First, if you didn't get my song reference.... you should have.
Second, Wow, it's been about a million years since I've blogged. Okay... 2ish months. But in the blog world, that's pretty ridiculous. What have I been up to/what am I up to now, you ask? Well....
1. I graduated from college!!!
Definitely a selfie-worthy moment.
After 4 long years, I completed my degree in music theatre. It was a long run, but I'm proud of what I accomplished and so thankful to the many people along the way that kept me going when I was ready to give up. There is definitely a much more detailed post with post-college thoughts coming soon. For now I simply say, I GRADUATED, YO!
2. Summer. Camp. Glory.
When it comes to my favorite things ever... teaching summer camp for Spotlight Youth Theater is in my Top 5, no question. I just taught three straight weeks of camp, including a week at Judson for Project Dance camp (aka, the best week of my LIFE) and am gearing up for High School Overnight Camp next week. #goblueteam Everything about it is fun, and there is no better place to be silly and ridiculous while learning about Jesus, honing theatre skills, and creating beautiful things. If there is any place that I feel fully myself, it's at Spotlight camp. While I try to be genuinely myself wherever I am, there's just something about Spotlight camp that makes me come alive. So if you want to see the realest, most uninhibited me, come spend a day at camp with me. You just might catch me doing an interpretive dance to "I See the Light" with a white garbage bag for a giant lantern.
What a fun week with these 9 crazies. We sure missed the other 5, but we truly had a blast.
Goodness I love them.
3. Summer Voice Studio!
After a season away so I could like, graduate and stuff, I'm finally back teaching voice. I forgot how much fun it is to work one on one with students and see awesome vocal progress. Tonight I had my first several students of the summer and will see more on Wednesday. Exciting!
(I promise I'm nicer than she is.)
That's it for now. Also, get excited, because tomorrow I'm going to announce/present the first installment of a new weekly fun-day on the blog!
Hi everybody! It's Monday! And if you're like me, you're probably still in some sort of food and/or candy coma from yesterday, so I figured we all needed a little pick me up.
Here are 10 things guaranteed to make me laugh - hopefully you'll chuckle or maybe even guffaw at least once reading this.
1. This brilliant summation of Romeo and Juliet:
#accurate
2. A little movie called "She's the Man"
("Hello?")
(Winces in pain)
"I write songs, too, Olivia:
"High five - nice."
I could post a million more - but we'll continue.....
3. This show:
4. Come on, you guys knew this was coming.
5. This exchange:
6. This moment from "Elf." (Cue the happy-go-lucky instrumental version of Sleigh Ride):
7. BOY. MEETS. WORLD.
8. Rory and Lorelai Gilmore
10. Shawn and Gus
It wasn't until I was about halfway along that I realized this is all movies and TV shows. I hope you're laughing instead of judging my media consumption.
What about you? What makes you laugh no matter what?
The song played as I laid in the dark and wept over the shame and fear swirling inside me, touching my soul in a way no song ever had before.The song played in the church at the concert that was standing room only, the room filled with eager, happy listeners. The song played every night for a year in a playlist full of its companions, as I fell asleep smiling about the beauty I had wanted for so long.The song played as I sat in my bed and wrote a paper at 4am and cried over what was lost.
The years, the seasons, they were all different – but the truth of the words never changed:
Rise up oh you sleeper awake
The light of the dawn is upon you
Rise up oh you sleeper awake
He makes all things new
He makes all things new
New.
It’s a beautiful word, isn’t it? New means change. New means not old. New means not what you had before. New means something has been born.
Maybe it was a dream fulfilled. Maybe it was love found. Maybe it was everything you longed for come true.
It can also be a scary word. New means change. New means not old. New means not what you had before. New means something had to die.
Maybe it was a dream unfulfilled. Maybe it was love lost.Maybe it was everything you wanted taken from you.
Or maybe - maybe it was some terrifying combination of the two.
Because isn’t that how God works? He strips you of everything you think you want, everything you think you need, and replaces it with something better.Maybe it's nothing like you would have ever imagined in your wildest dreams. Maybe it’s better. Maybe it doesn’t feel better at all. Maybe sometimes it feels like you’d like to go back to what you had before.
The world was good, the world is fallen, the world will be redeemed.
Wherever you are in the process of God’s work in your life, know this: He will not leave you in a broken place. This world is fallen, and we are here for a while – but not for forever. And even while we’re here, we are being redeemed. You are being redeemed. Your story, broken as it is – your heart, broken as it is – is being remade. New.
