stilling.

settle.  settle. settle.

before one day was You knew them all to be.

great is Your faithfulness.  great is your faithfulness.  morning by morning new mercies i see.  all that i cling to i lay at your feet.  great is your faithfulness, new mercies i see.

today is new.  yesterday was, you were there.  today is, you are here.  now, You. Are. Here.  help me be here with you, and not making up for yesterday where your grace has covered.

peace.  pause.

enough.  sufficient is your grace.

thank You.  forgiven.  graced.  loved.

still.

Abigail

Meet my little cousin Abigail.  Creative, energetic, hilarious, a "tell-it-like-it-is" girl, love filled to the rim, and a sporty spice (yet equally both).  She like the rest of my gal cousins, is absolutely stunning!

Abigail is 8.  A couple of years ago she had a class assignment that required her to write a letter to someone far, far away.  I was her choice recipient in Colorado.  Since moving closer, it's been amazing the way that she just wants to hang out with me.  I have come to terms that it is okay I don't understand everything.  Pure love, yep, that's just beyond me.

What do you do with that?  Really?  I went to watch her play softball today, which sometimes doesn't feel like a lot, but I hope she knows she's great.

But in all of my efforts of trying to love well, live well, and do well, sometimes I wonder if a know how to be loved well, enjoy life well, and be served well.

I am thankful that Abi's unknowing persistence is teaching me to the art of receiving, because...

...we love because He first loved us...

...any ways. (1John 4:19)

Oh, I forgot to mention that Abigail has also handed me down clothes.  I didn't stutter.

Frizz ball to beautiful.

Sometimes, especially here in NC, I wake up with a little frizz ball on my head.  This morning absolutely.  Instead of considering my mane an obstacle to tackle like normal, I thought of a much better idea.

I want one of these!!

It's worth some pondering.

Other references include, but are not limited to:

Macy Gray, Lauryn Hill, Jada Pickett Smith, Willow Smith (with braid alternatives), and Beyonce.

Friends

Friends are amazing.  Sheer gifts.

I began dating a gentleman less than one month after coming to NC.  Three months later we were engaged, and a little over two months following his ring was returned.  Lots has happened lightning fast, but that statement was already thought most likely.

Coryn and her husband Brandon were on top of things and bought a ticket for the wedding well in advance.  Consequently they still had to come and see me even though the only white I wore this past weekend were in the form of bikini strap remains!

The two are both so funny; just best friends doing life together, and it's hilarious.  Laughing so much has done my heart, soul, and mind a wonder and restored me in ways I could not heal alone.

Thankful.

Awake

This is the most beautiful morning in North Carolina since I have been here. Cool, a hint of crispy fall, and blue, blue sky. Sometimes if I wake up early enough the quiet can be heard.

I love the quiet. A faint sound of train railing across town. The dropping of walnuts as squirrels trek branches. Oh, and morning melodies of the birds. I am such a sucker for nature.

_____

In seminary we are encouraged to practice writing. We become as we write. Our own voice speaks as time and words are spent. <-- See!

As I adventure into theology and psychology I welcome community. Fortunately there are endless blog-able topics, however I cannot think of them all. Likewise, yours are better, and I am up for the challenge.

Yes, this will include reflection over my time since moving to North Carolina. As a part of learning my voice, I risk seeing how much my voice is really liked. Me, maybe unlike you, really cares about being liked. That can backfire.

Since I have been told that I look like a teenager practically everyday for the past 2 months, here is some 17 year old advise: be confident, your Maker loves you. That changes everything.