"scathingly brilliant ideas"

-Maggie leaving me a large, fragrant basil plant outside my door with a kind note. I immediately began dreaming of homemade pestos, tomato sauces and ensalata caprese.

-The way I can come home from a really long day and just hand all my "stuff" to Karen and Rob, who pour me a glass of wine, listen and make me feel better.

-The Trouble with Angels coming on tv last night. It was a favorite of my cousin Adele and me, and I haven't seen it in years. It made me miss her, and remember how much we used to watch that movie at our Grandparents' house.

loving life, reunion and ricoffy

-The man behind me at Chick-Fil-A who suddenly said to himself, "I love my life." Jessi pointed out that he had been having a lengthy conversation with himself, but still I find his statement cheering.

-Seeing my good friend Omi after a long time. There's nothing better than walking in a place, seeing someone you haven't seen in ages, and making a really loud and hug-ful production out of the reunion.

-Sipping my Ricoffy (cheers Gareth) in my favorite chair with the window open. The cool breeze wafting in makes me feel like I'm outside. I really miss drinking coffee outside in the morning, so this is a close second.

signs of fall

-The first signs of fall: it's cooler outside, and the first tree near the church has started turning golden. (See Oct. 29th post for just how colorful these trees will get.)

-A session member joking with me in the middle of a meeting as he walked by. After spending all evening with the youth group, it's hilarious that the greatest mischief comes from an adult.

-A sermon saying that we are called to lives of discomfort and challenge, and that if we don't do anything in our lives that makes us uncomfortable or nervous, we might be missing something. Starting a new job as a youth director adds a healthy portion of discomfort to my life these days (and adds a lot of joy as well).

enthusiasm, strength and sunlight

-An adorable smiley little dog who kept wagging his tail and moving towards me everytime I looked at him.

-At the coffee shop today, there was a teenager about age 13 sitting with her parents, who were arguing. They were clearly divorced, and kept arguing with each other and her about what time they were supposed to all meet up (thus ruining all of the allotted time they had together). The girl looked completely miserable, but the glimpse of grace came when we made eye contact and smiled at each other. I can't imagine what strength it took for her to smile at me under such awful circumstances.

-The sun shining through trees on me and my book, casting moving leafy shadows everywhere.

little red (raining) hood

-Opening my living room window to let the coolness and smell of rain waft in. I instinctually made a cuppa--tea and rain just go so well together.

-Pulling my little red hood on to cover my head from the rain as I move from the car to indoors.

-Having a huge amount of work to do, and yet not being stressed by any of it. I know I'll get it all done somehow.

float, share, save.

-A bright blue butterfly floating around my car as I walk up to it.

-A parking lot conversation with co-workers as we left the church that made us feel like a team, sharing the burdens of ministry.

-Sitting in the grass and catching up with Katy. She's made a committment to not buy any new clothes for one year, to set that money aside for travelling. I'm really inspired by this (because I don't need to acquire more "things" in my last year of seminary) and am going to give it a try. We're already discussing taking a trip together to Napa on a wine tour with our savings.

first and later

-Leading my first Sunday night fellowship as youth director and really enjoying it. I especially loved when one teenager turned to me after and said, "How are you doing?" After so much time trying to catch up with their lives, it's nice to have a young person catch up with mine.

-A little girl in the grocery store coming out of nowhere to pick up what I dropped. I know Presbyterians don't really believe in karma, but it was certainly interesting and amusing when, a few minutes later, a woman in front of me in the store dropped her glasses and I picked them up for her.

-The first (and last) bite of the buttery popcorn I'd been dreaming of all during class.

once upon a pizza

-Seeing Once, a wonderful film. It's set in Dublin, Ireland, so I kept telling my friend, "I've been there!" and "that's Grafton Street!" It was exciting to see a familiar place on the big screen. It was only showing at this artsy theatre in Atlanta, which was really art deco and neat. It's about two aspiring musicians, one Irish, one Czech, who find shared music and love. I was thrilled to later learn that they actually perform together in real life and are in love.

-My emailed daily lectionary being especially relevant.

-The fun of sharing large, delicious pizzas with friends. There's something about passing plates and dishing out pizza that ushers in community.

picnic, practice and plum

-The seminary community picnic. I enjoyed catching up with friends, sitting under trees and watching children play.

-The Jr. High Sunday School class telling me that they want to study other faiths, to better understand them and our own. I'm taking a class on Hinduism and Buddhism in seminary, so this sounded like a great idea to me. Robert found me the perfect curriculum that incorporates how other faiths are viewed by the media and how to best live in global community in all of our diverse practices and beliefs.

-Sleeping in my new plum-colored sheets. I sleep really well in such a dark and soft bed.

there and back again

-A warm "you're back!" as I entered Wed. night supper at church.

-A really great hug.

-Driving with my windows down last night, not out of necessity, but because it was a cool enough evening for it.

video, audio and storage

-The quirkiness, humor and love of Amelie. What an amazing movie. While I'm at it...Stardust is one of the best movies I've seen all year. (Just wanted to plug it...really, I think everyone should see it.)