So hold on, dear one. The pain is deep and the suffering is long.But it’s not the end.It’s not the end.
The room was quiet as she spoke gently into the microphone. She had gathered us all together in a way that was different from past sessions, and we all felt that something important was about to happen. She was sitting along the edge of the stage along with many of the kids. Some were on the floor right beside it.
I sat on the floor by my team, my mind cluttered with thoughts of the show about to happen and a million other things. And then our kind leader spoke these words:
"What we do here is meant to reflect Christ. But how can we reflect Christ if we don't know Christ? And how can we know Him if we don't spend time with Him? I just want us to take a few minutes together and think about who God is and what He's done. I think most of us will know this song, and if not, do your best to listen and focus on the words of this song."
The familiar melody came gently from the speakers, the strums of a guitar leading to the first few words... The splendor of the King....
I closed my eyes and sang along, feeling this whoosh of peace and clarity rush over me. Everyone was singing and some were harmonizing to the chorus... How great is our God! Sing with me! How great is our God! And all will see how great, how great, is our God!...
It was a beautiful, sweet time, and I felt so grateful to our wonderful AC for leading us that way - for helping us in the midst of the chaos to look up and see what was really important. At that moment, nothing else mattered. Our songs and dances and skits and choreography and costumes and performances weren't what was most important. He was. Oh how I needed that reminder.
It is so tempting to look back and see only failure, to look forward and see only unanswered questions, to look at the current situation and see only a mess of "almosts" and "not-quites" and "not-sure-yets."
It's time to start looking up.
So I know that it's February 24, almost two months late, but I've decided to join many others and choose my word for 2014: upward.
"How can we reflect Christ if we don't know Christ? And how can we know Him if we don't spend time with Him?" This year, I want to spend so much more time looking up than anywhere else. I want to spend time with my Jesus, my Savior, my King. I want to become so well acquainted with Him that I don't have to think twice about whether or not everything is going to work out, because I know Him, The One who is holding it all together. This year, I want to delve into the beauty, the wonder, the strong-hold that I have in Christ. I want to shift my eyes time and time again - as much as it takes - until I can say that He is my treasure, the only thing I need. And one day, I will be with Him in glory, and it will be better than anything I can imagine, and anything I can see or understand now.
"If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory." - Colossians 3:1-4
"So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day.For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal." - 2 Corinthians 4:16-18
Turn your eyes upon Jesus
Look full in His wonderful face
And watch the word grow dim standing next to Him
In the light of His glory and grace
So look up! Look up!
This is a song about the morning, after a long night.
So look up! Look up!
This is a song about believing it's gonna be alright
When you turn your eyes upon Jesus.
Look full in His wonderful face.
I wanna grow dim standing next to Him
In the light of His glory and grace
Since you all have eyes, I'm assuming you've noticed there have been some changes around here! What compelled me to make such a change, you ask?
Well, first of all, today has been a sniffling, coughing, blowing-my-nose-every-two-seconds kind of day, and also, it's a blizzard outside. Thus, I stayed home from school, and have been in bed for most of the day trying to recoup.
Secondly, if I had to pick one word to describe my life right now, I would probably choose "transition." I have been in the middle of a lot of things for a long time, and slowly but surely am starting to emerge from what was into what is.
In light of this hunger for something fresh, as well as my new-found Kleenex-accompanied free time, an idea popped into my head, and something inside me said, It is time for a makeover!
So I edited and coordinated and finagled and finessed, and voila! "These Songs I Sing" has a new look!
Now, if only the "my actual life" part was that easy.
Oh friends, it has been a considerably rough time for me for quite a while now here in my corner of the world, and I've felt it very deeply. Never before have I felt so lost and unsure of myself and who I wanted to be. I've spent a lot of time asking questions, searching my heart, and answering other people's questions, trying to explain the mess that lay before me. But most every time I would come away with some new discovery, some new growth, some new hope for the future. I mean, sure, there were definitely times when I needed to just cry and eat ice cream in my bed, but even then, even in the darkest moments, I felt something. Something in the deepest part of me that I couldn't always grasp. Something saying, "It's time to begin again, sweetheart."
Now, I'm going to be real with each and every one of you reading this: I hate change. Like, a lot. And I think part of why this whole transitional stage has been so hard is because I had this idea in my head of what I was supposed to have, supposed to want, supposed to be. And I couldn't wrap my mind around that fact that I was wrong - that God had something different in store, and that it really was okay - perhaps even glorious?
