Carefree Kids

Children are strong. Their hearts heal more quickly - even their bodies.

I have realized this as I so often look a pictures of children in refugee camps, or squalid houses with no indoor plumbing. Kids with distended bellies, or rotting teeth. Young boys with bald patches on their heads because of disease. Yet rarely do I see any expression on their faces other than joy. Especially if they are in a group, they are laughing, playing, running until their weak bodies won't allow them any more. They are singing, though they may not even be able to stand up to do so. They are content.

Then I wonder what the parents, or caregivers, in those situations must feel. I have seen the face of a young mother at a refugee camp in the DRC, with 4 or 5 young kids clinging to her skirt. They seem at home. She seems tortured. Wondering constantly if her starving daughter will wake up in the morning, or remembering the life they used to have and wishing this had never happened.

But what if we were more like those kids? It's no wonder Jesus loves children so much. They understand him better, and accept his promises more readily. They forgive so quickly, fighting one minute and playing together again the next. They don't worry if someone tells them not to. They trust unconditionally.

Maybe we shouldn't be so concerned with growing up...

Broccoli

Last week, I found this great stuff. Perfect for the convenience-minded, cooking-challenged....and lazy. It's Broccoli in a bag! It comes in an air-puffed bag, and you just stick it in the microwave for 3 minutes and have perfectly cooked brocolli. Just add some olive oil, garlic salt, and parmesean cheese and it is delicious.

All that to say that I'm going to start DVR-ing (that is a verb now...) some cooking shows. I think Emeril was on this morning. BAM!

Tonight is another fabulous episode of The Bachelor. You can be sure that I will be on my couch at 7pm this evening, ready to tell Jason what to do.

This weekend was a nice time of reflection and of prayer. The Lord always answers when we seek Him out. But if we're not seeking Him, what do we expect? I always forget that. I need continued guidance these days...the next few months will be key, and I know He will open and close doors as is necessary. I trust His ideas, because they usually work out well for me. Until then, maybe He's teaching me patience, submission, responsibility?

This week will be great! Lots to get done.

-16

That is the temperature right now. Not including wind chill.

At least the sun is shining.

I am learning the art of making myself busy. And it's not an arbitrary busyness, but it's actually things that I need to be doing, relationships I need to be investing in, and working on goals that I do need to set. Although I miss tracking 12 different tv shows (I still do find time to squeeze some in...) and Joaquim and I are working on our time schedule. This 4 hour time difference has made it harder for us to talk in the evenings, because by the time I would be getting home from work and any evening activity, he's in bed. Therefore, I was cutting some evening activities, only because I wanted to talk to him...but that involved more sitting around and free time than was very healthy, so it's back to running around and catching each other online during breaks. I am praying through this time because thankfully the time difference will be only 2 hours again in early March. It can't come soon enough!

Some things that I think I need to work on are music and writing. These are two things the Lord has clearly gifted me with, and He doesn't give things out for no reason. What am I doing to improve those gifts, and what am I doing to USE them? I'm learning that I need to be using them all the time, not saying that I'm sure an opportunity will arise someday.

Last night I went over to the Schuette's house for a Mary Kay extravaganza with Annie and her mom. It reminded me to be so so so grateful for relationships like that. I played in that house when I was just a toddler...I remember sitting behind the couch in their living room playing My Little Pony, and having Mrs. Schuette put curlers in our hair before a sleepover when we were only 4. From writing a tv show called Too Young For Love when we were in 5th grade, to being stung by a bee while playing Super Mario Brothers in their basement, I have so many memories there and it was so fun to spend an evening there again with their family. Annie will be Mrs. Johnson in July! I am so excited to have a part in that day too. We had a great time playing with makeup and products, and I am sure we did the same thing when we were little girls, but maybe the results weren't quite as flattering.

I really needed that trip to Brazil last month. Things are going better now...

Been a while...

It has been so long since I "blogged." Sometimes something comes to mind and I think "back in my blogging days, I would have made something work with that..." Maybe the little things in life start to overwhelm you after a while and it takes away the desire to capitalize on such opportunities.

