Transition: a passage from one state, stage, subject, or place to another; a movement, development, or evolution from one form, stage, or style to another.
Stress: a state resulting from a stress; especially one of bodily or mental tension resulting from factors that tend to alter an existent equilibrium.
Grief: deep and poignant distress caused by or as if by bereavement; a cause of such suffering.
That's what Webster calls transition, stress, and grief, and I forgot to add packing. Anyway, I have a word that basically sums all of these words up into one....YUCK.
Does anyone want to come pack for me? It's going to take longer than I expected and I'm wanting to throw everything away. The funny thing is, it's almost easier for me to take things back to America to trash there!!! LOL!!! (If you have never heard about the intricacies of the Japanese trash system that probably won't make sense)
By the way, I just got my plane tickets today and will be arriving in Nashville, TN on April 13. I'll see most of you then, with mixed emotions, so be prepared :-)
Monday, February 27, 2006
Wednesday, February 22, 2006
'More'
My sister introduced me to a great Christian songwriter/musician a couple years ago, Andrew Peterson. Here are some lyrics of his that echo my thoughts today. Although the first part of the song is about a funeral, the last part is what I want to share with you.
"There is more, more than we can see
From our tiny vantage point in this vast eternity
There is more
A thing resounds when it rings true, ringing all the bells inside of you
Like a golden sky on a summer's eve, your heart is tugging at your sleeve
And you cannot say why, there must be more
There is more, more than we can stand
Standing in the glory of a love that never ends
There is more, more than we can guess
More and more, forever more, and not a second less
There is more than what the naked eye can see
Clothing all our days with mystery
Watching over everything
Wilder than our wildest dreams could ever dream to be
There is more"
'Now we see things imperfectly as in a poor mirror, but then we will see everything with perfect clarity. All that I know now is partial and incomplete, but then I will know everything completely, just as God knows me now.' ~1 Corinthians 13:12
'Then Elisha prayed, 'O Lord, open his eyes and let him see!', The Lord opened his servant's eyes, and when he looked up, he saw that the hillside around Elisha was filled with horses and chariots of fire.' ~2 Kings 6:17
I absolutely love the story of Elisha's confrontation with the Arameans. I can identify with the servant, who was reacting logically to what his eyes saw, which was uneven numbers and a certain defeat. Elisha asked God to open his servant's eyes to see the invisible, the impossible.
I don't face the Arameans in my life, but I have plenty of my own confrontations. And God may or may not choose to literally open my eyes to the unseen world, but if I ask he can open my spiritual eyes to give me faith and hope in what I cannot see.
There is more in heaven than our imaginations can conjure up, but there is also more in this earthly life than we dared to hope. There is always more, because God is always more.
"There is more, more than we can see
From our tiny vantage point in this vast eternity
There is more
A thing resounds when it rings true, ringing all the bells inside of you
Like a golden sky on a summer's eve, your heart is tugging at your sleeve
And you cannot say why, there must be more
There is more, more than we can stand
Standing in the glory of a love that never ends
There is more, more than we can guess
More and more, forever more, and not a second less
There is more than what the naked eye can see
Clothing all our days with mystery
Watching over everything
Wilder than our wildest dreams could ever dream to be
There is more"
'Now we see things imperfectly as in a poor mirror, but then we will see everything with perfect clarity. All that I know now is partial and incomplete, but then I will know everything completely, just as God knows me now.' ~1 Corinthians 13:12
'Then Elisha prayed, 'O Lord, open his eyes and let him see!', The Lord opened his servant's eyes, and when he looked up, he saw that the hillside around Elisha was filled with horses and chariots of fire.' ~2 Kings 6:17
I absolutely love the story of Elisha's confrontation with the Arameans. I can identify with the servant, who was reacting logically to what his eyes saw, which was uneven numbers and a certain defeat. Elisha asked God to open his servant's eyes to see the invisible, the impossible.
I don't face the Arameans in my life, but I have plenty of my own confrontations. And God may or may not choose to literally open my eyes to the unseen world, but if I ask he can open my spiritual eyes to give me faith and hope in what I cannot see.
There is more in heaven than our imaginations can conjure up, but there is also more in this earthly life than we dared to hope. There is always more, because God is always more.
Saturday, February 11, 2006
Fun week!
My birthday was on Wednesday (the 8th) and I was not forgotten, that's always nice, right? Cards and telephone calls from family and friends in the States were great. And my Japanese friends gave me a special party too. My starbucks ladies, as I call them, made sure I had a memorable birthday from Japan. They even dressed me up in one of the ladies' kimono! Unfortunately my camera wasn't working, so I have no pictures for you :-( I prayed before I went to Tomiko's house that the Lord would give me any kind of opportunity to talk about Him. And don't you know he did! For the first time ever, Tomiko asked me what/why I had come to Japan, besides to teach English. I smiled inside and started talking. It didn't lead to any further earth-shattering discussions, but it was an answer to prayer and a step in the right direction.
