Saturdays are sunshine, cool sheets, hugging pillows, hugs and hiking, Mexican food and coffee, independence, exploring, movie-going days, going out nights, do-nothing afternoons, showers that last entirely too long.
When you have work to do over the weekend, it's a lot more relaxing to do it on a Saturday than a Sunday. Sunday has an air of impending (doom would be too strong a word, wouldn't it?)....well...more like an impending, heavy, grey cloud.
So if you do work on Saturday you can just relax and bask in the sunniness of everything (though, as a procrastinator I've also found that finishing stuff on Saturday is a bit less realistic as well, but you'll feel extra extra good about starting).
I've enjoyed my independence on many a Saturday since starting college, and so it will always kind of remind me of afternoons spent in coffee shops in Chattanooga or Oxford, writing papers, hiking and listening to music, or sitting in the window daydreaming while looking at the awesome view from Lookout Mountain.
*I miss Oxford and Chattanooga a whole lot, speaking of these things, and it occurs to me how supremely blessed I've been to live in such incredibly diverse, spark-igniting, beautiful (though in ways which could not be more different) places. I'd happily live in either place again, for a longer period of time. *
Now, Saturdays as a married person are also excellent...(dotdotdot)
By the way, excellent is an excellent word which I have apparently been rediscovering on this particular Saturday. This morning I looked at Dane and his sleepy-head hair and I announced to him: "Dane Michael Gustafson, you are excellent!". He seemed quite pleased with himself.
Both of us have grown up jobs now which have Saturday and Sunday off, so that makes weekends a lot more laid back.
Though I do have planning and stuff for students, it's not quite the same as being a full-time student at a challenging college. There will be more work once my teaching job starts, but for now, it's quite vacation-ey. Today we stayed in bed till 9ish, which felt kind of like a miracle. We made Pioneer Porridge with brown sugar and butter. Pioneer Porridge is AMAZING. Here's a link to the mill (not far from us) :http://www.noramill.com/store/history.php
Throw some brown sugar, butter and cinnamon on that stuff and you are in business. See, these are the kind of slow-cooked, nutritious breakfasts that needs to be enjoyed in the rocking-chair-on-the-porch type fashion of a Saturday or Sunday morning. You can't just hurriedly gulp that kind of goodness down.
We proceeded to watch a Broadway production of "Into the Woods" on Netflix. Great music, but now stuck in my head..............................................
Then Dane fixed my computer (YAY!)while I read the end of a book before we ventured out to one of the best kept secrets in town, a book exchange store that is so overflowing with books that it looks like some kind of Hogwarts librarian must manage it. I was thrilled to find a copy of the uncollected poems of R.M. Rilke, which I purchased for a mere 6.95.
Now Dane is at some friends' house, hooking up their TV, and I'm being far less helpful to society, blogging and eating frozen butterscotch pudding.Today is one of the hottest days in recent GA history, after all.
So today's Saturday...not even over, but great so far.
In a totally separate vein, we came up with a new game the other night. Easy to play, so if you're stuck inside on this freakishly hot Saturday and want to entertain yourself, you should try this out.
Select a movie trailer and a piece of music that would be hilarious together. Then, turn down the video volume and just watch it to the song. You can do this by yourself, or in teams as a kind of a competition, or pair up and come up with a surprise combination with a partner. Do points however you want, mostly it's just laughter inducing. :-)
Here were some of my favorites:
1. The Bourne Identity Trailer with Cuban Pete (as sung by Jim Carrey)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cD-uQreIwEk-movie
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GJej6kCgxVM
2. Sweeney Todd Trailer with Mahna Mahna (by the Muppets)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L_hgrfZVlJA
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8N_tupPBtWQ
oh, and I just found this one!
3. Nanny McPhee soundtrack with the song "World Collapsing" by Danny Cocke
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vEYozuMFjyc
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0fB5ZdyiKa8
Oh no....now I have a feeling I'm going to be on Youtube for a little while...
Saturday, June 30, 2012
Wednesday, June 27, 2012
The Constant Gardener?
