Monthly Archives: September 2011

Home Friday Five

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1) Where was your first home? In Scottsbluff-Gering NE! I believe we actually lived across the river in Gering. My mom grew up in Scottsbluff and G and G Humphrey lived in Scottsbluff.

2) Do you ever dream about places you used to live? Not usually

3) If you could bring back one person from your past to sit at your dinner table, who would you choose? I cant pick just one! I would have to say my Grandma and Grandpa and my best friend from elementary and high school Mandy

4) What’s your favorite room in your current living space? My Living Room and My Bedroom

5) Is there an object or an item where you live now that represents home? If not, can you think of one from your childhood? Yes! I have a picture above my bed that used to be above my grandparents bed. It is pictures of my sister, me, and my cousins when we were little. Reminds me of going to G and G’s house! I also have a pic of my mom, dad, and I when I was like three.

Those Three Little Words

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We don’t say it to each other nearly enough!

Those three little words that have so much power
Those three little words, “I Love You!”

Lately so many people have been diagnosed with cancer!
Yesterday it was a dear colleague and friend from seminary!

Together I know that we will continue to pray for her…..and each other.
But it is still hard!

We still need to tell each other that we love each other!
Not just on days where cancer diagnoses happen
But every day of our lives!

So you my dear friends and readers, I want you to know
“I love you!”

Finished Friday Five

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1. Have you completed something? What was it, and how did you celebrate?
I would say graduating seminary was something that I am so proud to have completed. It was not an easy journey for me at all. I celebrated by finally graduating and celebrating it with friends and family.

2. Is there something you are waiting to begin?
A relationship…Someday I hope to begin to date my future husband.

3. Is there a project you keep putting off and why?
Hmmm not really.

4. What would be your dream project/job? Oh man….I have always dreamt of being an author.

5. Be creative, you are going to publish a book/ song/poem, what is its title?
Since I can remember, I always said that I would name my publishing company “Majestic Saviour Publishing.” The title of the book would depend on what type of book etc it was. If it was a collection of my poetry,I would probably call it,”Prayer to Poetry” or something like that. If it was my autobiography, I would probably call it…ok Im not sure…so Im going to have some fun here…Friends, if you were to help me name my book, what would you call it?

“O Lord God, You Have Called Us….”

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“O Lord God, you have called us, your servants, to ventures of which we cannot see the ending, on paths we have yet to discover, through perils and joys unknown. Give us faith to go out with good courage, moving where your Spirit calls and empowers us, And knowing that your hand is leading us and your love supporting us, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen” These words are words that I just need to hear and be reminded of sometimes! I love my job and in no way are these words geared towards that. I am just saddened how sometimes people treat other people. Let’s just say tonight…I am clinging to these words. But I am also continuing to choose to focus more on the blessings in my life. Today those blessings are as follows:

++ Getting to have lunch with two great ladies and one of their grandsons
++ Coloring,playing and spending time with one of my favorite three year olds
++ Friends telling me that they are thankful for me (Thanks S!)
++ Sharing my writing with others
++ A Salted caramel mocha over a great meeting with wonderful colleagues

Why???????

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Something really struck me tonight…As I was perusing my Facebook page, I found yet another friend who is engaged and got engaged in the last week or so. Now dont get me wrong, I am so 100 percent happy for them! However I still find myself yearning, wondering, and yearning some more to find my Mr. Right. Two of these friends found their spouses at seminary, I find myself asking the question “Why didnt it happen for me there?” I know that is a silly question to ask but its honest! I know that I am not the only one who wonders and yearns for this type of relationship either. I am thankful that my good friend L still is single! But why isn’t it happening for me? I know and trust in God. However at the age of 33, my biological clock continues to tick. I love spending time with children and hope to have mine someday but what if that doesn’t happen for me? I have so many friends who tell me that they are praying for someone to come into my life to bless me and I trust in their prayers and God’s promises. Yet it’s still so easy to yearn for what so many of my friends have; to yearn for that one thing that I deeply desire more than anything in the world. So today I am choosing to continue to trust, to continue to believe that it will happen at some point at point, to continue to be a blessing to others and in return hopefully to be blessed by someone else and eventually find the man God has in store for me!

And so I am going to leave you with the blessings in my life from the last several days:
+ Waking up to a little one saying “Mom, the ding ding woke me up.” I seriously was laying in my bed in the other room laughing and with a smile on my face
+ Spending time with wonderful colleagues in ministry
+ Having a member of the church leave me a beautiful message on FB
+ Playing the card game “Unpredictable”
+ A Child’s laugh
+ The return of fall and all my fave shows

What are you thankful for today?

Seeking What? Friday Five!

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Jan from RevGalBlogPals writes, “Seeking is rejoicing. Rejoicing comes from the seeking, NOT the end of glory, heaven, enlightenment, or whatever. Seeking is the journey–RIGHT NOW” So for this Friday Five, list what you are seeking, whether it is trivial, profound, or ordinary–whatever you would like to share! List 5 and add a bonus if you feel like it!

1. I am seeking my Mr. Right. I know it will come in due time but Im so ready. And at 33 years of age, I have to admit that my biological clock is tick, tick, ticking away!

2. After I find my Mr. Right, I am seeking children; our family together!

3. I am seeking to find “real mail” in my mailbox. I love getting real mail!

4. I am seeking to spend time with friends that I miss dearly!

5. I am seeking to watch the new season of Glee!!

Most of the stuff I am seeking for these days doesn’t need to happen right away…not too profound…but probably more ordinary! Hope you all are good.

Blessings

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Sometimes it is so easy to get caught up in the busyness of life etc that all we can focus on is that; the craziness of life. After reading a friend’s blog post tonight, I decided I was going to spend more time focusing on the blessings; the “every day holy” of life! So what am I thankful for today?

