I love this picture. And I love my Dad. Hence, I think it's the perfect choice for today's post. Here is one taken a little more recently :)
Saturday, February 26, 2011
Love
Day 6: a photo of someone you love
I love this picture. And I love my Dad. Hence, I think it's the perfect choice for today's post. Here is one taken a little more recently :)
I love this picture. And I love my Dad. Hence, I think it's the perfect choice for today's post. Here is one taken a little more recently :)
Friday, February 25, 2011
Laugh
Day 5: a photo that makes you laugh
This is pirate night on the Disney cruise that my mom, Brandy, Nikole, and I went on. Nikole (as normal) was refusing to smile for the camera, and so Brandy was trying to make her laugh so I could in essence catch one....instead I caught this :)
This is pirate night on the Disney cruise that my mom, Brandy, Nikole, and I went on. Nikole (as normal) was refusing to smile for the camera, and so Brandy was trying to make her laugh so I could in essence catch one....instead I caught this :)
Thursday, February 24, 2011
As Long As I'm Here
Day 4: a photo of a place you'd like to visit
That is a very odd picture for this category you might be thinking...so let me explain. I have a list of places I'd like to visit that would rival just about anyone's I am pretty sure. I even made a bucket list a few years ago and realized most of the things on the list were places to visit. Australia, Machu Picchu, Costa Rica, Galapagos Islands, the Great Wall, the Pyramids, pretty much every National Park on the list...the list could go on forever.
So why is the picture of a place I'd like to visit a little girl in Managua, Nicaragua? The short answer is, my plans for what I want to do in my lifetime has changed. Be very careful when you honestly tell God that you want to do His will, because His will is not living it up in luxury. When you ask God to help you to love the things he loves, you start to love little girls in Managua, Nicaragua with a runny nose and a bowl of food bigger than their head, which might be the only meal they eat that week. You start to love sweaty nights in Panama laying in your hammock while praying for an island of people you didn't know 12 hours ago, and will likely never see again. You start to love finding ways to raise money to give to people who will never be able to pay you back. Because God loves those people and he needs hands and feet in this world to love them through.
I didn't actually realize the complete shift that had happened in my heart until I had to pick a picture for this day. While there were plenty of places to choose from nothing was screaming out to me. I figured it would come to me eventually so I saved the first line of my post listing what this photo was and went to work. When I got there my dad had sent me pictures of his mission trip to Nicaragua and my heart melted when I saw them. All of the sudden I realized I actually really wanted to go where God told me to go. I always thought that was a cop out more or less, the answer people who didn't really like to travel gave when asked where they wanted to go. And I certainly didn't think people really meant it, I thought they were in essence settling for it. But I really mean it. While I'd love to lay on a beach in Cabo, or dive the Great Barrier Reef, or wander through canyons in Utah, I'd equally love to set up clinic in the Kuna Islands and hand out Tylenol, bumbling through explaining it in Spanish. It was really a major moment when I realized it sitting there in my office crying over the pictures my dad had taken of sweet little children and their sweet little smiles.
And so, I decided that the place I'd like to visit is the place that I can do something for someone who can't do something for me. It's humbling to realize that God could change my heart that much, and yet he says not to rejoice in that but to rejoice in the fact that my name is written in heaven (Luke 10:20). And hence my picture is not so much a place as it is a person. Sweet little faces, who Jesus said of 'the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these' (Matt 19:14).
My dad asked the missionaries in Nicaragua what he could do to help once he got back to the U.S. and they said that one of the biggest needs the kids have is school uniforms. School is free, but if you don't have a uniform you can't go. It costs $25, which in a country where the average annual income is $3, you are talking a hefty price. Unfortunately because of corruption it's safer to transfer money into their account than sew and mail actual uniforms, otherwise we would do it that way. So, if you would like to send my dad or me a check for $25, he is collecting money to send to the missionaries in Managua for uniforms.. If you need our address comment on this or send me an e-mail.
I am going to finish up with another Brandon Heath song (I know, it's obvious I'm somewhat obsessed with his CD). I think though it sums up where I am right now in the way only a song can do - Brandon Heath - As Long As I'm Here
Someday I'll pass through the great sky above
And the first thing I'll ask is how well did I love
Did I leave the world any better than it was before?
