Sunday, April 20, 2008

early winter?

Is our winter so early this year that it never left from last year? I woke up rather early this morning and glanced out the window from the warmth of our bed. I thought.. hmm.. I don't have my glasses on so I can't see worth beans, but that really looks white. So I put my glasses on, crawled out of my cozy haven of rest, and sure enough - we have at least 3-4 inches of snow and it's still snowing! I can't wait for Madie to wake up.. hopefully it will warm up slowly today so she can enjoy it. Our neighbor wants to have a chat with her - I'm sure he'll be over later. He told her that she needs to stop praying for snow and just let it stay on Mt. Baker, where it belongs. Ha!


Mark 10:14b "[Jesus] said to them,
"Let the little children come to me,
and do not hinder them,
for the kingdom of God belongs
to such as these."

Wednesday, April 9, 2008

caribou, caribou, i love you..



my little tribute to my favorite coffee.. currently :)


now, if they would only open a location near me, i'd be in heaven!

Monday, April 7, 2008

skeleton in the closet.. or self discovery?

I was just wasting time. Like time should ever be wasted, i know.. my mind is now working overtime, admonishing me for that statement. But it's true. I was not spending my time wisely, yet I still managed to learn something new... about myself. But is it really "new" if it's been there all the time? It's probably more accurate to say that I recognized something in myself that I've never really paid attention to before.

In most cases, I don't like help. There. I said it. Please don't help me. How whacked is that?

All I was doing was taking an innocent little quiz called "What I Look For in a Friend." Then when I was finished, it compared me with my other friends who took the same quiz. I was feeling pretty good about my choices all the way down to "helper." In my lineup of qualities that I think are pretty important, "helper" was the low one on the totem pole of characteristics. It got me to wondering why I was putting "helper" at the end.. who wouldn't want a friend who was a good "helper." Me, obviously.

Upon examining this further, I came to realize that it's not necessarily that I don't want a good helper for a friend, but that I value other things much more than being helped. I value honesty.. I value someone who is compassionate, a good listener. I value common interests.. I value someone who I can count on for a good hearty belly laugh.. or someone who will listen as I whine and complain about how life stinks, and then promptly point out all the good things and tell me to pull it together! I value loyalty. I value a friend who loves at all times. When you add all this up.. doesn't "helper" fit in to all these things?

"Helper" to me is all-encompassing.. I believe we help each other along in this life by being honest, by listening, by spurring each other on to be a better friend, a stronger friend, more loving and compassionate.

So now, instead of asking you to let me go it alone, or as Madie would often say, "I do it myself".. I say, "Please help me." Help me be a better wife.. a better mom.. a better sister.. and a better friend.