Trust in Love

I recently had an amazing visit with my two good friends Heather and Emily, both of whom are preparing for their summer 2009 weddings. Emily started telling the stories of her wedding planning, and I felt I was swirling in a hilarious magazine. But no, it is real :) As a testimony to the trust that comes with love and marriage, I will share her planning stories:

Emily let Buddy go figure out the flowers. Yes...trusting woman. So she asked if he had everything done, and he said he had it all picked out. She was shocked...in one visit?! So she asked what he chose. "Well, Em, I decided flowers weren't very sustainable; trees are a much better investment." YES< this is true...he bought TREES for the wedding! I don't think I've laughed so hard in a long time! Can you imagine Emily walking down the aisle with a TREE?! Oh Lord.

So THEN, she let him go pick the wedding cake. Mind you, she's an amazing woman and wants Bud to be a big part of the preparations...obviously. She asked what the cake looked like. Well, apparently Bud got overwhelmed with the fact that cake makers could make ANYTHING...so he ordered an African drum! ha! So..they will have an African drum cake and trees instead of flowers. Oh Bud.

Love is great, isn't it? :)

Looking Up

As I was walking up the stairs to my "work" (I can't quite call something that I love "work"), I looked up to the clock to check if I was technically late/on-time/etc. A woman who was walking up the stairs turned right around and looked up to see where my gaze was going. This made me think of how willing others are to look where we are also looking. If our eye is always on Jesus and His guidance, others will look in that direction by merely looking at us. Further, if our gaze is on the ground or scowled in defeat, those who see us might feel similar emotions. Our actions impact not only children, but grown adults also. We can use these opportunities by glancing in directions that will uplift all who see (including us).

Eating Chilies

As I was eating my rice tonight, I noticed a chili in the curry. I ate it and didn't taste a zing of heat one bit. I immediately eyed another one; "I guess they're not too bad!" I thought. So I bit. And I soon realized that not every chili is the same. Although I had heard to avoid the chilies, I decided to test it because nothing bad happened the first time. How many times do we do that? Others give us warnings, and rather than listening, we test the circumstances until a bad outcome occurs. This experience helped remind me of the little things we can do to purify our lives. My roommate Tina frequently questions those around her--out of love--about their decisions to download illegal music and take part in activities that they know are wrong but they continue to engage in. Thanks to the chilies burning in my belly, I will be extra perceptive of my own doings this week, examining which ones unintentionally or purposefully "test the heat."