Insignificant Words that Produce Joy

I was walking home from class today, contemplating what makes me happy. I realized that my joys come from more simple things: a word, a touch, a good grade, etc. I mean, lately I have been really drawn to words that start with "W." I'm not sure you understand.

There are many words that bring me joy. Often they are little used words that are insignificant. Lately though, "W" has become my favorite letter, and words that begin with it just make me smile:

Wrinkle

Wonder

Wigglesworth, Michael (a poet)

Wit

Wistful

Whistle

Whimsical

Wish

Widget

Words

I could keep going, but I think you get my point.

The Joy of Rereading

While I was making myself french toast this morning, I ruminating over some things. The one that stands out most prominently however is my tendency to reread my favorite books. I have always thought this a sort of weakness, something like a fear of breaking out of what is comfortable. This summer, my thoughts on this tendency changed when I had an interview at the library for my dream job: stocking shelves. Although I didn't get the job (they didn't like that I lived about an hour away), I came home with a new found respect for rereading books.

Within the interview, one of the librarians with whom I was talking asked me what books I like to read. My goodness, she opened the floodgates. We then talked about books for about 5 minutes, and when I mentioned Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte, she told me that she rereads it once or twice a year.

This woman inspired me to not feel shame in my desire to reread books. She is in charge of shelving and sees new books come in and out of the library all the time, and yet, she continues to reread books.

My desire to reread books was then fueled. Though I will read new books, I never again feel like there is anything wrong with rereading a quality book. I feel joy in them and want to experience it again and again. And there is nothing wrong with that.

Here are some of my favorites that I have reread at least once:

The Last Battle by C.S. Lewis (every time I finish this book, I get the feeling that I could never read again and still be happy; and that is significant when you are a reader)

A Wrinkle in Time by Madeline L'Engle

The Harry Potter Series by J.K. Rowling

The Tale of Despereaux by Kate DiCamillo

Ella Enchanted by Gail Carlson Levine

The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien

The Lord of the Rings series by J.R.R. Tolkien

Surprised by Joy by C.S. Lewis

East by Edith Pattou

Peter Pan by James M. Barrie

And some I plan on rereading:

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte

Little Women by Louisa May Alcott

Northlander by Meg Burden

Foundling by D.M. Cornish

Lamplighter by D.M. Cornish

The Princess Bride by William Goldman

These are not all of the books I love, but these are many that have I have either read twice or three times (or more). Hope you can find some here that give you joy like they do for me!

Happy reading and rereading!

Cooking Through Potholes

So for those of you keeping score, I have now made a few dishes toward my cooking goal.

I have successfully made an Apple Tart Bread, a Country White Bread, Chicken in Creamy Pan Sauce, and brats. To be honest, the hardest recipes were the white bread and the brats. The brats were hard possibly because they were not a recipe. And bread is just hard to make, but ooooh-so-good when finished. Thank you to my beautiful sister-in-law for help with the bread, and to my patient parents who eat what I make and help when they can.

Cooking is a struggle for me. Brats were very difficult for me to make just because I didn't have specific directions to follow. My need for directions, concrete directions, seems to be catching up to me. Because I don't understand cooking, I want everything to be laid out for me. But it's a science, an art-form. And who can write down perfection?

Growing up is hard, but I'm learning. Cooking is just an avenue to feeling like a real adult. I just wish the DOT of life would smooth out the potholes.

Marriage and Cooking

So I have now come to the age when my friends and peers are getting married, and I realized tonight that I don't know how to cook.

Seems like there is little to no connection? Well, there is a pretty significant one, at least in my head.

With the marriages of my friends, I am realizing that someday I will probably be married myself, if that is what God wills for me. I'm not worried about having enough food to put on the table. I'm worried about WHAT food I will put on the table.

I honestly don't know very much about cooking (did you see the connection??). Though I may not get married for years, the recent and impending marriages of several friends have thrown into perspective my lack of desire and skill at cooking.

So this summer, I have a new goal (whether I obtain it or not time will only tell). I am going to learn how to cook. Not just from a recipe. I mean I can kinda do that. But I mean like cooking steak and pork chops and fish and bread (Bekah! Please help.) and so many other things. I want to be able to put together a meal for a meat-loving husband or a chicken-devouring friend or a vegetarian roommate. I want to be confident in the kitchen because right now, I'm not. If you have any tips, let me know.

It'll be a fight some days. I really don't like to cook, but I need to learn how. The older I get the more I realize being able to cook is a skill I have a desire to learn (at least in the back of my mind).

However, though I can't cook, I can make a mean batch of cookies. Just ask my brother.

A New Marriage and Old Friends

Oh man. What a night.

God blessed an amazing couple with union last night, and I was extremely blessed to be a part of it. :-) It was such an amazing wedding. The ceremony was amazing, and the message was great.

The party after the fact was amazing as well. I know it was a blessing for Alicia and Kory LaCroix, but it was also a blessing for me. I was able to reconnect with good friends from Northwestern that I haven't seen in 6 months or more. We danced the night away to 90s rap, polka, N*Sync, and everything in between.

