Thankful.

Today I am thankful for:

1. A place to live…and a place to live that is free to Phillip and I, allowing us to pursue getting debt free.

2.Prayer. It still blows my mind that God is ready to talk with us anytime, anywhere. I am very thankful that God hears me, but even more so that sometimes I hear God speak to me.

3. My dad. I do not think I could fully put into words how much I love him. I do not have too many hero’s in my life, but he certainly is one.

4. A body that is healthy and strong. I have struggled for many years with fears over my health, but in the last year God has been opening my eyes to the fact that I am in fact very healthy. When I am running on the treadmill and wanting to stop I remind myself of this.

5. Coconut water. I think it is quite nifty and nice how many good electrolytes it has in it.

6. Phillip’s laugh. It is one of the best sounds in the world to me.

7. Leap year!

A Good Read.

Books, books, books.

What are you currently reading? If you are anything like me, you are probably reading several books at once and not making too much headway on any of them…

I recently finished:
- Fearless by Max Lucado
- Richmond’s Unhealed History by Ben Campbell
…both were good, especially the latter.

I’m currently working on:
- Jesus Manifesto
- American Social Welfare Policy
- Your Money or Your Life, and
- Helping Abused and Traumatized Children

I need to finish at least one of these books in March. Preferably the last one, since I’ve been working on (not) reading it for 5 months now…sigh.

Time to stop blogging and pick up a book.

Good One Belmont.

On our way to our weekly Monday night date at Stuzzi Phil and I always pass by this butchery shop. I have always thought this place looked quaint and lovely, but tonight it gave me a laugh as well…

May it never be said that we vegetarians do not have a sense of humor when it comes to meat.

Bag Girl.

I’ve finished my third bag. I think this one is my favorite so far.

Happy Monday!

Do Justice

Tonight Phil and I headed across town to Mechanicsville to attend a night of prayer and worship centered around overcoming human sex trafficking and exploitation. Thank you Richmond Justice Initiative for putting on this event and reminding us that our identity is solely from God, and our pursuit of God’s justice must begin in prayer. Prayer is our weapon, God is our hero, and in God will make it happen.

Cool Girl.

We woke up to a snow day this past Monday…We also woke up in a (comfy) bed not our own because we had spent the night with friends. Aside from enjoying the company of said dear friends, sledding, and eating homemade waffles we got to spend time with this precious girl. Many thanks to Brandon and Hannah for creating this cool girl and letting us share in knowing her.

As you can see in the photos she is a little more taken with Phil than me…I can’t blame her though, he’s my favorite too.

Happy weekend all! I was supposed to run 5 miles this morning, but I’m feeling under the weather…Therefore Phil and I have been on the couch since 10:30 watching ‘The Curious Case of Benjamin Button’ and now ‘Midnight in Paris’.

Lunch Selah

This morning I rushed out of the house without having morning prayers with Phil (I’m sorry Jesus that shaving my legs this morning took up our hangout time). To make up for it I wandered out to one of the many, lovely, hidden
places in Church Hill so Phil and I could pray together over the phone.
After our prayer time we discussed what we are giving up for Lent. He is giving up coffee. I feel that I need to give up
complaining about my job, and spending more time with entertainment (tv, facebook, etc) than I do with Jesus, or studying the Bible.
What are you giving up for Lent?

Up and Down

Last week had it’s ups and downs…

Up- Two date nights with a guy I am absolutly crazy about. We had two awesome nights, filled with awesome food (our collective love language) in the city we love.

Down- Tough family stuff.

Up- I ran 4 miles for the first time in over a year!

Down- I had to call CPS on a parent. I cried in my supervisor’s office before going to confront the parent. That part of my job is one of the worst.

Down- I sat across from a young mother, struggling to raise her children while working…who is sick, with no healthcare, and living with the reality that she will probably not live to see her kids make it past 10 years old. Did I mention she was at least 5 years younger than me. The absolute human suffering out there is the worst part of my job. The anger/sadness/indignation I feel towards our society for not taking care of the poor is something that haunts me daily.

Up- Spending time with God. He keeps me going, gives me hope for these people I care for, and frequent reminders that He cares for them even more than I do.

Up- We got to see one of our former foreign exchange students play basketball for his school. We cheered like embarassing house parents, and after the game when we offered to take him out to lunch he declined…he wanted to go out with his girlfriend instead. Yikes. We are getting old.

Up- It’s not so bad.

I hope your week was filled with more up than down.

Retreat

A few weekends ago Phillip and I went on a prayer retreat at Richmond Hill. We spent the weekend slowing down, listening to God and each other, repenting of things that had needed it, dedicating our hearts to things that deserve attention and work, and simply enjoying the wonderfully human people who make up the community at Richmond Hill.
If you ever have the oportunity to go on a retreat I greatly encourage you to go. I believe God is always waiting and prepared to speak to us if we will just slow down and listen…and yet there is just something  extra powerful about setting aside a lot of time to listen to God, and sit in God’s presence. It is kind of like a spring cleaning of the heart. It sweeps out the dust and gets rid of some of the clutter, while throwing open the windows to allow a fresh breeze to blow in.

My heart can feel the breeze. And for that I am thankful.

Fading day.

Two nights a week I have to work late at the ol’ job. The hours between 2:30 and 7:30 are our busiest hours because most people want to come for their sessions after school or work. During these times I  finish up a session and normally only have about ten minutes to clean up my office (or other play therapy room), go to the bathroom, try to write a note about the session, and/or try to eat something when I am hungry before my next session begins.

Even when I need to do all of those things I often am drawn to this window to stand for a minute or two at sunset. No matter how busy I am, I always feel the need to come have one last look at the day. At God’s creation. At all the people driving to their homes. At the last bit of light fading over this city I love so much.

God has great plans for this city. I dare say She loves it more than I do.