Our youth group band was invited to play an hour slot at an upcoming Old Home Day in town... September 16th will be probably the first open-air praise and worship concert in the town... ever? :) It's really exciting. Please keep the teens and the townspeople in prayer!

My family always goes to Old Home Day, too. My brother sang/played his guitar a couple of years. My dad drives his tractor in the parade (my mom used to make a "street float" with the neighborhood kids). My mom has had a photo exhibit - I don't know if she will this year.

Heath and I went to Six Flags on Wednesday (Hannah came with us) and it was so good. He kept saying, "This is such a great day." :) Well, except while we were standing in line for Batman for a couple hours. We bonded over screaming our heads off. :) No, actually, I love rollercoasters. I like best watching the track in front - it's like the view in movies of fighter pilots. On the ride home we were listening to jazz and picking out the different instruments; predicting which solo was coming next. Somewhere in Mass we switched seats and I fell asleep while he drove the rest of the way.

Are you convinced?

One driving passion has carried through my life as its path has winded and determined and at times re-directed to where I am today: I care about people. I want to be one who is defined by compassion for others; a person whose life is effective. My name may be forgotten, but I pray those who are in my path will know they were valued, and will in turn value themselves and the people around them.

Until recently, I wasn't sure which avenue I would like to take in pursuit of that ideal, but it has become clear. In January I began a Medical Assistant training program and fell in love with medicine. I want to continue in school beyond this certification and become a nurse. An Army ROTC scholarship would provide four years of education in a nursing program that I would never be able to afford otherwise. That would be invaluable to me! Also invaluable would be the training in leadership and management, and the opportunities to work with diverse populations across the United States and abroad.

I am an adaptor. I thrive in surroundings that challenge me to observe and modify and learn quickly in order to make the situation successful. I am teachable and as willing to follow as to be followed. I apply for this scholarship with excitement! I have the potential to be a high quality member of the Army's medical team, and I would love to have my leadership and clinical skills honed by the best.

I also want to note that I would be honored to care for our soldiers and their families, whether States-side or in Germany, Korea, or on the field. I would consider it a priviledge to be part of their hands-on support, helping them complete their mission. I would gladly accept my career obligation of serving active duty in the Nurse Corps for four years if I receive an Army ROTC scholarship.

Bits n pieces of thoughts at the moment...

• My mom is reading the Word again!!!! Hallelujah! She went to a Catholic Mass this morning and it "just wasn't enough" - it was all readings "straight from the Bible" but "there was no life in it" ... :) ... mmhm. So she went home and read her Bible - for a couple hours! WOW.
  
• My aunt Nancy is looking for churches to try - and my mom said she'll come with her to our church if she'd like to go. (Aunt Nan is my mom's eldest sister. She's my cousin Laura[who just had Maggie]'s mom.)
  
• My brother and I are driving to New Jersey on Friday to go to Six Flags together. :)
  
• My uncle Steven is up visiting from Georgia with his wife Kim (who's expecting their second) - I'm going to ask him if he wants to go have coffee or a drink or something because every time he's come to visit we've had the strangest interaction - or circumstances to be in - and I would really like to just sit one-on-one and get to know each other a little. Last time he was here it was Thanksgiving at my dad's house; they were still living together, but mom was having an affair; we all knew (my dad, brother, and I) but no one else did. The divorce was planned, but kept under "for the holidays." Needless to say, it was uncomfortable and I was not myself.
  
• College applications are gruelling and tedious.
  
• When I have something major to write (major as in, I so want to write my heart as it is, and convey all that is there...) it's extremely laborious getting the words down. (and usually they only end up coming out by waking me up in the middle of the night and writing until complete.) Current workings: a letter to Elisabeth Elliot. Why is saying "thank you" so hard? She lives in Massachusettes. I would love to meet her. I think I've started and crumpled at least six first pages - maybe seven will be the number to rest at. :)
  
• I got a "video letter" in the mail from Julie and James (J and I lived together in the Bronx) "Year two in Review" - pics and footage from their second year of marriage in California. Julie is going through Law School and James is earning his doctorate in Theology... Both also working... yowzas. They're so cute, though. I will write her a letter tomorrow.
  