I woke up this morning with a contentedness in my heart that could only be from God. He is good. He joined a faithful couple together and reunited old friends. His works are amazing.

Thank you, my dear friends, for an amazing night. God had His hand on the night.

Congratulations, Kory and Alicia!! Praying for your future as a married couple! God be with you on your journey!

He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities--all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross. (Colossians 1:15-20)

Broken at the Bou

Today I broke the bulk bean grinder at the Bou (Caribou if you were wondering). A coffee shop needs to be able to grind it's coffee. It's an important feature of what we do at Caribou. Serving coffee is pretty high on our priority list.

I have been at Caribou for almost four years. Yes, I do take time off for school, but I have worked every summer since I was 17. That's a long time. And yet, out of ignorance, I broke the bulk bean grinder.

I really didn't think it was that big of a deal until I told my manager. She then checked it and was like "oh no, oh no" and mouthed an expletive. I then understood the horror of what I had done.

Sitting in the lobby was the District Manager and a former store manager as well.

Oh, great.

My manager ended up having to call a guy to come and fix the grinder. My pride and self-assurance in my Caribou Coffee employment went down the drain.

How could I be that stupid? I mean, I've been there for four years! I do not screw up like this. I am not an absent-minded employee. I mean, really?

A few hours later, after continually screwing things up, I was standing in the back, drowning my sorrows in mucky dishwater. I mean I really wasn't sobbing or anything, but I was definitely reflecting on my idiocy.

Then I remembered what I read this morning in Ezra and what I promised myself I would remember throughout the day. It didn't completely apply at that moment; the significance of it really didn't click until now. But God is good and sovereign. He brought both of these passages to mind:

For we are slaves. Yet our God has not forsaken us in our slavery.... (Ezra 9:9a)

and:

But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you...." (2 Corinthians 12:9a)

Now both passages were not in full, but as I look at them now, I see God connecting them to my day.

Christ reminded me that I am still a slave to my sin. Pride is my weakness. It shackles me to this earth, and I am helpless to fight against it. At least I am on my own. He then reminded me that His grace is all I need. Though I am a slave, God has not forsaken me. His grace is a gift He has given me, and that gift is sufficient even when I screw up at the Bou.

These little reminders were extremely significant to my situation today. Though it seemed like just a screw up at Caribou Coffee, it was really a reminder from my all-sufficient Savior that He loves me and his grace is sufficient when my pride fails. Which it always does, and His always is. Sad that I forget that.

So today at Caribou, I screwed up. But I was broken before my God which is so much more important than Caribou Coffee could ever be.

All for His glory.

Chai Tea and Desires

Today is just a day. Today is just a day in an endless stream of days. But today, all I want to do it write. And drink chai tea. Preferably Big Train Chai, but Caribou chai would suffice as well.

But what to write about. What to say that would be significant, but also extremely interesting and a pleasure to read?

Honestly I don't know. I could tell you about my day. I could tell you about my weekend. I could go on and on about the books I've read for class, about the overwhelming nature of my next paper. But really, who wants to read about that?

I find myself desiring something other than I have today. I want the sun to be shining, I want to be sitting in a hip coffee shop (yes, hip), and I want to have no cares in the world. I want to be writing from my soul and not from my mind. I want the words to flow and the utterances to have meaning.

But you know what, I have nothing to say. I want to write, and I want to write well. I want to live in a time of life where stress is nonexistent, but for me, stress, whether good or bad, will always be around. Lord willing, I will learn how to deal with it without falling apart.

So that's my desire today. I want to be different and out there, but I'm not. I am who I am. The Lord has made me this way and put me in this place for a reason. SO here we go. Let's work for Him.

All for His glory.

A Fabulous Friday

I had a fantastic Friday night; the best I've had in a while.

I got together with a young man. We played Lego Star Wars on the Wii for about two hours. After that we went out to Jimmy Johns and had subs. He was so polite, even going so far as to not speak with his mouth full when I asked him questions. We then went back to the Wii, proceeding to play Mario Super Sluggers for a while (the cause of my soreness today). He showed me his art, and we discussed Star Wars.

Yep, six-year-old Joey was a fabulous Friday night date. :-)

Cheeese.

I know that I haven't written a profound blog in a while. I've been working with school and learning to live on my own and attempting to figure out what I want to do with my life. It's been a rough process... not really, but it's been growing. So fun, whimsical blogs have been more up my alley lately. And today, I thought of something else I would like to share.

I have a love for cheese. There are some cheeses I don't like as much, but I gotta tell ya, when I have a hankering for cheese, you better get out of my way (okay, that's a little dramatic, but you know what I mean).

So today, I was making a chicken patty and thinking about what else I could eat with it. Digging through my fridge, I thought, "I have cheese!" Granted, it was shredded cheese and wasn't conducive to eating it plain. Yet, I took it out and proceeded to eat some. Yes, plain. I put it away, made myself hot chocolate, and took it back out because I couldn't stand the idea of going a second longer without it. It's a cheese day.

So, in conclusion: I like cheese. And I think that others should like cheese as well. It is a happy food. So have some happy cheese. It will brighten your day. Trust me.