We All Suffer From FWP. Raise Your Awareness!

For the longest time I had no idea that I suffered from FWP. It turns out all these years they've been happening and I was just not informed. So the purpose of this post is to raise everyone's awareness and maybe make this world a better place.

Recently I was riding in a gondola cabin at a ski area and I'm usually quite chatty but today I was listening. So I listened to the other folks in the cabin talk about where else they usually ski. One lady said that they normally ski out west because they own a house out there.

 The other couple riding with us said that her sister owned a slope-side condo here so they frequently skied here but her other sister owned a place out in Colorado but they didn't like to go there as much because it was a couple miles from the mountain, it was not slope-side. At that point I couldn't hold it in any longer and I had to raise awareness of FWP. So as soon as they finished their statement and there was a moment's lull I said "wow, not slope-side? That sounds like a First World Problem to me." There was a little chuckle that went around the cabin. Shortly there after we all disembarked going out separate directions. The rest of the run I pondered what just happened. Seriously? We are all some of the privileged few who can afford to ski and we are complaining about it not being ultra-convenient? Here I was getting all jealous because the other people in the cabin frequently ski out in the Western United States and I'm still one of the privileged who is "skiing the east." I think all of us in the cabin needed a reality check. 

Shortly after that incident something else happened brought me back to reality. We were in the middle of a pretty intense windstorm. I think there was a little snow thrown in but the wind was so forceful this particular night that it felt like we were living a scant 20 feet from railroad tracks with the Amtrack express going by. I was awake at around 11 p.m. when the power flickered. I suspected that it might go out so I quickly plugged my phone into the charger so I would be all set. After all my phone was almost fully charged so I'd be ok. I would have ample means of entertainment tomorrow should the power go out.

 Sure enough around midnight it went out. By 7 a.m. the house was almost at 50 degrees. I was nice and cozy under my wonderful comforter. My sister came in to inform me that she was leaving for work, the kids were still asleep and that it was cold in the house so make sure when they woke up that they stayed in bed until we got the power back on and the house warmed up. I was laying in bed all pleased with myself because I had a fully charged phone. Then I realized my error. I hadn't drawn any water to flush the toilets and now I had to go. I hadn't drawn any water to drink and I was getting thirsty. Living in the north where the electricity frequently goes out my first thought usually is to draw water and get out candles and such. Nope, I had fallen into the self-serving mindset of what mattered most. My smart phone of course. As I lie in bed, thirsty and wondering what I was going to do soon when toilets needed to be flushed, I was reminded of the many people who don't have the luxury of first world problems. Ultimately the kids and I would be fine. If the power was out too long we'd pack up and go to my parents who have a wood stove so they were warm and could cook and melt snow if they had to.

So I started praying for those people who suffer from Third World Problems like not having access to water at all.  Some of them live in climates just as snowy as mine and don't have enough clothes to stay warm and they certainly don't have a nice down-alternative comforter like I do. Some of them don't have a car to travel to their parent's house should things get rough. Nor do they have parents. They died from some illness that would have been curable here in the First World or were caught in some civil war that leaves innocent villages decimated in it's wake. This list goes on and on.

I think if we take a moment to be thankful for what we have and pray for those who don't have a fraction of what we have been blessed with we might be just a bit more grateful. 

So the next time you poor a bowl of cereal and realize that you don't have any milk or your smart phone is being dumb you will be aware that you are suffering from a First World Problem. In my house when someone starts going off on some ridiculously benign issue someone pipes up and says "that's rough! Sounds like a First World Problem to me!" We all have a good laugh and it brings us back to earth a bit. 

Now that you know please do your part in bringing FWP awareness to everyone.

Moose: Are They From Earth?

Have you ever seen a moose?  

