thanksgiving in july

eucharistia

We can only be said to be alive in those moments when our hearts are conscious of our treasures. ~Thornton Wilder

I would maintain that thanks are the highest form of thought; and that gratitude is happiness doubled by wonder. ~G.K. Chesterton

i'm trying to grasp thankfulness today. gratefulness. why do we say thanks? why do we send thank you notes and flowers and speak blessings? why don't we just accept a gift and leave it at that? why do we say thank you?

older generations are lamenting the fact that the younger generations have lost all proper forms of manners. i have to agree. we have. i have been reading through dear abby and miss manners columns and this is my favorite quote: "The art of writing a thank-you is a social grace that every wise parent should pass along to his or her child."

yes, i learned to say thanks because my parents taught me to accept gracefully though i didn't always do it well. i remember vividly getting a lesson in gratefulness. i was in second grade and we lived in peru. i had just sung in front of the church with a couple of adults. on the walk home with my dad, someone gave me a compliment, and my response was, "no. i wasn't very good," trying to be self-efacing, trying to divert the attention from me. my dad gently corrected me telling me the proper response was a thank you. plain and simple. no one had to tell me i was a good performer. no one was obligated to compliment me; but they did it out of the goodness of their heart. i guess it was more a lesson on receiving gifts but i will never forget what it taught me on the giving of gifts as well.

not only did i learn it from my parents, but i also learned gratefulness from knowing Christ, for, truly knowing him, gratefulness will pour out like a dam undone.

And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

i'm still exploring the concept of gratitude, but i thought i would start by saying thank you. thank you mom and dad for raising me in God's truth and in the love of Christ. for that i am eternally grateful. thank you kara and joel for putting up with me and the many times you have shown grace to me. thank you brie for 19 years of friendship, prayer, and love. thank you molly verdyun and mrs. t and debby polizzi and martha rasco and carla heltzel and johanna oudman for being Godly examples and extending your wisdom and kindness to me. thank you dr. t and david and geno and the beacham family for being steadfast in your faith and leadership. you have been very influential in my life and in my faith. thank you to angela clemens and emily harris and brie and charity and kristy hoffpauir for giving me a roof over my head when i did not have one. thank you jan and jane and kate and stephanie and jodi for your support and prayers and patience with me. thank you caroline and john for supporting me and caring for me when times were hard. thank you jerry goff and tim wallace for being excellent pastors to a silly teenage girl. through your leadership i grew deeper in the knowlege of Christ.

thank you, neal, for your love. you amaze me and words cannot express how grateful i am for you.

thank you Christ for your unfailing love and amazing grace, the gifts you give i do not deserve. thank you God for your sacrifice. thank you that you call me Your own.

an exploration of caritas

Through a Glass Darkly by Henry Fraser

An Exploration of Caritas

She tries the known and unknown tongue,
clashing and clanging;
it sounds like dissonance;
she, standing on the corner soapbox
screaming love,
echoing imperfection.

Knowledge past and future
beats at his soul;
released left and right
the words flow like a torrent,
drowning love,
like an authentic counterfeit.

She cut her hair,
he sold his watch;
they gave it all away
for empty pockets
and bottomless cups;

So she chose the burning building,
and he ran in to save the cat on the third floor;
they became food for worms—
"meaningless, meaningless," blazed
the scorching disco ball.

Fresh breezes renew what once was,
evanescence removes the blotted cloth
and love's voice is heard again;
ashes swirl
and the clay molded;
he is made new,
she is made new.

He offers her his watch, she combs his hair;
a honeysuckle vine guards and sweetens their bed
under the great ancient oak—

love never promised rosebushes daily blooming,
but promised long suffering;
charity did not offer velvet cushions
but offered the cool spring of kindness;
unconditional love did not vow golden crowns
but vowed humility and grace.

Thistles and thorn bushes he bore
to save the snowdrops planted
in the scorching heat;
she gave the keys and her pearls to his able hand;
they ran a marathon through a sea of broken bottles
with the horizon setting in their eyes;
they held a ticker tape parade
in honor of words that withstood the fire.

Through a glass, darkly;
an impoverished reflection,
skinny and malnourished,
the picture is not whole but
dimly shaded,
corners darkened gray;
our view is poorly framed—
someday soon
perfect love will no longer cast shadows
and we will see face to face.

Copyright ©2010 by Micah McDonald

good words, one.

Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil. For if they fall, one will lift up his fellow. But woe to him who is alone when he falls and has not another to lift him up! Again, if two lie together, they keep warm, but how can one keep warm alone? And though a man might prevail against one who is alone, two will withstand him—a threefold cord is not quickly broken.


after a year in an anglican church stateside and a year overseas, i have a new love for the english standard version.

quite contrary

how does your garden grow?