I had another cool birthday present too. My friends Beth and Jeremy Thomas gave birth to their first child, Brooklyn Kate Thomas, on my birthday!! Congratulations guys!!! It cannot be denied, she is a beautiful baby. I can't wait to see her :-)
Remember the Gospel Choir Workshop from the fall? We had a small dinner party this evening and it went very well. We were missing a few people, but I was encouraged to see how long everyone talked and mingled. They will be starting the spring Workshop late-March, so please pray for Ruth McDonald as she prepares to lead again. They are hoping for more people this time!
Yummy food!
The Sawai family. She is a terrific soloist!
Group picture...a must in Japan. We were missing some people, but we still had a good time.
I watched the Olympic opening ceremonies this morning, did anyone else? I absolutely love to watch the Olympics! I get teary-eyed when the participants walk in country by country. I don't even know them but I think of how proud each country must be of their own representatives.
I had another cool birthday present too. My friends Beth and Jeremy Thomas gave birth to their first child, Brooklyn Kate Thomas, on my birthday!! Congratulations guys!!! It cannot be denied, she is a beautiful baby. I can't wait to see her :-)
Remember the Gospel Choir Workshop from the fall? We had a small dinner party this evening and it went very well. We were missing a few people, but I was encouraged to see how long everyone talked and mingled. They will be starting the spring Workshop late-March, so please pray for Ruth McDonald as she prepares to lead again. They are hoping for more people this time!
Yummy food!
The Sawai family. She is a terrific soloist!
Group picture...a must in Japan. We were missing some people, but we still had a good time.
I watched the Olympic opening ceremonies this morning, did anyone else? I absolutely love to watch the Olympics! I get teary-eyed when the participants walk in country by country. I don't even know them but I think of how proud each country must be of their own representatives.
Monday, February 06, 2006
Flu, sports, and age
Sorry guys, I was sick all last week and pretty much `out of order`. Today is my first day back in the real world and I have to say, it`s a cold one. I will try to have an entry with some real substance by the end of this week!
On a different note....I am not a happy camper about the Super Bowl. Not only because I couldn`t watch it, but because I found out the final results before I even got the chance to see the video tape!!!!! However, recent news of Jerome Bettis' retirement brings a smile to my face.
(**Warning: the following thoughts are highly capricious and dramatic**)
On yet another subject....it hit me today that I will be 27 years old on Wednesday. Most of you are probably thinking, 'yeah? so what?'. And I would normally agree, but something is surprisingly strange about 27. I am now only three lightning-short years away from the big 3-0. (*whimper*) It just doesn't fit me, you know? I'm much too immature and irresponsible to be 27 (or 30) years old, and to be quite honest, I think I just don't want to grow up. It will just have to be a strange combination I guess: a 27 year-old body inhabited by a girl who requested her Mom send her a SpongeBob Squarepants coloring book.
For your enjoyment, what others have said about age:
"Age is an issue of mind over matter. If you don't mind, it doesn't matter." ~unknown
"We don't stop playing because we grow old, we grow old because we stop playing." ~George Bernard Shaw
"Some day you will be old enough to start reading fairy tales again." ~C.S. Lewis :-)
"You can judge your age by the amount of pain you feel when you come in contact with a new idea." ~Pearl S. Buck
"If wrinkles must be written upon our brows, let them not be written upon the heart. The spirit should never grow old." ~James A. Garfield
On a different note....I am not a happy camper about the Super Bowl. Not only because I couldn`t watch it, but because I found out the final results before I even got the chance to see the video tape!!!!! However, recent news of Jerome Bettis' retirement brings a smile to my face.
(**Warning: the following thoughts are highly capricious and dramatic**)
On yet another subject....it hit me today that I will be 27 years old on Wednesday. Most of you are probably thinking, 'yeah? so what?'. And I would normally agree, but something is surprisingly strange about 27. I am now only three lightning-short years away from the big 3-0. (*whimper*) It just doesn't fit me, you know? I'm much too immature and irresponsible to be 27 (or 30) years old, and to be quite honest, I think I just don't want to grow up. It will just have to be a strange combination I guess: a 27 year-old body inhabited by a girl who requested her Mom send her a SpongeBob Squarepants coloring book.
For your enjoyment, what others have said about age:
"Age is an issue of mind over matter. If you don't mind, it doesn't matter." ~unknown
"We don't stop playing because we grow old, we grow old because we stop playing." ~George Bernard Shaw
"Some day you will be old enough to start reading fairy tales again." ~C.S. Lewis :-)
"You can judge your age by the amount of pain you feel when you come in contact with a new idea." ~Pearl S. Buck
"If wrinkles must be written upon our brows, let them not be written upon the heart. The spirit should never grow old." ~James A. Garfield
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)