If you're not from the prairie...

This is a book, Dave Bouchard, talks about our inability to understand the quintessential him because we don't know the prairie.  He describes things like a prairie cold, and if we have never experienced one, we don't know cold, we can't know cold.  His roots and experiences are so deep with the land that without understanding the prairie we do not and cannot understand him.  It is well written, and though I have never been to the prairie, I can identify with the sentiment.  As people, there are things at the very core of us that we cling to and without those experiences truly "knowing" someone is impossible.  This idea resonates because we desire to be known and understood and are utterly aware that even the people who know us best only see the topmost layers of the complexities beneath.  For me, if you have not shared uncontrollable laughter with children you don't know laughter, you can't know laughter.  If you have not broken bread with your dearest friends, you don't know friendship, you can't know friendship.  If you have not sat on a mountain peak in shear awe of creation, you don't know Peace, you can't know Peace.  These snapshots of beautiful life's moments remind me of the great things to KNOW and experience.  I am grateful to have a God who does truly know me, the number of hairs on my head, my inmost thoughts and the paths in which life will take me.  What is at the core of you?

and they lived happily ever after...

To recount the current chick flicks of late: 2 girls have been riding on bicycles and run over by their soon-to-be-soul mates, some have become pregnant then met the man of their dreams, some have been whisked away to undesired locations only to be saved by some knight in shining armour.  Watching one of these romantic movies can leave any girl midst a cloud of dream and fantasy.  To be whisked away is the dream of almost every girl, but the more and more I spend a girls night watching a chick flick the more I desire something greater.  Sitting in yoga today, I got to meditate on this song.  A reminder of a romance that won't disappoint, that creates a greater satisfaction than any I-can't-believe-its-not-butter man will ever give. Don't get me wrong, some day my man will come but he will not be my hope, I am already claimed.  Here it is for you to enjoy.   

The Evolution of Me

I spent the last hour of my life editing a previous blog I had maintained while in Mexico.  It made me chuckle as I read the postings because every fifth word was sweet.  I feel like I must now pay a penance for overuse of the word sweet.  So, if you ever happen to come across that blog, I would like to offer you synonyms to put in place of that word while reading.  Sweet: rad, the bomb, legit, awesome, bodacious, chimba, tight, padre, stellar, over-the-top, super, incredible, indescribable, overwhelming.  To the rulers of thesauruses and members of the Use Interesting Words Society (UIWS), please accept my sincerest apologies.  It makes me laugh to an extent, because I have always been somewhat of an English nerd, and I don't know what kind of chilies I was eating over there to ever allow that many repetitions of a word ever. Along with other evidences in the blog, like old pictures of me and the recounting of events, it was a great reflection of how I have evolved over time.
I am in awe of the "was me" and the "is me."  I know, after officially completing my first race on Saturday, can call myself athletic to some degree, I am a passionate cook, a fluent Spanish speaker, a teacher, and a dabbler in the arts and dancing.  To top it all off, God has taken me to places that I never even imagined.  My body, mind and spirit have been developed more and more to the likeness of Christ, which is a beautiful thing.  It is hard to really see and fully understand until far removed from the situation but today I can attest to the truth that "...we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope." Romans 5:3-4.  All that I can say to that is Ha-le-lu-JAH! I am relieved not to be who I once was despite what it took to get there and I am excited for the struggles to come, knowing the Great Potter is molding me into something beautiful.
So today I'm going to scribble away on life's canvas because I know the Great Artist is gonna evolve my scribbles into something beautiful.

"Only try to realize the truth." "What truth." "That there is no spoon at all."

I would enjoy using this logic for the calories of the dark chocolate cookies I just consumed (there are no calories at all), the trouble of the students who spit into each other's ears today at recess (children always make great choices), or the tiredness I feel from never sleeping (4.5 hours is all the body ever needs anyways).  The truth is: truth is smacking us in the face every day.  As a society, we try to avoid reality with so many coping mechanisms.  I try to be a super human and never sleep but cover it up with energy drinks, coffee, tea and I probably would walk around with an IV full of caffeine if it were convenient and I didn't get a million weird looks everyday for it's presence.  Credit cards in our society allow us to feel limitless. Plastic surgery allows us to mask our imperfections.  We binge and indulge to compensate for our lacking.
It is time we stop "bending the spoon" (bending our reality) to make it comfortable because it doesn't work and it is not how we were created.  There is a gaping hole in our hearts, lives, and souls. There is only one remedy.  The more we bend reality, the less we acknowledge the absence of a God was created to complete us.  The stark reality of our brokenness or fallacies bring us to the one who can make us whole.

"Taste and see that the Lord is good" Psalms 34:8

Leaves turn colors as fall approaches, the sunsets at the beach, a seemingly endless horizon, an aroma that swells from the wok promising a rich meal, mountains rise to their Creator, indulgent chocolate leaves its trace at the corner of your mouth, laughter echoes, sore cheeks from a smile tattooed on your face, sun beats down and the breeze blows through your hair, inner peace beyond reason, unmerited kindness, immeasurable strength, unfathomable grace

Taste and see that the Lord is good.

Life: The Whole Messy Thing

Wake up.
Rinse.
Repeat.
Pray.
Kashi.
Wish for more sleep.
Commute.
Pray.
Good morning class.
Read read read.
Write.
Food.
1+2= more than the number of times I have breathed today.
Sudden realization of God's greatness.  Hallelujah.
Minute by minute planned.
Steps planned carefully.
God's revealing of His schedule, His timing, His plan.
Slow release of control.
He washes over my life.
Grace.
Complete.
Clean. That clorox-clean-and-then-some kinda clean.
Free. That stand-in-a-line-for-hours-for-free-ben-and-jerrys kinda free.
Just learning as they say to "let go and let God."

3,2,1...Blast off into the world of blogging!

And on the 8th day, God created this egocentric mechanism for people to vomit their musings for the world to hear: blogs.  Ok, actually He didn't and most days of my life I find the idea of blogging to be humorous because I think to myself, do people actually want to hear about the pathetic, random or deeply huh? kind of bits of my life?  In the end, I decided that blogging is an interesting outlet and I have enjoyed partaking in the reading of others life ponderings, so it is about time I share a bit with the world as well.

I have blogged before about my travels to Mexico, and while life in Denver is not a great adventure to Mexico, a class full of 21 seven and eight year olds will surely provide some entertainment for the world.  Also, my spiritual quest will provide the occasional musing or moment of awe.  A blog created by me, would also be not complete without the inclusion of some mouth watering recipes created in my kitchen.  So, hope you enjoy this adventure! This is 1 small step for man (and it is a very small step because everyone and their mother-including my own) has a blog, 1 not so giant leap (maybe more an attempt to leap with your feet caked in dried cement) for man kind.