To Do List

This is it - Christmas is only two days away, I'm done school permanently (well, at least until I decide what to study at seminary), I'm off work until Boxing Day, and I have a million things to do today. Here are some of them:

• Eat a nutritious breakfast consisting of a mandarin orange and a couple of Belgian chocolate seashells. Okay, so maybe nutritious is overstating a bit!
• Clean my bedroom, thus allowing for movement around the room, use of my reading chair, and space on my desk for scrapbooking and cardmaking projects that I want to attack.
• Find a small Christmas gift for a friend - she gave me a beautiful candle with a holder as a Christmas/Graduation present, and I'd like to find something small to show her in return how much I appreciate her.
• Hang pictures in my bedroom. I've been moved back in for a month or so, but haven't hung any of my pictures yet. I want it done before the whole extended family comes on Christmas day.
• Make the "bacon bites" that have become part of the traditional oerderve Christmas Eve meal at our house. What could be better than waterchestnuts soaked liberally in teriyaki sauce and brown sugar, wrapped with a strip of bacon, secured with a toothpick, and baked until they're nice and crispy. My family (not to mention me) would miss these little suckers if they weren't there on Christmas Eve when we sit down to eat.
• Write a nice, reflective Christmas post for this blog - okay, this one is still coming. Somehow a "to do" list doesn't quite count.
• Wrap all the Christmas presents I purchased and have stashed in my closet.
• Eat a few more Belgian chocolates.
• Go through some scrapbooking magazines and add any good ideas to my idea notebook.
• Clean the tub and shower tiles in the bathroom - this one I've been putting off for days, by mom will have a heart attack if it doesn't get done by the time everyone comes over for the Christmas Eve service tomorrow night (ah, the wonders of a father who pastors a church so tiny it can have a Christmas Eve service in our house), and for family Christmas dinner on Christmas Day.
• Hang out with a good friend tonight, before she heads home for Christmas for a few days.

Okay, I think that's it! And now, I must be off and attempt to accomplish at least the major portion of this list! Tomorrow and Saturday are coming quickly, and each day has more responsibilities. (For example, I'm the official "hot cider" maker for all major events - maybe because I'm the only one who drinks cider on a regular basis during the year and just have a knack for making realllly good spiced cider!)

Henri Nouwen Quote

I received the following short meditation written by Henri Nouwen in my email this morning. I found it profound, and thought I'd share it with all of you.

Light in the Darkness
We walk in a "ravine as dark as death" (Psalm 23:4), and still we have nothing to fear because God is at our side: God's staff and crook are there to soothe us (see Psalm 23:4). This is not just a consoling idea. It is an experience of the heart that we can trust.

Our lives are full of suffering, pain, disillusions, losses and grief, but they are also marked by visions of the coming of the Son of Man "like lightning striking in the east and flashing far into west" (Matthew 24:27). These moments in which we see clearly, hear loudly, and feel deeply that God is with us on the journey make us shine as a light into the darkness. Jesus says, "You are the light of the world. Your light must shine in people's sight, so that, seeing your good works, they may give praise to your Father in heaven" (Matthew 5:14-16).

Praying for a Miracle

What do you say when a friend calls to tell you that she was surprised her mom made it through the day, and wasn't sure she'd make it through the night? What do you say to the announcement that the cancer in her body has tripled in the last week or so, and that she is saying "I want to go home"? What do you say when confronted with the fact that one last Christmas with her mom - one without major family strife is the dream of my friend - and something that is only days away is still probably too far?

I've spent so much time with this friend over the last months. And we're praying for a miracle. Our house church is begging Jesus to give them Christmas together. If you have a minute these nexts days, we'd love for you to join us in this prayer. To pray that God's comfort will overwhelm this painful situation, that his presence will be known and felt in a powerful way in the lives of this family who lost a member last Christmas, and is poised to lose another one this year.

What is Success?

My aunt and uncle sent me a graduation card with this quote on the front of it. I loved it, because it applied so deeply to the last little while in my life - tiny little details that they wouldn't know because we never see each other, but so appropriate nonetheless. It encouraged me to have them recognize this achievement - I often feel very disconnected from Mom's family because of the distance that separates us, but it was special to have my one Christian uncle and his wife drop me a note congratulating me on my graduation. As I considered the time I've poured into others in the last month, the times my plans have changed because they weren't quite what God had in mind, and the number of people who have played a role in my school journey, and also in my spiritual journey, I can't help but appreciate what the card had to say. It read:

What is Success?
SETTING GOALS
but not in concrete
STAYING FOCUSED
but turning aside to help someone
FOLLOWING A PLAN
but remaining flexible
MOVING AHEAD
but not too fast to smell the flowers
TAKING A BOW
but applauding those
who had a part
in your success.

I'M DONE!!!!!

As of approximately 8:45 am this morning, I have officially completed my bachelor's degree (barring any unforseen issues with my final exams)!

I'M DONE!!!! And I'll be able to tell you how it feels, right after I take a nap, and a shower, and go out and party tonight!