What "little things" have I been filling my days with lately? Well, glad you asked...

Firstly, I got engaged in September! I can't believe it's already been 4 months (today!) and that I am getting married in 8 months! September 6, 2009. Planning a wedding is slowly but surely taking over my thoughts...and my day planner. Yes, I am talking about invitations, florists, caterers. I think it took a while for me and my family to wrap our minds around the idea of a WEDDING, as mine will be the first for us, but I think we've finally arrived. My mom suggested today that we start looking into hotels to get group rates. Good idea, ma. Glad we're on the same page!

Secondly, I started selling Mary Kay last month. So far I have really been enjoying the fun and the responsibility!

Last but not least, I went to Brazil with my entire family on Christmas day! We spent two weeks there and I think everyone really enjoyed it. Of course I wasn't ready to leave, but...I never am!

I'm going to do my best to write more..........after all, my life is so incredibly interesting, it would be a crime not to share it.

Changes

Please forgive my long absense. I guess I'm always saying that...but I always have a good excuse, don't I?

Let's start with Friday. Friday was a big enough day to fill a few books. I moved into an apartment and it is gorgeous...pictures to come...however, I am currently at my parents' house because I have to dog-sit and make sure Brian eats real meals. (I have succesfully given him orange juice and grapes and a bagel so far today.) After the big move on Friday I took Joaquim to the airport at 7pm. A stressful, fast goodbye was followed by some "so what now?" tears back at my new home after I unpacked everything...but God is working on some things, that's for sure.

It was a great month having him here. We were busy busy busy with a trip to Iowa and a great time in Memphis, as well as dinners out meeting my friends and trying to find time to just relax. I am always amazed at how much more there is to learn, and how patient the Lord is in teaching us. Great things are always to come!!!

For now I'm trying to master the art of not being lonely. I'm trying to get involved more with church in small groups and choir (hopefully) and keep myself busy and healthy. But as I read this morning, busyness is not the solution to loneliness. GOD is. See, I'm learning? But let's just say I'll be ready for this lesson to end. ; )

Passion

75% of all US presidents were in the bottom half of their class. 50% of CEOs had a C or C- average in college. and 50% of all millionaire entrepreneurs never even went to college. What do they have that so many of us do not?
Passion.

It's interesting that one little word can make people do such crazy and often incredibly impressive things. The more I thought about that today, I realized that the first thing in my life (aside from the Lord) that I can recall feeling REALLY passionate about is Brazil. I remember thinking it was a strange feeling. Like, maybe I was crazy. But it changed the way I approached everything. I became more ambitious and I took more risks, but I would never call myself impulsive. And those are all things these leaders and CEOs and millionaires will probably tell you they did. I still don't know exaaaactly in what capacity I will be in Brazil next, but it is so dear to me.

While I'm in the US, I have been reading A Thousand Splendid Suns...in Portuguese. And I listened to my Portuguese worship mix, so much so that when I get to work I have to force myself to say 'good morning' to Pam instead of 'bom dia.'

Joaquim gets here on FRIDAY. 3 days away!!!!!! And hopefully while he is here, in addition to spending time together and him meeting and getting to know my family (poor guy), we will be talking with the international students director at Harper and really getting the ball rolling. Well, it is rolling, but...Harper doesn't know about that yet. The more I think and pray about that, I just think...God is so good and SO faithful.

This gospel song says it so well.......
"Faithful, faithful, faithful is our God.
I'm reaping the harvest God's promised me
Take back what the devil stole from me
And I will rejoice today, for I shall recover it all!"