1. Sitting in my apartment drinking tea from a great gift my friend Sonflower Child gave me as a bday gift this year.

2. The awesome friends and family in my life. My life has been enriched by each of you. I miss so many of you so much and wish we could see each other more often.

3. A job that I love

4. Health

5. Going to work out and being greeted by the other ladies who work out there too.

6. Hearing a baby coo or getting my “baby fix” for the day

7. An unexpected letter in the mail! What a nice surprise that was! (An unexpected phone call is always great too!)

8. Spending time with awesome colleagues in ministry

9. Project Runway!!! And any of my other fave shows. Sometimes mindless tv is what I need to debrief and chill out at after a long day!

10. Fall

There are so many more I could probably name but this is a start. What are you thankful for today?

September 11, 2001; Ten Years Later

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Tomorrow marks the Tenth Anniversary of the terrorist attacks that took place on September 11, 2001. We all remember where we were and what we were doing on that morning just like my parent’s generation knew where they were and what they were doing when President Kennedy was assassinated.

I was at my dad’s house that morning. I had recently finished my internship in Beach ND with the Golden Valley News and the Billings County Pioneer. And after my internship, I had spent some time working/volunteering at my favorite place Camp of the Cross Ministries. And now the morning of September 11Th, I was watching “Little House on the Prairie” when it was interrupted with the news of the morning. I couldn’t believe what I was seeing on our television set. Two planes fly straight into the World Trade Centers! Another plane crashing into the Pentagon. And then the heroes of Flight 93 who took control of their plane and flew it into a field in Shanks ville PA. If it weren’t for their heroic acts, who knows where that plane would have landed/crashed? For that day and the days following, we couldn’t help but grieve with the thousands who lost family members. Would today be the darkest day that I would know or would I see more darkness?

That next fall, I found myself starting seminary. I’m not sure that the events of September 11th called me into the ministry of word and service. But I have a feeling that in its own way, it did! At seminary, I remember many of my new friends telling me where they were that morning. Many of them were in class and then at 9:30 am CST they gathered for chapel. As the events of 9-11 unfolded, they stood in the Refectory with their eyes glued to the television sets. I remember my friend A telling us that the President of the seminary came in, turned off the televisions, and said, “Lets go to chapel. Chapel is the place we need to be right now!” So very true! And so they all gathered that morning,praying for the events unfolding in our world!

Now ten years later, man and woman are still in Afghanistan and other countries continuing to fight for our freedom. Ten years later, Bin Laden is dead! The day of his death I had a hard time grasping the joy so many were experiencing. I understood their joy but couldn’t bring myself to feel that same joy. Ten years later, the children of those killed on 9-11 are showing us what it means to share God’s grace with so many others!(Did any of you hear any of them speak on the Dateline special last night or read their interviews in the recent issue of People magazine?) Ten years later, we still remember; we still remember that horrific day. Ten years later, we are grateful for the many EMS workers, firefighters, and so many others who went into those buildings to bring survivors to safety. Ten years later, I find myself promising not to forget that dark day but also promising to share God’s grace and forgiveness when it is so hard to forgive!

Whats in My Office? Friday Five

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Revkjarla from RevGalBlogPals writes,”I don’t know about you, but I am a notoriously messy creative worker. My workspace at home, and at my office is always littered with books and papers and mail and pens and keys and mugs….and tschotske (momentos, weird things, etc.) I am looking right now at a pair of dice that someone gave me that have “God” on each side, so that anyway you roll ’em, you end up with God. Different, right? So, this Friday Five is all about YOUR tschotske in your workplace. Describe five things in/on your workspace (however you define workspace–I tend to spill over onto bedside tables, end tables, coffee tables…create wherever I land) that are special to you! Bonus points for pictures!”

If you have ever been in my office, you know that I like to keep it SUPER clean! Yeah thats me! When I was at the MotherShip (endearing name for my seminary), the admissions office often would call me to see if they could show my room to a potential student. They knew even at the last minute it would be clean! However I still have a few things that I like to keep in my office!

1. A woodcarved animal! My neighbors at my apartment are an elderly couple. V loves to woodcarve and when I first moved in, he gave me an animal that he woodcarved so I have it on display in my office!

2. A cute mini Nativity! If you are a regular reader of this blog or know me well, you know that I am a collector of Nativities. A dear couple who volunteers at church bought me this adorable Nativity but someone else had the same idea so I have two of the same one. I decided to keep theres at church on display in my office to remind me that we shouldnt just celebrate the gift of Jesus just one day a year!

3. A framed picture of two of my dearest Diaconal Ministry friends. The picture was taken when we were at a DM gathering in Carefree, Arizona at Spirit in the Desert Retreat Center! My friend R and I asked TE to go on a hike with us and talk about Diaconal Ministry. TE is a mentor in many ways to both of us!

4. In my office at my apartment, I have this pinky squishy pig that was bought at Walmart. It is a great stress reliever toy!

5. A couple of candles (which arent very exciting compared to the other schotzkes!)

September Friday Five

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What are 5 things that the beginning of September mean to you?

1. My Birthday! 🙂 I was a Labor Day baby. I will celebrate my 33rd birthday tomorrow! I love that September means another year of life!

2. The beginning of Fall activities at my job. This year Fall came awfully fast and I kind of wish it was still the beginning on August. But I do love that in September, I get to see the homes of the congregation, hear about their summers, etc!

3. Farmer’s Markets! I love picking up fresh veggies etc at Farmers Markets in the fall! I love that I can use these items to make great stir-frys etc!

4. Cool Crisp Fall Days

5. Harvesting

Bonus: What’s one thing you could do without! Hmmmm….thats a harder one to answer. I guess probably the shorter days…getting darker out earlier etc

Happy Labor Day weekend to you all!