This has not been an especially profound day. It has been a day filled with the mundane stuff of life, and the things that one does to fill time when one has been unemployed for several weeks!
I spent the morning sending out resumes to a wide variety of places, mostly for positions as an administrative assistant or receptionist. At this point I'm not looking for anything too fancy, just a job that is full-time, and pays well.
I also watched a movie on television, and several episodes of M*A*S*H* on DVD. I cleaned my bedroom a bit, did some reading, and worked on some creative projects.
I've booked two job interviews for tomorrow, and one for Thursday. Hopefully one of them will pan out and by early next week I'll be employed again. My present job (the one that hasn't had any hours for me since before Mexico) called me last week in desperation to cover two shifts this weekend, so I'll work the fifteen hours and at least make a little money to help pay bills.
That's about it. Lots of things I'm thinking about, but not many to write about yet. Hopefully all of your lives are far more exciting than mine!
Tuesday, April 25, 2006
Monday, April 24, 2006
Letter from my Brother
My Dad and brother are in Ukraine at the moment, with one other guy, on a short term missions trip. Dad is teaching a course at a Bible school, and my brother, Tim, is hanging out with youth from the church, and helping out with worship music, and just generally doing whatever Dad needs help with. I drove them to the airport a week ago today, so by now they've recovered from jet lag, and done lots of interesting things. (My dad always packs his schedule and the schedules of any team members he takes with them as full as possible on these trips, in order to get the maximum benefit out of the month or so that they're away.)
Tim sent out an email to his friends and family today, and I thought I'd stick a couple of paragraphs up for you. They made me laugh. (But you'll have to pardon his general lack of spelling and grammar! He's more concerned about reporting his trip, and making us laugh than writing a stellar piece of material.) Keep in mind that Tim is only 18, is very single, and is a musician in every sense of the word - his biggest regret was that he couldn't take his own guitars with him to Ukraine - too much risk to his "babies" on the planes!
Sunday morning we were up at 5:00 Am for a sunrise service by the Dnepro River(it’s a huge river about a mile wide) It was a lot of fun, I was part of an early morning worship team, and it was funny because they randomly decided to play a bunch of songs that we hadn’t practiced, so I got to sorta pick things up as we went… From there we went to the actual church service. I have begun to meet a bunch of the youth here, and they are a lot of fun, sometimes its hard to have conversations, even when they speak English, but I have a lot of fun saying stuff and throwing in one of the ten Russian words I know into the conversation every once in a while… and they are having fun cause they teach me words that don’t exist and then get me to say them to people…. me being totally clueless. and then the people point and laugh at me… haha kinda sounds like the time my brother and I convinced some American kids that horses were called cows and cows horses in Canada.
anyways, from church the kids took me out for a Ukrainian lunch, and I had this weird rice thing with a huge chicken breast that resembled a fried egg… looked gross but tasted pretty good, and from there they took me to a Christian youth thing called Alpha and Omega… It was a lot of fun, they had unbelievable good musicians as well.. one guy played guitar, bass, and drums better than anyone I have ever met. At the end of the service they had a talent show, and my friends somehow told the people upfront that I played guitar,… so suddenly everyone was saying my name and pointing to the stage… haha so I had to go play a guitar. It’s kind of funny cause everyone still seems to be trying to find me a wife, and I ever got a little “anonymous” note from someone complementing me on my guitar skills… not as good as bowstaff skills… but it’ll do.
So there you have it, life from the eyes of an 18 year old guy spending a month in Ukraine!
Tim sent out an email to his friends and family today, and I thought I'd stick a couple of paragraphs up for you. They made me laugh. (But you'll have to pardon his general lack of spelling and grammar! He's more concerned about reporting his trip, and making us laugh than writing a stellar piece of material.) Keep in mind that Tim is only 18, is very single, and is a musician in every sense of the word - his biggest regret was that he couldn't take his own guitars with him to Ukraine - too much risk to his "babies" on the planes!
Sunday morning we were up at 5:00 Am for a sunrise service by the Dnepro River(it’s a huge river about a mile wide) It was a lot of fun, I was part of an early morning worship team, and it was funny because they randomly decided to play a bunch of songs that we hadn’t practiced, so I got to sorta pick things up as we went… From there we went to the actual church service. I have begun to meet a bunch of the youth here, and they are a lot of fun, sometimes its hard to have conversations, even when they speak English, but I have a lot of fun saying stuff and throwing in one of the ten Russian words I know into the conversation every once in a while… and they are having fun cause they teach me words that don’t exist and then get me to say them to people…. me being totally clueless. and then the people point and laugh at me… haha kinda sounds like the time my brother and I convinced some American kids that horses were called cows and cows horses in Canada.
anyways, from church the kids took me out for a Ukrainian lunch, and I had this weird rice thing with a huge chicken breast that resembled a fried egg… looked gross but tasted pretty good, and from there they took me to a Christian youth thing called Alpha and Omega… It was a lot of fun, they had unbelievable good musicians as well.. one guy played guitar, bass, and drums better than anyone I have ever met. At the end of the service they had a talent show, and my friends somehow told the people upfront that I played guitar,… so suddenly everyone was saying my name and pointing to the stage… haha so I had to go play a guitar. It’s kind of funny cause everyone still seems to be trying to find me a wife, and I ever got a little “anonymous” note from someone complementing me on my guitar skills… not as good as bowstaff skills… but it’ll do.
