reverie

I don't know how else to process the events of the past week and a half other than to write about them.  I recognize how absolutely fortunate I am to have gotten through the worst flooding event in American history with the scantest of trouble.  I do not write any of these things to complain, merely to process.  I am only choosing to share this publicly with the hope that my working through some of these things may help someone else. Tonight at 6pm I finally mustered the will to head out to the grocery store.  The sky was mostly cloudy, which was a bit unnerving.  I headed to the store closest to home.  It's a fine grocery store, but I typically shop elsewhere with better prices and/or selection, but I really didn't want to go any farther than I had to.  Thankfully, in the wake of Harvey they actually had everything that was on the list in my head: coffee, kombucha, pizza, breakfast.  I didn't have the wherewithal to make a more useful...

Okay, friend Are you searching for purpose Then write something yeah it might be worthless Then paint something and it might be wordless Twenty One Pilots "Kitchen Sink" Absolutely love this song by one of my favorite bands.  It's not available for purchase, but you should look it up on YouTube. I'll wait . . . You know what, it's so good just go ahead & put it on repeat & then come back here. You're welcome. As a writer & a painter I really dig the lines above. You know what the most important thing a writer can do?  Write. You know the most important thing a painter can do?  Paint. Notice I didn't say write the most amazing novel the world has ever seen, or paint the greatest masterpiece of all time.  Simply write or simply paint.  One of the best pieces of writing advice I ever received was to write everyday & don't expect that everything you put on paper is going to be worth keeping. The s...

The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness can never extinguish it. - John 1:5 When the world is in turmoil, which is always even if it seems less bearable on some days than others, all I really know to do is to point people to truth.  When things are dark, the best thing anyone can do is to bring light to the situation.  I don't know of any better source of light to offer than Jesus, after all He has already defeated the darkness. "Well you can't just throw Bible verses at someone's pain and go about your merry way."  I know that.  I also know that I have greater power to walk in compassion (literally suffering with) with those directly in my sphere of influence.  And you bet I'm going to point them to Jesus.  Because here's the reality, I can't heal their pain.  I can listen; I can be a friend; I can buy them coffee; but the only one who can begin to lift the burden of the injustices that everyone will face in this world to some degree or a...

Have you heard the tale of the two wolves?  One wolf represents hope, one despair.  One good, one evil.  One light, one dark.  Look it up if you haven't, there's a few different versions from various sources, but the outcome is always the same.  The wolf that wins is the wolf you feed. I love this tale.  And while I fully champion feeding the white wolf, it's not quite that simple is it? The wolf of despair is satisfied with scraps.  He will devour any bit of crumb that you drop in his general direction.  And even if the wolf of hope keeps him somewhat in check, the wolf of despair shows up in ruts, in doldrums, in drudgery.  The wolf of despair is satisfied with stagnation. The wolf of hope on the other hand, she is bright and shiny and she requires more care to thrive.  She isn't satisfied with scraps.  Her brightness is easily dulled if she isn't tended to.  She can be hard to see in the ruts.  She demands daily a...

I didn't know much about human trafficking until 2 years ago.  I had friends who were passionate about fighting it who would post on Facebook, but it took too long until I started paying attention. In 2014 Remedy Drive released an album of "songs of freedom to shine a light on the trafficking of human souls."  That album is called Commodity. On Commodity is a song called "Under the Starlight."  The title of this post comes from that song, and so do these lyrics: What's this I see it's just a race for property My God no, this is not the way it ought to be We'll take back, daughters from the heartless Maybe we can tear a little corner off the darkness Here is the full song. I don't post this to judge anyone who is still in a place of indifference like I used to be.  I only post to share that once I started paying attention, I couldn't go back to ignoring the darkness. There are more slaves today than at any point in human history.  Tha...

I started writing this post nearly a year ago, prior to the 2016 presidential election.  And while we know the results of the election, everything else in this post is still relevant.  Actually, it feels quite timely at present. No matter if you vote for or against the circus peanut or the pantsuit, your vote won't save the world.  The next president will not have the power to enact racial reconciliation, justice, equal access to quality healthcare, life, liberty or the pursuit of happiness.  No matter the policies your preferred president puts forth, the power to bring about meaningful change in the world will remain where it's always been, with you. I hope you find that more encouraging than daunting.  The choices you make day in and day out and the way you treat the people you encounter have greater power to change the world than anything Washington decrees. So what does that look like?  It begins where slacktivism ends.  That means what you do i...

We have a habit of single-handedly bringing back awesome things to the public sphere in my family.  If you've enjoyed a box of Cap'n Crunch's Christmas Crunch in the past 10 years, you're welcome.  I'm certain our scouring of grocery stores and the interwebs and our hoarding of this sweet seasonal treat has everything to do with the relative ease with which it can now be located during Christmastime. Fun fact: one year, prior to the resurgence we ushered in, I found Christmas Crunch at the Ralph's near my first apartment in Los Angeles, so I stocked up on it, filled my carry on, and brought it to our family Christmas celebration in Texas.  Just in case you didn't believe me, we are serious about this. Another thing I'm serious about?  The most whimsical and delightful holiday that most people know nothing about: May Day!  You've maybe heard of May Poles, or if you're a Gilmore Girls fan even a "maybe not pole!"  Thank you, Kirk.  Bu...