Of all the things I've done, could I have done anymore?
That is a very odd picture for this category you might be thinking...so let me explain. I have a list of places I'd like to visit that would rival just about anyone's I am pretty sure. I even made a bucket list a few years ago and realized most of the things on the list were places to visit. Australia, Machu Picchu, Costa Rica, Galapagos Islands, the Great Wall, the Pyramids, pretty much every National Park on the list...the list could go on forever.So why is the picture of a place I'd like to visit a little girl in Managua, Nicaragua? The short answer is, my plans for what I want to do in my lifetime has changed. Be very careful when you honestly tell God that you want to do His will, because His will is not living it up in luxury. When you ask God to help you to love the things he loves, you start to love little girls in Managua, Nicaragua with a runny nose and a bowl of food bigger than their head, which might be the only meal they eat that week. You start to love sweaty nights in Panama laying in your hammock while praying for an island of people you didn't know 12 hours ago, and will likely never see again. You start to love finding ways to raise money to give to people who will never be able to pay you back. Because God loves those people and he needs hands and feet in this world to love them through.
I didn't actually realize the complete shift that had happened in my heart until I had to pick a picture for this day. While there were plenty of places to choose from nothing was screaming out to me. I figured it would come to me eventually so I saved the first line of my post listing what this photo was and went to work. When I got there my dad had sent me pictures of his mission trip to Nicaragua and my heart melted when I saw them. All of the sudden I realized I actually really wanted to go where God told me to go. I always thought that was a cop out more or less, the answer people who didn't really like to travel gave when asked where they wanted to go. And I certainly didn't think people really meant it, I thought they were in essence settling for it. But I really mean it. While I'd love to lay on a beach in Cabo, or dive the Great Barrier Reef, or wander through canyons in Utah, I'd equally love to set up clinic in the Kuna Islands and hand out Tylenol, bumbling through explaining it in Spanish. It was really a major moment when I realized it sitting there in my office crying over the pictures my dad had taken of sweet little children and their sweet little smiles.
And so, I decided that the place I'd like to visit is the place that I can do something for someone who can't do something for me. It's humbling to realize that God could change my heart that much, and yet he says not to rejoice in that but to rejoice in the fact that my name is written in heaven (Luke 10:20). And hence my picture is not so much a place as it is a person. Sweet little faces, who Jesus said of 'the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these' (Matt 19:14). 
My dad asked the missionaries in Nicaragua what he could do to help once he got back to the U.S. and they said that one of the biggest needs the kids have is school uniforms. School is free, but if you don't have a uniform you can't go. It costs $25, which in a country where the average annual income is $3, you are talking a hefty price. Unfortunately because of corruption it's safer to transfer money into their account than sew and mail actual uniforms, otherwise we would do it that way. So, if you would like to send my dad or me a check for $25, he is collecting money to send to the missionaries in Managua for uniforms.. If you need our address comment on this or send me an e-mail.
I am going to finish up with another Brandon Heath song (I know, it's obvious I'm somewhat obsessed with his CD). I think though it sums up where I am right now in the way only a song can do - Brandon Heath - As Long As I'm HereSomeday I'll pass through the great sky above
And the first thing I'll ask is how well did I love
Did I leave the world any better than it was before?
Of all the things I've done, could I have done anymore?
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
It's Alright
Last night my cousin Mikey died. I will never forget how excited he was to have coffee after Thanksgiving and Christmas dinner at my parents house. It's one of those defining aspects of family holidays growing up for me.