I mean, it isn't easy to feel glorious when you're choking on your tears and snot and saliva and feeling certain the whole house can hear you bawling.
But even still, every time I wrestled with my situation, that idea, that hope of something new would press on my heart - and every time I would fight it.
"But this isn't the way it's supposed to be!"
"But I messed everything up!"
"But I don't deserve a brand new start."
Oh darling - yes you do. And there is not one person who would tell you otherwise. You are totally allowed to pick yourself up and move on. You do not have to live here forever. You do not need to bear this forever. You are allowed to begin again.
I don't know what exactly it will look like, or what it will take. But I'm finally starting to let myself believe that it's possible, that it's okay, that it's right, to move forward, to start fresh, to begin again.
Oh Lord, speak to my heart. Teach me what it means to begin again.
No one has ever really asked me to blog about a certain thing before. That's mostly because,
1. My blog is still pretty under the radar.
and
2. I've NEVER ASKED!
So when a friend commented on my last post with a request for a future post topic I thought, "Hey! That's a great idea! And one I probably never would have thought up on my own! Yay for cool suggestions!"
So hey! All of you who read this blog! What would *you* like to read about? It can literally be anything, be it something very specific to me and my life, or a question/thought you have about the world/life in general that you'd like me to talk about. Comment on this blog with your topic and in the words of Mr. Darcy, "I shall be happy to oblige, only tell me what you'd most like to hear."
Now, on to the requested topic: songs that I listen to on replay.
So glad you asked, Luke. Here's my current top 12:
(P.S. - Yes, I tried to narrow it down to 10. No, I didn't succeed.)
12. "Love Is An Open Door," Disney's Frozen.
Now, before you close this tab in frustration at my supreme girly-ness and intense mainstreamity (Yes, I just made up a word), hear me out. This song is funny, romantic, clever, and SHORT. (2:07!!) Like, I can listen to it probably 15 times in a row on my drive to work. (Not that I've actually done that or anything....) Also, it's vocally super fun, and I geek out about Kristen Bell's masterful use of thin fold twang with thyroid tilt (aka, the Disney princess recipe), and Santino Fontana's exceptional tenor (those high notes sound like a breeze for him! I love that!!) and charm. I JUST FREAKIN' LOVE IT, OKAY??
11. "The Resistance," Josh Garrels
I have recently come to LOVE Josh Garrels' music, and this is my current stand-out favorite song of his. The lyrics are strikingly good, and the melody haunting. Not to mention that he is one of the only white guys I've ever heard successfully rap. Definitely worth your time. "How do good men become a part of a regime? They don't believe in resistance."
10. "Happy," Pharrell Williams
Discovered this super-catchy-fun tune in Despicable Me 2. It's a great "dance out all your feelings in your kitchen" kind of song. And the harmonies - UGH STOP IT. I love it.
9. "Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus (Look Up)," Nichole Nordeman
My mom recently made me aware of this wonderful take on the classic hymn, and I'm ever-so grateful. This song has gotten me through many-a tear-filled drive to work, church, or school, and I love everything about it - the lyrics, the instrumentation, Nichole's vocalisms, everything. Sometimes takes on old hymns are weird - NOT THIS ONE. Give it a listen. I bet it will really encourage your heart.
8. "You Make Me Feel So Young," Frank Sinatra
I'm a big-ole fan of this rat-pack classic. And it's largely due to that one scene in "Elf" when Buddy and Jovie are ice-skating and running around the city looking at Christmas trees. It just makes my heart so happy, and while there are many cases that I prefer Michael Buble to old Blue Eyes, I have to say that in this case I prefer the original.
7. "I've Got You Under My Skin," Michael Buble
Speaking of MB, this is my favorite song of his, and one of those cases where I really do prefer the cover over the original. Though I will say this, I think one of the reasons I like it so much is because Michael has a really good idea of what "If it's not broke, don't fix it" means. He adds just the right amount of himself without losing the integrity of the song and I so appreciate that. And COME ON - It just so gosh-darn romantic!
6. "Undone," FFH
This song hits you right in the feels. It is so gut-wrenchingly honest and very powerfully sung, and I am constantly belting this one out in my car. So good.
