You Are Valued

I think sometimes I forget the value that I have with God. I focus too much on how I think other people value me, when that truly should not matter to me. (But it does-  it is something I need to let go of) No matter how faulty I am, my Lord has paid the ultimate price for me...

because you are precious in my eyes, and honored, and I love you.
- Isaiah 43.4

Like the nation of Israel, we all falter and turn to earthly things as fulfillment rather than to God, but He still loves us. Doesn't He ever tire of our lack of consistency? We are guilty of turning our back on our Savior and closest friend. How must God feel when He sees us turn away from Him, after all the love and kindness He has bestowed upon us?

We are all of us selfish. Too consumed with ourselves. We neglect to see that which has been with us all along, in front of our faces. The love and kindness which patiently waits. We don't need to seek the approval of others. We already have God's love. And His reminders are all around us.

God is the one who is never changing.
We are the ones who change.Therefore, we are the ones who need to change back.

Mail from Oxford

So.... last week, amidst all the craziness that was last week, I received a piece of mail that caused me to smile immediately. When the return address is stamped Great Britain, specifically Oxford, I just grow excited automatically. I knew what it was before I opened it. It was simply the official notice of the credits I earned in my Literature class on the Brontës this term. But as simple as it was, it meant so much more than just a slip of paper.

I earned credit hours from the University of Oxford, meaning, I took a class and passed it, and have real credits! It's not just fake. To use a horrid slang American phrase- it's for real! And it just shows me that I can do it....at least a little class like this. How much does it make me ache to go back to Oxford and spend a good deal of time? So much.

Most importantly, I am overflowing with thankfulness that I could even do such a thing as study from afar. Or that I have been to Oxford twice already. I do not look past the fact that there are true blessings from God that I cannot even explain, but are endowed upon me without deserving. These are such examples.

New as the Sun Rises

Today is a new day! A day to embrace and enjoy because God has allowed this new day. The past is over. The history of yesterday is done. Look ahead and in this very moment.

There are no worries about what is past, for God makes all things new as the sun rises, so rises my spirit to behold the beauty of this day, made by my Lord.

Behold, the former things
have come to pass
and new things I now
declare; before they
spring forth I tell you
of them.
- Isaiah 42.9

My past days lately have been crazy, to say the least. So full of activity, tasks to handle, disappointments to endure, and joys to behold. My life is all over the place! But isn't that the norm?
In spite of all that, or perhaps because of all that is going on, I am thankful. Thankful because each day is a gift, no matter what it contains.

Moving Weekend

What did you do over your long weekend?
I moved!
Here is just a little sneak peak at my new place. I have organizing to do, but I am pretty well unpacked.

It was a busy weekend for me, and I am so glad the moving part is over. I hired movers for my apartment move because I have an abundance of books and a piano. So, I will leave that kind of serious moving to the professionals. I was very nervous about my piano, as the three guys had major difficulty in getting it downstairs. They carried it down, and I have no idea how they did it. Really, they are amazing. I am thankful to report that my piano made it downstairs and upstairs into my new place. And it sounds great resonating off the wood floors, although, I know it needs to be tuned.

I love my new place. It is so cozy and full of charm, and I have some pretty awesome neighbors. My friend Emily is next door, and my landlord lives in the house in front of my little home, and he has been here hanging all my curtains and some other items today.

Stay tuned for some more photographs....

Salad Days

He ate and drank the precious words
His spirit grew robust;
He knew no more that he was poor,
Not that his frame was dust.
He danced along the dingy days,
And this bequest of wings
Was but a book. What liberty
A loosened spirit brings!

- Emily Dickinson

I just love discovering new words (or phrases) that are quirky and interesting. I have the condition scriblomania, as Charlotte Brontë calls it in her journals, or the compulsion to write, and in that need, I want to incorporate new words that I discover from the past. Oh, I can't help myself. This passage stopped me as I flipped through my Oxford Book of English Usage.

What are you doing in your salad days? The wit of the entry made me laugh, and also made me ponder its description and comical ending that it is a phrase more suited for a parrot rather than a person. Thanks, Shakespeare, for the phrase.

Alas, it made me think: if these are my salad days, raw and highly flavoured, how am I making the most of each day? How am I ensuring that my days do not wilt? I still feel like I am a youth in my raw days because I have so much to learn. So many adventures to go on. So many experiences to be a part of. It is only the beginning. Ah, yes. I shall enjoy my salad days.

