That One Sweet Silent Night

And there were shepherds living out in the field nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord."
Luke 2:8-12

The Christmas season is definitely in full swing with only about a week and a half until the 25th arrives. The last days of school leading up to break have been keeping me busy and Christmas shopping has been happening slowly but surely. It has been a wonderful holiday season full of festive activities. Amidst it all, I refuse to be caught in a whirlwind of simply secular celebration. The message at church this past Sunday brought me back to a passage I have read and learned about since I was a small child, that of the shepherds who received news of the first and most precious Christmas gift. It's easy for me to breeze through such a familiar story, but I think this would be foolish. Instead, I want to share why I believe this is such an unusually beautiful piece of the Christmas story.

It was a routine, regular night for these shepherd men. I imagine that they were fairly simple men, perhaps quiet as they laid beneath a blanket of starry sky. What a sweet, silent night. All of a sudden, God sent an angel to appear to them with a jubilant message. This in itself astounds me. If I were one of the shepherds, this alone would have been the experience of a lifetime. God had sent an angel to speak a special message to me. Wow, an evening to remember and tell about for generations. God was only getting started. This angel preceded to share with the men news that would change the course of history. God had come to Earth. He had sent His Son, Jesus, to live and walk among His people, to love us, to teach us, to heal us, and to save us. Emmanuel, God with us. The shepherds quickly left to find this precious baby, their Savior. I can only imagine what it must have been like to have the opportunity these men were given, to gaze into the face of a beautiful baby knowing that He was my Lord. Thinking about it in these terms, it's no wonder that so many Christmas songs have been written, each attempting to capture the beauty and holiness of this wondrous night, the first noel.

This holiday season, take a moment to appreciate the depth and meaning of that very first Christmas when God sent us a gift like no other, a baby to save the world.

All In the Family

This weekend I was blessed by a wonderful evening with my dad's side of the family. My dad and his five brothers and sisters had planned a surprise 80th birthday dinner and celebration for my grandma. Let me begin by saying what a deserving woman that my grandmother was of this evening. I continue to be in awe of her dedication to her family and home. I have never been over at their house during a meal time when my grandma didn't have some meal prepared always followed by a dessert. Oh, if only I had that same dedication and time for cooking in the kitchen! How I wish! Maw Maw is also a continual source of love, support, hugs, and words of wisdom for her many grandchildren. I hope that I am able to be that to my children and grandchildren down the road someday too.

As I sat at the restaurant with my uncles, aunts, cousins, various relatives, and family friends, I couldn't help but realize how blessed I truly am. I know we most certainly aren't perfect, but to have so many people to lean on, to love, and to be loved by in return is an amazing gift. As the event neared its end, I watched as my grandma sat at a table with her last living sister and other female relatives. Their peels of laughter could be heard echoing throughout the restaurant. It brought a smile to my heart to see that despite the years, their bonds still make them young sisters at heart.

This post isn't a very long one, but I just wanted to reflect on how much I appreciate my parents, my brother, and our extended family and family friends who feel a lot like family. Don't wait until the holidays to spend time with them and show them that you care. Embrace the wonderful blessing of family today.

Bon Appétit!

I like to think of myself as someone with a wide variety of interests. Maybe I just can't make up my mind about my interests and hobbies, but I prefer to call it a hunger for experiences, knowledge, and life. Over fall break, I spent a wonderful afternoon with one of my dear friends. We began our outing by strolling around the zoo and checking out the wide variety of animals. On a whim, we decided to head downtown to see the new cultural trail which contains various pieces of glass artwork commemorating important individuals in our country's history and their contributions. Although the time on our parking meter was ticking away, we decided to pick up the pace and make a quick stop at the South Bend Chocolate Shop on the the circle before heading back. After perusing the display of chocolate covered fruits and treats, I bought some delicious dark chocolate covered tart cherries. Yum! This brings me to the topic of this post. As we retraced our path to return to the car, I discussed with my friend just how much we truly love food. We have come to the conclusion that some people simply like food while others truly enjoy the qualities of unique dishes and ingredients. I am most certainly a member of the latter group. Now that we have branched out of the small town in which we grew up, we have an array of delicious restaurants right at our fingertips. I told my friend my idea of making a list of the many restaurants we hope to try so that we can begin checking off one a month or so. (I know I'm such a list maker. Make fun if you wish, but that's just how I operate.) This post is dedicated to this endeavor and the first of the city's many restaurants that will begin my list of must-try locations.

