Answered Prayer; Renewed Hope in His Truth

I wish I had the words to convey how powerfully this essay ministered to my heart this week.

Incredible, thought-provoking, Biblically-centered treatise on singleness and the Christian culture surrounding singleness.

I loved every word.

Grab a cup of coffee and settle in, ya'll.  This is some good stuff:

http://www.critiquebycreating.com/2011/04/the-most-eligible-christian-bachelor/

hot damn, it's true

Goodbye, no use leading with our chins,
This is where our story ends,
Never lovers; ever friends.
Goodbye, let our hearts call it a day,
 But before you walk away, I sincerely want to say...

I wish you bluebirds in the spring, to give your heart a song to sing,
And then a kiss, but more than this, I wish you love.
And in July, a lemonade, to cool you in some leafy glade,
I wish you health, and more than wealth, I wish you love.

My breaking heart and I agree that you and I could never be,
So with my best, my very best, I set you free.

I wish you shelter from the storm, a cozy fire to keep you warm,
But, most of all, when snowflakes fall, I wish you love.
I wish you shelter from the storm, a cozy fire to keep you warm,
Most of all, when snowflakes fall,

hot damn, I wish you love.

(Thank you, Jesus, for your peace. You are so very, very good to me.)

Like a Sweet Sunset in Georgia, Let it Go...

If you don't get everything you want, think of the things you don't get that you don't want.  ~Oscar Wilde

"You keep your heart above your head and your eyes wide open
So this world can't find a way to leave you cold
And know you're not the only ship out on the ocean
Save your strength for things that you can change
Forgive the ones you can't...
You gotta let it go.
Like a sweet sunset in Georgia, let it go.
Like the fear that grabs ahold ya, let it go.
Let it go." -- Zac Brown Band

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I Timothy 6:6-8, 11
But godliness with contentment is great gain.
For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it.
But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that. 
But you, man of God [...] pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness.
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14,000 Things to be Happy About

Years and years ago, my beloved college friend J gave me a thick little pudgy book titled 14,000 Things to be Happy About.  I don't read it cover to cover; it's not that kind of book.  It's the kind of book you grab, flip to some random page, and read.  I used to keep a highlighter near it, and when an item in the list caught my eye, I'd highlight it.  I also dog-ear the pages that are my favorite.  Today's blog is in honor of this little white book that has kept me company for ten years now.  These are the things I am happy about, in this moment and on this Saturday:

Soft spring rain.
The feel of the warm, skinny vanilla latte cup in my hand.
Starbucks colors (warm oranges and browns and yellows)
Writing "to do" lists on brown, recycled paper napkins.
Cinnamon-chip scones.
Mellow music by Sting and Joan Collins.
Good hair days.
The passage in I Corinthians that promises that "when the perfect comes, the imperfect will disappear" (my Rosina-translation)
My favorite pen.
A silent cell phone.  Lol.


"Well," said Pooh, "what I like best," and then he had to stop and think.  Because although Eating Honey was a very good thing to do, there was a moment just before you began to eat it which was better than when you were, but he didn't know what it was called.  ~A.A. Milne

Brew Me a Cup

Brew me a cup for a winter's night.
For the wind howls loud and the furies fight;
Spice it with love and stir it with care,
And I'll toast our bright eyes,
my sweetheart fair.
~Minna Thomas Antrim

Home

The light is what guides you home, the warmth is what keeps you there. 

~Ellie Rodriguez

Home is a name, a word, it is a strong one; stronger than magician ever spoke, or spirit ever answered to, in the strongest conjuration. 

~Charles Dickens

It's only a week and a half until I leave the cozybutsometimeslonely lodging of my little apartment and head towards the hustle and bustle of another M Family Thanksgiving at Mom and Dad's.  It makes me smile just thinking about it -- the laughter, the drama, the cooking, the smooshing into a very small house and fighting over the remote control... ahhh.  Family.  Good times, good times.

My family is big.  And loud.  And passionate about almost everything.  Addendum.  Some of us are passionate about SOME topics, and some of us are bored to tears by said topics.  Which is part of the magic of my family -- there's always something to talk about and almost always someone who will listen to you talk about it.  Or argue with you about why you should be talking about something else :P

Home is a lovely blue house with a beautifully landscaped yard and an American flag always waving from the front porch.  

Home is a blue/white/yellow kitchen, a dining room with a picture window, and a bird identification book always close at hand.


Home is feeling the heat from a freshly poured cup of steaming coffee and seeing the sleepy faces of my family wandering out to the back porch, which has somehow become the unofficial gathering place for starting or ending each day when the whole family's in town.

Home is where the most beautiful, gracious woman in the world answers to the name of "Mom" and leaves little chocolate bars on the pillow when she knows you're coming home...

Home is where a smart, laughing salt-and-pepper headed man steals kisses from her when he thinks we're not looking and always makes sure there's enough coffee in the pot for "one more cup."

Home is where sisters live :)

Happy homecoming to all the weary travelers tonight.  May you know the truth and peace of being HOME -- wherever and with whomever that home exists.

Hot Date

Tonight I've got a hot date.  I'm heading out right now to shop for the ingredients for chili (hot), pick up a new coffeemaker (makes hot), and buy some firewood (crackling hot).  Can't imagine a more enjoyable October evening!

I'll try to post a picture of my hot date -- go Phillies!