I have seen plenty.  It’s always so fun to watch someone see their first moose in person.  I remember being one of those people when I was eight years old.  It was cool.  Moose are rather ugly creatures in the spring when they are molting, and that’s when we saw it.  To be perfectly honest, I didn’t even know what a moose was.  I had never seen one on television. (When I was a kid we still had rabbit ears and the TV screen was about ten inches, so we didn’t watch a lot of it back then.)  I still remember my first sight of the moose. 

  My dad was driving and I was complaining that I was never the first to spot anything.  And then I saw it.  The long huge face with its ugly nose, and with long green stringy things hanging from its mouth.  I think my tears dried instantly and I said, “If it has a big, long, ugly face, I think I just saw one.”  My dad turned around and there it was.  Our first moose spotting and I, of the whole family of eight, was the first to spot the uninteresting, haggard, mangy looking creature.  We all stared at it for a while and then drove up the road to a place called Moose Alley in Pittsburg, NH.  Dad bought us ice cream cones from Moose Alley Cones, where the portions were huge and still are to this day.  My sister and I go up there in the summer just to get ice cream.  We don’t look for moose anymore.

Moose are annoying, clumsy looking creatures.  I say clumsy looking, but in actuality they are very coordinated.  They are gated and for being large, oaf-like characters they can clear a five foot fence as gracefully as a deer.  But in my opinion they are dumb. 

  I’ve seen them clear that five foot fence like they were stepping over a pencil, but then I’ve seen them walk through a three-stranded barbwire fence and take out three or four fence posts in the process, not blinking and eye or losing stride as they kept on walking.  Why on earth would you walk through a barbwire fence if you could just as easily jump over it?  Alien, perhaps?

Another example of moose stupidity (yes, the plural of moose is moose, not meese, as people thing it so clever to say): A moose came sauntering through our backyard and the little Chihuahua we had living with us at the time caught wind of him and started to chase him.  This thousand pound critter was scared of something weighing less than eight pounds?  Yet when they see a car, weighing in at more than twice their weight, they stand still and stare it down.

You know people refer to a deer caught in the headlights?  I don’t feel as though that is very accurate.  Most of the deer I have encountered while driving at night only stare at you for half a moment, and then they beat feet.  They get out of there.  Not always in the most concise manner, and sometimes they get hit, but you have to give them snaps for trying.  Whereas most of the moose I’ve encountered while driving, whether it’s day or night, will stare at you for about ten moments and then turn their head as though they are putting their finger to their chin to think, “Hmmm… there appears to be something approaching rapidly.  Is it bigger than me?  Should I stand here and think some more?  Should I step out of the way?  Wait, let’s look again.  What color is the vehicle?”  And at this point, he may do you a favor and meander out of the road, or he might turn and lead you up the road at a slow gated trot for a hundred yards or more before he decides that this isn’t a fun game anymore and gets off the roadway. 

  I remember encountering a rather daft moose one night as we were coming home from hockey practice in the backwoods of Vermont.  My brother was driving the fifteen passenger van and there was a large, bull moose perpendicular in the road.  At least, I think he was a bull.  He didn’t have any antlers because it was that time of year, but his head was at the height of our windshield and those old Dodge Ram vans weren’t small.  (It could have been a cow, as I didn’t think to check between the legs in the excitement of the moment. But cows are generally smaller.  This blighter was huge.)  So my brother hit the brakes and he couldn’t turn as the road was very slick and another car was coming at us in the opposing lane.  This moose stood talk still on the shoulder of the road, with his head hanging in our lane and only at the last minute did he ever-so-slowly turn to look at us.  At which point we drove right by, holding our breath and waiting for impact.  Had he not turned his head, it would have probably killed the person in the passenger seat because his head was massive and would have smashed through the windshield.  As it was, the mirror missed the side of his head by mere centimeters.  I looked behind us as we continued driving, and the moose was still standing there and didn’t even bother to look at this massive “beast” that just whiffed his eyeball.  Not the most brilliant of beings.  Could they indeed be from another planet that doesn’t have the same laws of physics?

