Daily 5 - Year 2, Day 128

When I woke up this morning, I had a brutal headache that I medicated before even turning the overhead lights on. (That's pretty rare, since I try not to medicate them whenever possible.)  I was pretty convinced that it was going to be a rough day.  Turns out that the headache meds worked and I only needed them this morning.  (Thank you, God.)  And the day was pretty great too.

So, here's today's daily 5:

1. The surprise chance to grab a quick lunch with a friend
2. A gift of Almond Joy bars, loving delivered from the US, with the promise of a few more after her next trip a few months from now
3. Introducing a coworker to the wonder that is Almond Joy
4. A chance encounter at the bus stop that led to a fun conversation with a Mexican immigrant lady who is also a Christian, while we rode the bus together
5. Getting paid to go shopping for gifts for kids on work time
6. finishing my own Christmas shopping in the process
7. an immense joy in my heart this season, instead of the angst of previous Advent seasons
8. a full heart
9. warm and cozy boots
10. snarky email laughter
11. that I was commuting by bus instead of train this morning when the trains weren't running unexpectedly
12. A beautiful hand made Christmas card arriving in the mail (seriously stunning, and makes me almost embarrassed for the ones I've made)
13. a big mug of tea 
14. a bowl of Italian wedding soup
15. crawling into my pjs early and catching up on my at home work from bed
16. flickering candlelight
17. listening to a mix cd that was a Christmas gift last year from my brother J while I work

Reverb 10: Day 21 - Future Self

Today's Reverb 10 Prompt:

December 21 – Future Self.

Imagine yourself five years from now. What advice would you give your current self for the year ahead? (Bonus: Write a note to yourself 10 years ago. What would you tell your younger self?)

(Author: Jenny Blake)

Ugh.  I'm notoriously bad at the whole "what do you want life to look like five years from now" question.  I think I'm even less confident in my ability to answer that sort of question after spending 2010 watching the complete deconstruction of the answers I once would have given to those sorts of questions.

That said, the advice I'd give my current self for the year ahead is to just keep trusting.  To rest.  To be patient.  To continue to get better at allowing change to happen without the formerly obligatory meltdowns.  I'd advise me to study well, and put effort into school, because it will make a difference in the job I end up in, and the fulfillment of dreams.

It's a little easier to answer the question of what I'd say to myself five or ten years ago.  The big one would be to study a little harder that last semester of university.  Yes, the people you're supporting are important, but those grades are going to have an impact that you really can't imagine a few years down the road, and it would be worth it to study a bit harder.

I'd tell myself that it's okay to seek out joy, and live amidst that.  I'd tell myself that healing is coming in radical ways, and that I could probably speed the process up if I'd be a bit more willing to ask for help.  I'd tell myself to choose relationships that feed the soul instead of sapping energy from it.  I'd tell myself that the church I'm attending doesn't matter so much as whether or not God put it in my path.  I'd tell myself that some of the things coming wouldn't look anything like what I'd dreamed they would, but that the wounds they carried with them would eventually heal.  I'd tell myself to soak in the atmosphere in Europe, and not be so overwhelmed, to be joyful instead of afraid.  I'd tell myself to be gentle with myself, to have an opinion, to please people a little less and recognize my own needs a little bit more.  And I'd tell myself that I have time to learn all these things, and that it's okay if I don't get them right away.

Take the Mercy, Accept the Help

This passage encouraged me deeply when I read it yesterday, as I pondered some of the things going on in my life, and I wanted to share.

Hebrews 4:14-16 (The Message)
"Now that we know what we have—Jesus, this great High Priest with ready access to God—let’s not let it slip through our fingers. We don’t have a priest who is out of touch with our reality. He’s been through weakness and testing, experienced it all—all but the sin. So let’s walk right up to him and get what he is so ready to give. Take the mercy, accept the help."