Dancing in the Rain

Tonight I witnessed a gorgeous young woman joyfully twirling in the rain, jumping up in the air with a huge smile on her face. It truly was a beautiful sight. She had felt dizzy moments before, but for these few seconds, I was amazed at the freedom and joy and beauty she possessed in that moment.

It reminds me that although there seems to be a lot of rain right now, the Lord is my joy. He will hold me. He will hold you, too.

When the rain comes it seems that everyone has gone away
When the night falls you wonder if you shouldn't find someplace
To run and hide
Escape the pain
But hiding's such a lonely thing to do

I can't stop the rain
From falling down on you again
I can't stop the rain
But I will hold you 'til it goes away

When the rain comes you blame it on the things that you have done
When the storm fades you know that rain must fall on everyone
So rest awhile
It'll be alright
No one loves you like I do

I can't stop the rain
From falling down on you again
I can't stop the rain
But I will hold you 'til it goes away

When the rain comes
I will hold you

-"When the Rain Comes" by Third Day

I Wish You Enough

I wish you enough sun to keep your attitude bright.
I wish you enough rain to appreciate the sun more.
I wish you enough happiness to keep your spirit alive.
I wish you enough pain so that the smallest joys in life appear much bigger.
I wish you enough gain to satisfy your wanting.
I wish you enough loss to appreciate all that you possess.
I wish you enough hellos to get you through the final good-bye.

-Bob Perks

Psalm 33:18-22

But the eyes of the LORD are on those who fear him,
on those whose hope is in his unfailing love,
to deliver them from death
and keep them alive in famine.
We wait in hope for the LORD;
he is our help and our shield.
In him our hearts rejoice,
for we trust in his holy name.
May your unfailing love rest upon us, O LORD,
even as we put our hope in you.

My Special Diva

Tonight my very own diva sung the national anthems at the Toronto Maple Leafs game at the Air Canada Centre. Jackie is an amazingly talented and gifted young woman and I have been richly blessed that she has played a significant role in my life for five years now. And not just because I like listening to her sing, but because she is Jackie. :)

I cannot even explain the feeling I had watching her on national television tonight. Tears definitely welled up in my eyes and I could not stop smiling. I'm proud of her accomplishments and decisions. I'm proud of her talents. I'm proud of the beautiful person she is.

You rocked that arena tonight, Jax. I l-o-v-e you.

Grace

During the past 24 hours, I have reflected on God's amazing grace. A friend shared with me a really great article entitled, Ingredients of Growth by Dr. Henry Cloud. It's a good read. I also had a conversation with another friend and she shared with me how grace and mercy were once explained to her:

Grace is getting what we do not deserve.

Mercy is not getting what we do deserve.

Grace and mercy overwhelm me at times, which is a blessing; I am reminded to give thanks. :)

The Stairs

I am currently sitting on the stairs in the UC with Nate. Someone just came up to us and gave us each a yellow balloon. Each balloon has a natural high attached to it. My natural high is: Hot Fudge Sundaes. Nate's natural high is: Snow Days. Both excellent natural highs. Nate and I appreciate the balloons and we wish that everyone else was excited about them.

Now Melissa is sitting with us too. I like her a lot. And Beth, if you are reading this, I like you too.

Random post about nothing, I know. But when sitting at the stairs, random things happen. Bottom line: I like the people who surround me right now - and I'm thankful.

And now we're off to the Taps with Amanda. Here comes SUZANNE and JESSKAH - you guys rock! Oh, I love you people.

Exhale First

My Counselling and Communication professor taught us this trick a few weeks ago that I've shared with a few people this week. If you are stressed and need to pause to breathe, EXHALE FIRST, then breathe in. By exhaling and emptying your lungs, your lungs are then forced to take a very deep breath in. It works better. Trust me.

And since I'm in the library, doing some deep breathing myself, I've also been pondering some good verses. I know people are crazy busy with school and life right now, so remember this:

Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden in light.
-Matthew 11:28-30

The Snowman Next Door

Some of my amazing DG Girls from last year live a few doors down from me. When the snow came down on Thursday, they decided to make a snowman. They were sharing their excitement with me last night at the weekly meeting and I thought it was great (because clearly my girls from last year are great)... so here's the first snowman of the year! Well done, Mel and Lindsey! (By the way, I bet the snowman didn't last long after those kisses, ha ha).