I'm happy. I'm so content in my job, and it is challenging and my work is always growing and expanding. I'm excited about moving into a new apartment at the end of April, with such a dear friend. And I am amazed at the miracle that will arrive at O'Hare airport on Friday. Joaquim is such a blessing in my life, and God is so good to be bringing him here to me, when I can't go there. HE has everything planned. I remember praying over my relationship with Joaquim in July 2006...10 months before we even started dating...and I felt then, that even though it seemed crazy to me and looked impossible to the world that I could ever go out with this great guy, that God was just saying "wait just a little...and stop worrying about it." He said that because if He had said "ok, so you'll go to Brazil for 6 months a year from now and you can learn Portguese and live in a new city and then live with Joaquim's family and talk with them over coffee every day. Then when you come home, you'll get a job and move into an apartment with Janell, but before that, Joaquim can visit you for a month and we'll take it from there. How does that sound?" I would have fallen over and/or been committed...in the "mental" sense of the word.

Every April-ish at Taylor I remember feeling like spring is such a lovey-dovey season. And I never had a love...or a dove. Now...well, I just bought some Dove deoderant at Walgreens yesterday, and I will have my love here in April! I'm looking forward to that month.

Hard to wake up...

I admit, I'm blogging from work. Not a big fan, but I am having such a hard time waking up that I figured I would try to jump-start my brain. I also only feel like dusting my desk. We need some swiffer wipes around here.

While we're on the topic of work...it's going wonderfully. I'm still enjoying myself and also enjoying making a to-do list at the end of every day, of things that are accomplishable and also impactful. It's a good feeling. Not a good feeling is the thought that now that 53 is being torn apart by woodfield, thus removing all express lanes, my commute to work from Bloomingdale, home of my new and lovely apartment which I can JUST BARELY afford, will be gas guzzling. (How do you spell that?) I don't even care about the time, I care about the pure gold called gasoline that will be basically dripping out of my tank, all over that thing we in Chicago call an "express" way. Nothing express about it at the moment.

I think I have SAD. Seasonal Affective Disorder. I have always had it, and I have it all year round. If the day is rainy, my productivity and conscious thoughts must be cut literally in half. It is now 9:30 in the morning and the streetlights are still on, because the clouds are so thick that it's barely light out. I think I need a UV light here at my desk.

Let's talk about something sunny. On Sunday, I got baptized. Yea, it was a randomly not random thing. I've been thinking about it for months and months, mostly since I was in Londrina and 3 people asked me when I was baptized (isn't that a strange question to ask someone?) and then were appalled by my answer. I hadn't even thought about baptism until I went to Harvest 2 1/2 years ago and saw some and heard a sermon about it. I couldn't believe that I hadn't set foot in a church that preached about baptism until I was 20 years old. So, after 20 years of rhetoric that told me about infant baptism, it took a couple years to re-wire. I was a little angry about it because I felt like, especially in Londrina, people assumed I wasn't a Christian if I hadn't been baptized. And that is incredibly frustrating. However, thanks to other people (Joaquim, Janell and Alex) who were incredibly patient with me and never pushed me an inch on the subject or in any way discounted the relationship I have had for years with the Lord, but just told me "well...you gotta get baptized. Think about it..." I thought about it. And I decided in December that it was going to happen, I just didn't know when, or where. In Londrina, I would have had to take a 6 month class, called Verdades Básicas. I was "taking" it while I was there, but only 15 out of 20 lessons, and I was really just sitting in, so that didn't count. At Lar, Joaquim taught a baptism class and since I didn't do that, that was that. And I didn't WANT to take a class about baptism, or about basic truths. I didn't like the implication that my lack of being dunked under water suddenly rendered me very immature and unknowledgeable. So, that was why this Sunday at Harvest when Pastor James MacDonald said "you don't need a class, just get up here" I was interested.

More than interested, I knew it was definitely the time. My heart would have flown out of my chest and just thrown itself into the water if I hadn't taken my body with it. So for people who were like "what, you got baptized? Hey, cool!" or for my Lutheran family who may be thinking, "yea, I remember when you were baptized on August 18th, 1985...I was there..." it was a process of 6 months where I dug through my heart and prayed a lot about this. And Sunday just opened up an opportunity that I couldn't wait for.

It turned out to be incredible timing, as can be attested by a prayer made in São Paulo on March 2nd, that I was unaware of...but that's really a story for another time.