I can’t tell you how many moose I’ve seen while driving that will leave their safety on the side of the road in a moose muck and run across the road to the other side.  Moose make no sense.  The joke goes, “Why did the moose cross the road?  I have no idea.” 

But it’s so much fun to watch a first-timer see a moose.  I once drove Lee Wilkof (look him up on IMDB) up to Moose Alley.  We didn’t see anything so we kept on driving.  It was the middle of the day.  We drove to the Canadian border, and on our way back we saw a cow with a two week old calf.  Lee was thrilled that he got a two-for-one deal. 

  It was fun watching his New York City excitement as he took a picture.  Seeing another cow and calf is something I could take or leave.  Baby moose are probably my favorite thing though, as far as moose go.  They are so ugly they are cute. 

  I’m not talking about fresh baby moose with all the gunk that needs to be licked off, but after that’s gone, I love the fuzzy innocence of a baby moose.

One day my dad came running into the house saying, “Grab your camera and hurry!”  He didn’t tell us why, but he was excited so I followed him out back into the woods.  He led us to twin calve moose that still had gunk on them. 

Their mother must have run off as we approached.  They couldn’t even stand yet.  So my dad, my mum and I got to witness their first few minutes in this world as they learned what it was all about.

We took a couple of pictures and watched as they learned to stand, and as they tried to walk and fell over.  We figured it was time to leave when they started staggering toward us looking for something to eat… and I wasn’t about to lick them clean.

We went back a little while later and the calves and the placenta were gone, so the cow had come back and cleaned up and took them home.  It was a pretty incredible experience, but as you can see from the pictures there are some alien-like similarities.

So I pose the question: was this an act of nature? Or did the mother ship drop them off and we got to witness the moments after entry to this atmosphere?  You decide.

International Holocaust Remembrance Day

Did you know that today is International Holocaust Remembrance Day? I didn't until 5 days ago. On January 27, 1945 the Soviet troops liberated those still alive at Auschwitz concentration camp and today, January 27, has become an international day to take a few moments and remember those who were barbarically treated and killed. It kind of puts things into perspective doesn't it? Here we are complaining that we didn't get that sweater for Christmas that we hinted about for weeks and not so very long ago people were being stripped naked and made to march in the snow because someone thought that they should be exterminated. We complain that we work too hard and don't get paid enough and the holocaust victims worked themselves to death so they wouldn't be shot to death. I should never again complain about how much I get paid an hour. We whine that someone made something for dinner that we didn't like (I myself have been guilty of this) yet the targeted people of the 1940's often died because they didn't have anything to eat at all. How sad and tragic the times of yesteryear and how blessed and privileged we are today.




I was going to post some pictures here but most of the ones I saw were so horrific they took my breath away and the ones that weren't horrific just didn't convey the message properly. So when you are done here go google some. It blows my mind how people could do such things to another human being.




May I now draw your attention to a present day holocaust. In countries like Sudan whole armies have been created to exterminate a people group called Christians. Church doors are barricaded and the buildings are set on fire and if anyone does escape they are shot and killed. I can't even write most of the things that I've heard happen there. They aren't dissimilar to the horrors and tragedies of the things that happened at Auschwits and other places like it.


Let me get a little closer to home now. There is a whole group of people being killed in our own nation. They are usually referred to as fetuses.  Interesting fact: the reason such atrocities were allowed to take place back in the 1940's is because the Jewish people were "de-humanized" in the eyes of their countrymen and the like. Therefore killing them wasn't any worse than slaughtering a herd of cows or sheep. If you look closely at the abortion campaign they are doing the same thing to babies calling them fetuses and they aren't telling the whole story. A baby starts to take on human traits very early in its development but usually they are just referred to as a bunch of unwanted cells.


