Not What I'd Planned...

A number of months ago I wrote a post titled "Did I shave my legs for this?"

I talked in it about the moments when you're totally prepared for something, and then something else completely is what ends up happening.

I had a "did I shave my legs for this" sort of evening tonight.

I didn't actually shave my legs, but I did shower, get dressed up, wear high heels, style my hair, pick out great jewelry, and even put on makeup (I don't even usually wear makeup to work so you know it was a big deal!)

I was planning to attend an AIDS awareness fundraiser put on by MCC Alberta. I was a bit apprehensive about going solo, but was quite looking forward to hearing the two people who were scheduled to speak.

I made it to about a block from the event, when with a rattle and a clunk of sorts, George decided that movement was just not in his plans for the rest of the night.

So, I called my dad.

He, fortunately, was home, and came to rescue me. After ascertaining that what was wrong was what he'd anticipated from what I'd described over the phone, I called AMA to send a tow truck, and we settled in to wait.

Time with my dad can be hard at times. We are in many ways very similar, but I've struggled a lot with our relationship over the years. It has seemed in the last few months as if Jesus was perhaps bringing healing in our relationship in really unexpected ways. Tonight was part of that I think.

We had a great conversation while we waited for the tow truck to arrive. We basically just caught up on what's been going on in my life. How my job change has been going. An ongoing crazy situation related to my job change. And we talked a bit of faith and theology, because of the event I'd been planning to attend when George gave out, and because of some intense conversations I've had with various people this week.

I had fun.

It was totally not how I planned or thought I'd spend the evening, but it was good. Jesus was gracious in how I spent the evening.

The evening did, however, end with the news that George requires at the very least a new water pump and a serpentine pulley (what is it with me and things that are somehow related to snakes???). So, I'll be spending money on him again, and likely taking the bus to work on Monday.

Ah well. Dad dropped me at home, and I'm curled up in bed, snacking on crackers and hummus, blackberries, smoked gouda, and chocolate. And sipping a mug of lemon mango fruit infusion loose tea. I'm relaxed and warm, and have plans to enjoy a day at home tomorrow, since I'm without a vehicle.

And, I can say that God was gracious, and George waited to die until I was on a quiet street instead of the major roads I'd been traveling on only moments earlier.

So, it was a "did I shave my legs for this?" evening, but it was great in so many ways as well, and I'm thankful for it.

Receiving Love

I've been listening to this song on repeat in the mornings as I drive to work this week.

And I've been thinking a lot about the ability to give and receive love.

This morning two thoughts occurred to me that I will need to ponder more deeply, and that I'd love to hear your thoughts on.

For me personally, it's far easier to give love than to receive it. And of course, that verse came to mind, the one where it talks about "it's better to give than receive."

But I wonder if that isn't a sort of Christian guilt thing that we develop? A mentality that says it's okay to feel and be unloved, as long as we are loving others?

And I think about all those other lines, that talk about the love of Jesus, and talk about being filled to overflowing, and I think that somewhere along the lines, we've tricked something out of the importance of receiving love.

Because unless you can receive it, how can you truly give it?

Headlines...

A few headlines catching my attention:

Up to 2,000 Calgary Youths Homeless

Pope's Mideast Pilgrimage

Friday!

It's Friday!

Wearing jeans to work day.

Subway lunch with a colleague day.

Evening to myself day. Well, actually, since I have the house to myself for the whole weekend this weekend, I think tonight I'm going to attend this event.

And, I have fun plans for filling my time in my nice quiet house this weekend!

Plans involving reading and writing, and creativity. And copious amounts of Grey's Anatomy.

Henri on friends and community...

I've had a backlog of Henri Nouwen quotes sitting in my email inbox, waiting to be shared. Which is, of course, why you might have noticed a large quantity of them over the course of this week!

Here are some great thoughts on friends and friendship...

Friends and Their Limitations

We need friends. Friends guide us, care for us, confront us in love, console us in times of pain. Although we speak of "making friends," friends cannot be made. Friends are free gifts from God. But God gives us the friends we need when we need them if we fully trust in God's love.

Friends cannot replace God. They have limitations and weaknesses like we have. Their love is never faultless, never complete. But in their limitations they can be signposts on our journey towards the unlimited and unconditional love of God. Let's enjoy the friends whom God has sent on our way.

Friends and Their Unique Gifts

No two friends are the same. Each has his or her own gift for us. When we expect one friend to have all we need, we will always be hypercritical, never completely happy with what he or she does have.

One friend may offer us affection, another may stimulate our minds, another may strengthen our souls. The more able we are to receive the different gifts our friends have to give us, the more able we will be to offer our own unique but limited gifts. Thus, friendships create a beautiful tapestry of love.

The Mosaic That Shows Us the Face of God

A mosaic consists of thousands of little stones. Some are blue, some are green, some are yellow, some are gold. When we bring our faces close to the mosaic, we can admire the beauty of each stone. But as we step back from it, we can see that all these little stones reveal to us a beautiful picture, telling a story none of these stones can tell by itself.

That is what our life in community is about. Each of us is like a little stone, but together we reveal the face of God to the world. Nobody can say: "I make God visible." But others who see us together can say: "They make God visible." Community is where humility and glory touch.

Signposts on the Way to God

How do we know about God's love, God's generosity, God's kindness, God's forgiveness? Through our parents, our friends, our teachers, our pastors, our spouses, our children ... they all reveal God to us. But as we come to know them, we realise that each of them can reveal only a little bit of God. God's love is greater than theirs; God's goodness is greater than theirs; God's beauty is greater than theirs.

At first we may be disappointed in these people in our lives. For a while we thought that they would be able to give us all the love, goodness, and beauty we needed. But gradually we discover that they were all signposts on the way to God.