I am so horribly bad at keeping plants alive. Seriously. Dane and I watched "Meet Joe Black" the other day, and I was thinking that I am like a "Jane Black" for plants (but I'm married to the Green Giant).
However, I am so incredibly proud to announce that the pot of dirt which has been sitting on the front patio for like....2 months now, has finally begun to spout little green things!
One of my students gave me the pot of dirt and packet of lavender seeds at the end of the school year, and I never actually expected anything to happen to it, knowing my history with plants.
(Case in point: the nice elderly woman who lives in the townhouse next to us, Wilma, gave us a beautiful flowering plant when we returned from our honeymoon about two weeks ago. Now, despite my tender care and watering, it has become a Tim Burton version of itself. I feel kind of embarrassed to keep it out there where she can see it, but I tell myself that the fact that:
A. We own a watering can and keep it out front in plain sight, so obviously we are concerned plant citizens.
B. I often take care to set it next to the formerly flowering plant as if to say, "See? I take this plant's need for sustenance seriously!"
C. I conspicuously look around before picking up that watering can and take my time watering it, with the look of someone who often waters plants. I happen to know that Wilma watches us from the window so I feel okay-just barely-about keeping the dead-ish plant out there...as long as I continue to do A.B.C)
Anyway, it's strangely thrilling to see the little green things come out of the pot of dirt. Even through I didn't trust myself to make anything grow, I just kept watering it. (I think Dane's been watering too, which may actually be why it's growing, but that's not really the point, the point's that I was making an honest attempt). Then, one day, little green things were coming out of it! And they weren't little green worms! I have Googled baby lavender and it actually sort of looks right, too!
( Side note: don't you love how "Googled" has become a verb?)
On that pot of dirt is written, in a kid's messy paint-scrawl" "Teachers Grow Kids" and there are also the handprints, in bright colors, of the kid (Let's call him....Thistle)
Now Thistle is neither a smiling, eager- to-learn sort, nor is he from the stock of scary-to-teach-but- loveable Tom Sawyer types. He's kind of a little loner: he's small for his age and he tries to be a bully. He isolates himself from others on purpose (not quite good enough at it yet to seem really, truly tough). The school where he is has been good for him, but he's got a long way ahead to a happy, truly fulfilling group of friends. I want that for him.
I wasn't too surprised to get a gift from Thistle, because his mom is very consistently thoughtful about gift-giving to teachers. However, I realized, when I got the pot, that Thistle's mom didn't write the words, he did. And those definitely weren't her handprints. Don't get me wrong, I'm sure the thing was her idea (or she got it off Pinterest), but I realized that he had to have wanted some part in that gift to willingly contribute his hands and writing, and that made it mean something to me.
To be honest, had it just been something that Thistle's mom obviously did on her own, I very much doubt I would have cared enough to read about the kind of light that lavender needs, or make sure it had enough water. But I kept checking on it, tending to it, despite my own little faith.
And it grew.
I'm not going to pretend that growing lavender from seeds is hard or anything, but it's hard for me, mostly because I start out pre-discouraged when I see a potted plant. As it turns out, consistency and faith were the keys I needed.
It made me think: "Teachers Grow Kids." I'm new to the whole education thing, but I had to think that there are some similarities between the need for faith and consistency in growing baby lavender and the need for encouragement and structure in "growing kids" in the classroom setting.
In fact, this can be applied all around the board with other things that have a tendency to be challenging or daunting. For me, here's the short-list: sticking to writing deadlines, computers, low-carb diets, being organized, having self-control when it comes to gummy vitamins, attempting to be outgoing....and finishing, well, almost anything.
Take a minute to think: what endeavors do you avoid because you lack the faith, or perhaps the will to at least make an honest attempt? What would it take to motivate you? Are you willing to take a little time out of your day to be consistent in something, and what would that look like, practically?
(This isn't rhetorical: I'd really love to hear and to discuss!)
However, I am so incredibly proud to announce that the pot of dirt which has been sitting on the front patio for like....2 months now, has finally begun to spout little green things!
