My Big Sister's Turning 27!

Today is my "twin" sister Mollie's birthday. For years we've been mistaken for twins, which used to drive us both nuts! Now, though, I can honestly say that I'm proud to resemble my big sis in any way! I love you, Mols! Happy birthday!!!

A Quote to Ponder

I'm at work right now. It's been a busy day and the time has gone quickly, which is always nice. Sometimes, I feel stuck in the "everyday-ness" of life. Get up, eat, go to work, come home, eat, go to bed. I was just listening to the new Switchfoot CD and a line from one of the songs encouraged me: "The shadow proves the sunshine." Somehow, in the midst of the mundane - the "shadows" - the sun is there, faithfully rising every morning. I'm not quite sure yet what this means for my life, but I know that God is good and He's always there.

Here's Hoping that Someday....

I saw a friend last night that I haven't seen in a while - a dear friend who has always ever been a brother to me. At one time, I hoped he could be more. I see in him so many of the virtues that I desire in the man I marry. I've gradually attempted to talk myself out of this dream, though, because I know that God's calling for him is very different than His calling for me. (At least I think it is. It's so hard to know anything for sure in this period of uncertainty.) I don't want to come between him and the path God is leading him down.

Sometimes I wonder, though.... Could love be enough? Could I be content to spend the rest of my life in a far-off country as long as my husband was by my side? I know that, ultimately, I want to be a wife and mother. Could I be just as happy being a wife and mother in Washington as I could in Timbuktu? Could I be satisfied living in an African hut, say, and eating rice three times a day and being able to talk with my family only when the phone lines are up and running? Could I leave everyone and everything I know and hold dear just to be with the man I love?

Someday I imagine that I will look back on all these questions and dreams and laugh. I'm confident that God's plans for me are far greater than the ones I have for myself. But right now, when my calling seems so uncertain, it's difficult to trust that God knows what He's doing.

When I was a kid, my grandparents lived on a farm and my sister and I (and cousins, on occasion) experienced many adventures there. This is a picture of the big, red barn - a little worse for wear but still an image of comfort - where my sister and I spent many hours with Grandpa holding squealing piglets, searching for kittens, and swinging like Tarzan up in the hay mow. Soon, the property will be torn down and turned into a cornfield or pastureland for hungry sheep or Holstein cows. The thought of so many happy memories being reduced to piles of rubble and hauled away is almost unbearable. I am so grateful, though, that the love I knew then and the happy times we all shared will be forever tucked away in my heart where they can never be torn down.

A Happier Happy Birthday

It's my birthday today. Twenty-three years ago in the wee hours of the morning, I was born. Usually my birthday is one of the highlights of my year. I love birthdays! Today, however, hasn't been exactly peachy. I had a work-related meeting in which I "went to bat" for some of my coworkers who are getting kind of a raw deal. My concern was pretty much laughed off and I came away feeling frustrated and on the verge of tears! Yup...happy birthday to me. At least I get to go out with friends tonight to a great Irish pub. Maybe today's a good day to try some Guiness....