On Sundays, I tend to do my Bible reading before bed.  Sunday mornings prove to come to quickly and too early for me to manage it then.  Tonight as I headed for bed, I saw my Bible sitting there and I didn't want to pick it up.  I just wanted to watch some tv and fall asleep.  I didn't want to read and then pray the same prayer about what God has in store for friends and for me in terms of marriage.  What if no answer is the answer, right? I picked up my Bible anyway.  Thanks for the nudge, Holy Spirit.  I turned to 1 Corinthians where I've been reading, and found where I left off.  Oh good, a short chapter, I thought with my still bad attitude.  Then I realized what chapter it was, 1 Corinthians 13.  The love chapter.  The chapter that you've probably heard at weddings, "Love is patient, love is kind . . ." It was like simultaneously Jesus was saying, I see you and I love you, and the Holy Spirit was saying, don't be a brat!...

I was born in the wrong decade, or maybe even the wrong century.  I am sure of this.  Just as sure as I am that God doesn't make mistakes.  How can both be true?  How am I living in the age of social media when I feel so much more drawn toward the age of sock hops?  Very often in this life we are called to live in the tension between what should be and what is.  The tension between the eternal and the temporal, the holy and the worldly.  This tension allows us and encourages us to approach the world how it is and do what we can to make it a little more like how it should be. In a world where courting has devolved into "talking" or "hanging out" or "hooking up," those of us who are old fashioned can try to help pull things back from that ledge.  I'd rather be single and steadfast in my values than get caught up in a world where guys are afraid to say the word date let alone actually ask a girl to go on one.  Hopefully by expecting to be trea...

I take comfort in knowing that if God has marriage in mind for me it will be better than my daydreams.*  If He doesn't, that will be better too.  It's been a long road to get to a place where I trust God enough with my future and my heart that I can write this, believe it, and not delete it out of fear it may actually come true. God knows my desire to marry and raise a family.  If you've been around here much, you know it too.  But I know that God can shape and refine the desires of my heart for my good and the good of His kingdom. I'm realizing that it's no mistake that we often talk about comfort in terms of "finding" or "taking" it.  Comfort isn't something that accidentally appears in your life.  Comfort requires action.  Sometimes that action is on the part of others through prayer, hugs, shoulders to cry on, or ears to hear. I wrote that first part over a year ago.  As it turns out, I could write it, but not quite post it y...

Me about 11:50pm this evening: Lalala, I'm just going to go take the sheets out of the dryer and dry the next load. *Open dryer.  See cockroach inside.* Ahhhh! Being nearly midnight at the time, my "Ahhhh!" was whispered.  I ran back to my room to regroup, leaving the dryer open and only briefly considering how much worse it would be if the cockroach relocated. Several minutes later I put on some shoes, regrouped, and went back to face my foe.  The nasty creature was still in the same place.  I won't go into details, but I was victorious.  It helped rather significantly that the cockroach was already dead.  Dry roasted, as it were.  Perhaps a delicacy to some.  *Heebie jeebies.* Is tilting at cockroaches character building?  I think it might be.  Though, I wouldn't be sad if I had a husband around who wouldn't be mad that I woke him up at midnight to vanquish a bug.  Do men like that exist? I'm kidding. Mostly. Prior...

This morning I had the opportunity to attend a church service that was also the church's 25th anniversary celebration.  Such a joyous celebration of God's glory, faithfulness, and provision seemed so fitting for Palm Sunday.  Maybe it's just me, but it seems Palm Sunday is so easily overlooked.  I remember celebrating Palm Sunday as a child with palm leaves in church and shouts of "Hosanna!"  People celebrated Jesus' arrival in Jerusalem.  And even though things would take quite a turn over the course of the week to follow, I think it is important to remember all of the parts of Holy Week. This is a week that starts with joy, moves toward fear & sorrow, and ends with hope.  Because of Jesus' crucifixion, death, and resurrection, we can have hope.  We have the hope of salvation.  This can be a heavy week as we reflect on the sacrifice Jesus made to save us from our sins, but it's also a week of joy and hope.  I love this week because God...

Prior to this week, I can't remember the last time I listened to Copeland.  That's kind of crazy to me considering how instrumental Copeland's music was to me surviving the earlier days in LA .  Near the end of my time in LA, my older younger brother and I got to see Copeland at a tiny & wonderful venue there.  Not too long after that Copeland was no more . . . until now that is. On April Fool's day Copeland announced that they had reunited to put out a new album.  My older younger brother informed me of this news, however we weren't entirely sure if it was a cruel prank or a delightful surprise.  The fact is if you have actual news to release on April 1st, you're going to have a bad time.  And the recipients of your news are going to have a bad time trying to figure out if you're joking or not. Well I am quite happy to report that Copeland's news was real.  Hazaa!  You can check out & purchase a new song from the upcoming album here ....