Skating

Today I hit the rink for the first time in years. I was thrilled to have the opportunity to chill (no pun intended) with three lovely ladies, but not so thrilled to actually get on the ice. But the encouragement extended to me from my beautiful friends was wonderful and I made it around once... and again... and again. Success! BUT, I was incredibly tense. I was so afraid of falling, not because it physically hurts to fall, but because I didn't want anyone to see me fall (especially my very talented friends who have more experience than myself). As I was thinking why I felt this particular way, I realized my pride in this area of my life is significantly large. The thing that gets me is that my pride and insecurities were totally unwarranted this morning. Why? Because one of my friends said if I were to fall out on the ice, she would have fallen with me. I believe she was being completely sincere or at least, she would have done something to help me up. No matter how much I want people to be vulnerable with me, I need to remember that it is important for me to be vulnerable with others. I will share my past struggles in a heartbeat, if I know God can use it for a purpose or if it will help someone to understand where I am coming from. But when it is the here and now, I have more of a difficult time putting my heart out there because at that point in time, I have not yet figured everything out. This morning was a here and now situation. My pride made me so tense, limited my movement and as a result, I experienced physical pain. It reminds me of a verse that says, "Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall" (Proverbs 16:18). While trying to avoid a fall, I in all reality set myself up for a harder fall. Pride, comparing myself to others and my fears are not of God. If I let those issues consume my thoughts, play a role in how I see myself, how will I be effective at telling others not to believe the same lies? I will not be effective, because: (1) I will not grow; (2) my attitude and actions will be negative; (3) I will not be encouraging to others when they need it, and (4) God will not be glorified. Simple as that. To be humble and to accept I will fall will build me up. Perhaps it will hurt when I fall and people will see me fall, but by accepting it, I will have the ability to get back up faster. I will learn more. Again, a verse from Proverbs says it all, "When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom" (Proverbs 11:2). How true. I am amazed at the daily lessons God brings to my attention and thankful His word totally backs it up. Thanks for a refreshing skate, girls. :)

Our First Beautiful (but wet) Snowfall

As may people have already commented, Guelph had its first snowfall of the year. Every year a feeling of magical excitement hits me at the sight of snow for the first time, as I observe how brilliant God is through all of His different creations. Yet, a depressed feeling also surrounds me as I really do not cope well in the cold! But I cannot deny it's beauty so I took a picture to mark this day. I also took the picture because I figured Kat would like to know what it looks like. Enjoy!

Looking Forward, Not Behind

I really like this picture I took of gorgeous Heather and the beautiful trees in the great up north. I first really enjoyed the picture because I really think fondly of Heather and I really admired the vibrant colours that surrounded me at Summit. Then I started analysing the picture (Nate will tell you that I think, I think too much, ha ha). As I have continued to reflect on this picture, the coined phrase "a picture is worth a thousand words" really does come alive.

The turns in this particular picture grabbed my attention, as well, Heather is looking forward, not behind.

Turns: Life is full of wild, fun, sad, difficult, adventurous, tiring, frustrating, exciting, joyous, emotional and wide angled turns. Just as I feel I have a handle on where I am headed, something happens, and I end up on the side of the road trying to find a map and a flashlight to help direct me. But as I look at this picture, there are no road signs that distinctively say, "Dead End". No, the road continues; the road branches off in new directions with new possibilities. I am reminded that the path I walk is not my own, but God's. The map I need to follow is the Lord's. "Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will direct your paths" (Proverbs 3:5-6. NLT).

Looking Forward, Not Behind: Sometimes I find myself consumed in remembering the past, while I should be more focused on the future. I think it is imperative to apply to my life what I have learned through my personal experience in the past and through the wisdom of others. But I admit that sometimes I hold on to things when I should be moving forward and I need to remember to focus on God and have faith that He will provide for me. "Let us acknowledge the Lord; let us press on to acknowledge him. As surely as the sun rises, he will appear; he will come to us like the winter rains, like the spring rains that water the earth" (Hosea 6:3, NIV). Another passage that has come to mind lately is taken from Philippians 3:12-14, which says, "Not that I have already obtained all of this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus." Indeed, we must press forward. Yes, I need to press forward.

I am thankful for the many who have come before me and who have traveled along the path God laid out for them, sharing and passing the gospel down through the generations. I am thankful for the people I do not know, following Christ the best they can. I am thankful for my brothers and sisters in my life who share with me what God is doing in their lives and what He is teaching, guiding, and providing them. I appreciate that I have people to draw alongside of during all of our journeys with the Lord. The lessons, thoughts, prayers, support, encouragement and spoken truth have helped to spur me on. Thank you.

Lord, thank you for setting my feet on solid ground. Thank you for all the twists and turns, mountains and valleys you have used to teach me and build me up. Help me to move forward and leave behind what weighs me down. Your paths and plans are perfect, Lord. Thank you.