L is for...

   is for learning.



I truly admire the men and women in my life who are excellent cooks.  I have such an appreciation for impeccable flavor and presentation when it comes to food.  I've come to realize lately that to become such an individual, it's going to take some more time rolling up my sleeves and getting down and dirty in the kitchen.  Cooking isn't something that one will instantly be skilled at; it is most certainly a learning process.  Therefore, I've been trying one new recipe a week in 2012.  Thanks to Pinterest and my friend H, I found an amazing food blog called Annie's Eats.  In addition to a wide variety of recipes, I love the fact that Annie is a hard-working wife, mom, and resident physician right here in Indianapolis.  I figure if she has time to take care of her family, work/learn in the medical field, and to share her talent with the world, then I sure can give her recipes a try!  (I'm secretly wondering, though, if she is Wonder Woman.  I'm impressed to say the least.)

So far I've tried out four recipes three of which have been amazing.  One was a bit of a disaster, but let's not talk about it.  It happens.  Today I made her recipe for Mom's Goulash.  As I was preparing the dish, it reminded me a little bit of lasagna, but much to my pleasant surprise it is unique in its own right.  It was very easy and really reeeealy good.  Head on over to her blog and check out the food love she's sharing!  Bon appetit!
   



“I think preparing food and feeding people brings nourishment not only to our bodies but to our spirits. Feeding people is a way of loving them, in the same way that feeding ourselves is a way of honoring our own createdness and fragility.” 
-Shauna Niequist, Bittersweet

K is for...

    is for kettle.



Something slightly momentous happened today on just another seemingly ordinary Sunday afternoon.  I finally buckled down and purchased a tea kettle!  Seems like no big deal, right?  One would think...   Nonetheless, I have been incredibly indecisive as I've browsed on and off for about a year now in search of the perfect tea kettle.  I know I was being a bit picky, but it seemed pretty important as far as I was concerned.  Call me crazy, but a tea kettle is one of those extremely classy items that every woman should own along with a perfect strand of pearls.

She's a beauty.  Silver, dainty, classy.  Spot of tea anyone?

J is for...

   is for journey.



One of my favorite country songs blared out of my car speakers just the other day.  Life's a dance you learn as you go.  Sometimes you lead, sometimes you follow.  Don't worry 'bout what you don't know.  Life's a dance you learn as you go.  So true.  Life really is a little bit like going on a trip without knowing the exact coordinates of the next stop or destination.  At times I get excited to see a path laid out before me while in other moments I simply must follow along.  I'm learning as I go.

Taking a journey makes me think of adventure, and this is a word I'm beginning to connect with more and more.  Ask my dearest friends and adventurous might not be one of the first words they'd use to describe me.  Nonetheless, I think that adventure boils down to so much more than backpacking around the world or jumping out of an airplane.  Adventurous is taking risks and trying something new when God calls your name.  Our life journey can certainly be mundane, yet we're given the opportunity to go on a thrill of a ride if we simply take God's hand and let Him lead the way.

I visited a new church today with one of my friends.  The minister really challenged me to begin this new year not with a list of resolutions and a list of accomplishments to attain.  Instead, he reminded us to be still and to listen to God's quiet voice whispering into the corners of our lives.  Quite frankly, it excites me and scares me at the same time to think about the adventures that God will bring my way when I quiet the world around me and listen more clearly to His voice.  I believe that anything He brings me to, He will also equip me with the tools and abilities to fulfill His works and purposes.  I don't want to miss out on a moment of the greatest journey and adventure that God has planned for my days.

I leave you with a thought that I heard about a year ago that has continued to impact me even until today.  Are you willing to make this your surrender to God?  Whatever You want even if what You want isn't what I want.  It's really frightening to surrender our desires and wishes, yet I know that His ways and His plans are far greater than my hopes and dreams.  May I be given the privilege to be used as His hands and feet.  What a blessed journey it will be.    

I is for...

    is for imperfection.



As I approached the letter "I", I began to wonder what word I might choose to represent this alphabetic character.  That it so happens to fall as the first post of the new year gives it that extra added importance.  In fact, I'll admit that I even turned to Google and searched for a list of i-beginning adjectives.  I really wanted to find just the right one.  A bit of disappointment washed over me as I glanced through the lists on various sites.  Believe it or not, "i" words in general don't tend to be so fancy and happy. Icy, irritating, impolite.........no thanks.  Then my eyes fell upon yet another that could be added to this list of negative words: imperfection.  Quite frankly, it was just right.

In the middle of a several hour drive home from visiting a friend recently, I found myself browsing unfamiliar radio stations.  I came upon a show that was hosting Christian artist Laura Story and featuring her music.  She shared a really poignant quote that touched me in such an honest, real way.  She quoted Timothy Keller who stated, "We are more flawed and sinful than we ever dared believe, yet we are more loved and accepted than we ever dared hope at the same time."  Can we all just let out a sigh of relief?  I'm not the only imperfect one.  In fact, truth be told, I'm much more sinful than I am aware of or I acknowledge.  That's a humbling thought, but it's true isn't it?  It's so easy to tout our accomplishments and focus on our talents and strengths.  Recognizing our weaknesses and ugliness is difficult and scary.  But the story isn't over; to the degree of my imperfection, I am cherished by my Savior more than I ever could have hoped or imagined.  It's overwhelming and so undeserved, but I'm humbled and forever grateful.

