A spring wish come true

It has been terribly cold lately. The weather has necessitated lots of bundling up and carting around heavy jackets. And I have been saying over and over, "I can't wait for spring!"

But this weekend, it was beautiful—60 degrees, in fact. I celebrated with a trip to see a wonderful friend I haven't seen in months. We ate brunch, and walked around and went shopping at an outdoor mall. On Sunday, I took a lovely, scenic walk with my husband and actually wore a T-shirt.

Now, it may not be spring-like for long, but while it is, I'm going to treasure the sunshine!

A tea bag gone wild

I love tea. I have boxes and boxes of it—mostly herbal—in such delightful flavors as apricot honey bush and vanilla chamomile. There is something about it that simply soothes the soul (and provides a bit of warmth on chilly Colorado days).

So I when I stepped out of the cold into the church where I'm attending a Bible study, I immediately sought out tea. I was talking to a friend I am getting to know better lately, and fiddling with the tag that is attached to the string that is attached to the bag. While to most these mechanics are obvious, they weren't to me. Suddenly, the tea bag leapt out of the cup and splashed onto the table. Fortunately, the damage seemed to be limited to a small pool on the table and a now-wet handout. I smiled nervously at the fifty-ish women sitting across from me. Yikes.

That was muddy, yes, but it did reveal a beautiful ray of sunshine. My friend (who is very pregnant) immediately saw that I was in the middle of a humiliating situation and walked over to the snack counter to get me several napkins. While I was sitting there looking lost with a soggy napkin and a dripping handout, she came back, swept the wet papers out of my hand and replaced them with dry alternatives. When she returned a second time, she brought me a fresh handout. I think it helps that she has a two-year-old and knows how to deal with silliness like this, but I couldn't help but be overwhelmed with how kind she was to help minimize the awkwardness of a not-so-happy situation.

So, although I decided that friendship is no longer my primary motivation for attending the Bible study, I am filled with the kind of joy that comes from getting to know a new friend—one who will like you, tea-bag toppling and all.

The joy of forever young

I joined a Bible study recently, initially in the spirit of meeting new people. I also wanted to learn more of God's Word but I have to admit that wasn't my primary focus (please attempt not to gasp at my honesty :-). I had already joined a Bible study through my own church for that purpose, and wouldn't have joined another at the same time had it not been for the friendship factor. I have only lived in this town for a year and a half and I feel I've met the majority of people I know so far through my church. Expanding the circle of people I am blessed to know was the goal.

Anyway, I've only gone a couple of times so I cannot for sure judge if I'm going to make fabulous friends or even a few acquaintances. What I do know is I am overjoyed with what I am learning about the Bible.

Yesterday, the speaker said something profound. She said that our soul will never die, a well-known fact at least among Christians. The joyful part of this is that there is no need for our soul to ever get old. So we can (and perhaps should) always be young in spirit, even if we live to have wrinkles and canes and false teeth. We can sing in the shower, dance while we're making dinner, and shout "I love you!" to our husbands at random moments.I think it's an unfortunate thing that many people's spirits do whither along with their bodies. They shouldn't. They should bloom. It is as if they are growing into a more incredibly beautiful flower each day, reaching toward heaven.

I've decided that if I make new friends through this Bible study, I will be delighted. But if all I do is sit and soak up the wonderful insights, I will still be filled with joy.

A new year!

It's been a long time since I've written, which perhaps wreaks havoc on the very definition of the word blog. It's quite past time to do something about my silence.

There has been plenty of sunshine and a bit of mud in my life—nothing too unusual. In 2007, I spent my first whole year as a mrs. You'd think I were a liar if I told you that it was all bursts of joy and laughter, so I won't bother. There were squabbles now and then to be sure, but I can honestly say that I am the happiest I've ever been. It is such a beautiful thing to be married, especially in the light of God's love and grace. He has blessed us indeed!

The day our lives began as one: August 5, 2006

Another ray of sunshine in 2007 was a new hobby: scrapbooking. I am not a crafty girl, and have never stuck with a single craft in my life. Sometimes, I didn't even wrap up the project I was doing. I've tried knitting, cross stitch, sewing, latch-hooking, potholder making, and other little projects my most crafty and talented mother dreamed that I would achieve. (Good thing mothers have high hopes for their children, or she would have given up on the first one.) So, naturally, I did not think scrapbooking would survive the craft-less life I live. I thought I'd try it out because I really wanted to make an attractive wedding album. Well, I didn't give up on it and I even completed (mostly) my wedding album and am off to the rest of our short married life. Further, I have so many supplies for such a short time engaged in a hobby that it is bordering on completely ridiculous.

My latest scrapbook page

Perhaps I will leave the mud for another time...the sunshine is too beautiful!