Taco pitas, groceries, tea

The title pretty much sums up my evening.

L and I had taco pitas for dinner - basically taco fixings, but in a pita shell.

Then we went grocery shopping.

Followed by a trip to my favorite tea shop in Kensington, accompanied by our other roommate, and one more kiwi, now in town for J's upcoming wedding.

Oh, and if you add "cleaning my navel" (which really is a funny thing to say and makes me laugh every time I think it), you've got the sum total of what I did after work tonight. Because I cleaned my navel twice. Just say that out loud to yourself, "I need to clean my navel," and see if you can keep from laughing at the ridiculous nature of the statement.

Oh, and I downloaded the audio version of "Angry Conversations with God" that I reviewed on the weekend. It's read by the author (who is hilariously funny and a great reader as an actress and comedian) and I'm quite looking forward to revisiting the book over the next week or two in audio form.

And with that, I'm headed for bed. I'm tired, and my neck and back are stiff. It would seem I've unwittingly been tensing my muscles quite a lot as I sleep to prevent myself from flopping onto my belly the way I normally would (and thus causing a bit of pain since I have a piercing there that's only three days old!). I have muscle knots like you wouldn't believe in my neck especially, and they've been causing a headache all day today. So I'm headed for bed, with a heat pack around my neck to ease the muscles a bit, and a hope to sleep a bit less tensely tonight!

Quote of the Day

From the calendar on my desk:

"Your love must grow, become sensitive and respectful. It is easy to find people who love generously, but people who love with sensitivity and respect for each individual person are rare. The Lord's own countenance is in every person." (Little Sister Magdeleine of Jesus)

Psalms

I've spent a lot of time reading and returning to certain favorite Psalms lately, praying along with them, crying out to the Father.

It's been a full few days again. My heart is working to hold onto the important things in the midst of wild pulls in multiple directions.

I returned again to this verse in Psalm 27 late last night, and it is the prayer of my heart right now - both that I would indeed hear, and that my heart would respond immediately.

Psalm 27:8 NLT
My heart has heard you say, “Come and talk with me.”
And my heart responds, “Lord, I am coming.”

Desert Song

Hope had a blog post today with another version of the song from the end of this post embedded in it. Her version had the story which goes with the song, which is also quite powerful. But really, it was the lyrics of this song from Hillsong that struck me deeply for so many reasons today... This is my prayer tonight.

This is my prayer in the desert when all that's within me feels dry
This is my prayer in the hunger and need
My God is a God who provides

And this is my prayer in the fire, in weakness or trial or pain
There is a faith proved of more worth than gold
So refine me, Lord, through the flames

I will bring praise, I will bring praise
No weapon forged against me shall remain
I will rejoice, I will declare
God is my victory and He is here

And this is my prayer in the battle, when triumph is still on it's way
I am a conqueror and co-heir with Christ
So firm on His promise I'll stand

All of my life, in every season
You are still God, I have a reason to sing
I have a reason to worship

This is my prayer in the harvest, when favor and providence flow
I know I'm filled to be emptied again
The seed I've received I will sow

In and Out

I spend a lot of time these days (especially on weekends) thinking about the value of Sabbath and rest. My body lets me know these days when it's time to come to a pause, and if I'm wise, I listen to it.

I stayed in bed a bit late this morning, then slowly got myself moving.

I did errands for a while. Mostly picking up some things for the office. And a stop at the natural food market - to buy vitamins again.

Then home, a bit of cleaning, lunch, and my body let me know that we were finished again. A nap was definitely in order.

Lots of time to think. I'm thinking particularly about family today. It's funny, because I don't really think about it when they're here, but with my parents overseas, I've missed them. The few short phone calls a week with mom. The quick stops at their house to pick up the mail or borrow/return this or that. The hugs that come with all those quick stops. Other familial things, holiday related mostly, have come up too, touching raw spots and causing my heart to cry out again for healing.

It's been an in and out sort of day. In and out of bed. In and out of the house. In and out of various moods.

And, I'm learning that a navel piercing is a different sort of animal, healing wise, than a facial piercing. A facial piercing is basically undisturbed. You don't really move your face around, so once you get past the initial stinging of the piercing, you can basically forget it's there as it heals. I'm surprised at how many of the basic movements of life tweak a navel piercing. Bending just so, twisting, getting in and out of the car. Basically if you move, you can feel it just a bit! Which, I suppose, is not such a bad thing if you've gotten a piercing to remind you you're alive...