we planted seeds on the inspiration of a friend's garden. i wanted zucchini plants but none of the stores carried the plant, only the seeds. i have always been afraid of planting seeds. it can be disappointing when nothing comes up. sometimes you have bad seeds and they don't sprout. sometimes the gardener doesn't have the discipline to raise seeds. sometimes it's difficult to have the patience to wait on the seeds. i worried, did i do it right? did i plant the seeds too deep? two and a half weeks i waited. i wanted to see fruit. i wanted to see plants. neal saw his basil a lot earlier than my zucchini. i was getting discouraged and frustrated, thinking i would never be any good at this seed-raising-gardening-green-thumb thing. but i kept on watering. and i waited. well, wednesday morning i checked. number one zucchini plant rising through the potting soil, lovely green. new. still carrying it's seed. and deeply rooted. very strong roots. and yesterday, two more.




in this fast food culture of drive-thrus and microwaves, waiting is not valued. but there is much to gain in the waiting. in the waiting, you can choose to worry. you can choose to get frustrated and throw a fit. you can even choose to give up because the results you want to see aren't happening in your timing.

or you can just breath. relax. trust. keep on watering, keep on caring for the seeds, finding the right amount of sunlight. the right amount of exposure. and in time, the right time, you will see the fruit.

there's a little dirt between my toes

A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.

this scripture stuns me in many ways. the night before he dies Christ gives this commandment. right before he made this commandment, he was serving his disciples by washing their dirty feet, a task usually performed by the lowest servant or, if you are an honored guest, by the host. it was not performed by the honored guest! but he does it; he showed them the full extent of his love. he gets on his knees, removes their sandals, wipes their feet clean with a towel around his waist. he washes all of their feet including judas, who jesus already knows will betray him. and still he extends his love for judas.

i am watching many people i care about focused on a desire to be loved, desire to be sought, a desire for relationship, a desire to be wanted. so many wanting friendship, wanting companionship. but how will it happen if we all sit on our hands and wait for others to come to us? i do this too. i want to be liked, to be needed, to be called. but it won't happen with my hands tied behind my back! and sometimes, it takes more than one phone call, more than one time sitting down with a coffee. sometimes it takes a good foot washin'.

neal and i had a funny incident a couple of weeks ago. i decided to pack him a lunch to take to work. and while i was doing that, he was getting a lunch for me. when i arrived at his house, we handed each other our lunches, both surprised by the simultaneous gesture. can you imagine if we were all washing each others feet, serving each other as Christ's example, not for our own reward? we might indeed be known by our love rather than what we are known for.

bells

my best friend got married last weekend. we did it! she made it! it was a beautiful day. neal called it a truly joyful celebration. when the bride and groom are both "older" and never married and it's a friend i've walked with for 19 years, it was hard for me not to be gushing with excitement! brie and i waited a long, long time for this day. she went through contemplating never getting married, but that didn't turn out! when she told me she had been praying for ed, when she told me of the letter he sent her, and her consent to be pursued, i celebrated knowing she was getting the desire of her heart. knowing she loved him. i actually interviewed ed to gauge his intentions and commitment to someone i dearly loved, and he passed. he loves her. a lot. sunday i had front row seats to his expressions as he said his vows to my friend. i got to watch the skin wrinkle up in the sides of his mouth while he smiled with his whole face lovingly and joyfully into her eyes. he was intentional and bold from the very beginning, and now he has a lifetime to love my friend and she him.

we've been through much, brie and i. 19 years of tears. of laughter. of prayer.

and it is with a glad heart i get to call her mrs. tschoepe!

the do's and don'ts of life in stressful, busy times

guidelines for managing stress when everything feels out of control and all you want to do is grind your teeth and growl


DON'TS

• don't pull out your hair. it's not good for you. it will only make you feel worse.
• don't ram the car in front of you even though they cut you off/broke the law/almost hit you. not. a. good. idea.
  
• don't eat a pint of rocky road. the almonds will get in your teeth and annoy you and the marshmallows might cause bloating.
• don't kick or punch a wall. bruised toe only more frustrating.
• don't take it out on the barista. yeah, he may have steamed the milk in your iced non fat latte, but he's just a boy.
• don't eat those cute little burgers for fun. as my boyfriend says, they're called sliders for a reason.
• don't watch a sad sentimental movie. you'll just start crying and weeping and reminiscing and blowing your nose and hear yourself saying, "remember when?"
• don't hit anyone. or bite. or kick. (you're no longer 2 years old, unless my niece is reading this!)
  

DO

• do brush your hair (you'll thank me later.)
• do beat on your horn and scream in the car. that... is a better choice.
• do eat ice cream. just not a pint (oh, college days when i could eat a pint and still look like i never ate)
• do hit or kick something soft (like a pillow. or a boxing bag. just not a barista.)
• do tell your barista to have a nice day. and until life is less stressful, get your drink from a different barista if the first barista doesn't learn how to make a simple iced non fat latte.
• do eat something else cute besides those little burgers. flautas can be cute. black beans are pretty darn cute. nothing is cuter than a petite salad with some scored cucumbers and itty bitty grape tomatoes.
• do watch something that inspires a little action. one roommate and i watched alias together; i was very inspired to learn kung fu. my current roommate and i watch lost. it's nice to get a little "lost" once in a while. i'm always inspired afterward to go take a shower and change clothes. (do they ever get to change clothes? i totally want to brush evangeline lily's hair.)
• do kiss someone (preferably someone you know. and that you know well. and that you usually kiss.) hugs go over great.