Can I just say that comfort food is really one of the best things ever?
I quite thoroughly enjoyed my comfort food meal, followed by a bath (I'm totally into reading these days again!) and some television time.
I'm heading for bed with a book pretty quick. Nice and early to bed again tonight.
It was a good evening.
Wednesday, June 03, 2009
Comfort Food
I'm feeling pretty tired and emotionally drained still today.
Just needing to get through the day, and make it home where I have told myself that tonight my "to do" list doesn't need to be addressed. I can simply lay on the couch, read, surf the internet, or watch television.
And I've promised myself comfort food for supper. It's actually incredibly motivating.
I suppose I may have an odd definition of comfort food though, because high on my list, and, as promised to myself for tonight, is chicken fingers and french fries!
I'm actually very excited about this!
Just needing to get through the day, and make it home where I have told myself that tonight my "to do" list doesn't need to be addressed. I can simply lay on the couch, read, surf the internet, or watch television.
And I've promised myself comfort food for supper. It's actually incredibly motivating.
I suppose I may have an odd definition of comfort food though, because high on my list, and, as promised to myself for tonight, is chicken fingers and french fries!
I'm actually very excited about this!
More from Henri on Jesus
a few more thoughts from Henri Nouwen...
Jesus Is a Peacemaker
Jesus, the Blessed Child of the Father, is a peacemaker. His peace doesn't mean only absence of war. It is not simply harmony or equilibrium. His peace is the fullness of well-being, gratuitously given by God. Jesus says, "Peace I leave to you, my own peace I give you, a peace which the world cannot give, this is my gift to you" (John 14:27).
Peace is Shalom --- well-being of mind, heart, and body, individually and communally. It can exist in the midst of a war-torn world, even in the midst of unresolved problems and increasing human conflicts. Jesus made that peace by giving his life for his brothers and sisters. This is no easy peace, but it is everlasting and it comes from God. Are we willing to give our lives in the service of peace?
Jesus Is in the World Not of It
The Beatitudes offer us a self-portrait of Jesus. At first it might seem to be a most unappealing portrait - who wants to be poor, mourning and persecuted? Who can be truly gentle, merciful, pure in heart, a peacemaker, and always concerned about justice? Where is the realism here? Don't we have to survive in this world and use the ways of the world to do so?
Jesus shows us the way to be in the world without being of it. When we model our lives on his, a new world will open up for us. The Kingdom of Heaven will be ours, and the earth will be our inheritance. We will be comforted and have our fill; mercy will be shown to us. Yes, we will be recognised as God's children and truly see God, not just in an afterlife, but here and now (see Matthew 5:3-10). That is the reward of modelling our lives on the life of Jesus!
Being Like Jesus
Very often we distance ourselves from Jesus. We say, "What Jesus knew we cannot know, and what Jesus did we cannot do." But Jesus never puts any distance between himself and us. He says: "I call you friends, because I have made known to you everything I have learnt from my Father" (John 15:15) and "In all truth I tell you, whoever believes in me will perform the same works as I do myself, and will perform even greater works" (John 14:12).
Indeed, we are called to know what Jesus knew and do what Jesus did. Do we really want that, or do we prefer to keep Jesus at arms' length?
Jesus Is a Peacemaker
Jesus, the Blessed Child of the Father, is a peacemaker. His peace doesn't mean only absence of war. It is not simply harmony or equilibrium. His peace is the fullness of well-being, gratuitously given by God. Jesus says, "Peace I leave to you, my own peace I give you, a peace which the world cannot give, this is my gift to you" (John 14:27).
Peace is Shalom --- well-being of mind, heart, and body, individually and communally. It can exist in the midst of a war-torn world, even in the midst of unresolved problems and increasing human conflicts. Jesus made that peace by giving his life for his brothers and sisters. This is no easy peace, but it is everlasting and it comes from God. Are we willing to give our lives in the service of peace?
Jesus Is in the World Not of It
The Beatitudes offer us a self-portrait of Jesus. At first it might seem to be a most unappealing portrait - who wants to be poor, mourning and persecuted? Who can be truly gentle, merciful, pure in heart, a peacemaker, and always concerned about justice? Where is the realism here? Don't we have to survive in this world and use the ways of the world to do so?
Jesus shows us the way to be in the world without being of it. When we model our lives on his, a new world will open up for us. The Kingdom of Heaven will be ours, and the earth will be our inheritance. We will be comforted and have our fill; mercy will be shown to us. Yes, we will be recognised as God's children and truly see God, not just in an afterlife, but here and now (see Matthew 5:3-10). That is the reward of modelling our lives on the life of Jesus!
Being Like Jesus
Very often we distance ourselves from Jesus. We say, "What Jesus knew we cannot know, and what Jesus did we cannot do." But Jesus never puts any distance between himself and us. He says: "I call you friends, because I have made known to you everything I have learnt from my Father" (John 15:15) and "In all truth I tell you, whoever believes in me will perform the same works as I do myself, and will perform even greater works" (John 14:12).
Indeed, we are called to know what Jesus knew and do what Jesus did. Do we really want that, or do we prefer to keep Jesus at arms' length?
