Mimi’s

i just got home from a crazy back-to-back set of shifts at The Barn. a lot of big and exciting things happened today: some big furniture sales, some resolution to lingering issues i’ve been working on, laughter with coworkers, and there was just an energy buzzing around the store today.  it was a busy and fun day.

i drove straight back to the Springs for a dinner date with Anna. we haven’t seen much of each other with all the travels this month, so we spent a good 2.5 hours at Mimi’s catching up on life. i had been craving a gigantic salad and their Cobb is SO GOOD. my favorite part is that they dice everything, including the lettuce. no awkward pieces hanging out the mouth between bites. easy in and so so good. we were also GUZZLING water because we talked so much. ha. as usual, the conversation was great; thought-provoking, challenging, edifying and full of laughter.

anna and i both had pretty rough 2008′s. not our best year. we both pulled out of battle and moved home to be close to family. it felt like a fortress where people were fighting for us instead of feeling so alone fighting against the world. she preceded me here by 4 months. it’s been so wild this last year to live close again, getting to know each other better and “recovering” from our respective struggles. we’ve been unemployed together living more frugally than ever before. we’ve rejoiced in God’s provision of employment in His perfect timing together and are now able to do things like meet up for dinner because of that blessing. we’ve learned to laugh at ourselves and the curveballs that life throws. we’ve shared many many tears over this last year for many many reasons: some joy-filled and celebratory and some grievous and deeply broken tears. we’ve challenged each other to find the best in some not so ideal situations and even just tonight sat across from one another, silently praising God for the work He’s done in our lives this past year.

since 7th grade, anna and i have been floating through different life journeys and this season of being close again, for however long that lasts, has been a sweet one. i cherish her so.

one of the most shocking realizations during my weekend in seattle was that an ENTIRE year had gone by.  i cannot believe it. i just can’t. i’m sure those of you older and wiser are chuckling under your breath thinking, “hold onto your britches, honey, because it only gets faster.” WELL I’M TRYING! i am holding onto everything i possibly can for the time the Lord allows it to be in my life. it’s that darn “seasonal” thing that can bring us much needed relief and respite from a trial yet also challenges our grasp to be much looser on things to which we become attached. what a tension.

the more i walk this relationship with my Savior, the more i realize that most everything is a ‘tension’. this is a good thing. this is a continual stretching and growing process. this is a constant reminder to think the best and give the benefit of the doubt. this is a seamless reminder of the exceptional grace and mercy we’ve been shown and are now called to show. this is exhausting and yet so so so utterly worth more than anything else in life. this is the meaning of life and i cannot imagine it without these tensions. this is how i come to know my Savior more and seek to understand His heart for this world. this is why things like Clean Water in Africa are so important to me.

this decade, the 20′s, is a full one. it’s one that presents so many opportunities requiring so many choices. it’s exciting. it’s space to dream and grow and goal for things. it’s why there’s always so much floating around in my brain that i am left figuring out how to sift through. i wouldn’t have it any other way. what a priviledge to try things, to grow and to learn. though the last year has gone by so quickly, i don’t want another to pass without squeezing every ounce of life out of it. i am determined to live simply, learn continually, give generously and love fully.