Good Friday

Disclaimer : I am totally copying off of our friend Jodi's blog today, but she posted the lyrics of a Michael W. Smith song and I was so touched by reading them that I decided to post them as well.  So for those of you that happen to read both of our blogs, well lucky you, you get to have the words speak to you twice! :)

I have been unfaithful
I have been unworthy
I have been unrighteous
And I have been unmerciful

I have been unreachable
I have been unteachable
I have been unwilling
And I've been undesirable

And sometimes I have been unwise
I've been undone by what I'm unsure of
But because of you
And all that you went through
I know that I have never been unloved

I have been unbroken
I have been unmended
I have been uneasy
And I've been unapprochable

I've been unemotional
I've been unexceptional
I've been undecided
And I have been unqualified

Unaware - I have been unfair
I've been unfit for blessings from above
But even I can see
The sacrifice You made for me
To show that I have never been unloved

It's because of you
And all that you went through
I know that I have never been unloved

(Never been Unloved by Michael W. Smith)

Beauty from ashes

A recurring theme this week, so it would seem. From last night's bible study reading (Isaiah 61:3), a Time article on Detroit's "Road to Renewal" (whose title reads more positively than the article, but hey it helped keep me on the elliptical machine tonight for those brutal last 10 min) that quoted the city's motto coined in 1827, translated from Latin as :"We hope for better things; it shall rise from the ashes.", and lastly, Eminem's PSA on Detroit that aired during the NCAA final. Yes, there will and should be many of you that are surprised that I would ever mention Eminem, much less quote him, especially in the same paragraph as scripture, but nonetheless I was touched by it.

So here's to a sense of renewal and rebirth, even as we finish out this week leading to Easter and the commemoration of our Savior rising! May you find hope in it all.

Calling all Trader Joe's lovers

I'd be afraid to count up the monthly dollars that we spend at Trader Joe's www.traderjoes.com , but suffice it to say that we keep a running list of items we want from there on our fridge.  But they do stock some wacky things (not to mention getting rid of some things that we loved!), which is why this video/mock commercial that some random guy placed on YouTube was just so darn funny!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OdB7GDZY3Pk

Just had to share this, it was too cute/hilarious!  Thanks to Damon for sending it to us.

Compassion

What does it mean to have it, give it, live it?? 
 
Does it mean generously opening up our checkbooks, spending our precious free time volunteering, or talking to a homeless person on the streets of Detroit?  I'm not sure exactly, but I do know that when I see people recognizing our strengths and using them to give back and help others - all with humility and grace - I am duly impressed and make a mental note to do better and strive to do the same.
 
I was just thinking this weekend that I have several examples of what I believe to be compassion, just among some of my rockstar girlfriends! (and these are only a few):

Sarah & Tracy - heading off to South Africa on Friday to once again be a a part of a medical mission trip to eSikhawini www.livefromsouthafrica.blogspot.com .  For months they have doggedly raised funds, collected and packed meds to spend two weeks providing hope & healing to those in dire need.  Safe travels and God speed, friends!

Alli - easily one of the most steadiest and trustworthy people I know, this lady is an organizational whiz!  She keeps our compassion committee at church right on track, and her servant heart is one that I've always admired.
 
Kate - a woman of faith and action, along with her heart for others - she's a triple threat!  Now overseeing a team of family social workers, in her own work she has peered into some really dark places in people's lives, and is always determined to help them recognize the good that she is convinced lies in us all, gosh darn it!
 
Jenny - her road to obedience of her heart's desire and God's calling was truly one to behold last year.  She fulfilled a longstanding dream to serve on Mercy Ships, and spent 3 months providing her best nursely duties to the people of Liberia.  What's next for her?  Who knows, I just hope she keeps us along for the ride!

I feel priviliged to witness these extraordinary journeys of compassion.  Maybe it's just the company I keep, and if so, keep it coming! :)

The anti-compliment

Apparently not everyone shares my efforts toward being more positive (see last post).
 
Yesterday I was walking out of an upscale grocery store towards my car, which was in very the first spot so I didn't have very far to go.  I was just holding my bag, not on the phone, minding my own business and my car beeped signaling the unlock mode from my remote.  A guy in his 40s was walking past me and says loudly, "look at your foreign car, I should jump up and down on the hood of that piece of s--t!".  Now while I'm sure some of you might agree with his sentiment, I am (fairly) certain that no friend of mine would condone his approach and disrespect.  And because I hold some pretty strong opinions myself, I walked around behind my car to tell the guy to say his statements to my face or keep them to himself, but he'd cowardly jumped into his car with his cackling cohort and drove off.  Certainly not necessary to explain to that guy or anyone else why we've recently decided to sell my car (which I love, by the way) and get a new one that he'd likely approve of. And since I didn't think it'd be good for my rep to be on the evening news whacking away at a beat-up truck with my oversized purse, I got into my "foreign car" (if anyone can offer up a reasonable definition of what that really means in a global economy).
 
Sometimes the actions of my fellow man can surely disappoint... 

It's complimentary, folks!

I was thinking about compliments this past weekend, mostly because my husbands gives them to me often (I know, I'm such a lucky gal, he even still buys me flowers often! :).  Also I heard some story on NPR on my drive home Friday evening that featured two guys in college at Purdue who stand outside for two hours every Wednesday afternoon shouting compliments at fellow students and passersby.  Now that may be a bit extreme, but its a nice sentiment and it got me thinking that I don't give them out enough.  I even sometimes squirm slightly when people give them to me, even though of course I'm secretly pleased.   But that's the point, right?  That you pass along some positive energy to your loved one/friend/colleague, or even a perfect stranger.  Who knows, you just might make someone's bad day a bit better.
 
So here's a happy Monday to all of the beautiful people in my life, especially my hunky husband! :)

A different kind of March madness

Boy, have things been busy.  Transition in the workplace etc, and now it is time to dust everything off and get rejuvenated for spring.  Truth be told, I've felt a bit like my life has been on autopilot for a couple months now, and I've often said that I start to unravel around the edges come late winter.  I'm tired of reading the tips in the magazines about how to put the "zing in the spring" of your life/job/workout/relationship, and ready to get out and do it!  I'm sure I'm not alone in feeling that way, so feel free to share what kind of things you do to get yourself out of a rut.
 
I can't wait for the weather to truly break for spring, we went for a walk Monday after work, and I went out again on Tuesday for a nice bike break while the Barton was out with the boys.  By the way, ladies, I started to spring clean by weeding through (one of) my overstuffed closets and the first thing I did was thin out the purse collection, so there's some for the taking before they are donated...
 
So here's to spring (officially starts tomorrow - Mar 20)!
 
"A little madness in the spring
Is wholesome even for the king,
But God be with the clown —
Who ponders this tremendous scene —
This whole experiment of green —
As if it were his own!" ~ Emily Dickinson