Decisions that Define Us

A dear friend sent this to me a little while ago. She knows me well. (And it's probably a good thing that she didn't send it any earlier in the day today - this has not been a banner day for me.)

It's been the sort of day where I had to make decisions again. Decisions to choose life. To choose Christ. To choose joy. To choose peace. To choose hope.

I made those decisions, and then got an email from my friend with a link to this video. I'll be watching it often, I think. I needed to hear the things it speaks.

And a few more...

A few more headlines that have caught my attention as the day has gone on...

Jim Jones' Followers Enthralled by his Skills as a Speaker

Obama's Senate Role Creates Odd Overlap

Suspect in French Synagogue Bombing Arrested in Canada

Sixth Severed Foot Washes up on BC Shore (updated from yesterday)

Headlines Again

I know I've posted a lot of headlines again lately, but there have been stories that have been catching my attention for various reasons lately, moving my heart, or challenging me.

Here are three more:

Suspicious Package Left Outside Bank of Canada

Doctors Say Marrow Transplant May Have Cured AIDS

Hannah's Choice: Saying No to a New Heart

Heart as Wide as the World

Another great thought on the communion of saints from Henri Nouwen...

Heart As Wide As the World

The awareness of being part of the communion of saints makes our hearts as wide as the world. The love with which we love is not just our love; it is the love of Jesus and his saints living in us. When the Spirit of Jesus lives in our hearts, all who have lived their lives in that Spirit live there too. Our parents, grandparents, and great-grandparents; our teachers and their teachers; our pastors and their pastors; our spiritual guides and theirs - all the holy men and women who form that long line of love through history - are part of our hearts, where the Spirit of Jesus chooses to dwell.

The communion of saints is not just a network of connections between people. It is first and foremost the community of our hearts.

I Needed This...

I had the kind of day where the office server went down, rendering nearly everyone unable to complete important work, and grouchy because of it. The kind of day when I sat in a staff meeting and listened to our general manager try to paint a rosy picture of a particular event in the life of our company, and essentially deceive our staff. The kind of day where I began to have odd physical symptoms just after lunch, and spent the afternoon fighting off dizzyness and longing for the end of the day.

I've had the kind of day that has left me in need of a reminder of things that make me smile.

Things like:

• cuddling with my favorite kids in the world yesterday, while they showed me their "baby books" and told me all about the photos of themselves that the books contained.
• a "perfect" moment of stillness standing beside Lake Minnewanka yesterday
• mango body scrub from the Body Shop
• a quiet evening at home with plans to write and read
• curling up in favorite sweats and wrapping myself in a soft blanket
• comfort food for supper
• a long conversation with a dear friend
• a video of herself that my best friend recently posted on facebook from the other side of the world
• email that allows for nearly instant communication with scattered family and friends
• bath products (especially bubble bars and bath bombs) from LUSH
• candles
• a rose-scented bedroom thanks to an oil burner and oils