5. "The House You're Building," Audrey Assad
I happened upon this album one night on iTunes and after previewing all the tracks quickly bought it. It is honest, worshipful, and different from a lot of stuff out there. It feels a lot like the Psalms, like the way David asks a lot of questions and doesn't always have the perfect thing to say, but still trusts the Lord. I love the whole album, but am especially fond of the title track. How many of us feel like vagabonds sometimes, homeless strangers wandering through this life, until we are reminded that God is calling us to a home He knows we're needing? Oh Lord, lay me in the house You're building!
4. "My Dear," Bethel Music feat. Hunter Thompson
I found this song via an adorable wedding video on Pinterest. I've actually been finding a lot of really great music lately from artists I've never heard of before through wedding videography. This is one of my particular favorites, and I hope to include it in my wedding someday. :)
3. "Carry My Soul," Phil Wickham
I heard this on a Christian radio station that plays more than just the top 40 (why don't more of those exist??) while driving home one night and was like, "WHAT IS THIS??? I LOVE THIS!!!" So when I got home I googled the lyrics I had done my best to keep in my brain for the rest of my drive ("I will run, Lord, and I won't quit, chasing Your heart just like David did.") and found this beautiful song by Phil Wickham. I ended up getting the whole album because it's just that good. I love this song because it makes me think about where I'm really going, and spurs me on to keep running, and it also breaks my heart a little, which I've come to believe all truly worthy songs do.
2. "In The Light," Anthem Lights feat. Jamie Grace
Okay, just so we're clear, I'll always love the original, and props to DC Talk for being so cool and writing this crazy good song. That being said, I'm currently digging this fantastic cover. Shout out to my friend Elisa for being the one to introduce me to it!
1. "No More Faith," Andrew Peterson
While AP considers this album his underdog (you can't even get it on iTunes), I'm a huge fan, and have found so much comfort in this song - the first track on the album - as well as his amazing "Steady As She Goes," and "Mary Picked the Roses," which is the song that inspired my blog! (More about that in a another post, perhaps.) For now, I'll just let the lyrics of the bridge and final chorus speak for why I love this one so much:
So I will drive these roads in thunder and in rain
And I will sing your song at the top of my lungs
And I will praise you, Lord, in glory and in pain
And I will follow you till this race is won
And I will drive these roads till this motor won't run
And I will sing your song from sea to shining sea
And I will praise you Lord, till your kingdom comes
And I will follow where you lead
Till there's no more faith
And no more hope
I'll see your face and Lord, I'll know
When there's no more faith
And no more hope
I'll sing your praise and let them go
Cause only love
Only Your love remains
Halleluiah
What about you? What songs can you listen to over and over again?
Don't forget to comment with what you'd like me to blog about! :)
Hi guys! Well, it's one of my last days of break before my LAST SEMESTER OF COLLEGE! (Holla at yo girl.) and I think just the right time to write another blog inspired by Avoiding Atrophy. So without further adieu:
5 Things You Probably Don't Know About Me
1. I hate mashed potatoes.
You know that American classic? The thing everyone eats with their meat and vegetables, and drizzles buckets of gravy over every Thanksgiving? Yeah, I can't stand 'em. I literally think they are super gross. The taste, smell, texture - everything. Blech! And wouldn't you know it - my entire family LOVES them. That made for some torturous meals in my childhood. One of the happiest days of my life (no joke) was when my mother told me I didn't have to eat mashed potatoes anymore. I was like,
2. I don't want to be famous.
Yes, I'm majoring in Music Theatre. Yes, I do shows all the time. No, I do not want to walk into Target for hair mousse and iTunes gift cards and be recognized by everyone. And I certainly don't want people to see me on the street and go,
3. I've never had chicken pox.
Now before I say anything else, PUH-LEASE pretty PLEASE don't comment on this post all, "You are going to get it when you're 40 and DIE." or "Why didn't your mother bring you over to your friends' houses when *they* had it??" Because, 1. No I'm not. Cool your jets. And 2. Because my mother isn't an evil woman intent on me catching a really unpleasant virus THAT'S WHY. Also, when I was like 2, I had Hand Foot Mouth, which is very similar. Also, some people never get it. And NO I wasn't ever vaccinated. Calm down. I'll be fine. .... Really!
4. I waited until I was 18 to piece my ears.
I don't know why I wai--- okayyy that's a lie. I waited because I was a big baby. That's why. I was worried it would hurt and I would cry in front of all the 13-year-olds in Claire's and it would be embarrassing. It ended up not hurting in the slightest, I didn't cry, and I was accompanied by my sister and some dear friends who were very supportive and only laughed a little when I requested to have both ears done at the same time.