Not that I want to be seen as getting on my soap box here or to be all political and controversial. It is, however, International Holocaust Remembrance Day and I would be remiss if I didn't bring it full circle and just point to the past and act as if we only have unicorns and rainbows in our present day. There are monstrous brutalities taking place every day in our world. Some foreign, some domestic.  So let us take a moment to remember those who have had their lives tortured from them due to no fault of their own. Also let us take a moment to pray for those living under genocidal dictatorship and also for those lives who have yet to see their first day on this earth.
Also may we thank God for his grace and mercy for the injustices we commit daily whether knowingly or unknowingly.

Inspiration Part II: what inspires me

Following my last blog entry someone suggested that I elaborate on what inspires me. I don't want this blog to be self centered (but it is my blog so who else would it be about?) but in the third part of the definition I said that people's own opinions and thoughts could be inspiring to another so I have to take my own advice and share thoughts on my personal inspiration.

I am including many photos and a video (which cannot be heard, my sincerest apologies. It was a beautiful sound so use your imaginations) so it wont be all that boring. Without further ado lets jump into the world of me.

It is now winter. Anytime past Halloween can be considered winter where I live. We've had some snow recently but this morning I was greeted by rain. 

I really despise rain in the winter. All it does is turn the once beautiful snow into ice. I really don't care for ice unless there are ice skates and hockey sticks involved. But as I took a photo with my phone to Snapchat my sister the "useless rain" I looked at the picture it took through the raindrops and smiled at how interesting it looked. I had to stop for a second and admire the beauty of the moment. I looked for more windows that had raindrops on them to see what else it would look like. Not earth shattering inspiration but I think inspiration is part of a lifestyle and mindset. If you aren't open for the possibility of useless things being beautiful you may miss a lot of joy in life.

Moving on.

Then as I walked out the door to head to the car in the rain I was met by the sound of wind chimes. I  had to embrace a few rain drops to take a moment to enjoy its allurement.

I love this sound. I've spent many a summer night with my window open listening to the wind and the chimes and sometimes the rain. This particular sound with the rain on the tin roof in the background makes me think of two people sitting on a porch out of the rain at possibly a lake house sipping big steaming mugs of coffee and visiting. This inspires me to write a store in which the a fore mentioned scene comes to life. I haven't started working on that yet as I'm writing this today.

This also inspires me because it was given to me by an artist who encouraged me to start sketching. I think it is beautiful and when I look at it I am reminded of Lisa Mistiuk. What an inspiring, bright, wonderful artist. Not only is she an amazing artist she is down to earth and all too happy to encourage someone else's art.

If you have a moment to muse over her other work it is definitely worth your time.
http://lisamistiukart.com/




I also love this piece. It evokes different feelings but still those of inspiration. I think this speaks to me more because of my journey and not just because it is a beautiful piece of art.

I bought this is Wales but because it is a picture of the Tower Bridge in London, where I have also spent some time, [and it has sail boats, I absolutely adore sail boats] it reminds me of my journey through Europe and the UK (the time when this blog actually started).

This is the same picture but when I was photographing it with my phone I found that the light over head looked like a sun, or a moon and added a different look and I liked it.

This has nothing to do with the title of this blog entry. It scared me when I came out the door because at first glance I thought it was a pile of giant worms. I really don't like worms. And then after I caught my breath I realized it was just a rusty old chain. Then I laughed at myself and thought I'd share it.

So in conclusion I think inspiration can be found in many places.
Now the things that I have shared that inspired me today may not do it for you. And trust me there are many more things in my life that I find inspiring. I could go on here for days and days sharing all the things that move me. But I hope this blog entry has inspired you to maybe look at things a bit differently from time to time. And if you don't know what inspires you or you have a hard time feeling inspired give yourself a chance to explore who you are and what makes you tick.

Inspiration!

Inspiration! I think it is essential for life. Not merely in a physical sense but also in a spiritual and emotional sense. I think we are beings created for inspiration. I don't know about you but I feel truly alive when I'm being inspired. 

Inspiration, as defined by Merriam Webster, is: the act of drawing in; specifically: the drawing of air into the lungs. This of course means that if you don't have inspiration, you aren't breathing and therefore will die. Hence, inspiration is essential to your very existence.