• I miss my friends far away...
  
• I wonder what God is orchestrating... the possible chartings of the course are many and would each bring an adventure completely different from the others... I wonder which He has chosen - or if He's chosen another altogether that I haven't even glimpsed, yet. I wonder that for my friends' paths, as well... And I wonder if He may intersect our roads again anytime soon...
• My friend Patrick no longer works at the deli - he's moved on to better things :) - and I miss him singing and dancing and making me laugh. He did, however, teach me to make pizza as he made it (the Papa Gino's way) and so perhaps I can at least stay connected through the stretching and saucing of that beautiful dough... :)
• My obsessive compulsive cleaning and organization of the deli seems to be intensifying... But I think it may just be compensating for the crew members that don't care at all... Curtis, thank you again for caring and for staying late to do our job well - God is glorified.
• My mom is going to do her grocery shopping with Beth (Andy's wife) - so Beth won't have to walk 40 mins each way to the store and backpack their groceries! And what a great opportunity for them to get to know each other. Mom wants to have A&B over for dinner with herself and Rich. So cool.

Well, of course I could go on thoughts and more thoughts and possibilities... but goodnight.

Life is such an interesting journey...

Last night at prayer meeting we looked at John 17, Christ's prayer to the Father as He looked ahead to the cross. Facing that death, He prayed, "O, righteous Father... the world does not know You, but I know you..." and He prayed for the church - His disciples and all that would eventually come to Him throughout time; all those named before time in the Book of the Lamb. Jesus knew His Father and so could gladly accept whatever He gave Him. In that knowing was complete trust because He knew the Father's complete love and complete righteousness.

I pray that we would seek to know our Father like that; in knowing, we would only trust more; in trusting, we would gladly accept whatever He has for us.

What Jesus prayed for His church - for us - was that we be sanctified by the truth of God's Word; that we be made holy and unto His likeness - by His Word. I pray that roots in my heart and yours - studying and learning and keeping and treasuring and relying on for my sustenance the living words of the Bible: it was Christ's prayer for me and for you right before He went to the cross. And that in that sanctification we be unified as a Body - relying together on His words for life and joy and glory...for eternity.

I pray that wherever we are lead on this journey, we fully know Him who leads us and submit to His leadership; I pray we seek Him and cleave to Him and be sanctified by the washing of His word. I pray that we pray for each other as Christ prayed for us - that we remember what is most important even as we face trials and mayhap death... that our hearts sing adoration and thanksgiving; that prayer for the Father's will, for His glory, and for the holiness of the church which glorifies Him be on our lips.

In His Son's name, Amen.

Question I thought of a few days ago: How many women are still pro-choice after they've had an abortion?

I got the job at the coffeehouse. :) It's really fun. Start Tuesday.

Tomorrow mom and I are photographing a wedding together. That's really fun, too.

A job in sight...

Tomorrow is the last day of this modular of classes. The following ten weeks will be a hiatus from school to work a second job and save some money before the final modular and an eight-week externship. And THEN I will be finished. I have a "working interview" Friday morning from 9 to noon at the cafe where Kari-Lynn works. It's a neat place: casually hip atmosphere with really good food (breakfast thru dinner), really good chai (I've heard the coffee's good, too), and gelato; open mic nights one Friday per month that are fun - I've been to three. Usually two or three really talented people, five or so that are semi-talented, and one or two that are having fun. But the crowd is always really supportive of everyone regardless of ability.

It will be fun working with Kari-Lynn, too. We crack each other up, both work hard, and both love working with the public. So we'll see. It's a bit far from my house, but it's really close to my brother's job and their house, which would make seeing them more often very possible.

Forever friends

There are some days that hold a specific "missing" for friends faraway. Yesterday I missed Karissa. Acutely.