If you've been around much over the past (almost) 10 years of the life of this blog, you've probably seen me extol the virtues of February a time or two.  Holy cow!  Can you believe it's been 10 years?  That also means that I have been friends with Shauna (who is the coolest) for 10 years.  Wow!  What a blessing.  Shauna is the lovely friend who got me into blogging. I digress, back to February.  It's a delightful month full of wonder, whimsy, and willy nilliness.  Wonder as in, "I wonder how many 'R's are in February and where you put them."  Whimsy can be found in weather-predicting rodentia.  And no one can deny the willy nilly nature of the number of days to be found in the month.  All of these things and much more make February unique & fantastic. Other highlights include the triumphant return of baseball.  My Red Sox enter the 2014 season as reigning World Series champions.  That feels great. And of course ...

"The world is full of evil and lies and pain and death.  And you can't hide from it, you can only face it.  The question is, when you do, how do you respond?  Who do you become?"  - Phil Coulson, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. I loved this speech from last week's episode of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.   Coulson's world has been turned upside down, and when he delivers news that should be similarly devastating to someone else, she reacts in an altogether surprising way.  A way that restores some of his faith in humanity.  That's powerful. So who do you become?  Do you let the fallen world destroy your soul, or do face it and cling to Jesus?  He has defeated evil and lies and pain and death.  He endured them all and won.  He won for you.  So if you are searching for good and truth and joy and life, I recommend going to the source.  Who you'll become when you do, well it just might astound you.  I hope you'll dive in and find ...

The beginning of November marked 4 years since I moved to Texas.  Were it not for my nieces' and nephews' unwavering and increasingly successful quest to best my height, it would seem nearly unfathomable for that much time to have passed. Just before I left Los Angeles, I had the delightful opportunity to see Flyleaf in concert for a third time.  I finished my last day at my job, took an unknown but efficient route to the airport to pick up my youngest brother who was going to help me drive to Texas, and then we headed to the concert.  We parked in the parking garage and headed down the elevator toward the venue.  Somewhere along the line I dropped one of our tickets, but luckily it was found as we retraced our steps.  Phew!  We met up with a couple of my friends, one of them the dear friend who introduced me to Flyleaf in the first place.  Flyleaf put on an amazing show as always.  Afterward we headed to Pink's for the best hot dogs in the worl...

I heart Trader Joe's. I also heart bacon. So you can probably imagine how much I really love Trader Joe's bacon.  Their uncured applewood smoked bacon is the best ever.  I'm fairly certain it could bring about world peace, you know if everyone in the world was allowed to eat bacon under their religion. The bacon duct tape above was part of my sister's birthday present to me.  It's particularly fantastic because as I was planning my birthday dinner I thought, how many bacon items would be too many?  I ended up going with 2 only because there weren't enough people to warrant an abundance of bacony goodness.  In case you're curious about the correct answer, though, there's no such thing as too many bacon items.

I believe in love letters and birthday cards and notes just because.  I believe that there are few things more thoughtful, more personal, more caring than a handwritten letter, note, or card.  I believe in snail mail.  I have been horrible about putting this belief into practice over the last several years, and I am working to rectify that now. Awhile back I bought supplies for an address book.  To most people this would mean a little book labeled "Addresses" with alphabetized sections and lines on which to write friends' and family's information.  Being me, I had to do things my own way.  After a significant amount of contemplation, I decided the supplies I needed for an address book were a 3-ring binder, photo binder pages, 3x5 index cards, sheet protectors, and Sharpie pens. I am not a paid spokesperson for Office Depot.  I have been a long-time Sharpie fan, and I was ecstatic when they came out with pens a few years ago.  The pens do n...

Step 1: Purchase delicious and nutritious coconut oil from Trader Joe's. Step 2: Consume the entire contents of the jar--probably not all at once.  I recommend making scrambled eggs, eggs over easy, roasting vegetables, and making pie crust.  Coconut oil is a fantastic 1:1 replacement for shortening, just make sure to refrigerate the coconut oil long enough for it to solidify.  You can also put a tablespoon of coconut oil in your morning tea or coffee for an energy and brain boost.  I know it sounds weird, but just try it.  It'll make your lips nice & soft too.  My sister and I also discovered on Sunday that you can apply a generous amount of coconut oil to corn tortillas to make them pliable enough for homemade taquitos.  The taquitos were delicious, not greasy, and did not taste coconutty. Step 3: Once you've used every bit of coconut oil you possibly can, soak the jar in hot water for about an hour.  The hot water and any remaining b...

In my nearly 9 years of blogging, I have only missed my first day of February post once.  If you're new around here, first of all welcome and thank you for stopping by!  Secondly, February is a cherished and beloved month for many reasons, but primarily because it's my birthday month!  :)  Some other cool people I know have birthdays in February too.  I just started to list them, and then I realized it's actually a lot of people.  Woohoo February birthdays! I love celebrating and birthdays are no exception.  Life is a gift and our days are numbered, so what possible reason would I have not to enjoy it? Here are a few other things I'm stoked about this month. Psych FINALLY returns!  This is one of my very favorite shows.  It had a doozy of a season finale last April.  Yes, that's right last April.  Nearly an entire season of baseball, the postseason, winter meetings, and the start of spring training will have taken place befor...