Adventures with the roommates

Japanese Night

Smith Rock

Shevlin Park

Exercise is the BEST Medicine

It has taken two months, holidays, travel, moving and countless disappointments for me to finally sit and breathe. No, the yoga classes just made me frustrated that I am inflexible, and re-enforced that inverted positions are hard. There was rejection to great attempts and classes to stave off boredom. Oh and don't forget the ever popular question of, "Have you tried e Harmony?" All this has left me exhausted emotionally. Thankfully, wow thought I would never say that, I have been through depression before. I am so thankful to be in Central Oregon where the sun shines and activities are just outside your door. I am thankful for friends that meet up for walks, drinks and dinner parties. I am thankful for my brother who let me tag along on a spelunking adventure and has been enthusiastic about dinner parties. And as frustrating as she is, I am thankful that my mother's willingness to always go art walk, dancing or xc-skiing. And thanks Dad for letting me stay.

Emotional Me= exhausted and disappointed

Below is an excerpt from a blog I really enjoyed today. It is about having "emotional intelligence." I really appreciate someone writing about this because I do not have the words to express why I cry. Click on the link to read the rest of the article.

How often do we, as a spiritual family, talk about how we feel about life, God, and ourselves? Not surface level chitchat, but the aches and the cries of our hearts?

We like generic terms: “I’m doing well” or “I’m struggling, but God is good.”

I like generic terms because saying “My heart feels like it’s being ripped to shreds by the injustice in the world and my gut says I need to do something about it, and I kind of want to throw up because my brain says I’m insane and is anxious about everything…” makes me sound a little unstable.

If I were to start cursing the day of my birth or ripping my clothes off to scream about current events, you’d have me committed for a psych evaluation. To some extent, I can’t say I’d blame you.

Sometimes we are overly dramatic. Sometimes our emotions do rule our life. Generally though, our emotions are more normal than we think.

There is a time and a season for every feeling from euphoria to rage to empty indifference. Unleashing those emotions is a natural part of human existence.

Not in an “I’m gonna unleash this can of whoop ass” professional WWE wrestling sort of way, but in a healthy “I’m going to allow myself to feel and then learn how to respond to what I’m feeling”  sort of way.

God Owes Me Nothing

 He loves to bless me though- smile!

Sarah's Birthday at Clear Lake

Walk in The Old Mill

Church as the United Nations

In my travels I have been blessed by the diversity of Church. The Orthodox and Catholic know how to inspire awe and show reverence for what demands respect. The Evangelicals welcome informality, allowing life and modern expression within their walls. And then there are the bible thumping types that remind us all where our source of knowledge, strength and truth come from.
In all we are together the Body of Christ, in our diversity we reflect His creation and glory. In our common desire of worship, we become the ordinary saints- extending love, grace, and resources. We are the humanitarians rallying the cause of injustice. Church do not stay divided, unite on the value of human life. Church do not become silent, you are needed.