This is a beautiful song from a CD my dad sent me that makes me cry thinking about my mom opening her eyes in heaven. I don't know all that much about heaven, being on this side of it, but I hope that my mom and grandmother were there to welcome Mikey in when he opened his eyes. It's the one bright side of yet another one of my family members being there. - It's Alright by Brandon Heath
This is a beautiful song from a CD my dad sent me that makes me cry thinking about my mom opening her eyes in heaven. I don't know all that much about heaven, being on this side of it, but I hope that my mom and grandmother were there to welcome Mikey in when he opened his eyes. It's the one bright side of yet another one of my family members being there. - It's Alright by Brandon HeathTuesday, February 22, 2011
Happy
Day 3: a photo that makes you happy
This photo makes me happy for sure. A) it's hysterical which makes me happy, B) it's from my spectacularly fun weekend visit from Kathleen and Jimmy which makes me happy, and C) Kathleen and Jimmy on their own make me happy, so a photo with them does too :) Between walking around the ACE Basin Wildlife Refuge, seeing hawks and retrievers and a Dock Dogs competition at Southeast Wildlife Expo, chasing the most beautiful and enormous moonrise ever to see it from a perfect spot, chowing down on Cuban, Thai, Mexican, and good old American food, driving with the top down in the Mini, and cruising slowly along the battery choosing which house we'd like to live it, it was a wonderfully relaxing and fun weekend. And Kaylinn is pretty much obsessed with our weekend visitors - she was very impressed they drove all the way from DC to play ball with her for 2 days :)
This photo makes me happy for sure. A) it's hysterical which makes me happy, B) it's from my spectacularly fun weekend visit from Kathleen and Jimmy which makes me happy, and C) Kathleen and Jimmy on their own make me happy, so a photo with them does too :) Between walking around the ACE Basin Wildlife Refuge, seeing hawks and retrievers and a Dock Dogs competition at Southeast Wildlife Expo, chasing the most beautiful and enormous moonrise ever to see it from a perfect spot, chowing down on Cuban, Thai, Mexican, and good old American food, driving with the top down in the Mini, and cruising slowly along the battery choosing which house we'd like to live it, it was a wonderfully relaxing and fun weekend. And Kaylinn is pretty much obsessed with our weekend visitors - she was very impressed they drove all the way from DC to play ball with her for 2 days :)
Friday, February 18, 2011
One Year Ago
Day 2: a photo of yourself at least one year ago
I know, it's hard to believe but one year ago was "the business". If you missed "the business" and would like to read about it simply choose 'mom' from the labels and start from the bottom. This is a picture of my aunt, my mom, and I modeling the various mask options one is given at Johns Hopkins - masks were flowing and plentiful during "the business", that is for sure.
I find it somewhat interesting that today's photo label was 'a photo of yourself at least one year ago'. I find myself thinking about one year ago pretty often actually. I assume it's relatively normal in the first year. I have my mom's calendar from last year in my purse and every once and a while I open it up to see what she was doing last year at this time. There is something comforting about seeing her handwriting and thinking about her doing whatever she has written in there. The past 3 weeks haven't had anything written in because it was the bone marrow transplant weeks and so she wasn't allowed to do anything. Tomorrow of last year she wrote in 'Brandy leaves'. The tenuous first three weeks after the transplant were over. I had left the week before. Brandy was headed home to go back to work. While the white blood cells hadn't totally kicked in yet, they did seem to be starting to show some life in them. For all intents and purposes, the transplant had gone well. Six months to the day later we would be stamping our parking ticket from Hopkins for the last time. Six months after that I am writing this post. In the scheme of life six months is not a lot of time. And yet, some days I look at her picture and think of how long it feels like since I've talked to her. One year ago today was a very different world in my scheme of life.
I know, it's hard to believe but one year ago was "the business". If you missed "the business" and would like to read about it simply choose 'mom' from the labels and start from the bottom. This is a picture of my aunt, my mom, and I modeling the various mask options one is given at Johns Hopkins - masks were flowing and plentiful during "the business", that is for sure.I find it somewhat interesting that today's photo label was 'a photo of yourself at least one year ago'. I find myself thinking about one year ago pretty often actually. I assume it's relatively normal in the first year. I have my mom's calendar from last year in my purse and every once and a while I open it up to see what she was doing last year at this time. There is something comforting about seeing her handwriting and thinking about her doing whatever she has written in there. The past 3 weeks haven't had anything written in because it was the bone marrow transplant weeks and so she wasn't allowed to do anything. Tomorrow of last year she wrote in 'Brandy leaves'. The tenuous first three weeks after the transplant were over. I had left the week before. Brandy was headed home to go back to work. While the white blood cells hadn't totally kicked in yet, they did seem to be starting to show some life in them. For all intents and purposes, the transplant had gone well. Six months to the day later we would be stamping our parking ticket from Hopkins for the last time. Six months after that I am writing this post. In the scheme of life six months is not a lot of time. And yet, some days I look at her picture and think of how long it feels like since I've talked to her. One year ago today was a very different world in my scheme of life.