It's January 1st and people all over the world are beginning to work on their New Year's resolutions.  I'm all about self-improvement, but I think we have to accept the fact that we can never completely fix ourselves all on our own.  Only through Jesus can we become more like Him.

So with that, this January 1st, I admit my imperfection and my heart fills with gratitude that in spite of it, I am loved, accepted, and made anew again and again through His grace.

Happy New Year!

H is for...

  
   is for hope.



It's hard to believe that Christmas is over and both December and 2011 are nearing an end.  I'm in the middle of Christmas break right now and I have to admit that I am enjoying every second of it.  I'm sleeping in and snuggling back into my warm blankets instead of getting up to my alarm.  I'm sitting on the couch for hours enjoying the friendship of characters who greet me in the books that beckon to me.  I've been losing myself in lesson planning and getting excited about returning to the classroom next week.  I'm savoring the deliciousness of meals with dear friends and the even more sweet conversation that we have time to share.  Christmas break and December most certainly rank as one of the best times of my year.

December is a month of hope.  It's greatest sense of hope comes in remembering the arrival of our Messiah that very first Christmas.  I can only imagine the great expectation that Joseph, Mary, the shepherds, and the wise men felt as they gazed lovingly at the Christ child.  Jesus chose to step down from His throne in heaven to come live amongst us: the broken, the sinners, the needy, the weak.  Immanuel, God with us.  Such hope he brought to humanity with his birth.

December is also a month of hope for so many who begin planning changes in a new year.  2011 was a year filled with both happiness and sadness, hard work and play, and new beginnings and endings.  I am ready for the fresh start that 2012 will usher into my life.  I'm not too keen on making specific New Year's resolutions anymore.  Instead I'm setting some flexible guidelines for myself and a philosophy to live by these next twelve months.  I'm going to push myself to explore, to grow, to succeed, to fail, to love, to live with fullness, and most importantly to rely on God.

(www.pinterest.com - source unknown)

2011, thank you.  2012, I'm ready.
 

G is for...

is for growth.


God has been stretching me in a lot of different ways lately.  To be quite honest, it's rather uncomfortable and I'm not sure how much I like it.  I'm also quite aware that I don't have to like it, but it still is. 

I believe that God has a really big plan for each of us, and that sometimes He lets us hurt, be confused, and even ache because of that beautiful something that is around the corner that we simply cannot yet see.  I have absolutely no doubt that God loves me as His precious child.  I hold firmly in my heart the promise that He has "plans to prosper [me] and not to harm [me]" (Jeremiah 29:11).  Like a gardener who lovingly cares for each plant, I imagine my Father tenderly reaching down and pruning me so that I might grow as His child.  I'm really not sure what I'm supposed to look like when it's all finished.  A brilliant sunflower?  A mild daisy?  A fragrant rose?  I pray that He might make me a Proverbs 31 woman with such beauty as these reflecting from within her.     

I'm having some growing pains these days, and it's not because I'm getting any taller.  (Unfortunate, I know...)  I'll admit I'm highly curious as to what the Master Artist has in mind, but He isn't giving me a peek at the canvas just yet.  So I'm going to try to stop fighting it.  I will set my roots firmly in the fertile soil and foundation of His strength and the supporting individuals He surrounds me with.  I'm going to stop analyzing life so much and spend more time on my knees praying about it.  I desire that He stretches me, that He lets me grow to the potential that only He can see He has placed within my being.  One of these days I know I'll look back on this season of growth and be thankful to what brings me to that place.

F is for...

is for friendship.



The past few months, I have been relishing the beauty of meaningful friendships.  God has given us so many blessings in life, and I think that friends are truly one of them.  I'm continually grateful for my friends who have known me long enough to understand my greatest strengths and weaknesses and accept my totality with open arms.  They span the country from Virginia to Colorado, but they are always at most simply a phone call away.  They are teachers, students, stay at home moms, financial advisers, clerks, and nannies.  They are brilliant women who inspire me, support me, talk with me, and bring me many smiles and laughter.  They teach me that life, success, and adventure can take on endless forms.  We work hard, we play hard, and we know that no matter how divergent our paths might seem on a daily basis, I can be confident that they too will walk with me in both my celebrations and struggles.

On the other hand, I never cease to be pleasantly surprised by the joys that unexpected and unplanned friendships can bring.  I appreciate those individuals who have walked into my life and found a place in my heart.  It is such a beautiful gift to watch a new friendship grow before your eyes.  Perhaps we find that we are very much alike or that we are polar opposites.  I really think that God connects us to many types of people to help us learn to love one another in our many unique, wonderful versions.  To my incredible friends both old and new, thank you for the happiness you bring to my life!