One of my students gave me the pot of dirt and packet of lavender seeds at the end of the school year, and I never actually expected anything to happen to it, knowing my history with plants.
(Case in point: the nice elderly woman who lives in the townhouse next to us, Wilma, gave us a beautiful flowering plant when we returned from our honeymoon about two weeks ago. Now, despite my tender care and watering, it has become a Tim Burton version of itself. I feel kind of embarrassed to keep it out there where she can see it, but I tell myself that the fact that:
A. We own a watering can and keep it out front in plain sight, so obviously we are concerned plant citizens.
B. I often take care to set it next to the formerly flowering plant as if to say, "See? I take this plant's need for sustenance seriously!"
C. I conspicuously look around before picking up that watering can and take my time watering it, with the look of someone who often waters plants. I happen to know that Wilma watches us from the window so I feel okay-just barely-about keeping the dead-ish plant out there...as long as I continue to do A.B.C)
Anyway, it's strangely thrilling to see the little green things come out of the pot of dirt. Even through I didn't trust myself to make anything grow, I just kept watering it. (I think Dane's been watering too, which may actually be why it's growing, but that's not really the point, the point's that I was making an honest attempt). Then, one day, little green things were coming out of it! And they weren't little green worms! I have Googled baby lavender and it actually sort of looks right, too!
( Side note: don't you love how "Googled" has become a verb?)
On that pot of dirt is written, in a kid's messy paint-scrawl" "Teachers Grow Kids" and there are also the handprints, in bright colors, of the kid (Let's call him....Thistle)
Now Thistle is neither a smiling, eager- to-learn sort, nor is he from the stock of scary-to-teach-but- loveable Tom Sawyer types. He's kind of a little loner: he's small for his age and he tries to be a bully. He isolates himself from others on purpose (not quite good enough at it yet to seem really, truly tough). The school where he is has been good for him, but he's got a long way ahead to a happy, truly fulfilling group of friends. I want that for him.
I wasn't too surprised to get a gift from Thistle, because his mom is very consistently thoughtful about gift-giving to teachers. However, I realized, when I got the pot, that Thistle's mom didn't write the words, he did. And those definitely weren't her handprints. Don't get me wrong, I'm sure the thing was her idea (or she got it off Pinterest), but I realized that he had to have wanted some part in that gift to willingly contribute his hands and writing, and that made it mean something to me.
To be honest, had it just been something that Thistle's mom obviously did on her own, I very much doubt I would have cared enough to read about the kind of light that lavender needs, or make sure it had enough water. But I kept checking on it, tending to it, despite my own little faith.
And it grew.
I'm not going to pretend that growing lavender from seeds is hard or anything, but it's hard for me, mostly because I start out pre-discouraged when I see a potted plant. As it turns out, consistency and faith were the keys I needed.
It made me think: "Teachers Grow Kids." I'm new to the whole education thing, but I had to think that there are some similarities between the need for faith and consistency in growing baby lavender and the need for encouragement and structure in "growing kids" in the classroom setting.
In fact, this can be applied all around the board with other things that have a tendency to be challenging or daunting. For me, here's the short-list: sticking to writing deadlines, computers, low-carb diets, being organized, having self-control when it comes to gummy vitamins, attempting to be outgoing....and finishing, well, almost anything.
Take a minute to think: what endeavors do you avoid because you lack the faith, or perhaps the will to at least make an honest attempt? What would it take to motivate you? Are you willing to take a little time out of your day to be consistent in something, and what would that look like, practically?
(This isn't rhetorical: I'd really love to hear and to discuss!)
Monday, June 25, 2012
Thoughts
The nice thing about summer tutoring is the fact that it allows me time to learn how to be multiple versions of myself within the course of a single morning: I can get up at 6:30 a.m. with my wonderful husband, eat breakfast with him, pack up his lunch, and send him out the door with a kiss. Then I can take a leisurely nap and get up and get up around 9:00, whereupon I dance around while listening to music that Dane wouldn't usually listen to, like The Artic Monkeys and Bon Iver. Finally, I can get around to working on my lesson plans and head out the door to work to be a teacher-ish person.
