Lesson(s) Learned

A Handful of Things I Learned Whilst I Was Sick 1. You can easily drop eight to ten pounds in two days with a steady diet of gatorade, a carrot stick, and what-seemed-to-be-the-stomach-flu. 2. It doesn't matter if the air is on or off, the heat is on or off, the sheets are on or off… you're bound to wake up blazing hot. or freezing cold. or sometimes, half and half. at the same time. 3. If you google the symptoms for "stomach flu" and "food poisoning," they come out exactly the same. In the end, it doesn't really matter what labeling you have. You'll feel like death the entire time anyway. 4. The things you think about when you are sick are what matters the most to you. Seriously. 5. You can never pay your roommate enough for the loot of  lemon-lime Gatorade she brings home for you. It's a life saver. (which reminds me, Katie, how much do I owe you?!?!) 6. Make-up is not a daily necessity. It's a first-world problem. I started to apprec...

Tonight as I was randomly baking cupcakes in my kitchen, God placed this verse in my mind and wouldn't let it get out of my head. (I didn't know the reference… so I googled it…) Proverbs 27:6 - "Faithful are the wounds of a friend, but the kisses of an enemy are deceitful." This thought led me on to think several things, actually. One, I thought… do I have friendships that run so deep and friends that care so much for me that they will reach out and short-term wound me in order to long-term better me?? Though I only have one story to validate this is true, I would like to believe so about all of my close friendships. The hardest truths are oftentimes delivered by those that love us the most. Or at least they should be.  Two, I thought… am I the kind of friend that this proverb calls for? The kind that would be willing to wound a friend by speaking truth into his/her life out of the love stored up in my heart for them. [No. matter. what. the. consequences.] Because...

"What did you do at school today?" Not only do I love that a majority of my students get asked that question on a rotating, regular basis from their parents.  I love the natural responses kids give to their parents. After teachers (much like my myself) have poured their blood, sweat, and tears into creative lesson plans, what message do children carry home with them? Typically, one of two major reposes: "Oh, nothing." -or- "The same stuff we always do." While it's somewhat humorous, it's also kind of sad at the same time. Humorous, because kids just make me smile. And sad, because sometimes they're not equipped to see the long-term effects of daily lessons or practices. They just see the here-and-now. Which reminds me…. I oh-so-oftentimes am taught spiritual truths not only by the Holy Spirit, but through the children God's placed in my life. And of course, I find that these two responses children give are very, very, very similar...

Safe. Sometimes, I like to keyword search songs in my iTunes collection. Today, I decided to do so with the word "safe." When I keyword-searched this, I came up with two surprisingly different songs… The first was Safe and Sound (from the Hunger Games) by Taylor Swift and the Civil Wars, and the second was Safe by Phil Whickham. If you haven't heard either, I highly recommend both. (Also, I recommend reading all of the Hunger Game series…. interesting reads, for sure.) Though they're completely different artists and genres, I found it interesting that they both speak to the effect of running into someone else's arms in order to be safe. To trust someone or something other than oneself. There's no doubt that there's safety in numbers. and comfort in dependence. And, might I add, there should be discretion in the choosing of such. I just wonder...what/who are you banking on this year to make you feel safe?