(there's a poem by w.c.w. titled "i just wanted to say" and i am tempted to launch into it now. something about eating the plums that were in the icebox, and how delicious they were ... but i'll spare you).
Really I just stopped in to say I had a fun weekend. I got to see people that I love and that I never get to see. It was nice. If I was at my own computer, instead of the library, I'd post some pictures. But alas - you'll just have to trust me when I say it was fun.
And - Georgia, the Beautiful Baby sometimes featured on this blog, now has her own site. Look up georgiaandsawyer.blogspot.com to see more Beautiful Baby Photos.
Also - all is well with our own baby. We got to see the baby MOVE during an ultrasound last week. It surprised the whole room (including the doctor). It's about an inch and a half long right now - not a grain of rice any more.
Finally - I'm calmer than I have been in six weeks about our extended transition. Even so. If you feel so inclined, please pray that the pieces fall into place so that we can get to Nashville soon.
That's all I have to say.
Tuesday, May 30, 2006
Friday, May 26, 2006
on politics and Jesus
Every time this conversation comes up, I avoid it. It is not for lack of an opinion (of course), nor for lack of passion about the topic. I just ... I just don't want to get into it. It affects too many people that I love, and talking about it doesn't do me (or them) any good. But I will say this, in general, about politics and religion and the intermingling of the two. Here it is, for those who were curious: my general opinion about politics and Jesus.
If you are a believer, and you agree with a particular right or privilege or governmental decision, then, in that particular situation, your response is easy. Jesus tells us to love our neighbors, and it's easy to love someone that sees life the same way you do. So your response, if you choose to follow Jesus, is to love those who agree with you.
And if you are a believer, and you disagree with a particular governmental decision, then it's a little harder to respond in a way that is conducive with the teachings of Jesus. Jesus says to love your enemies, and to pray for those who persecute you. Paul goes on to say that we should bless those who curse us, and in our anger, not to sin. So if you are following Christ, your response (biblically) is to love the people who disagree with you, and to even love those who benefit from their decisions.
Whether you agree or disagree, as a believer, our response should be one of love.
In light of this, what does it matter what I think? Shouldn't my response be the same?
Now I'll duck and cover, since tomatoes are in season.
If you are a believer, and you agree with a particular right or privilege or governmental decision, then, in that particular situation, your response is easy. Jesus tells us to love our neighbors, and it's easy to love someone that sees life the same way you do. So your response, if you choose to follow Jesus, is to love those who agree with you.
And if you are a believer, and you disagree with a particular governmental decision, then it's a little harder to respond in a way that is conducive with the teachings of Jesus. Jesus says to love your enemies, and to pray for those who persecute you. Paul goes on to say that we should bless those who curse us, and in our anger, not to sin. So if you are following Christ, your response (biblically) is to love the people who disagree with you, and to even love those who benefit from their decisions.
Whether you agree or disagree, as a believer, our response should be one of love.
In light of this, what does it matter what I think? Shouldn't my response be the same?
Now I'll duck and cover, since tomatoes are in season.
a quote from Gilead
"I feel sometimes as if I were a child who opens its eyes on the world once and sees amazing things it will never know any names for and then has to close its eyes again. I know this is all mere apparition compared to what awaits us, but it is only lovelier for that. There is a human beauty in it. And I can't believe that, when we have all been changed and put on incorruptibility, we will forget our fantastic condition of mortality and impermanence, the great bright dream of procreating and perishing that meant the whole world to us. In eternity this world will be Troy, I believe, and all that has passed here will be the epic of the universe, the ballad they sing in the streets. Because I don't imagine any reality putting this one in the shade entirely, and I think piety forbids me to try."
Tuesday, May 23, 2006
all of the speculation about pharmones and women living in the same space is true. at least, i think it is.
Remember her?
I am due on December 25. Halle is due December 27.