Thursday, February 17, 2011
A Photo Of You
So many days I have a post in my head but the actual act of getting it onto the computer and out to the blogosphere evades me. So many days I look at a picture that I love, but don't have anyone to share it with. And so, I am going to do this photo-a-day thing my with Aunt Barb. I am not promising that all 30 are going to be right in a row, but it will at least I think, help me to get more of these thoughts out there, and share some of these pictures that make me smile.
Here is my photo today (Day 1: a photo of you):
This happens to be the most recent photo I have taken last week while Maia and I were attempting to stay warm on a birding trip at Bear Island WMA. We saw avocets and tundra swans and harrier hawks flying low over the marsh. It was pretty much a spectacular day all around...even if I did need to wear long underwear to get through it!
Day one: a photo of you.
Day two: a photo of yourself at least a year ago.
Day three: a photo that makes you happy.
Day four: a photo of a place you'd like to visit.
Day five: a photo that makes you laugh.
Day six: a photo of someone you love.
Day seven: a photo of something you stand for.
Day eight: a photo of something you enjoy doing.
Day nine: a photo of yourself when you were a baby.
Day ten: any photo you like for any reason.
Day eleven: a photo of a night you loved.
Day twelve: a photo of when you were happy.
Day thirteen: a photo of one of your favorite movies.
Day fourteen: a photo of your best friend (s).
Day fifteen: a photo of you and a family member.
Day sixteen: a photo from your childhood.
Day seventeen: a photo from a trip you'll never forget.
Day eighteen: a photo of your town.
Day nineteen: a photo of your favorite thing from school.
Day twenty: a photo of something you ate today.
Day twenty-one: a photo of somebody you find attractive.
Day twenty-two: a photo that you associate a good memory with.
Day twenty-three: a photo of something you want to do someday.
Day twenty-four: a photo of what you want to be when you grow up.
Day twenty-five: a photo that inspires you.
Day twenty-six: a photo of your favorite subject in school.
Day twenty-seven: a photo of something you are looking forward to.
Day twenty-eight: a photo of something/somebody that made your day.
Day twenty-nine: a photo of your favorite person from history.
Day thirty: a photo you find beautiful
Here is my photo today (Day 1: a photo of you):
This happens to be the most recent photo I have taken last week while Maia and I were attempting to stay warm on a birding trip at Bear Island WMA. We saw avocets and tundra swans and harrier hawks flying low over the marsh. It was pretty much a spectacular day all around...even if I did need to wear long underwear to get through it!Day one: a photo of you.
Day two: a photo of yourself at least a year ago.
Day three: a photo that makes you happy.
Day four: a photo of a place you'd like to visit.
Day five: a photo that makes you laugh.
Day six: a photo of someone you love.
Day seven: a photo of something you stand for.
Day eight: a photo of something you enjoy doing.
Day nine: a photo of yourself when you were a baby.
Day ten: any photo you like for any reason.
Day eleven: a photo of a night you loved.
Day twelve: a photo of when you were happy.
Day thirteen: a photo of one of your favorite movies.
Day fourteen: a photo of your best friend (s).
Day fifteen: a photo of you and a family member.
Day sixteen: a photo from your childhood.
Day seventeen: a photo from a trip you'll never forget.
Day eighteen: a photo of your town.
Day nineteen: a photo of your favorite thing from school.
Day twenty: a photo of something you ate today.
Day twenty-one: a photo of somebody you find attractive.
Day twenty-two: a photo that you associate a good memory with.
Day twenty-three: a photo of something you want to do someday.
Day twenty-four: a photo of what you want to be when you grow up.
Day twenty-five: a photo that inspires you.
Day twenty-six: a photo of your favorite subject in school.
Day twenty-seven: a photo of something you are looking forward to.
Day twenty-eight: a photo of something/somebody that made your day.
Day twenty-nine: a photo of your favorite person from history.
Day thirty: a photo you find beautiful
Sunday, February 6, 2011
Weekend of Change
This week was both Becky and Kaylinn hair change up week, however, after a short bout of hair envy Brandy decided she was going to join the fun. And therefore, this week...
