Picture Project Post--May 3 through May 14

It's early...or late...and it's reached the point where some are rising, and I'm counting down the minutes until I get to go to bed. The birds are chirping and the sun is just beginning to turn the sky shades of pastel colors. The people are starting to move, going on their runs, meeting at the corner Starbucks, you know, the things city people do.

Don't ask me why, but at this time every Tuesday and Friday mornings I fight the urge to burst into loud song. This morning I succumbed. Why not, I'm the only one here...

"...little town, little quiet village, every day like the one before, little town, full of little people...waking up to say....Bonjour, bonjour, bonjour...there goes the baker with his tray like always, the same old bread and loaves to sell...every morning just the same, as the morning that we came to this poor provincial town..."

People in DC think they are above the little village. But they aren't. And I find myself, like Belle, looking at the people and singing

"There must be more..."

Unlike Belle, I hope I can do a better job at engaging those around me instead of alienating myself from them. Lately I haven't been doing so great at that.

It seems to get longer and longer between my posts. It's not that I don't have thoughts. I have lots of thoughts. Just not a lot of motivation to write them down at present...

Here are some things that I've been thinking recently:

.Omar al-Bashir appeared on my homepage yesterday. He looks so normal. What separates him from other sinners. Nothing, really. Just the magnitude of the crime. But Jesus died for him just like he died for me. My sin killed Jesus just as much as Omar al-Bashir's sin killed Jesus...and doesn't his sin, in a way, become my sin when the United States...my country...does not take a firm and active stand against his sin? What is the place of societal sin, anyways?

.this article makes me think a lot of different things. good and bad. i don't know how i feel about the grouping of "white evangelicals" that seems to be happening a lot recently. and sometimes i feel like when i read this i think "i'm so above that"...but as a "white evangelical" what part of the blame do i take for that thinking...and should i say "i'm better than that" or should i say "i'm sorry that that seems to be the case, let me tell you how JESUS is better than that".

.i've been thinking about what it means to wait on the LORD. i read in the psalms the other day about how david wants his soul to wait on the LORD like the watchman waits for the morning. what does that mean? i do not think that my soul waits on the LORD like i wait for the morning during my overnight shifts. what would it even look like for me to do that. to have my soul full of patience, service and dependence on the LORD?

.the more i hear about war, the economy and governmental reform the less i believe in all three. i want to be an anti-economy, anti-government pacifist who just goes around loving people. in theory. in practice, i have no idea what that looks like. but i think it looks a lot like Jesus and the early church.

so, without a lot of elaboration, those are some of the many thoughts running through my head...

and now, here are some of the events that have been running through my week.

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Sunday, May 3, 2009: It was the first of many dreary and rainy days, but this dogwood outside of our church looked pretty (prettier than captured in the picture...)

Monday, May 4, 2009: The second of the dreary days. And somebody left their stuffed dog outside. It was a pretty slow week (except for one momentous occasion) and I think you'll be able to tell in my pictures...sorry!



Tuesday, May 5, 2009:
Happy Anniversary Mom and Dad S.! It was a big one...25 years! Congratulations on a wonderful marriage! As for Luke and I, it was a pretty quiet night. And I colored. And it was fun. You can't tell, but it's a scene from The Little Mermaid when they are floating in the blue lagoon...
Wednesday, May 6, 2009: Since I was too tired to make a "Cinco de Mayo" meal, we had a "Seis de Mayo" instead. =)

Thursday, May 7, 2009: Luke and I went out to eat in Adam's Morgan before I had to go to work. We ate at this pretty nice restaurant, with this weird neon sign out front. Luke looked up at it and said "Well that's tacky..." and it was.

Friday, May 8, 2009: After getting very little sleep after my overnight shift before having to go into my other job, and then losing my metro card, on top of a pretty rough week in general, it was slightly therapeutic to stop and play with the caterpillars on the way home from the metro.

Saturday, May 9, 2009: I know, I know, I have a lot of pictures of Luke this week. We went to play Frisbee golf on Saturday and it was pretty fun. The course was in the woods, and it was pretty tough, but really pretty. I thought this was a pretty good action shot.


Sunday, May 10, 2009: Happy Mother's Day, Moms! Luke and I went to the garden. Luke got to plant his watermelon seeds. We'll see if they grow...I'm pretty skeptical. Luke is pretty excited...
Monday, May 11, 2009: I was cleaning and getting ready for AMANDA to come up (HOORAY!) so I didn't have a chance to take a nap. These things got me though my overnight shift. Even though I don't like using caffeine, you really can't help it some nights...




Tuesday,
May 12, 2009: Waiting and watching for Amanda to come! If nothing else, we do get some pretty gorgeous sunsets out our little bedroom window. And they light up the entire room (and sometimes the whole apartment, too).
Wednesday, May 13, 2009: So, confession. I've wanted to get my nose pierced since my junior year of high school when my friend Brittany turned 18 and went to get her nose pierced. And on Wednesday I finally did! With Amanda! I think I really like it, too! It was definitely something that I'm glad I did. And I'm so glad I got to do it with one of my best friends! Before she moves all the way to the Washington across the country...

Thursday, May 14, 2009: Both Amanda and I had a lot to do, so we hung out around the apartment and just enjoyed the mutual company. Goodness, I love that woman. =)

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I'll leave you with this bit of Disney wisdom:

When you look under the rocks and plants and take a glance at the fancy ants...and maybe try a few...(you eat ants?!)...the bear* necessities** of life will come to you (they'll come to me?) they'll come to you.

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*I never know if it's the "bare necessities" like it's supposed to be or the "bear necessities" because Baloo is singing it. I like the idea of it being a play on words, but still spelling it "bear". So that's what I did.

**Luke and I are heading to the beach for a week with our families. Out of the necessity for quiet, getting back together and listening to God, and just for an intentional time of enjoying my family, I will not be taking my computer. See you all in a week and a half!