Saturday, May 20, 2006
the most irritating aspect of blogs
is that you get only the general-public-version of life from people that you know better than that. i want to ask specific questions, and i want to tell many of you specific things, but not all of life is appropriate for public archives. i guess this is the good thing about the open-diary style of blogging, but that's just a pretense of privacy. the truth is that they aren't that anonymous, they just make you FEEL anonymous, which is a dangerous place to be. it reminds me of my all-time favorite little kid story, starring a very young-small-early melinda lanier. one night she snuck back into the living room when she was supposed to be in bed. melinda, apparently, had not yet established object permanence, and thought that if she covered her eyes (and couldn't see her parents), then nobody would be able to see her either. so she covered her eyes and walked through the middle of the living room.
such is the myth of privacy on the internet.
so. i know why it is the way it is, but today i wish it wasn't. i have more to say than i'm willing to say here.
PS MY CLOTHES NO LONGER FIT THE WAY THEY DID. in fact, some of them will no longer button at all (even though they still fit everywhere else). and i know that's not possible, but it's happening anyway. someone forgot to tell my belly that it isn't supposed to grow yet. yikes.
ANOTHER PS - Another story from Voyage of the Dawn Treader:
The Dawn Treader ends up in a tunnel of darkness in the middle of the ocean. If they land on the island in the center, every man's dreams will come true. Not every fantasy, but every actual dream will happen. But they get so lost in fear and in the actual darkness that they can't find their way out of the tunnel. The crew is panicking, the rescued refugee is hysterical, and nobody can get their bearings. It's the darkest moment of the book. Lucy, whose faith is always pure, leans out into the darkness and whispers, "Aslan, if you have ever loved us, we need you."
In a moment a bird flies overhead. He begins to fly just ahead of the ship, and the crew, unable to do anything else, begins to follow him. He leads them back into the light.
And as the bird flies past Lucy, he whispers, "Courage, dear heart." And the bird smells of Aslan.
Beautiful.
I'm reading Gilead now. It is more or less a stream of consciousness account from a dying country preacher, and it reads the way an old man talks. It is probably too slow for some people, but I like it.
such is the myth of privacy on the internet.
so. i know why it is the way it is, but today i wish it wasn't. i have more to say than i'm willing to say here.
PS MY CLOTHES NO LONGER FIT THE WAY THEY DID. in fact, some of them will no longer button at all (even though they still fit everywhere else). and i know that's not possible, but it's happening anyway. someone forgot to tell my belly that it isn't supposed to grow yet. yikes.
ANOTHER PS - Another story from Voyage of the Dawn Treader:
The Dawn Treader ends up in a tunnel of darkness in the middle of the ocean. If they land on the island in the center, every man's dreams will come true. Not every fantasy, but every actual dream will happen. But they get so lost in fear and in the actual darkness that they can't find their way out of the tunnel. The crew is panicking, the rescued refugee is hysterical, and nobody can get their bearings. It's the darkest moment of the book. Lucy, whose faith is always pure, leans out into the darkness and whispers, "Aslan, if you have ever loved us, we need you."
In a moment a bird flies overhead. He begins to fly just ahead of the ship, and the crew, unable to do anything else, begins to follow him. He leads them back into the light.
And as the bird flies past Lucy, he whispers, "Courage, dear heart." And the bird smells of Aslan.
Beautiful.
I'm reading Gilead now. It is more or less a stream of consciousness account from a dying country preacher, and it reads the way an old man talks. It is probably too slow for some people, but I like it.
Monday, May 15, 2006
Eustace
Last night I read my favorite scene from the Chronicles of Narnia (so far, anyway).
It's the story of Eustace, who turns into a dragon, as a reflection of his already dragonish heart. Eustace is afraid of himself as a dragon, and hates what he has become, but doesn't know how to "un-dragon" (which is the term the children use) himself. One night Aslan visits him and leads him to a pool. Aslan tells him to peel off his skin, but every time Eustace does, another scaley layer is beneath it. It's only when Aslan scrapes the dragon skin away that the real Eustace can step out of it. Once he's out of the skin, he steps into the water and is clean.
It's so true, it's SO TRUE. Peel away all you want; layer after layer is just more of the same unless Jesus heals us.
I loved the way the story ended. The book says, in paraphrase, "I wish I could tell you that after that Eustace was a better boy. It's closer to the truth to say Eustace started to be a better boy. He had setbacks, but the cure had begun."
The cure had begun.
Amen.