Summer, in general, is like a giant rubber band season: you get to grow and re-learn and rediscover what you love and who you are... Maybe discover something new like: "Hey, being married to the person you love is awesome!"
This morning was pretty much exactly as described above. I was supposed to be tutoring a girl at 11:00 a.m and my boss was scheduled to observe me. However, when I got there this had fallen apart because my student forgot about our appointment (it happens). So, having the morning off now, I decided to walk over to the downtown square, grab a coffee at the cafe there (where I used to work) and chat with my very good friend who I knew would be working today.
When I got there, things weren't too busy, so she and I got to talk for awhile, and we got into discussing spiritual matters. She has been having some experiences lately which are quite obviously not natural, but supernatural, and she was telling me about them: what it was like, what she thought about it, and what others have told her it means.
While I am a Christian, and I don't use that word lightly, my friend is not-nor are the people with whom she has already discussed these experiences. Our discussion about dark and light soon became a bit ADD and loose-ended.
Partially because the business picked up at the coffee-shop, and partially because I've never had quite this kind conversation with her before, I feel like my words could have been so much better.
However, it was awesome to talk to my friend about the big things, and I'm sure it will lead to other honest discussions. I'm grateful for that, and I'm grateful that our friendship is strong enough to not be wounded by frankness and a different view of life and eternity.
I learned something new through this experience. I've always tried to be clear with people about my "being Christian." However, my friend asked me some questions that made me realize that, even though someone may grow up in the church, have many Christian friends, and live in the "Bible belt," they still might not ever be presented with what the Bible has to say.
Here are a few things I want to say upon reflection of our discussion.
Christianity: It's a relationship, a romance, and oh...it's eternal
One of the things that sets Christianity apart is the fact that it truly is about mankind's connection with our creator.
Here's kind of the gist:
1. God, our Creator, made Adam and Eve first. He loved them and visited them face-to-face. He walked with Adam and Eve in the garden.
2. God's children (Adam and Eve, then all of their descendents.....like me and you) hurt the heart of God by disobeying Him and choosing the allure of power over the protection and love of God. Because they had become corrupt, they now had a spirit that put them in opposition to God. Not only do we inherit the sin of Adam and Eve, we add our own sins to the pot daily.
Sin: Anything that goes against the perfect standard God sets, simply by His existence and the fact that he created everying. Sin could therefore be viewed as anything that points us away from the perfection of God.
Exodus 20:2-17 contains the 10 commandments:
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Exodus+20&version=CEV.
Anyone who has done any of these things has sinned. And sin makes us like oil-in-water with God. It wrecked our relationship with Him. Guess what? Neither you, nor I, nor Mother Theresa, Ghandi, or Albert Einstein escapes that curse. It's a defining element of human nature.
3. The relationship was now tainted, and could not be the same as before. Now, there had to be a mediator, just so the people could talk to God. For many years, those who believed in God would need to sacrifice a spotless animal (often a lamb) which would be the payment for their sin. The blood of an innocent creature was the only way to temporarily cleanse them of their sins in the eyes of God.
This is not because we serve a blood-hungry God. No. How do I know? I know this because of what God did next.
4. After years and years of temporary sacrifices...it became known that God intended to rescue His people in a very permanent way. There came the predictions of a savior who would be " wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities; … and with his stripes we are healed.” (Isaiah 53)
A man was going to die, taking the place of all those spotless animals and making himself a permanent solution for the way our sin had messed up our relationship with God. BUT not just any man. This man would be unlike any other who had ever walked the earth, because the only way for sin's price to permanently be paid was for God to put on human flesh, live life as a human, and die a horribly painful, unjust death that was the only acceptable, once-and-for-all payment for the sins of the world.
That man's name was Jesus.
The most incredible romance. The most sacrificial thing that anyone could do for love. It's amazing, and it's hard to grasp, but that's what it is.And that's what God did.