Tuesday, June 02, 2009
At a loss for words...
I can't even begin to explain what the four days that encompass Saturday through this evening have contained. I mean, I know I said I was feeling discombobulated, but really, I can't even begin to describe the immensity of the things that those four days have held.
And, they haven't stopped, even at night. My dreams have been full and intense again as well, and coming with increasing regularity.
All that to say that just in this moment, I'm pretty exhausted.
It's one of those rare moments where I really just want to call my mom, just to hear her voice, even knowing that I'd probably burst into tears at the sound of it, for no apparent reason whatsoever. But, my mom is on the other side of the planet just at the moment, so I'll be settling for a journal, and some chocolate.
I feel like I've been moving non-stop for four straight days, from one emotionally draining thing to another.
The truth is that I was so sick yesterday that I spent a good part of the day sleeping.
And that I spent a good part of Sunday doing very little (though to be fair, that was somewhat emotionally draining, as a good part of that time was spent journaling and processing the wild events of last week.)
I'm thankful for an evening off tomorrow night, and thinking I may just ignore the myriad of things on my "to do" list for a night, and simply rest. (Or perhaps make a trip to "my" park to pray and walk and think.)
My heart is tired, and could use a little bit of restorative time with Jesus (whether at home or the park...)
And, in the interests of my own health, I have a few emails to write, and then my plan is to be in bed EARLY (for me at least).
Tomorrow is Wednesday, and somehow, those always take a lot of energy.
BUT, I do have one piece of good news! I have a place to live at the end of the month, with a landlord who seems great. In a location that's convenient for both my roommate and I. In a quiet building near a lovely old park. And it looks like we'll be able to move in a bit before the first of July, which would be so helpful in terms of our stress levels, and not needing to take time off of work to move, since our other roommate is getting married on July 4th, and we'll have to travel to another city for that as well.
And, they haven't stopped, even at night. My dreams have been full and intense again as well, and coming with increasing regularity.
All that to say that just in this moment, I'm pretty exhausted.
It's one of those rare moments where I really just want to call my mom, just to hear her voice, even knowing that I'd probably burst into tears at the sound of it, for no apparent reason whatsoever. But, my mom is on the other side of the planet just at the moment, so I'll be settling for a journal, and some chocolate.
I feel like I've been moving non-stop for four straight days, from one emotionally draining thing to another.
The truth is that I was so sick yesterday that I spent a good part of the day sleeping.
And that I spent a good part of Sunday doing very little (though to be fair, that was somewhat emotionally draining, as a good part of that time was spent journaling and processing the wild events of last week.)
I'm thankful for an evening off tomorrow night, and thinking I may just ignore the myriad of things on my "to do" list for a night, and simply rest. (Or perhaps make a trip to "my" park to pray and walk and think.)
My heart is tired, and could use a little bit of restorative time with Jesus (whether at home or the park...)
And, in the interests of my own health, I have a few emails to write, and then my plan is to be in bed EARLY (for me at least).
Tomorrow is Wednesday, and somehow, those always take a lot of energy.
BUT, I do have one piece of good news! I have a place to live at the end of the month, with a landlord who seems great. In a location that's convenient for both my roommate and I. In a quiet building near a lovely old park. And it looks like we'll be able to move in a bit before the first of July, which would be so helpful in terms of our stress levels, and not needing to take time off of work to move, since our other roommate is getting married on July 4th, and we'll have to travel to another city for that as well.
Full Day...
This has been a very full day. (And I still have just under an hour left at the office.)
After work, I'm heading home as quickly as possible, as my roommate and I have an appointment to look at a potential place for us to live beginning next month. I would be quite delighted if this one panned out, as it would be a load off my mind. (However, we do tentatively have another appointment later in the week somewhere else, just in case this one doesn't work out.)
I like the full days better than the empty ones when I'm at the office. I'd rather be busy than need to pretend to be busy. Thankfully, these days, the busy days far outnumber the slow ones.
All of the things I mentioned this morning remain heavily on my mind, and I've demonstrated my discombobulated nature rather broadly today by doing things like sending an email referring to a specific attachment, and forgetting to include the attachment.
So, I continue to pray, and to work to reign in my scattered mental processes. To wait and pray and hope and think and love. Not such a bad place to be occupying I suppose.
After work, I'm heading home as quickly as possible, as my roommate and I have an appointment to look at a potential place for us to live beginning next month. I would be quite delighted if this one panned out, as it would be a load off my mind. (However, we do tentatively have another appointment later in the week somewhere else, just in case this one doesn't work out.)
I like the full days better than the empty ones when I'm at the office. I'd rather be busy than need to pretend to be busy. Thankfully, these days, the busy days far outnumber the slow ones.
All of the things I mentioned this morning remain heavily on my mind, and I've demonstrated my discombobulated nature rather broadly today by doing things like sending an email referring to a specific attachment, and forgetting to include the attachment.
So, I continue to pray, and to work to reign in my scattered mental processes. To wait and pray and hope and think and love. Not such a bad place to be occupying I suppose.
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