It's the story of Eustace, who turns into a dragon, as a reflection of his already dragonish heart. Eustace is afraid of himself as a dragon, and hates what he has become, but doesn't know how to "un-dragon" (which is the term the children use) himself. One night Aslan visits him and leads him to a pool. Aslan tells him to peel off his skin, but every time Eustace does, another scaley layer is beneath it. It's only when Aslan scrapes the dragon skin away that the real Eustace can step out of it. Once he's out of the skin, he steps into the water and is clean.
It's so true, it's SO TRUE. Peel away all you want; layer after layer is just more of the same unless Jesus heals us.
I loved the way the story ended. The book says, in paraphrase, "I wish I could tell you that after that Eustace was a better boy. It's closer to the truth to say Eustace started to be a better boy. He had setbacks, but the cure had begun."
The cure had begun.
Amen.
Saturday, May 13, 2006
5-13-06
1. YAY AND THANK YOU JANET FOR MY FIRST BABY GIFTY (she gave me the cutest yellow ducky, everyone. I mean a seriously CUTE yellow duck. AND she's sent me two cards and books this spring. And what have I sent her? Nothing. Not one single thing. That has to earn me the Most Sheepish Blogger of the Week Plate. Even so, YAY and THANK YOU to Janet). I can't wait to see you in a few weeks!
B. Here is the word that characterizes my life right now: E-X-T-R-E-M-E. I've been on this roller coaster since last July, but in the most recent leg of our little adventure, each day requires an inordinate amount of energy to do normal things - like drive and work and eat and sleep and breathe, all in one day. It's because I have this little grain of rice that needs more calories and more hormones than my body has ever used or produced before. Add to that the internal pressure to get our act together before that little grain of rice is the size of an apple, then a kitten, then a PERSON, and you can see why I am not blogging much lately.
I have so much to say, I really do. I wrote a whole SERIES on The God's Will Conversation, but I haven't posted it because I haven't had the energy for the discussion that will follow. I've also started posts about intimacy and identity (because Valerie got me to thinking), but stopped writing before they really developed into anything. I just can't do it, guys. There's a time for everything, and this is my time to function. It will be time to discuss later. It's not that blogging is out, it's not that I've lost interest. It's that, already, my little grain of rice needs me to do things like EAT and SLEEP more than seems NATURAL. So if I haven't called you back (and you know who you are - all three of you, I'm embarrassed to say) or emailed you back or had anything significant to say in weeks, all I can say is don't give up on me. I'll be back soon. Until then, please leave a message after the tone, and at least I'll hear it and smile before I fall back asleep (or eat, again).
III. Anybody read "Gilead"? I don't know the author, but it won the Pulitzer. I read the back cover yesterday, and it sounds really good. I am currently reading "The Voyage of the Dawn Treader" (book 5 of the Chronicles of Narnia). I just finished "Prince Caspian" (book 4). I read Narnia, I put it down, I read something else. A month later, I pick it up. This is how it's been. But I really do like it. So far "The Magician's Nephew" is my favorite.
B. Here is the word that characterizes my life right now: E-X-T-R-E-M-E. I've been on this roller coaster since last July, but in the most recent leg of our little adventure, each day requires an inordinate amount of energy to do normal things - like drive and work and eat and sleep and breathe, all in one day. It's because I have this little grain of rice that needs more calories and more hormones than my body has ever used or produced before. Add to that the internal pressure to get our act together before that little grain of rice is the size of an apple, then a kitten, then a PERSON, and you can see why I am not blogging much lately.
I have so much to say, I really do. I wrote a whole SERIES on The God's Will Conversation, but I haven't posted it because I haven't had the energy for the discussion that will follow. I've also started posts about intimacy and identity (because Valerie got me to thinking), but stopped writing before they really developed into anything. I just can't do it, guys. There's a time for everything, and this is my time to function. It will be time to discuss later. It's not that blogging is out, it's not that I've lost interest. It's that, already, my little grain of rice needs me to do things like EAT and SLEEP more than seems NATURAL. So if I haven't called you back (and you know who you are - all three of you, I'm embarrassed to say) or emailed you back or had anything significant to say in weeks, all I can say is don't give up on me. I'll be back soon. Until then, please leave a message after the tone, and at least I'll hear it and smile before I fall back asleep (or eat, again).