Kaylinn went from...
to...
I went from...
to...
And Brandy went from...
to...
Oh, and Maia, Allison and I got new nails...mine being purple. I figured, why not?
Good times people :)
Kaylinn went from...
to...
I went from...
to...
And Brandy went from...
to...
Oh, and Maia, Allison and I got new nails...mine being purple. I figured, why not?
Good times people :)
Raindrops are falling on my head
Yesterday, Brandy and I took a 5 mile run in pouring down rain. You may not be able to tell that our clothes started out 3 light shades and are at this point so full of water I'm pretty sure we weigh about 5 pounds more.
Thursday, February 3, 2011
Love Never Fails You
I heard this song on the way to work today. I've heard it before, but the words really hit me this morning. And, seeing as how it's February and all I figured lyrics to a song about love were appropriate. I would post the song itself, but I'm at work and YouTube is blocked so search the title and artist - it's worth a listen...
Love Never Fails
by Brandon Heath
Love is not proud
Love does not boast
Love after all
Matters the most
Love does not run
Love does not hide
Love does not keep
Locked inside
Love is the river that flows through
Love never fails you
Love will sustain
Love will provide
Love will not cease
At the end of time
Love will protect
Love always hopes
Love still believes
When you don’t
Love is the arms that are holding you
Love never fails you
When my heart won’t make a sound
When I can’t turn back around
When the sky is falling down
Nothing is greater than this
Greater than this
Love is right here
Love is alive
Love is the way
The truth the life
Love is the river than flows through
Love is the arms that are holding you
Love is the place you will fly to
Love never fails you
Love Never Fails
by Brandon Heath
Love is not proud
Love does not boast
Love after all
Matters the most
Love does not run
Love does not hide
Love does not keep
Locked inside
Love is the river that flows through
Love never fails you
Love will sustain
Love will provide
Love will not cease
At the end of time
Love will protect
Love always hopes
Love still believes
When you don’t
Love is the arms that are holding you
Love never fails you
When my heart won’t make a sound
When I can’t turn back around
When the sky is falling down
Nothing is greater than this
Greater than this
Love is right here
Love is alive
Love is the way
The truth the life
Love is the river than flows through
Love is the arms that are holding you
Love is the place you will fly to
Love never fails you
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
How Sweet The Sound
I love the song Amazing Grace. I was my grandmother's favorite song. My cousin, Anna, sang it at her church a few weeks before she was killed in a car accident. My mom had it played at her wedding, even though it's generally not a wedding song. In August, as it played Brandy and I walked into the sanctuary holding hands, getting ready to stand up and give our mother's eulogy. She and I had just stood in the bathroom looking at ourselves in the mirror and saying 'I am my mother's daughter and I can do anything'. And at the end of the service we sang a different version, as my brain tried to figure out what to do next. I find it difficult to listen to it without tearing up, and yet I would listen to it every day.
I just watched the movie, Amazing Grace. When I put it on my Netflix cue I thought there was a movie out about the person who wrote the song and assumed that was it. While it does have the man who wrote the song in the movie, it's more about someone who knew him and the abolition of slavery in England. And it's nothing short of amazing.
As I watched it I found myself wanting to find out if William Wilberforce (a name I had never heard of an now am amazed by) saw all his work come to pass or if slavery wasn't abolished until after he died. Which made me think of the fact that we all want that, don't we. We want to know that what we've been working on and striving for means something. And we want to see it. Galatians 6:9 says 'And let us now weary of well doing, for in due season we will reap if we do not give up.' It almost confirms that we are going to see the results of our good works if we keep working. And yet, reality says that is not always the case.
Which brings me to what I've been pondering recently...perspective. I've truly realized that all of life can be changed by perspective. My favorite phrase to keep me from going insane with something that feels like it is taking forever is 'this is just what I am doing today'. Instead of looking at it as something I need to get done before I move onto the next thing, I look at it as what I'm doing that day. Then when it's over I move onto the next thing in line. It's a matter of perspective on my day. I've also been working on perspective on my life. If I believe that there is a heaven (and I do), and if I believe that I'm going there (and I do), then this life, no matter how rough it seems right now is a really, tiny, ity bity slice of the big pie of life. The big pie of life in eternity has me on this earth for (let's be REALLY optimistic on life span) 100 years. If I put my perspective on eternity then, these 100 years on earth don't seen all that large.