This, however, isn't even the first definition of the word; it is listed as number two. Coincidence? I don't think so. The first definition listed contains three parts.

a :  a divine influence or action on a person believed to qualify him or her to receive and communicate sacred revelation

b :  the action or power of moving the intellect or emotions

c :  the act of influencing or suggesting opinions 

When I first read part "a" I think I read it six times and just ruminated on it. Divine influence, and sacred revelation. If those words grouped together don't move you, that's okay. But they get to me. They speak to a place deep inside me that I'm not even sure I knew was there. I believe the fact that "a divine influence" is the first thing you read under the definition is because we were created to live inspired.

Part "b" of the definition speaks to the ability to share and communicate the "sacred revelation" with others. It is a power. You can move the intellect or emotions of others. Think back to a time you were moved either by a concept shared by another or by something you saw or felt created by another human being. The architecture of a building.  A beautifully crafted photo or painting.  A well-made film.  A different culture.  A piece of music.  A fabric with a different texture.  A poem or a story that moved a part of you or awakened a longing in you. For some of us, recalling this emotion will be easy as we are more emotionally wired and feel connections easily. For others this may be more difficult but I bet if you sift through the recesses of your mind you will recall a moment when you felt truly alive and dared to dream, even if it was only for a moment. If you've never had one of these moments, contact me and I'll take you on a roller coaster or we'll go to an art gallery or the philharmonic or hike to the top of a mountain.

I think part "c" really breaks it down into the every day. Suggesting an opinion could be a point of inspiration to someone. This isn't license to just start telling everyone "how it is" or "how you 'think' it is.”  This means that connecting with someone and sharing your view of life or events could speak to them. And why not? After all, you were created for a divine influence. It doesn't always have to be a booming voice from the heavens or an angel delivering a scroll to be something that is divinely inspiring.

For each person, finding the thing that makes you tick, that inspires you, will be different. But I want to encourage you to find something that inspires you. Even if it’s something small in everyday life like the leaves on the trees, a cup of coffee or the snow falling, and spend some time feeling inspired. If on a regular basis, you take a few moments to dwell on that inspiration you feel, when you believe anything is possible, it might just change your outlook and ultimately your course in life.

Starbucks, Snowbanks and The Sink

I love how God teaches lessons. For me they usually come when I least expect them and oft times I find them rather comical. With each lesson I am determined to learn what I am meant to from that experience and take that growth into the next experience and build on it. I believe that our Heavenly Father does things for us to learn from just about every day. But we often times don't pay attention or put a pin in our timeline and come back to that situation where God was faithful and got us out of a tight spot or showered us with the visible love we needed at that moment. Also I'm chief among sinners when it comes to explaining away an event that happened as "well that person would have been coming by anyway," or "it might not have actually been my prayers that God answered..." But in my old age I'm learning that God is ever present in my life because I have invited Him to do so and He really does have my best interest at heart and He is always faithful. I could go on for hours about this subject because I at the ripe old age of 30 I have seen enough and experienced enough to know that God is always faithful. But allow me to share three instances where God did what He does in my life and these events I have put a pin in and come back to them when I'm having a bad day and don't feel like He's there.

Starbucks

Those of you who know me know that Starbucks is my place of choice to purchase coffee. I have passed my love of the coffee chain on to several members of my family including my 6 year old nephew and my 4 year old niece. They are not allowed to consume coffee but still enjoy the atmostphere, or perhaps its the treat they get to pick out and their totally amazing aunt purchases for them. Whatever the reason I'm happy to have tiny Starbucks Buddies.