III. Anybody read "Gilead"? I don't know the author, but it won the Pulitzer. I read the back cover yesterday, and it sounds really good. I am currently reading "The Voyage of the Dawn Treader" (book 5 of the Chronicles of Narnia). I just finished "Prince Caspian" (book 4). I read Narnia, I put it down, I read something else. A month later, I pick it up. This is how it's been. But I really do like it. So far "The Magician's Nephew" is my favorite.
Friday, May 05, 2006
in the mood
I'm in the mood to make some decisions! Brian, as you know, often chooses one statement that summarizes our current state of being on a particular topic. The phrase he keeps quoting right now is a snippit from when I called him the other day to say, "I need to know where my baby is going to live."
This is God's honest truth, friends. I'm in the mood to make some decisions.
I'm in the mood to sign a lease. To buy clothes to wear to work. To WORK in a field that is important to me. To be where I'm going to be. I'm in the mood for stability. To eat on my plates and cook in my kitchen and plan for our future and walk in a neighborhood and go to our church. I'm in the mood to get on with it.
Enough process, enough talk ... I'm in the mood to move!
Has anyone else noticed, for our little group, that we always seem to be in roughly the same place at roughly the same time? We wait together and we move together and we complain together and we grieve together and we're bored together and we travel together ... it's odd, really. The little circle gets wider, but it keeps moving round and round.
This is God's honest truth, friends. I'm in the mood to make some decisions.
I'm in the mood to sign a lease. To buy clothes to wear to work. To WORK in a field that is important to me. To be where I'm going to be. I'm in the mood for stability. To eat on my plates and cook in my kitchen and plan for our future and walk in a neighborhood and go to our church. I'm in the mood to get on with it.
Enough process, enough talk ... I'm in the mood to move!
Has anyone else noticed, for our little group, that we always seem to be in roughly the same place at roughly the same time? We wait together and we move together and we complain together and we grieve together and we're bored together and we travel together ... it's odd, really. The little circle gets wider, but it keeps moving round and round.
a short rant on the date
Do you know what Cinco de Mayo means? Of course you do - you all took Spanish, too. It means the fifth of May. There is no historical significance whatsoever for Cinco de Mayo. It's a way to sell margeritas and salsa, that's it. The actual Mexican Independence Day is in September (12th or 14th or something). So for all of you who, like me, are chronically irritated by meaningless holidays, DON'T HAVE A MARGARITA TODAY. Celebrate Seis de Mayo instead. Or Siente de Mayo, or Ocho de Mayo ...
Thursday, May 04, 2006
News
I wrote this sweet little post the other night, but now I'm too shy to post it. Man, do I have a great story for you, but it's a face-to-face story, not a story to be archived and perused by people I used to know. So when you see me, ask about it. Seriously.
Until then, without frills or rhymes -
I'm six weeks pregnant. We saw the heartbeat on Monday. So far, so good. I'm due on Christmas Day. And yes, we're still going to Nashville. Hopefully sooner than later.
Until then, without frills or rhymes -
I'm six weeks pregnant. We saw the heartbeat on Monday. So far, so good. I'm due on Christmas Day. And yes, we're still going to Nashville. Hopefully sooner than later.
Micah 6
With what shall I come before the Lord and bow down before the exalted God? Shall I come before him with burnt offerings, with calves a year old? Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams, with ten thousand rivers of oil? Shall I offer my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?
He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.
He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.
Tuesday, May 02, 2006
more show and tell
OTHERS
Stephanie and me, baptizing our baby dolls. We were 10.
Georgia (Stephanie's baby) on the day she was born.
Manda and Lainey
Corey and Brian
the Searcys
hiking with Nick and Laura on Easter Sunday
Stephanie and me, baptizing our baby dolls. We were 10.
Georgia (Stephanie's baby) on the day she was born.
Manda and Lainey
Corey and Brian
the Searcys
hiking with Nick and Laura on Easter Sunday
show and tell
US
in the Shenandoah National Forest
on a lazy Saturday night
in Washington DC
scouting squirrels
in Charlottesville, VA
doing what they do
(I would post more, but the computer won't let me. Is there a limit to how many pictures you can post on blogger at one time?)
in the Shenandoah National Forest
on a lazy Saturday night
in Washington DC
scouting squirrels
in Charlottesville, VA
doing what they do
(I would post more, but the computer won't let me. Is there a limit to how many pictures you can post on blogger at one time?)
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