And it brings me to the next thing I've been contemplating recently (notice I've been doing a lot of contemplating and not a lot of blog writing). What am I going to do with these 100 years that is going to be worth something from the perspective of eternity? I would love to do something that matters in those 100 years, but I have finally come to the point where I care more about doing something that is going to last much longer. And it's very possible that in order to do that I won't necessarily see the result with my eyes. Which brings us back full circle to William Wilberforce and the abolition of slavery. Something that I think was really impressive about his life was that he seriously contemplated leaving politics in order to serve God. But what he realized was that God had placed him right where he was - in politics - to serve Him. God has placed me in a specific spot, given me a specific set of skills, allowed me to have a specific set of experiences, and has planned for me a specific grand purpose, which He says in His Word is beyond anything I can imagine. My job is to listen close enough to him, and persevere long enough with Him that I can make a difference in both this world and eternity.
The trick is making my brain wrap about that and accept it because it is far easier to contemplate than to life out...but then again aren't most things? So I will leave you with what has become one of my favorite stanzas in Amazing Grace, a stanza which I didn't actually notice until just recently...it's amazing what you can miss if you aren't looking...talk about perspective.
The Lord has promised good to me,
His Word my hope secures,
He will my shield and portion be,
As long as life endures.
And the version we sang at the end of my mom's service.
I just watched the movie, Amazing Grace. When I put it on my Netflix cue I thought there was a movie out about the person who wrote the song and assumed that was it. While it does have the man who wrote the song in the movie, it's more about someone who knew him and the abolition of slavery in England. And it's nothing short of amazing.
As I watched it I found myself wanting to find out if William Wilberforce (a name I had never heard of an now am amazed by) saw all his work come to pass or if slavery wasn't abolished until after he died. Which made me think of the fact that we all want that, don't we. We want to know that what we've been working on and striving for means something. And we want to see it. Galatians 6:9 says 'And let us now weary of well doing, for in due season we will reap if we do not give up.' It almost confirms that we are going to see the results of our good works if we keep working. And yet, reality says that is not always the case.
Which brings me to what I've been pondering recently...perspective. I've truly realized that all of life can be changed by perspective. My favorite phrase to keep me from going insane with something that feels like it is taking forever is 'this is just what I am doing today'. Instead of looking at it as something I need to get done before I move onto the next thing, I look at it as what I'm doing that day. Then when it's over I move onto the next thing in line. It's a matter of perspective on my day. I've also been working on perspective on my life. If I believe that there is a heaven (and I do), and if I believe that I'm going there (and I do), then this life, no matter how rough it seems right now is a really, tiny, ity bity slice of the big pie of life. The big pie of life in eternity has me on this earth for (let's be REALLY optimistic on life span) 100 years. If I put my perspective on eternity then, these 100 years on earth don't seen all that large.
And it brings me to the next thing I've been contemplating recently (notice I've been doing a lot of contemplating and not a lot of blog writing). What am I going to do with these 100 years that is going to be worth something from the perspective of eternity? I would love to do something that matters in those 100 years, but I have finally come to the point where I care more about doing something that is going to last much longer. And it's very possible that in order to do that I won't necessarily see the result with my eyes. Which brings us back full circle to William Wilberforce and the abolition of slavery. Something that I think was really impressive about his life was that he seriously contemplated leaving politics in order to serve God. But what he realized was that God had placed him right where he was - in politics - to serve Him. God has placed me in a specific spot, given me a specific set of skills, allowed me to have a specific set of experiences, and has planned for me a specific grand purpose, which He says in His Word is beyond anything I can imagine. My job is to listen close enough to him, and persevere long enough with Him that I can make a difference in both this world and eternity.
The trick is making my brain wrap about that and accept it because it is far easier to contemplate than to life out...but then again aren't most things? So I will leave you with what has become one of my favorite stanzas in Amazing Grace, a stanza which I didn't actually notice until just recently...it's amazing what you can miss if you aren't looking...talk about perspective.
The Lord has promised good to me,
His Word my hope secures,
He will my shield and portion be,
As long as life endures.
And the version we sang at the end of my mom's service.
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