The day I got my ears pierced. Look at smiley 18-year-old me! I apparently really liked pink. Oh wait.. I still do. :)
5. One of my dreams is to sing with a live band for someone's wedding reception.
Essentially, all I want to do is cover this album with a kick-butt jazz pianist, and an even more kick-butt tenor to sing track 5 with me.
What about you? Any fun facts about yourself you'd like the world to finally know?
P.S. For your enjoyment, I just wanted you all to know that I searched "homeschoolers" on a gif website and this was the ONLY thing that came up. Not even kidding.
Once
upon a time, I wanted to be a professional singer/actress. That is, until I
went to college, and learned a whole bunch about myself, including how terrible I
am at/how much I HATE marketing myself. I
can’t *stand* all the hand-shaking and mingling and schmultzing it takes to
make it in the business, and I have NEVER been good at walking up to someone
important or even sending out an email alerting people to my cool-ness, or as
Napoleon Dynamite would say “skills."
I’ve also never been great at receiving compliments.And recently I’ve noticed how bad I am (and I mean BAD) at accepting
other people’s praise.Maybe
because I think if I actually accept a compliment, it will go something like
this:
So when I came across this blog post from one of my favorite blogs of all time
(Avoiding Atrophy is where it’s AT) my heart just went “Eureka!! I’ve been
feeling like this for YEARS!!” and I got really excited that I wasn’t the only
one.
But then I got mad. Mad because this is actually a real problem in our culture
today – especially among us women.And
we don’t really talk about it.We think
that accepting compliments is vain, or even rude.We assume that if a woman is proud of her achievements
and strengths, she is stuck up.
And that’s what Christy O’Shoney explains so well in the post that sparked this
one.Side note: I seriously love her and
her blog.So much so that I’m attempting
to write this blog in true Avoiding Atrophy style – complete with sparkling wit and gifs…
and cats.
But
I think the best part about her post was that she really hit the real heart of
the problem – it’s not even so much that we’re afraid what other people
think.It’s what we think about
OURSELVES.
So
Christy set out to make a list of the things she likes about herself, and
encouraged others to do the same.
And
I thought – that's a great idea!
Recently
my awesome friend Sarah challenged me to write a body love letter. She even sent me hers to encourage me.
But
the truth is… I didn’t end up writing one – I have a tendency to avoid thinking
about my body. But the idea has been on
my mind ever since, and reading “10 Things I Like About Myself” really clinched
it for me.
So
this isn’t exactly a body love letter, but it’s similar.And while Christy kept herself to 10 things (she could have done more – she really is that cool) I decided to just start a
list and see how many I could come up with.So here goes:
21 Things
I Really Like About Me:
1.
I have great hair. People tell me often. Especially my friend Elisa. It makes
me happy. 2.
I’m funny. I love making people laugh and have gotten pretty good at it in
recent years. Especially when it's my friend Ana and I'm doing my Miranda Sings impression.
3.
I love teaching.
4.
I bake really great cookies. Chocolate chip is my specialty.
5.
I’m a really good speller. 6.
I have pretty feet. They’re small and dainty, and cute. And I like them. 7.
I’m good at singing.
8.
I memorize music quickly.
9.
I can imitate just about anyone.I’ve
always been quite the mockingbird, and it has served me really well in my
singing/theatre experiences.
10.
I’m not-so-secretly great at dancing. Especially at weddings. Recently at a
wedding reception the mother-of-the-bride said to me, “I love the way you move!
You’ve really got it.” MADE. MY. DAY.
11.
I’m good at including people.
12.
I can laugh at myself.
13.
I have pretty eyes. Big, brown, Disney Princess ones. Though not quite as big
as hers:
14.
I have good taste in television, movies, and music.
(Best. BMW episode. EVER.)
15.
I’m good at helping people out of their comfort zones.My silliness often encourages others to let
go and let loose a bit.
16.
I care about my family and friends deeply and do my best to love them
fiercely.When one of them gets hurt or
goes through a hard time – I hurt with them.
17.
I’m honest.I’ve always been good at
sharing my feelings with just about anyone - often times it’s necessary to me
actually functioning as a human being (it’s an extrovert thing) - but recently I’ve
felt the pull to be *really* honest. Lose the mask. Feel all the feelings – Even if it’s not “pretty.”
18.
I’m good at striking up random conversations with random strangers in random
places.I made a woman I’ve never met before laugh
in the cookware section of Kohl’s the other day.I’m all about being silly to make a person’s
day.