One day in the recent past I was taking both my niece and nephew to their grandma's house and promised them that if they hurried to get ready they would be rewarded with a stop at Starbucks on the way to Grandma's House. As we drove through town and headed towards the highway my nephew informed me that this was not the way to Starbucks. It's a pain that he has such a good sense of direction. I explained to him that we were not going to the Starbucks he was familiar with and that I knew where a different one was and we would indeed make a Starbucks stop. After a few minutes he started telling me again that we were not going the right way. And an hour later we were still hearing from the peanut gallery and he was adamant that we needed to turn around and go back to get to Starbucks. I was laughing to myself "as much as I love Starbucks (and trust me, I like it a lot) I would sooner skip getting coffee than turn around 1 hour into a 4 hour drive to go back for coffee. That's just silly. My nephew was still concerned that he knew more than I did and I was not listening. After an hour and a half I asked him "do you trust me?" he replied to the affirmative. I asked him if I had ever promised to take him to Starbucks and didn't. He thought and replied, "no." Then I asked him if he knew that I loved him and he replied with a yes. Then I told him that I knew a little bit more than he did and he needed to trust me and just enjoy the ride to Grandma's house. My interrogation produced about 15 minutes of silence from the lad and then he emphatically tried to impress upon me the need to turn around and go back to Starbucks. A few minutes later we pulled into our one of our beloved coffee shops almost 2 hours into our trip and I heard this gasp from the back seat "Oh, Aunt Bekah, this is my favorite Starbucks! Thank you!" I felt God smile and He asked me "do I love you? Do you trust me? Like you know the road to Grandma's house I've seen the road of your life and I know what's up ahead. I've been there already." I laughed and told God, yes I get the point. I thought how silly I must look from the back seat whining "God can we stay here? I'm comfortable here! Daddy, do we have to keep going? I'm tired. Abba, I don't want to be here, there aren't any husbands here. You promised me a husband." As silly as a 6 year old's reasoning was that we should turn around 2 hours into our drive to go back to a familiar place my pleadings and whining to God must look as childish when He knows the road. He built it for crying out loud.

So when I start to get anxious about my future and it seems like I'm waiting longer than I want to for the promised Starbucks, I remember this lesson with my nephew and try to enjoy the ride because it will probably turn out to be my favorite Starbucks.

Snowbank

Another pinned moment for me came 20 minutes before a night shift for the ambulance. I pride myself on being a good driver but this particular stormy winter night I was tired from being over worked and just wanted to get to work so I could set up my bed and get some rest. I had just passed the plow truck because he was being to slow for my liking and took a rather excessive curve a bit too fast for the conditions, something I don't normally do. My car's rear end started to fishtail and using my expert driving skills I thought I had just pulled my car out of a James Bond type situation when my front end decided that it would be happier cooling off in the snowbank. I was stuck. I just in the bank just enough that I couldn't back out. I sat in my car, feeling the stress of being late to work, over tired and having no way out of this predicament I was moments away from a sob-fest 2014. Just before the tears and despair set in I said "nope, I'm not giving up. God has always been faithful, so God, how are you going to get me out of this one?" I crossed my arms and started to think. I could start walking but the nearest place to get a phone was the town I was heading to for work and that was still a good ten miles out. There is no cell service where I was and the road is rarely traveled, especially in a storm. I can count on two hands the number of cars I have passed on that road all winter. Then, not ten seconds after I prayed/whined, a big 250 pick-up truck came in the opposite lane. He stopped and asked if I needed help. I was quite embarrassed to be in the snowbank but graciously accepted whatever help he could offer. To make a long story shorter after a couple attempts to pull me out and the plow truck catching up to us and laying down a few more layers of salt before continuing on, a couple more people driving by stopped to lend a hand. I was amazed that the amount of people that were there. I ended up getting freed from the "banken" and sent on my way to the station, albeit at a bit slower rate of speed and pulled into work just in time for my shift to start. That night I reflected on my recent experience and instead of saying to myself, "well the nice people going by probably would have been going by at that moment had I not prayed." But I quickly dismissed that thought and instead replaced it with the assurance that God is on my side and He will always come through. Even now when something arises and I don't know how its going to work out I think back to the snowbank and remember when God answered a prayer for a tired, cranky girl who was driving too fast and He did it in 10 seconds.