So there you have it, life from the eyes of an 18 year old guy spending a month in Ukraine!
Who Are You?
I've been getting interesting hits to this blog from all over the world lately. The thing is, I don't think I know anyone in any of these countries - but I'd like to! So, if you've been lurking, and you're from abroad, or if you've been lurking and you're not from abroad, or if you simply like to leave comments, then you should leave me a comment!
Really, though. All different parts of the world. (While still being mostly Canada and the US). You should identify yourselves!
Saturday, April 22, 2006
It Needed an Outlet
This has been one of those weeks where my emotions simply stewed. They bubbled, frothed, surfaced, buried themselves, and basically churned every which way, taking me along for the ride. Not so pleasant. My own stuff, and then both of the women I've been walking life with had semi-crisis, seventeen step back type moments this week. And I was tired, and I was stewing.
I spent all of last evening and most of today working on a creative project. I needed an outlet. So, I plopped myself in front of the television, with a variety of foods (chocolate creme oreos, corn chips, a desert our family fondly refers to as "creamy chocolate delight"), spread my scrapbooking and collage supplies out around me, tuned the tv to something mindless that I would really only need my ears for and not my eyes, and started creating. I've made a mini-book (almost - going to finish it tomorrow morning).
I had the house to myself for the evening last night, and for the day today, and I've simply been lazy and creative. And it was great. A cathartic release. I feel much more settled, together, peaceful, and rested than I did yesterday. Nothing like some good chocolate, and a project to baby.
So, it's a mini-book, full of quotes, single words - things to remind me what I want my outlook on life to be when it's not quite there. And it's green and brown - which just kind of happened, but which are also two of my favorite colors. My eyes are green, and they're my favorite physical feature. I think I may be the only scrapbooker in the world who could quite happily make books without ever using photographs - only words and phrases and quotations! And it's a thing of beauty, something I'm proud of, even though it's a bit more girly than I intended!
The only time I left the house was for a trip to the scrapbooking store. So, I got out of my pajamas, dressed myself in my favorite jeans, a green tank-top layered under a brown t-shirt, and my favorite cute brown suede shoes, grabbed a fleece and headed out into the snow.
I also tidied our kitchen today, and scrubbed our bathtub, but those were side things that I promised my mom I would do.
I like the speed of life around our house when my dad is away on a missions' trip. So much more relaxed - we cook what we want, and don't end up with leftovers that have to be eaten six more times. We chill, move at a slower pace, an easier schedule.
I'm going out tonight to see a movie. Some spoof of American Idol among other things. A friend called and asked if she could treat me to a movie in exchange for my company for the evening. Seems she turned down invitations to several different parties, deeming it unwise to attend, and so she decided to call me, and offered to pay for a movie in deference to my current state of unemployment, in exchange for giving her something to do for a portion of the evening and thus keeping her away from the parties. Works for me!
And so, I'm off to shower, and pamper myself a little, and then I'll find some dinner and head out to meet my friend. It's been a good day.
I spent all of last evening and most of today working on a creative project. I needed an outlet. So, I plopped myself in front of the television, with a variety of foods (chocolate creme oreos, corn chips, a desert our family fondly refers to as "creamy chocolate delight"), spread my scrapbooking and collage supplies out around me, tuned the tv to something mindless that I would really only need my ears for and not my eyes, and started creating. I've made a mini-book (almost - going to finish it tomorrow morning).
I had the house to myself for the evening last night, and for the day today, and I've simply been lazy and creative. And it was great. A cathartic release. I feel much more settled, together, peaceful, and rested than I did yesterday. Nothing like some good chocolate, and a project to baby.
So, it's a mini-book, full of quotes, single words - things to remind me what I want my outlook on life to be when it's not quite there. And it's green and brown - which just kind of happened, but which are also two of my favorite colors. My eyes are green, and they're my favorite physical feature. I think I may be the only scrapbooker in the world who could quite happily make books without ever using photographs - only words and phrases and quotations! And it's a thing of beauty, something I'm proud of, even though it's a bit more girly than I intended!
The only time I left the house was for a trip to the scrapbooking store. So, I got out of my pajamas, dressed myself in my favorite jeans, a green tank-top layered under a brown t-shirt, and my favorite cute brown suede shoes, grabbed a fleece and headed out into the snow.
I also tidied our kitchen today, and scrubbed our bathtub, but those were side things that I promised my mom I would do.
