Thinking about
what holiness means and how to live it out. How am I, how are we all, meant to be holy in our daily lives? What does the Lord ask of us? Often, I find myself getting caught up with worry that I’m not doing enough to serve others. Maybe it doesn’t really matter what we do, but how much we love. The focus needs to shift from worry to joy, from strictures to freedom, from fear to love. That can look so different for everyone. I’m going to focus on being fully present to the people around me and see where the Holy Spirit takes me!
Listening to
my brother play the intro of the Irish folk song Arthur McBride on his new acoustic guitar. There’s something so beautiful and warm about the resonance of acoustic guitar. Someday I’d love to learn how to play it! Until then, I’ll listen to Matthew strum his tune. (It’s definitely a Christmas song, by the way.)
Observing
winter sunrises and sunsets. Pale rose at the rim fading into gold, then a hint of spring green to robin’s egg blue, washing into the ocean of sapphire that floods the dome of the sky. It’s so vast, stretching over great swaths of land flattened by release of a melted glacier1. The landscape whispers hope; a rainbow of a sunset after days of snow, earth crafted by a springtime that started thousands of years ago. Winters can be hard, but I like it here.
Eating
homemade focaccia and the best carrot soup ever! My brother Jim is a great chef, and we collaborated on bread and soup. The focaccia came out so fluffy on the inside and crispy on the outside. Perfection. The soup was incredibly well seasoned and creamy. We included cinnamon, chili powder, cardamom, and ginger (among other seasonings). Making food is so fun!
Reading
so much. This winter break, I’ve finished Persuasion by Jane Austen, The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde, The Great Divorce by C.S. Lewis, and Rich Mullins: An Arrow Pointing to Heaven by James Bryan Smith. I also reread Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine, since I loved that book as a kid! After talking with my high school English teacher, I’ve added a few more to my ever-growing reading list. Next up is Sense and Sensibility. Will it be my new favorite Austen novel? Remains to be seen.
I hope you had a wonderful January!
1 Lake Agassiz formed the region I’m from!