Deep Breaths

Well, I've discovered that if I don't put any spaces in my titles and labels, they don't turn out Arabic. Haven't figured out any other way to fix that, yet, or had time to try Brian's suggestion on it.

This past week has been surreal, in both speed and happenings. The weekend of the 4th, I went to Spokane for a wedding, then spent Saturday doing yardwork with a friend in Reardan. Good times:). Sunday was church and a lunch at the house of some friends from church, which ended up cosuming the large majority of the day. Monday began as write-to-people day and ended in chaos. You see, my uncle in Alaska died, very unexpectedly. I have only one memory of the man; a good memory. But, needless to say, it hit my grandparents, parents, and aunts and uncles pretty hard. He is the second child my grandparents have lost, and no one is sure whether he ever committed himself to Christ. But I'd rather not dwell on it. I prefer to latch onto the hope over the darkness, and I trust God, no matter what. Tuesday was college group, Wednesday was my first day as official youth intern (thus, youth group), Thursday my dad & aunt & uncle flew to Alaska to put their brother's affairs in order, Thursday I also spent 8 hours at an ex-teacher's house working/doing yard work (7 1/2 hours yardwork, 1/2 hour lunch), Thursday I also went to my high school's graduation ceremony, Friday my mother and I drove to Spokane for a wedding rehearsal + to finish my bachelorette party pottery project, Saturday was the wedding, Saturday we drove home, Sunday was church--including Sunday school with the youth--and dinner at three with my mom's parents and dinner 6 to almost 9 with the youth group's graduating seniors, and today my dad's parents came for dinner.

Point in fact: I am currently overwhelmed. I need lots of deep breaths and some slowing down, which is coming. I have been gone from home every weekend since school ended, due to weddings and housesitting and pikcing up my sister from school. I will be gone the next two weekends, housesitting. But hopefully the fact that I will not be going ANYWHERE out of the valley for the next good while means I will have a chance to breathe, relax, and wind down, besides being enthusiastically involved in productive work, such as interning and possibly volunteering and/or finding some kind of compatible work. (It'd have to be really flexible work...)

Point in fact 2: Praise God from whome all blessings flow. Through it all, he is here. Through it all, he gives me guidance and inspiration and love for even the people I completely do not understand.

Point in fact 3: I have decided, due to the hecticness of not only MY life, but those of almost everyone around me, that I do not want a full-time job next year. I want a part-time job that will allow me to be involved in my church and my community in meaningful and eternally significant ways. All around me are people "too busy" to spend real time with other people. If you are one of those people--and even I qualify, for my barely-employed life has been rather busy in exhausting ways for the past month and a half--I a) suggest you read Colin Beavan's
No Impact Man, b) suggest you reevaluate your desires and priorities for your life, and c) suggest you take action when you realize that God has provided ways for you to live a meaningful and abundant life--because he has. "The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full," John 10:10 [NIV].

It's not easy. Lack of structured time, or more concisely time management, is something I really struggle to use wisely. I'm struggling now, I've struggled in the past, and I will likely struggle in the future--possibly my entire life. But that is no reason to give up. There is victory in Christ. "But he said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.' Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me," 2 Corinthians 12:9 [NIV]. Boasting about my weaknesses is another thing I find difficult, but another area God can work on in me. Life's a process, and I'm not going to suddenly just get it all right. But, as a very wise girl just told me, "I think this is good though. I think, in the end, I have a Savior. :)" And that pretty much sums it up: It's all about him and completely, totally not about me. Not. about. me.

In the vein of weddings, two of my favorite songs that weddings remind me of, one of which I've only just met:
"Margie Ann" by Fernando Ortega (about his wife:)
"Lemonade" by Chris Rice

OK--sleep well, friends.