Reflecting on the blessings of being from "the land of liberty"

Don't misunderstand me, I am aware of America's faults. Having lived nearly a third of my life off my native soil has given me a unique view of my country's impact on the world, for good and for ill. The whole of western civilization has much room to improve. That being said, I'm proud to be an American; to bear the name of a country that has struggled for independence from its very beginning. I'm glad to have absorbed that passion for efficiency and quality, for welcoming people from every nation and becoming one people from many. Yes, I'm British and German/French as far as roots go, but it would never occur to me to call myself any of those. I'm an American, free and brave. As a woman, I can decide what to do with my life. I can be educated, work, and live on my own without fear. I will not be forced into an arranged marriage. I have the freedom to go to church where I choose without persecution (going to China showed me just how beautiful and delicate this freedom is). Praise God for America! Mock my country if you will, but my national pride remains. I'll keep my citizenship, thank you.

What fun is communicating merely with words?

Saying "I don't know" while equally expressing it in body language seems to double the impact.

20 songs that always make me smile...

Everyone's got them; that song that gets blasted when it plays on the radio, the album that gets listened to on repeat endlessly. So here is a non-exhaustive list of some of my favorites ( in no particular order):

1. "When I Fall in Love"-Nat King Cole (actually, any of his songs do the trick)

2. "Three Little Birds" -Bob Marley (yeah, it's a stoner song. But it's not too far from Luke 12:22-30....)

3. "Here Comes The Sun" -The Beatles (most Beatles songs work too)

4."If I Had a Million Dollars"- Barenaked Ladies (couldn't find a good version of the full song, but this was funny)

5."Think"-Aretha Franklin ( a shower song if I've ever heard one)

6."Your Smiling Face" -James Taylor (needs no explaination)

7. "Le Cygne" ( The Swan)- Camille Saint-Saëns (as played by Yo-yo Ma. Anything with a cello just melts my heart...it's so lovely.)

8. "Carolina in My Mind" -Alison Krauss (If more country artists sounded like this, the world would be a better place. She's what makes bluegrass palateble. )

9." I'll Have to Say I Love You in a Song" -Jim Croce (music has a way of making hard things easier to say...couldn't find his original, so pick a cover, any cover.)

10. "The 59th Street Bridge Song"-Simon & Garfunkel (makes me want to dance in the street and dress like a hippie. )

11. "Geek in the Pink"- Jason Mraz (this version is almost better than the album one...either way it's a fun one.)

12. "I Saw the Light" -David Crowder Band (reminds me of singing gospel music down south.)

13. "Turn Me On"-Norah Jones (Love her voice. Can't emphasize that enough.)

14. "What a Wonderful World" -Louis Armstrong (how can you not smile? )

15."Hit the Road Jack"-Ray Charles ( a great dancing song.)

16." 19-2000 (Soulchild Remix)"-Gorillaz (I have my brothers to thank for this one. Who doesn't like giant moose?)

17."Just the Two of Us"- Will Smith (Gotta love a father/son song. )

18. "We Will Rock You" -Queen (it's a guilty pleasure band. I love their vocals and the beats rock. )

19. "Thriller" -Michael Jackson (and no, this isn't just because he's recently desceased.)

20. "Variations"-Andrew Lloyd Webber (sadly, this version is both too slow and bad sound quality...but it's a great song, and there's a cello. 'Nuff said.)

Canada Day cards to commerate my first celebration of this holiday, or, things I would never actually say, but are mostly true.

And, my personal favorite....

This time last year...

"Remember my affliction and my wanderings, the wormwood and the gall! My soul continually remembers it and is bowed down within me. But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope: The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.'The LORD is my portion,' says my soul, 'therefore I will hope in him.' The LORD is good to those who wait for him, to the soul who seeks him. It is good that one should wait quietly for the salvation of the LORD. It is good for a man that he bear the yoke in his youth." Lamentations 3:19-27

Not to overplay my "sufferings", for indeed they have not been too hard to bear. But this passage just came to mind when I ran across this picture.

If I were a man, you would resent that.

"We must remember that art is art. Well, on the other hand water is water isn't it?And east is east and west is west. And if you take cranberries and stew them like applesauce they taste much more like prunes than rubarb does. Now uh...now you tell me what you know."-Groucho Marx

If you haven't watched any of their works, I highly recommend them. Just be sure to turn it up and pay attention...the jokes are a mile a minute.

What would YOU do with a church sign?

Recently, one of our church signs was stolen. As we're in a temporary location (because of the fire), we had ordered two of these signs to help clarify where we're currently meeting. As it was, we were only using one of them regularly, so it's not a crisis...but it led me to wonder. It's not too heavy, but it's certainly not small and easy to carry. What would entice someone to pinch it? What could they possibly want it for? And seriously, it's a small enough town; our logo is emblazoned on both sides, intentionally large. People can be a bit slow sometimes, but this is hardly a subtle thing. I suppose it's free advertising.