Release

Though in this, the dark
and the gray,
only by choice is it
where I stay.
Losing the grip I thought
I had,
slipping on failure, dripping
into sad.
A complicated matter
retreats into me,
holding me captive, until a
release sets me free

The world is full of a little bit of darkness and a little bit of light. Stories should contain doses of both to reach  the depths of our souls. We are not just people leading shallow lives of sugary happiness. There are deep places in need of being reached.

The world isn't the only thing that is broken, but our hearts are broken as well. Stories, whether real or imagined, with true pain and sadness causes us to look inwardly at our own brokenness and then at the light that is in God, which is able to break into our dark places.

Packing

Yep. I am getting there....
Almost finished!
My bookshelves have never looked so bare. These are all the books I have left to pack!
This week (and last week) I have been trying to remember all the things I need to remember in order to move. All the packing and all the address changes and such. It is kind of boggling my brain. It's been almost four years since I last moved, so it's not fresh in my memory.

There is something so exciting, to me, about moving. The fresh start of a new place and the ability to decorate in many new ways! My style has changed since I moved four years ago, so I get to implement all the things I like the most to make my new place cozy.

My landlord sent me a photo of my newly finished pine wood floors that he varnished all weekend. They look glossy and brand new! Amazing. Can't wait to be in and organized!

Gatsby

The Great Gatsby.
I haven't seen the movie, yet. Have you?

Many call this novel, by F.Scott Fitzgerald, the greatest American novel. At least, that is what I keep hearing. I would not call it that. I just finished reading it again, and it was definitely worth the read, but it is not the greatest American novel.
I read it in high school, as you probably did. But I definitely did not appreciate the elegant storytelling that Fitzgerald displays in this book. It is a short novel, so it only took me a few days to read it, which may also be partially why it is a popular novel. The ease of reading it is an attraction.

To me, there is a certain lost-ness to the novel and its characters. Some of the descriptions are beautifully written but the book makes me sad, mainly because there is no moral compass to the characters and I don't find myself truly caring for them. They live selfish, rich lives where the world revolves around them. Which, of course, leads to the story's issues and tragedy. But it is also a good example of 1920's wealth and wayward living in America.

It is worth reading. Not sure if the movie is worth seeing. I will have to gather some opinions about that. It is kind of like a 1920's version of a Greek tragedy. You just know something is going to happen, you just aren't sure what.

Wedding Weekend

My little brother got married this weekend! Good times were had by all and everything went smoothly.
When I got into town Friday, I was put to work folding napkins for the reception. Since the reception was at the beach under a pavilion, the silverware was plastic, but they still wanted it to look fancy!

At the rehearsal, as they practiced giving the rings and how to do that, my brothers (the groomsmen) gave a candy ring pop as a stand-in prop. It was quite funny when the pastor said "ok, next I will ask the best man for the rings...." and Jason immediately presented a ring pop for use. That's what Patience has on her finger in this first photo.

It took an army to get Tyler dressed. Haha. Just kidding. I don't think he usually wears bow ties and vests.

  Mom and Tyler at the reception.

Patience and her Mom right before the ceremony.

My sister-in-law, Samantha and her most adorable baby girl (my niece!), Ellliott.

My three brothers and me, right before the ceremony.

Lots of dancing took place, and everyone had a great time, despite the warm temperature. Gladly as the evening went on it got a bit cooler with a the breeze coming off the gulf water.

I wish for God's richest blessings and joy for Tyler and Patience's future together. <3

Mustard Dress

Wedding weekend ahead.
I am prepping for such an occasion with my mustard-coloured dress which has a little bit of an old fashioned (and vintage) flair with the sharp pleats that run the whole length of the midi-skirt.

My little brother is getting married this weekend, so it will be an occasion to remember. A weekend where we gather to support and celebrate the uniting of two people.
I am hoping for pleasant weather with dry air and a cool temperature. We have been hitting some 90 degree temperatures lately and thick humidity, and I hope for a departure from that (if only for Saturday!)

I pray for this young couple, Tyler and Patience, who will be starting a life together. I am praying that they put God first no matter what, and become deeply rooted in His plans, not their own, because as I already know, our own plans have many flaws. Many times it is pride that gets in the way. We all have it. I would think in a young marriage that would be hard at first. Pride is, as C.S. Lewis wrote, the worst of all sins because all sins can stem from it. So, I pray that they remember:

When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with the humble is wisdom. - Proverbs 11.2

I write that for all of us, for it is something I surely need a reminder of. So may we all be reminded, and share in this special celebration for Tyler and Patience. I am glad to be a part of their day.