-A member of my church coming up to me after the service with a gift. I opened it, and it was the box set of BBC's radio plays of Lord of the Rings on CD. I had mentioned my love of the trilogy in my last sermon there in May, and so he decided I needed it. What a wonderfully thoughtful gift! I've already listened to two of the CD's, and it's brilliant. I can hear my favorite story while cooking, eating dinner and getting ready for the coming week. It's great.

-Jessi and I miraculously fitting her new shelves (in 6 feet long boxes) from Ikea into her teeny-tiny Jetta. We were able to get the top of her convertible down and wedge them behind the seats. Cheering at our accomplishment was perhaps the most fun part of the whole encounter.

child's play

-Watching a child dangle from a tree limb with, I'll admit, some jealousy. Why does it look so natural for a child to do and so bizarre for a grown up?

-Laughing aloud from the book I'm reading.

-The orange glow of the sunset beckoning me outside with my guitar. It's becoming a bit of a ritual for me...serenading the sun to sleep. It's my favorite time of day, and I revel in being able to be outside with orange light shining on me, locusts humming above me and the cool evening breeze around me.

...and the best glimpse of all: breakfast with my fabulous and great friend, Meghan! :)

layers of life

-Being DONE with ordination exams!!

-Receiving a package in the mail from my mom. It was a rather full card-sized envelope. As I opened it, a stream of willowy fabric kept coming out. (For a minute, I felt like I was doing a magic trick.) It turned out to be a lovely funky-patterned strapless dress for layering over things. The print is really wild and fun, and completely my style. I wore it when I went to the pub with friends to celebrate the completion of ords.

-Sleeping in. I slept so well, and have enjoyed a very lazy morning of making eggs, toast and coffee and watching mindless tv. I'm looking foward to using the day to read all of the novels I've been meaning to get to.

awaken your consciousness

-After working hard on my exegesis exam all day, giving myself the grace to relax for the evening, and put it away (ok, I snuck in a little editing, but it was minor).

-The music of cooking: the crack the garlic made as I pulled a clove away from the bulb, the sizzle of onions sauteed in olive oil, the whoosh of pasta going into boiling water and the mmm I made with my first bite.

-While making coffee this morning, I looked at the coffee bag and smiled, remembering where it came from. While at a family reunion at Mo Ranch this summer, we ran out of coffee. I immediately told my dad that they sold fair-trade coffee in the gift shop. The next morning, there were two pots of coffee, one labeled "economically exploited" using the leftover Folgers they had brought, and a second labeled "fair trade" using the coffee I had requested. My dad has a great sense of humor.

flying biscuits, hiphil cohortatives and pink sunsets (how's that for random?)

-Going to Flying Biscuit with Erin as sort-of a farewell breakfast before she left for her year-long internship. I'll miss you, friend!

-Spending lots of time looking at the Song of Solomon text in Hebrew for my ordination exam. It literally gave me a headache, and was painstakingly slow work. Yet, I was grateful to engage in the struggle of translating once more, and to remember how fascinating and layered Hebrew can be.

-A lovely orange and pink sunset behind the trees outside my window.

liberating sleep and conversation

-Hearing our dean of students ask a recently married student if she had changed her name. She replied that she had stuck with the last name she was born with, because she quite liked it. He said, "Yeah, liberation!"

-A very well-deserved nap.

-A great conversation with my Aunt Karen.

whoa, i'm halfway there, WHOA, livin' on a prayer...

-It's taken me ages, but finally having the air conditioning in my car work. It was blissfully freezing on the way home.

-A feeling of relief mixed with resignation and exhaustion that comes from being halfway done with ords. I'm looking foward to Mexican food with friends to relax tonight.

-A sudden summer rainstorm.

Jesus: proclaiming peace with painted nails.

-Commiserating with Karen and Rob over our ordination exam anxiety. Rob eased my frantic cramming by saying, "If we could learn all we needed to in one week, what would be the point of seminary?" Wisely put.

-Memorizing the Brief Statement of Faith, and being surprised by how much it was a comfort and source of hope for me. I especially like the part that says: "In a fearful and broken world, the Spirit gives us the courage to pray without ceasing, to to witness among all peoples to Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, to unmask idolatries in Church and culture, to hear the voices of peoples long silenced, and to work with others for justice, freedom and peace."

-Finding Jesus (with pink-painted nails and toes no less) in a resale shop.

Please pray for my friends and me as we take ordination exams over these next few days. Thanks. :)

soul mates

-Hanging out with the girls last night to watch Sex & the City and enjoying good wine, laughs and venting. There was a scene in the show where Carrie, Samantha, Miranda and Charlotte realize that they are each other's soul mates, and I looked around and thought of how many wonderful soul mates I have.

-Erin immediately agreeing to go with me to Stone Mountain to get my car fixed.

-Nutella on toast. (I know this has been a glimpse for me before, but what can I say? Hazelnut chocolate is divine.)

cleveland rocks

Glimpses from Ohio (and the drive there):
-The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, Ohio. It was amazing to see the Edge's guitar, John Lennon's guitar and other great pieces of memorabilia. It made the music come alive to me.

-A thoughtful and counter-cultural sign in Tiffin, Ohio (ignore the typo).

-Lights strung across a street in Cleveland that, combined with the rainy, cold weather, reminded me of Dublin.

-Cornfields in Ohio. I always love how rows of crops seem to dance as you drive by them.

-Seeing Ian really happy.

-An early morning sun shining through textured clouds.