1. The first restaurant, which I will actually be trying out tomorrow evening, is called Creation Cafe. It is located along the canal downtown and has piqued my interest in passing recently. I hope their dinner creations are as creative as the restaurant itself seems to be!


2. The second restaurant on my list which also happens to be my second upcoming restaurant stop is Napolese which has been deemed "an artisanal pizzeria." Okay, that in itself sounds delicious...count me in!

3. Greek food is one of my favorites, and a particular restaurant of this cuisine which I've been wanting to visit is Indy's Santorini Greek Kitchen. Unfortunately, I heard on the radio a few weeks ago that their building was damaged by a fire. Hopefully I didn't miss out on my opportunity to try their excellent dishes.

4. My list is nowhere near finished, but this one currently tops it off. I recently walked past a very interesting building that housed the Bourbon Street Distillery. It is located on the corner of the street and appears to have two stories, outdoor dining available, and music. It looks to be a relaxing environment in which to enjoy this Cajun and Caribbean cuisine.


To my fellow food appreciators out there, let me know if you want to join in on any of these excursions or if you have other recommendations. My quest for Indy's unique dining spots has only begun...... bon appétit!

Leaving the Nets Behind

Have you ever heard or read something that just sticks with you all day long, maybe for weeks, or even keeps coming back in your mind a few months down the road? For me, this started back this summer while I was working at church camp. The theme of our summer there was "In His Steps" and focused on learning to follow the example that Jesus set out for us. During one particular camp session, a good friend of mine who happened to be camp pastor that week spoke with the campers about the calling of the disciples. Mark 1:16-20 says:

As Jesus walked beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. "Come, follow me," Jesus said, "and I will make you fishers of men." At once they left their nets and followed him. When he had gone a little farther, he saw James son of Zebedee and his brother John in a boat, preparing their nets. Without delay he called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired men and followed him.

That verse just stops me in my tracks. What beautiful and total FAITH. These men seem to be spending their day hard at work doing their job as fishermen when a man calls out to them to leave it behind and follow him. Did they stop to give a clueless stare? Did Simon and Andrew have a chat about it? Did James and John consult their father for advice? I would have loved to have been sitting there along the lake shore to see this scene play out. It says that "at once" Simon and Andrew obeyed. They dropped exactly what they were doing, the familiar, and faithfully followed our Savior.

It makes me wonder what I would have done had I been sitting by the sea casting my net into the water. Had Jesus walked by and asked me to leave it behind and simply follow Him, would I have done so without question? Knowing me, I think I would have asked a few questions, requested a few days to think it through, talk it out, and weigh the options. Oh, to only be more like those faithful men. They must have known that this invitation came from a man like no other, the most wonderful individual to set foot in our world. In their faith, they found the One worth leaving everything else behind for.

Thankfully this wasn't a one time deal for those select men. They may have had the opportunity to follow Him, fellowship with Him, and learn from Him in person, but we too have the opportunity to answer when He calls to our hearts, "Come, follow me." I'm so thankful that He is still inviting. I'm so thankful that He doesn't make it a one time invite and RSVP with no changes. He keeps knocking at hearts and waiting, inviting us to set out on the adventure of a lifetime with the Savior of the world. All we have to do is drop the nets and follow in faith.

Busy As A Bee

Now and then I find myself having an inner argument. When things are calm and low-key in life with less obligations and activities, I find myself being inspired to get involved in new activities, groups, and life experiences. However, once I commit to such a schedule, I find that I begin to feel run down and a bit anxious. What to do?! Take this week for example: Monday I went to the library downtown with my friend H and her adorable baby girl, C! (Nerdy as it may be, may I please mention that just being in a library atmosphere like this one felt like a reader's paradise!) Tuesday I celebrated one of my best friend's birthday, Wednesday was Bible study, Thursday was indoor cycling at the gym, and the weekend holds a visit to friends in a nearby city. Each of these was and is very important to me and I enjoyed them thoroughly, but my body is definitely telling me to slow down. I suppose the old cliche stands for a reason: "Take time to smell the roses." I guess one can't do that while running through the garden full sprint now can they? As I led myself from work to one activity after another, I found myself embracing the moments of quiet time in the silence and longing to sit on the swing at camp that was so serene this past summer. Truth be told, I even drove past a beautiful field the other day (I have no idea how it managed not to be brown and crunchy like the grass everywhere else!) and thought how wonderful it would be just to lay out in the middle of it and take in the beautiful nature around me. Okay, maybe that's a bit too Twilight. No sparkling and charming vampires to take along for the outing. Nonetheless, my reactions made a very strong point to me. Balance is so important in life. I must continue to make time to be an excellent educator, I must make time to have a blast with friends and family, I must make time to grow in Christ. Last but not at all least, I must begin to make some quiet time a priority to rest, to relax, and to let my hair down. Here's to slowing down and enjoying both the busy moments along with those serene opportunities to sit down and put your feet up. Ahhhh............sounds perfect.