5. The sacrifice, our way back to a relationship with God, was made by the person of Jesus. Because of his love for us, each person now has a choice about whether or not accept that sacrifice. If we accept it then we run back into God's open arms and commit to live lives which are in line with His perfect plan.
You see (and the church doesn't do a great job of explaining this) you DO NOT GO TO HEAVEN BECAUSE YOU ARE "GOOD". You go to Heaven because of your relationship with God through Jesus Christ. I am seen, by many, as good. But I know my heart and the places that my mind tends to go. I was reflecting upon the characteristics of Love as found in 1 Cor. recently and I fall so short of the bill. It is my prayer to grow closer to that image. Why? Not so I can go to heaven. I know I'm going to heaven because of what Christ has done. I don't fear death. As a Christian, my behavior is reflective of my desire to grow closer to God, to be more like the person He always meant for me to be.
.
John 3:16 says: For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
*"Is the god that Christians worship different than other 'gods'?"
YES. The God of the Bible has a very distinct personality. It may seem weird to some people that we just call him "God" when other religions have names for their "gods." In Hebrew, the word for God (we say "Yaweh" in church) was actually not to be spoken by the Jewish people because it was so holy, instead, they read it as "Adonai" which literally means "Lord." And you know, that name is sufficient because He is the Creator of the Universe (it all belongs to Him). He is perfect and all-knowing (We can trust what He says and we can trust what He says is good). He has His hand on everything (We don't have to worry).
"Why are you talking about Hebrew and the Jewish people? Weren't you talking about Christianity?"
Yes. Christians and the Jewish people acknowledge the same God/Creator. In fact, the whole OT concerns this amazing history God has with Israel, specifically! The Jews were God's first chosen people. Many Jewish people became Christians after Christ died on the cross. However, those who are Jewish (meaning those who subscribe to Judaism, not those who are of the Jewish nationality) disagree that Christ was the savior predicted in Isaiah. Many Jews were expecting someone besides the average-looking, Jewish carpenter who would heal lepers and sacrificially lay down his life for a spiritual cleansing.
Summer, in general, is like a giant rubber band season: you get to grow and re-learn and rediscover what you love and who you are... Maybe discover something new like: "Hey, being married to the person you love is awesome!"
This morning was pretty much exactly as described above. I was supposed to be tutoring a girl at 11:00 a.m and my boss was scheduled to observe me. However, when I got there this had fallen apart because my student forgot about our appointment (it happens). So, having the morning off now, I decided to walk over to the downtown square, grab a coffee at the cafe there (where I used to work) and chat with my very good friend who I knew would be working today.
When I got there, things weren't too busy, so she and I got to talk for awhile, and we got into discussing spiritual matters. She has been having some experiences lately which are quite obviously not natural, but supernatural, and she was telling me about them: what it was like, what she thought about it, and what others have told her it means.
While I am a Christian, and I don't use that word lightly, my friend is not-nor are the people with whom she has already discussed these experiences. Our discussion about dark and light soon became a bit ADD and loose-ended.
Partially because the business picked up at the coffee-shop, and partially because I've never had quite this kind conversation with her before, I feel like my words could have been so much better.
However, it was awesome to talk to my friend about the big things, and I'm sure it will lead to other honest discussions. I'm grateful for that, and I'm grateful that our friendship is strong enough to not be wounded by frankness and a different view of life and eternity.
I learned something new through this experience. I've always tried to be clear with people about my "being Christian." However, my friend asked me some questions that made me realize that, even though someone may grow up in the church, have many Christian friends, and live in the "Bible belt," they still might not ever be presented with what the Bible has to say.
Here are a few things I want to say upon reflection of our discussion.
Christianity: It's a relationship, a romance, and oh...it's eternal
One of the things that sets Christianity apart is the fact that it truly is about mankind's connection with our creator.
Here's kind of the gist:
1. God, our Creator, made Adam and Eve first. He loved them and visited them face-to-face. He walked with Adam and Eve in the garden.