The Sink

I was staying at a friend's house and when I got up in the morning to make breakfast and do some dishes the first rinse that went down the sink produced a clog. I texted my friend at work informing her of the issue. She said if it was grease hot water might work but that there was drain cleaner in the cupboard. I tried all of it through out the course of the day. When she came home from work it was still clogged. Nothing was going through. By now a half of an inch of water/drain cleaner was standing in the sink. It wasn't even very slowly moving like it had been earlier. We went out that night and come home. No change. The following morning it hadn't moved at all. Out of desperation I said "Holy Spirit, please unclog the sink. We really don't want to call a plumber." Not a minute later I came around the corner to see her standing over a completely unclogged sink. I stood in awe. Then I felt sheepish. Why didn't I ask Holy Spirit yesterday? Now at this point my mind wants to jump to the thought "well, maybe the drain cleaner did its thing over night and just broke free at that moment after sitting all night." But I again pushed that thought aside and put a pin in that moment. It is no coincidence that it finally cleared following my prayer. It was just another moment where God used to show me that He is always there and does care about the little things. So the next time I'm faced with something big I'm going to remember Starbucks, the snowbank and the sink.

...Continued

NOTE: I wrote this blog about a month ago and somehow never posted it. Upon reading it today I decided it was still pertinent.


Since I have been home the adventures have continued. Two weeks ago I was supposed to have a friend over to catch up and have tea. I set my alarm so I could get things ready before she came. Two hours before my alarm went off I was awakened by my father informing me that I needed to get out of bed because the cows had gotten out of the fence and my help was required. I stumbled out of bed, found some old shoes and grabbed a pair of sunglasses because it takes a while for me to see straight in the morning and the bright, early morning sun was not helping. It took a few minutes but I finally ended up seeing straight and eventually, with much ado, we finally got the cows in. It was still an hour before I wanted to get up but I was already awake so I just made some coffee and started my day. As the day progressed my friend Amy showed up and somehow we got roped into helping throw hay bales instead of catching up properly.

Amy was a good sport though and jumped in with both hands and proved to be a worthy farm hand...all with a smile.

The thing about adventures is that they aren't often convenient. Being rudely prodded out of bed far earlier than I wanted to chase cattle on foot isn't something I would ever choose to do on my own but it ended up being an adventure and when told in person always makes for a fun, embellished story.

 

Amy and I finally were able to sneak in a few minutes for tea alfresco.

A friend of mine is a paramedic and we were talking about mellow work days vs. busy work days. I love mellow days because it means no one is getting hurt. But I love busy days, although I never wish for them, because it makes the day go by quicker, I get a chance to keep my skills sharp, I get to meet new people and I am thrown into different and sometimes difficult circumstances that challenge me and help me grow.

As my adventures continue stateside and I'm trying to process the things that I learned abroad, God is allowing current events to reinforce what I'm processing so I truly do learn the lesson.

Last Sunday I felt impressed to invite a friend up to my house for a campfire so we could visit, catch up and play guitars. Next thing I know someone invited another person who invited another person who invited six people....you get the picture. To make a long story short, a bunch of people came that I didn't even invite and they were all blessed by the fellowship. And the people that came were strategically picked by the Holy Spirit. Those that came hadn't seen each other in a really long time. It was evident by the end that it was God ordered and the single invitation turned into a party which was meant for "kingdom" purposes.

God showed me what He will do with a person who is open to His plan. I didn't have any great epiphany about those I should invited to the bonfire or who's spirit God is stirring and who needed to fellowship with whom. I just responded to the prompting to invite one person and God did the rest. Like when I was in Europe I gave the trip over to Him and although I didn't hear the thunderous voice of God telling me where I should be, or even feel the whisper of Holy Spirit leading me where to go, my steps were definitely ordered and as I look back I was in each place exactly when I was supposed to be there. And it all just happened. Circumstances pretty much directed where I went but it is evident now that God controlled each step even if I wasn't aware at the time.