Sniff. John Krasinski is engaged. Sad day indeed.
Archive for August, 2009
This was the reading for yesterday in Streams in the Desert, the devotional book that I [try to] read from everyday. I think this one is just pretty applicable for everyone.
August 29th
Carrying his own cross. (John 19:17)
“The Changed Cross” is a poem that tells of a weary woman who thought that the cross she must bear surely was heavier than those of other people, so she wished she could choose another person’s instead. When she went to sleep, she dreamed she was taken to a place where there were many different crosses from which to choose. There were various shapes and sizes, but the most beautiful one was covered with jewels and gold. “This I could wear with comfort,” she said. So she picked it up, but her weak body staggered beneath its weight. The jewels and gold were beautiful, yet they were much too heavy for her to carry.
The next cross she noticed was quite lovely, with beautiful flowers entwined around its sculptured form. Suretly this was the one for her. She lifted it, but beneath the flowers were large thorns that pierced and tore her skin.
Finally she came to a plain cross without jewels or any carvings and with only a few words of love inscribed on it. When she picked it up, it proved to be better than all the rest, and the easiest to carry. And as she looked at it, she noticed it was bathed in radiance that fell from heaven. Then she recognized it as her own old cross. She had found it once again, and it was the best of all, and the lightest for her.
You see, God knows best what cross we need to bear, and we never know how heavy someone else’s cross may be. We envy someone who is rich, with a cross of gold adorned with jewels, but we do not know how heavy it is. We look at someone whose life seems so easy and who carries a cross covered with flowers. Yet, if we could actually test all the crosses we think are lighter than ours, we would never find one better suited for us than our own. (from Glimpses through Life’s Windows)
(If the concept of cross doesn’t speak to you, replace it with life and or burden). I am pretty sure we have all been guilty from time to time of comparing our lives to others and wanting to be in their shoes. And, from a distance, it may be true that they have it better off. But, on closer inspection, we’d realize that they are carrying burdens just as we are, sometimes even tougher ones. Sometimes the best and easiest place to be is right where we are.
I don’t know, this one just spoke to me…wanted to share it.
I wanted to share the following bit of info because it was news to me (or, if I had heard it before, I had forgotten it). So, my friend Sarah left for Uganda for two weeks earlier this month. She drove down to Madison, WI where she met up with the rest of her group and was checking into her flight in Madison when the airline employee told her “you can’t get on the plane…your passport expires in less than six months.” Sarah, unaware of this rule, stared at the woman blankly and asked her what that meant then for her. The woman told her that she’d have to get her passport renewed immediately if she wanted to be able to go. That meant that Sarah had to drive to Chicago to get her passport renewal expedited (a very costly process, by the way) in order to be able to go. She did just that and was able to leave the country two days after she originally planned, but the hassle could have been prevented had she known the rule beforehand. And, incidentally (and annoyingly) the two places where she could have had her passport renewal expedited were Chicago and Minneapolis…let’s just say she was a little miffed to not have had the information a little earlier. So, maybe you all knew that rule, but just a reminder that if your passport is going to expire within the year, it might not be a bad idea to renew it. You never know when you’ll need to skip the country at a moment’s notice! (Just ask my parents…)
Just an update about my job. It is wonderful. Really. As of right now, my schedule is still really flexible and open, meaning, I work a little bit and have a lot of free time. That will change come September, but as of right now, I’m LOVING having some paid free time to enjoy the lovely weather. I have given a few speeches so far and other than one in which the listeners were in the midst of doing something and could have cared less about what I was saying, they have all gone well. I look forward to fine-tuning my speech as well as my speaking skills as I go along. And, I have fun coworkers which makes going to work things enjoyable. So, all in all, I am very thankful for my job!
My friend Andrea (Annie) from college is getting married next month and so I attended her bachelorette party last night. It was super fun to celebrate her upcoming marriage as well as get the chance to visit with a bunch of college friends who I don’t get to see all that often anymore. It was a great little reunion…the four of us from our senior year apartment were all there–probably the first time since graduation!
It was crazy to think that I’ve known these ladies for ten years already. Wasn’t it just yesterday that we were moving into the dorms? Guess not. Next up is my 10 year high school reunion this upcoming weekend. So crazy!
So, I stumbled upon the cutest little store today while on a walk to Walgreen’s. There is this adorable little place in S. Minneapolis (43rd and Chicago) called the Cottage House. It is only open 5 days a month I discovered (today through Sunday this month) and it sells adorable and affordable furniture, housewares, antiques, flowers, etc. I found a tall funky candlestick for $5 and a great antique dresser for $12. Their inventory is really cute and as evidenced in my purchases, very affordable. In particular, they have a great selection of cute little end tables and wooden chairs, I noticed (I have a penchant for little end tables). So, if you are on the lookout for fun furniture or other finds for your home, be sure to stop by! 10-8 Thurs/Fri and 10-6 Sat/Sun. (And, for the record, I carried the candlestick home on my walk and drove my car back to pick up the dresser).
Perhaps some of you have already watched clips of the two journalists freed from North Korea and their reunion with their families. If you haven’t, here is a sweet clip that I just watched. My eyes are definitely a little damp now. In light of some of the other crap happening in our world, it is sweet to see two families reunited after many months of fearing for the worst.
