It is most definitely a gift.



California girls: Betsy, Courtney, and Emily





I left California yesterday afternoon.

Flew into D.C. about the exact same time a small ice storm descended on the area. I love coordinating my arrivals with certain weather patterns.

Iced mochas to icy streets.

Palm trees to parkas.

Sorry, just trying to keep a sense of humor over here...

...in the arctic tundra.

Sis and I had a blissful weekend. We soaked up the sun, and the time together. We spent time with sweet friends. It was one of those encouraging, wonderful, heart-warming weekends that you always hope for, but aren't always guaranteed.

Oh man, and it's easy--for me, at least--to look back on a weekend like this last one and be filled with all kinds of longing and wishing and wanting. It's easy for me to live my life in parentheses. One of our college profs introduced us to that analogy. You remember that kind of language in college...Once I'm through this crazy day, I'll be okay! or Once exams are over, I'll be fine! or If only this semester would go faster, then...! And, suddenly the days and exams and semesters become years and you have lived your life only half-living, putting the present on hold while waiting for whatever might be around the corner.

That's why I love that reminder: Don't live your life in parentheses! Don't bracket things out as if that's not the important stuff! 

And, I also love this quote from Kyle Lake, who was the pastor of University Baptist Church in Waco, Texas. Found it on the Living Proof Ministries blog and can't stop thinking about it:

Live. And Live Well. BREATHE. Breathe in and Breathe deeply. Be PRESENT. Do not be past. Do not be future. Be now. On a crystal clear, breezy 70 degree day, roll down the windows and FEEL the wind against your skin. Feel the warmth of the sun. If you run, then allow those first few breaths on a cool Autumn day to FREEZE your lungs and do not just be alarmed, be ALIVE. Get knee-deep in a novel and LOSE track of time. If you bike, pedal HARD… and if you crash then crash well. Feel the SATISFACTION of a job well done—a paper well-written, a project thoroughly completed, a play well-performed. If you must wipe the snot from your 3-year old’s nose, don’t be disgusted if the Kleenex didn’t catch it all… because soon he’ll be wiping his own. If you’ve recently experienced loss, then GRIEVE. And grieve well. At the table with friends and family, LAUGH. If you’re eating and laughing at the same time, then might as well laugh until you puke. And if you eat, then SMELL. The aromas are not impediments to your day. Steak on the grill, coffee beans freshly ground, cookies in the oven. And TASTE. Taste every ounce of flavor. Taste every ounce of friendship. Taste every ounce of Life.

Because-it-is-most-definitely-a-Gift.