week. Thus the water and waves so lulled my friend that she decided to swim.
I might mention that the air temp was about 47 degrees.
And yes, the water temperature was also about 47 degrees.
She's my new hero.
She not only jumped in, she really swam.
Like dove back into the water, without hesitation.
It was amazing. Perhaps crazy, but definitely amazing.
This was after she walked on the beach with her sleeping bag around her.
I know, it doesn't quite fit, does it?
From a sleeping bag to the cold water.
But, so it was.

It didn't feel like the start to summer,
but it LOOKED a bit like it!

In other news, it's birthday week!
Today is Lori's birthday!
Happy Birthday dear Lori. You are missed.
You are loved!

seduction

It wasn't that I didn't want to stay, when she asked, "shall we round this corner and discover where the wood duck landed?"
I certainly wanted to continue the adventure.
It's just I needed to get to work.

Spring seduced us, in a sweet way on our walk today.
Our "normal" walk found us lingering 20 minutes longer than usual.
Various calls, colors, and wild flowers captured our attention,
both slowing and stopping our stride.
Awe of our creator and the majesty of the creation
caused us to burst out with applause and praise and wonder.
Yesterday my spiritual director mused, "what if God had decided to make the grass and the fauna red instead of green? Would we enjoy it as much?"
I tried to imagine it red, but truly, I adore the green.

So we sought out the yellow trout lily,
the sweet spring beauties,
white trillium,
blooming bluebells,
jack in the pulpits,
rain dropped may apples,
solomon's seal,
wild garlic,
and ginger,
and loads of other lovelies that we don't know the names of.
It is such a glorious time of year.

We heard our cardinals, flickers, song sparrows, robins, even a wren we mistakenly labeled a cardinal with vibrato.
Our other friend, the kingfisher, was back, mapping his (or her?) flight along the creek's windy trail.
Alas, work called. The cars at trails end signaled my leave.
But Jordan? she remained.
On the lookout for the wood duck
and whatever other adventure or creature awaited discovery.

just leave them dirty in the sink!

A couple weeks ago I tasted the "best ribs" in Grand Rapids. It was good. I'm not a rib connoisseur, but I believed their advertising. For whatever reason, however, it put us in the mood for ribs. The incredible guy I'm dating, see, he is more of an expert, and actually has his very own rib maker thing. (There IS a more official title, I know.) And so the other night he cooked up ribs. And they were fabulous. As far as I can tell, they could compete with the Grand Rapids fare.
As a show of appreciation, I was cleaning the crockpot portion of this rib cooker. And may I introduce exhibit A. Trouble. It may have been a sign not to do dishes. (j/k)

Seriously, here's the thing. I had the pot in the sink. Granted, it doesn't fit perfectly, so I began to adjust it, and it shifted slightly, When I say slightly, I mean the thing did not crash into the sink or anything even resembling that. It shifted.
And it cracked.
You may wonder how hot the water was, or if there was a major temperature change. But that was not the case. (I know, I sound defensive.) The thing cracked though. and I couldn't believe it. You know me. My reputation for falling surrounds me. I wouldn't say that I break things, even if there have been a few things in my lifetime. But this, the crockpot? It's like it broke without me. I'm not kidding people.
So there it is. Perfectly broken.
Now...would you think I could find a replacement crockpot somewhere, anywhere on our "get anything u want and more online store" internet?
Nope.
I can't.
Not even on the website that makes the precious pot.
So, it remains.
Broken.
No ribs to be had.
so very sad.

any advice out there?

In other, much happier news, please welcome a new blogger! Check out my friend's new blog. Her blog features her fabulous writing. Give her a shout as you visit, would you?

steeple chase

I see them first. It's often the steeples that draw me. They highlight an area or draw attention to a skyline. So when I had some time this past weekend, I decided to capture some of those steeples "on film." (We need a new phrase!!)
And doorways.

In the "modern" church (not part of the modern/post modern discussion) of today, churches don't necessarily standout in the same way. My current church building, for instance, is a warehouse. It serves our community and space needs well, but one wouldn't use it as a landmark in the city of Grand Rapids...

so the church building can signal something. It can bring us to attention. And we spend a lot of time and resources on buildings and what our churches look like (at least, generally that's the move).
But really,
as much as we get caught up in the church,
and we equate it to a building,
we, the people of the church,
we're the ones that really need to draw attention to Jesus, regardless.


A friend of mine in class often challenges us to be a window to Jesus. And maybe I'm influenced by that as well.
Others say people need to see Jesus as they look at us. As we reflect on our lives, as I reflect on who I am and how I live,
what do I draw attention to?
Does my "skyline" allow people to see Jesus?
Does my church make a difference in the community,
aside from drawing attention to the building?
If the church were gone, would the community notice the difference?

These are the questions that chased me as I chased after the steeples...

Serious Consideration

Here's a piece of the current journey. These words from my class, and most recent book have been hitting repeat in my mind.

"I have come to the point in my life where I realize
that if I ever get passion for the Son of God
it will not be because I earned it;
it will be because he gave it to me
as his greatest and most gracious gift.