I like the speed of life around our house when my dad is away on a missions' trip. So much more relaxed - we cook what we want, and don't end up with leftovers that have to be eaten six more times. We chill, move at a slower pace, an easier schedule.
I'm going out tonight to see a movie. Some spoof of American Idol among other things. A friend called and asked if she could treat me to a movie in exchange for my company for the evening. Seems she turned down invitations to several different parties, deeming it unwise to attend, and so she decided to call me, and offered to pay for a movie in deference to my current state of unemployment, in exchange for giving her something to do for a portion of the evening and thus keeping her away from the parties. Works for me!
And so, I'm off to shower, and pamper myself a little, and then I'll find some dinner and head out to meet my friend. It's been a good day.
Friday, April 21, 2006
One Year Blogiversary!
One year ago today I wrote my first post on this blog. I started blogging here for a completely mundane reason. James was in Sri Lanka, and his blog didn't allow anonymous comments, so I created a blogger account, and the rest, as they (who are they anyway, and why are they talking about me?) say is history.
I could tell you so many things. But instead, I'm going to just link you to my favorite posts from the past year. For some of them I'll tell you why I picked them, and some of them I'll just let speak for themselves! There are quite a few - it's been a kind of crazy and significant year. So, pick a few and remember with me, or read them all and celebrate with me the incredible changes in my life since last April!
I could tell you so many things. But instead, I'm going to just link you to my favorite posts from the past year. For some of them I'll tell you why I picked them, and some of them I'll just let speak for themselves! There are quite a few - it's been a kind of crazy and significant year. So, pick a few and remember with me, or read them all and celebrate with me the incredible changes in my life since last April!
- May 18, 2005 - Disconnect, Crash, and a Jann Arden Song
- May 22, 2005 - Restless
- May 28, 2005 - A Call to Go Deeper - This post asked questions that had been on my heart for quite some time - How could God possibly be calling me to go deeper when I could barely survive in the shallows?
- June 22, 2005 - G. K. Chesterton on Sanity and Reason - Because this quote is one of my favorites of all time.
- July 20, 2005 - Quoting Clive Staples - Because Lewis asks good questions.
- August 12, 2005 - Stumbling Towards Faith - Because this book changed my life, and created a shift that led to a place of eventual healing.
- September 3, 2005 - Relational Highs and Lows
- September 24, 2005 - Stream of Consciousness - Because this was a moment to be marked.
- October 6, 2005 - Angry - Because it took me over a year to admit it, and admitting it was cathartic.
- October 18, 2005 - In That Moment - One of the most poignant moments of the year. A time in which I had no idea what to do, but was simply present. Something I've been thinking about this week because I held the same young woman as she wept at church again last week.
- November 2, 2005 - Those Who Hope in His Steadfast Love.... - The day after God healed my depression, before I even realized it, but simply knew that He had showed up and my life was changing.
- November 23, 2005 - Something Changed...Or I Just Showed Up
- November 30, 2005 - Whispers - Because God was speaking, and creating "vibrant harmonies".
- December 6, 2005 - The Woman's Creed - Because I am learning my value in God's eyes as a woman.
- December 12, 2005 - Practicality
- December 20, 2005 - I'm Done! - Because everyone should celebrate completing university.
- December 29, 2005 - The Silence of a Muddled Mind - Because this is one of the best titles I came up with all year, and because this post really does talk about some things that were very significant. I was "undone" in the words of a friend, and it turned out to be a very good place to live.
- January 4, 2006 - Listening to God is...
- January 24, 2006 - The Things I Need to Say
- February 1, 2006 - On Hold - Because this was a moment of desperation, and because Nolan's comment really encouraged me.
- March 2, 2006 - Mental Health - Because Stuart sent me this link on a day where I desperately needed a laugh!
- March 8, 2006 - The Kingdom Isn't Breaking Through - Because this is where my heart is, this is the place that God is speaking to me.
- March 13, 2006 - From the Ashes - Because it was a breakthrough.
- March 17, 2006 - Looking For Wisdom - Because it continues to be the cry of my heart.
I had a great time this morning, flipping through all the entries from the last year, and picking my favorites. This has been a crazy year, and I'm really glad James' no anonymous comments thing forced me to create my own blog - because if I hadn't, I'm not sure I would have such a strong chronicle of the changes that have happened in my life.
Hope is such a beautiful thing. A year ago, even six months ago I was in a place of praying something along the lines of, "God, release the tiny portion of my heart that you still hold, because I'm done. There is no reason for me to get out of bed in the mornings. There is nothing worth living for." And then, six months ago, God stepped in, and now I pray something along the lines of, "God, my life is open to you. I am yours, do whatever you want." And this new prayer is terrifying, but beautiful. There is an unexplainable, illogical and completely overwhelmingly beautiful hope that defines my life. People and things have tried to minimize it at times over the last months, but it is there and I want to shout from the rooftops the presence, the transforming presence of Jesus!
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