19. I laugh freely, and loudly. No shame. 20.I have a kick-butt Pinterest.It’s pretty darn fabulous. Check it out. 21.
I take a mean selfie.
The air around me is cold, and I'm wishing for my gloves. I think I left them in my car.
The pathway is lined with snow, the brick under my feet speckled white. My steps are steady and sure in my pink flowered rain boots as I make my way across campus, back towards my car. My iPod in hand, I search for a song. What used to be an easy choice is now an extremely hard one. My usual go-tos are no longer an option. They take me to a place I'm trying so hard to forget - make me a girl I'm trying so desperately not to be anymore. I can't be her. She hurts too much.
I settle on something and keep walking. I take another deep breath and take in a feeling I'm not familiar with. It feels... new? Stark? Empty? Independent? Strong? Weak? I can't tell - but I know this feeling is struggling to feel welcome in the heart it's invaded. Let me in, it whispers, as I turn a corner and see my car several feet ahead.
This. This feeling. I can't shake it, and it's starting to... define me.
Everyday I wake up to it. Every night I try to push it out of my head as I fall asleep. This - this is what I was afraid of a long time ago, and what I hoped would never be. Now, it is me.
It will go away, I tell myself as I drive to work, choreograph dances in my kitchen, or bring a load of laundry down to the basement. It has to. This can't be my life forever. It can't.
Hold on darling. This too shall pass. This, too, shall pass.
Well it knocked me down, it dragged me out, it left me there for dead.
It took all the freedom I wanted and gave me something else instead.
It blew my mind, it bled me dry, it hit me like a long goodbye,
And nobody here knows better than I that it's a good thing.
Love is a good thing.
It'll fall like rain on your parade,
And laugh at the plans that you tried to make.
Wear you down until your heart just breaks
And it's a good thing.
Love is a good thing.
It'll wake you up in the middle of the night, it'll take just a little too much.
Burn you like a cinder till you're tender to the touch.
It'll chase you down, and swallow you whole, it'll make your blood run hot and cold.
Like a thief in the night it'll steal your soul, and that's a good thing.
Love is a good thing.
It'll follow you down to the ruin of your great divide,
Open the wounds that you tried to hide.
And there in the rubble of the heart that died
You'll find a good thing.
Cause love is a good thing.
Oh love is a good thing.
Ooo, take cover,
Ooo, the end is near.
Ooo, take cover,
But do not fear,
Do not fear.
Cause it'll break your will, it'll change your mind,
Loose all the chains of the ties that bind.
And if you're lucky, you'll never make it out alive, and that's a good thing.
Love is a good thing.
It can hurt like a blast from a hand grenade
When all that used to matter is blown away.
There in the middle of the mess it made you'll find a good thing.
Yes, it's worth every penny of the price you pay - it's a good thing.
Love is a good thing --(Ooo, take cover,)
Love is a good thing --(Ooo, the end is near,)
Oh love is a good thing --(Ooo, take cover.)
Do not fear.
The room was dark, except for the light of a lamp on the end table next to me, and the Christmas tree by the piano. It was very late, or rather, early, close to 4am. The three of us were snuggled on the couch, talking and laughing, but making sure to do it quietly, as the rest of the house was asleep. Two other sleepy girls were on the couch next to us, out like lights after a long night.
In the hours prior, we had whispered stories and shared our hearts. We all had so much to tell, so much to share. And in that room that night there was a trust, a safety, a refuge, a beauty that was so powerful and real that none of us ever wanted it to end. Old friendships were deepened, new ones were formed, and a deep, earnest hope for the future was born. And what the three of us had together, right in that moment, we imagined we would have for years and years to come.
But that wasn't what the Lord had in store.
The year we brought in together turned out to be very different than we hoped. It was long, and hard. All three of us faced challenges and heartache like we had never known before. And not one of us expected any of it to happen. In fact, if we had known that night what we would walk through together and separately in the months ahead, I don't know what we would have done.
And now, one year later, each of us are bringing in the new year at different homes with different people. But even though we won't be together, we've all expressed the same thing to each other as this day approached - We are thankful for the beauty. We are so grateful we had that night together. We are different people because of it. We are marked by the beauty it held. We carry it with us every day. And while we wish it could have lasted forever and we're very sad it had to go away, we will never forget it.
So thank You, Father. Thank You for the beauty of that night. We will never forget.
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