Karissa is my beautiful sister - the kind of beautiful that makes everyone around her beautiful. The kind of beautiful that frees your spirit, and allows you to be who God made you to be. She and I are kindreds; like-minded, equally devoted to our Lord, both having hearts to love and know deeply... prayer warriors for each other... sisters by the Blood.

I called her last night after work... she is a tour director in Alaska for the season, and we had about five minutes before she had to hang up and help a guest. Just long enough to say "hello" and "I love you," and share snippet updates. :) But that is ok. "Hello and I love you" is always a good thing to hear from so beloved a heart. Just to stay connected. I'll try her again another day for the full catching up that we both miss.

Praise God for brothers and sisters. True kindreds are few and far between, and so precious. Thank You for them, Father.

Thank you, PMC riders!

That show Amazing Race should have one of its clues hidden in an obscure location in Boston, and it must be found BY CAR. It'd be hilarious.

Last night Kari-Lynn, Han, Marge, Eli, and I drove down to meet Wendy after the PMC ride... Kari-Lynn driving her car, Hannah navigating, Eli in the backseat; Marge and I following them in Marge's car (me driving). In a more ideal situation, I would have navigated Kari-Lynn driving and Marge and Hannah followed us. But as it were... As we drove in circles and asked a few people for directions and then ended up following the original directions (which did in fact lead to where we needed to be!) we were having fun on one part... but G-Ma was not having fun, and was getting angrier by the wrong turn. And she was in my passenger seat.

See, I don't mind being lost. We had plenty of time (though it be dwindling) and we discovered lots of new places in Boston that we hadn't known how to get to before, and we got to talk to two or three men working along the street and make them laugh (with us). I kept wanting to joke about it and enjoy the circuitous ride, but I couldn't because my co-driver wasn't amused. At all.
So everytime I made eye contact with Kari-Lynn in her mirrors, I'd start laughing on the inside and biting my lip so it wouldn't burst to the outside and cause infuriation.

The most funniest thingest: We left home at 4:30pm, planning to be an hour and a half early (for Marge's nerves' sake). We arrived in Boston at 5:30pm as planned, but then took the extra hour and a half winding around, getting back on track, and making it to the seaport to park - and right as we got there and parked and ran to the pier, the ferry came in with Wendy on it, and we were right where we needed to be right when we needed to be there! And Kari-Lynn and I just looked at each other laughing and said (with our leis and neon plastic party hats and posters raised):

GOD IS SO GOOD!

Amen. :D There was no need to be worrying.

Such is the case with the job I'm looking for. I feel a bit as though I'm winding around and not knowing where I'm going, and that I should be there by now, but in this as in driving to Boston, the timing is perfect. It just isn't yet.

Then Sings my soul...

Hannie is playing the piano behind me, singing with the beautiful voice God has gifted her with. I am so blessed to be part of this family.

Wendy left this morning for the Pan-Massachusettes Challenge, a 192 mile bike ride raising money for the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. They ride Saturday and Sunday. We'll all drive down to Cape Cod to meet her by ferry at the finish. I love how this family celebrates: Moments are enjoyed and savored, things are not rushed through without being appreciated. It makes for a richness and gratefulness that is so good.

The oppressive heat has subsided, thank goodness. It really was awful. This morning it poured, but that has subsided, as well. Hannah was sick the same time as me - we both spent last night with fevers again. Today, however, I think it's really coming to an end. We have a day to rest. Rain and resting... hmm... sounds like a good day to watch a movie. I think I will see if there are any on tv.

One thing about those bugs - they do make one slow down. And this one here has definitely needed to slow down. :)

All is well. Take care.

I am sick for the first time in a long time. Thankfully, the worst of it passed over the course of last night. A fever set in while I was at school yesterday, and I ended up leaving at lunch time. Throbbing head and chills = not the best concentration. I slept over my mom's house, getting out of the sticky heat of just about everywhere else. And moms are just good at taking care.

Today I'm much better. :) Functioning and back in the classroom. Still feel like I could have spent the day sleeping, but alas...

I hope you are all well on this Thursday.