Monday Melody

Lots of bloggers whose pages I have browsed use clever little titles corresponding with the day of the week to denote the theme of a particular posting. Therefore, I thought I would make today Monday Melody and share a song that has inspired me lately. I love music, so it's definitely a bit difficult to choose one. Nonetheless, I think the most obvious choice would be a song I played repeatedly the other evening until my roommate asked me if I was actually going to play it yet another time. Oops, guilty! Once I get hooked on a particular melody or lyrics, I play that song into the ground. This particular song, "Defying Gravity" is from the musical Wicked. One of my good friends shared the Glee version recently which is pretty amazing. My sorority little sis also informed me that she has tickets for us to go see the original singer of the song, Idina Menzel, in concert in a few weeks! (Hence the whole reason I revisited this song the other day.)

I think that the song has a beautiful and sweet melody accompanied by equally beautiful lyrics. In one particular verse, she sings:
"I'm through accepting limits
'cause someone says they're so.
Some things I cannot change
but til I try I'll never know."

I think it's so easy for life and the expectations of others to pull us down with the strength of gravity. I love the magical thought of defying gravity and soaring to new heights. Why do we allow ourselves to set limits that we could surpass if only we dared to try? This afternoon, I put up a new bulletin board in my classroom with a writing theme. On it, I included an inspirational quote I found online which said "If you want to be a writer, write." I think that mentality can be applied to virtually any situation. You can't do something unless you are willing to take a risk and try it. Imagine away, but it won't become real until you put it into action. The only person holding me back is me. The only person holding you down is you. I think I'll try defying gravity too.

Three Generations of Style

This weekend I came back home to spend some time with my family. As I mentioned in my last post, I have a couple of friends' weddings coming up this weekend and next. Being the type of person who plans way ahead, I decided I'd go ahead and go shopping for a new dress for these two occasions. After convincing my mom to head to the nearby mall with me (which didn't take much convincing at all), I decided that I also wished for my grandma, who happens to live with my mom, to go with us. First of all, I knew it would be really good for her to get out of the house for a short outing and secondly, I must admit that I wanted her fashion opinion as well. These two women who accompanied me to the mall were the same ones who took me shopping as a toddler and laughed at my repetition of phrases such as "navy" and "on sale." Let's just say that the core of my appreciation for nice clothing and style, I inherited honestly from my mother and grandmother. Anyways, back to the story. So off to the store we headed and wound our way through various departments to grouping of racks upon racks of sparkly, shiny, and glitzy dresses. I understand why many males avoid shopping like the plague. Honestly, it can be overwhelming to sift through so many options, but I was ready for the challenge. With a handful of dresses gathered from the masses, I headed for the dressing room to try on and display each choice. After collecting the opinions of my mom, grandma, and the saleslady who jumped in, we decided upon just the right one. I was pleased as punch to have so quickly found one that I was happy with and we headed back home. Such a simple and quick shopping trip turned out to be a wonderful outing for three generations of women with style.

I wonder how many girls have the opportunity for such a simple but special outing. Sure, choosing a dress seems a bit trivial considering the big things in life, but it saddens me that so many people my age fail to seek out the advice and wisdom of our parents and grandparents. Growing up, my brother and I always laughed at our parents' attempts to impart their knowledge to us in what we laughingly referred to as LL's or life lessons. Nonetheless, my parents' and grandparents' wise words about saving and spending wisely, work, love, friendships, and such topics have proven to ingrain themselves into my being and help guide me down a steady path. I like to blaze my own trail, but it's wonderful to have the voice of Mom, Dad, and each of my grandparents whispering in my memory wise advice. Because they have been there, they wish to pass it on. Find your way. Do you thing. But while you're at it, don't forget to look back and seek wisdom from previous generations in the family who know and love you best.