2. God's children (Adam and Eve, then all of their descendents.....like me and you) hurt the heart of God by disobeying Him and choosing the allure of power over the protection and love of God. Because they had become corrupt, they now had a spirit that put them in opposition to God. Not only do we inherit the sin of Adam and Eve, we add our own sins to the pot daily.
Sin: Anything that goes against the perfect standard God sets, simply by His existence and the fact that he created everying. Sin could therefore be viewed as anything that points us away from the perfection of God.
Exodus 20:2-17 contains the 10 commandments:
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Exodus+20&version=CEV.
Anyone who has done any of these things has sinned. And sin makes us like oil-in-water with God. It wrecked our relationship with Him. Guess what? Neither you, nor I, nor Mother Theresa, Ghandi, or Albert Einstein escapes that curse. It's a defining element of human nature.
3. The relationship was now tainted, and could not be the same as before. Now, there had to be a mediator, just so the people could talk to God. For many years, those who believed in God would need to sacrifice a spotless animal (often a lamb) which would be the payment for their sin. The blood of an innocent creature was the only way to temporarily cleanse them of their sins in the eyes of God.
This is not because we serve a blood-hungry God. No. How do I know? I know this because of what God did next.
4. After years and years of temporary sacrifices...it became known that God intended to rescue His people in a very permanent way. There came the predictions of a savior who would be " wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities; … and with his stripes we are healed.” (Isaiah 53)
A man was going to die, taking the place of all those spotless animals and making himself a permanent solution for the way our sin had messed up our relationship with God. BUT not just any man. This man would be unlike any other who had ever walked the earth, because the only way for sin's price to permanently be paid was for God to put on human flesh, live life as a human, and die a horribly painful, unjust death that was the only acceptable, once-and-for-all payment for the sins of the world.
That man's name was Jesus.
The most incredible romance. The most sacrificial thing that anyone could do for love. It's amazing, and it's hard to grasp, but that's what it is.And that's what God did.
5. The sacrifice, our way back to a relationship with God, was made by the person of Jesus. Because of his love for us, each person now has a choice about whether or not accept that sacrifice. If we accept it then we run back into God's open arms and commit to live lives which are in line with His perfect plan.
You see (and the church doesn't do a great job of explaining this) you DO NOT GO TO HEAVEN BECAUSE YOU ARE "GOOD". You go to Heaven because of your relationship with God through Jesus Christ. I am seen, by many, as good. But I know my heart and the places that my mind tends to go. I was reflecting upon the characteristics of Love as found in 1 Cor. recently and I fall so short of the bill. It is my prayer to grow closer to that image. Why? Not so I can go to heaven. I know I'm going to heaven because of what Christ has done. I don't fear death. As a Christian, my behavior is reflective of my desire to grow closer to God, to be more like the person He always meant for me to be.
.
John 3:16 says: For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
*"Is the god that Christians worship different than other 'gods'?"
YES. The God of the Bible has a very distinct personality. It may seem weird to some people that we just call him "God" when other religions have names for their "gods." In Hebrew, the word for God (we say "Yaweh" in church) was actually not to be spoken by the Jewish people because it was so holy, instead, they read it as "Adonai" which literally means "Lord." And you know, that name is sufficient because He is the Creator of the Universe (it all belongs to Him). He is perfect and all-knowing (We can trust what He says and we can trust what He says is good). He has His hand on everything (We don't have to worry).
"Why are you talking about Hebrew and the Jewish people? Weren't you talking about Christianity?"
Yes. Christians and the Jewish people acknowledge the same God/Creator. In fact, the whole OT concerns this amazing history God has with Israel, specifically! The Jews were God's first chosen people. Many Jewish people became Christians after Christ died on the cross. However, those who are Jewish (meaning those who subscribe to Judaism, not those who are of the Jewish nationality) disagree that Christ was the savior predicted in Isaiah. Many Jews were expecting someone besides the average-looking, Jewish carpenter who would heal lepers and sacrificially lay down his life for a spiritual cleansing.
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