We can have anything from him
that we are willing to labor for in prayer.
I encourage you to spend more time asking God
to grant you passion for the Son of God
than you do asking him for anything else.

The Father loves the Son more than anyone or anything else.
He is devoted to the Son. His eyes never leave the Son.
I have paraphrased John 17:26 to pray it like this:
'Father, grant me power from the Holy Spirit
to love the Son of God like you love him'"
(Deere, Surprised by the power of the Spirit).

How does that hit your heart and spirit?
Wanna pray it as well? (Maybe u already do...)

Which one of these doesn't belong?

A few weekends ago I went "up north" to visit our friend, Karla, with two other friends...
we snapped this photo when we realized that three of the four of us had
nearly the identical camera.
And the answer to the question is that my camera doesn't belong.
It's the one that took the photo b/c it's a Nikon.
Apparently all the cool people have canon cameras.
But it's okay. I'm not suffering camera envy or anything :-)

mystery

Not that you were asking, but I'm nearly halfway in my Master's program. It is a bittersweet reality. Not that it is over, but I simply don't want it to progress any quicker. I am so thankful for the opportunity to learn and to interact with classmates here in the states and around the world.

My current class is called Healing and Wholeness in Christian Spirituality. This is not an easy subject for some. As part of this week's response, we had to explain our experience with healing and how our faith tradition addressed healing.

Part of our assignment and class responsibility includes praying specifically for physical healing for five to ten people per week.

I'm excited about praying with people and for people.

What remains unsettled is the fact that God doesn't heal everyone or every situation in the way we pray. (Perhaps we need a different definition of healing but that may be another post.) We can pray in faith and hope, but it is NOT our human ability that heals or determines healing. And the mystery of how and why is sometimes hard to swallow, much less understand.

Photo credit: my sis, Hildred, one of her zillion gorgeous photos from 0807.

weekend mishap

I confess that I have this thing about dishes in my sink. I don't need my dishes washed immediately, but I like to pile my dishes alongside the sink, neatly, so that my sink isn't full of dishes.

This very weekend I was preparing to steam some broccoli and sear some salmon. I turned on my burners and set my "broccoli" pan on the stove. As I was washing and trimming the broccoli, I did notice the color of my stove top under the pan seemed a bit strange. (But I didn't pay attention to it. Argh!) After a few minutes of cooking however, I smelled something beyond broccoli. And that color, well, yes, one of my favorite tupperware container lids, purple! The smell, of course burning plastic. The end result? Well, the good news is that the lid did not melt onto my pan. (B/c it's really one of Hildred's pans even though I keep praying she'll forget I have them.) But it did melt all over my burner. Only, I don't have a removable burner, b/c I have a flat top stove.

So, anyone know how to get plastic off of such an appliance? Can I simply turn the burner back on and let it "burn" off?

Oh, and see, the lid was stuck to the bottom of my pan b/c of my stacking tendency. That's the thing. Too bad. Quite sad! :-(

perhaps it's just time to pay

I recently heard a phrase driving urgently used as a way to describe someone who was speeding. I'd like to adopt it. But the truth is, I knowingly speed. Perhaps not more than the average person. I don't say that to justify it, but I do say it as a qualification. Most people likely do not look at speeding as breaking the law in a way that they would change their habits. But that is another post. Today I want to talk about tickets.

I recently received one. The officer approached the car and said, "Ma'am, I've pulled you over for your excessive speed."

And after I glanced at the speed listed on the ticket, I had to agree. I was traveling over 20 miles over the limit. Now, I'd like to debate that I was in unfamiliar territory, and that the speed had just changed from 55 to 45 on what seemed to be a highway. But the truth is, even at 55, my speed was over 10 miles over the limit.

Perhaps you'd care to read my experience with tickets. I've received three in my driving lifetime.

I received one in my first year of driving, in between my junior and senior years in high school, while on a six week mission trip in California. I was clocked at 48 in a 35. Being pulled over for speeding was a complete shock. I was told "the speed limit is 55 everywhere except for in town. Then it is 35." Being a city girl from Seattle, I equated town to mean city. But we were in a rural area, and town meant something different than my perception in those parts.

I fought the ticket, though, mostly because it demanded I show up in court at a time when I wasn't going to be in California. The judge let me off.

My second ticket was three years later at college. I fought that ticket, too, and it was also eliminated.

About four years after that I was pulled over for speeding when I lived in Holland, Michigan. When the cop asked how fast I was going, I told him that I must have been going nearly 50 (it was a 35 zone) because I had just shifted into 5th gear. After spending some time in his cruiser, and after several "God, I know I don't deserve this, but please have mercy," he came back and offered me a warning.

So you can see, I've experienced an incredible amount of grace.
But I've also "fought" every single ticket.

And that was my plan for this experience. I was ready to argue that it was a speed trap, for starters.

But you know what, it's one ticket in twenty years of driving! And the truth is, I was speeding, no matter how I might like to argue.
I decided, perhaps it's just time to pay.
And so I did.
The check is literally in the mail.
(I still hated sending it though!)

Yours sincerely,
A struggling speeder