.pause.

These past few months seem to have flown by so quickly...and have been packed so full!

In the midst of it, I've paused to enjoy some beautiful sunsets, gorgeous waterfalls, the crunch of crisp autumn leaves. The colours of fall never cease to fill my heart with joy at the glory of God.

I was reading Ann Voskamp's blog (again) today, and so appreciated what she had to say about leaves and the love of God.

I am blessed by gifts every day, and I want to capture their beauty, even just for a moment, to remember: a freshly baked cookie, an orange pumpkin, a smile and a prayer with someone who is hurting, a beautiful melody dancing with its harmonic equal, a blazing fire making a cold day cozy, warm lips pressed against mine, knitted mittens on a crisp autumn morning...
I breathe in the presence of God and exhale gratitude.

.a life well lived.

This has been a full month.
Work is back up and running full swing - including 3 3-day retreats at Camp Crossroads. They were fantastic, yet exhausting, but totally worth it.
Just before retreats began, my grandmother passed away. It was good to celebrate her very full life. She was a remarkable woman.

I love this shot of my grandparents on their wedding day

So stylin'! I love grandma's hat!

I know that at funerals people always speak of all the accomplishments and impact of the person whose life you're celebrating, but wow did my grandma ever set the bar high! I hope that when my time comes people will be able to speak of how my life was lived for the glory of God and celebrate the ways in which he worked through me. I want to live life to the full, not for myself, but for him.

.trust.

Summer has flown by. It's been a good season, but also pock-marked with some sadness. What keeps coming to my mind is God's goodness in it all. What other choice is there, but to trust in Him? He has shown himself to be Good time and time again, and we can trust that he will continue to be Good and Faithful and Healer and Freedom and Peace and Life and Joy. And what a joy it truly is to watch him at work in my life, and in many lives around me.

.mosquitos.

If people were like mosquitos, I'd be super popular and never left alone. Can't mosquitos appreciate that the feeling isn't mutual?

.loneliness.

Often I feel alone.
I know this is a lie, but sometimes it's hard to shake that feeling. And loneliness is such a miserable feeling.
God keeps reminding me that I'm not alone, even when I'm physically alone. It's a pretty beautiful thing. And if people walking past me see me laughing and think I'm crazy, so be it.
Oh, how I need these reminders. And how blessed I am to be the recipient of love from a God who cares.

.I am from.

I am from kilts and haggis and from the true north.

I am from parks and bridges, from beaches, lakes and rivers.

I am from weeping willows, swing sets, teeter-totters, and a whistle calling me home for dinner.

I am from summer days of swimming, from riding bicycles, from scraped knees, and from sunburns.

I am from books and flashlights under covers, from secret knocks on bedroom walls, and slaying monsters under the bed.

I am from rolling down hills, from stepping stones across the river, from climbing the crab-apple tree and hiding in her branches, and from hide-the-penny at grandma and grandpa's.

I am from knowing by heart, from hands on hips expounding proverbs, from roller skates on kitchen floors.

I am from suitcases of books on vacation, from Adventures in Odyssey, and from "are we there yet?"

I am from asking and learning, from practicing piano and braiding hair.

I am from the smell of freshly baked bread and cinnamon buns, from peanut butter cookies and rice krispie squares.

I am from tobogganing, skating, and cross-country skiing, from frozen toes, hot chocolate and gingerbread houses.

I am from "think before you speak" and "be kind to one another."

I am from family games nights, from popcorn, from devouring books, from shared memories both fictional and real, and from laughter.

I am from exploring and traveling, from new tastes and smells and sights.

I am from making new friends and savouring the old.

I am from dreaming, from delight and hope, from faith and peace.

.briefs thoughts on community.

This isn't a new topic of thought for me by any stretch...in fact, I wonder if people are sick of me talking about it.
Truthfully, I'm getting sick of talking about it. I want to live it.
What could it look like to live in community, here in St. Catharines, in 2013?
How can we be intentionally invested in each others' lives?
I think loneliness is an epidemic, and that even people who are constantly surrounded by others still feel alone.
How do we combat this? By living in authentic, vulnerable, risky, intimate relationships with each other.
I know that we are created in the image of a relational, communal God, and that as such we must live in communal relationships to be fully ourselves.
So why is it so difficult? (especially when it's something that I believe everyone craves as a core need.)