Category Archives: Faith

A Word from Seattle

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Well… the Lenten abstention from soda lasted all of a day and a half. Oh yeah… I also ate meat on Friday.Â? Were it not for my two afghan squares a day, my soul might be in mortal danger.Â? 😛

Things are not as severe as I thought they were going to be.Â? Physiologically, my grandfather isn’t doing badly but his mind is really confused. Â? He can still recite MANY stanzas of poetry (since they had to do lots of memory work in school back in his day) and I’ve sung a couple hymns to him.Â? It’s actually been not that sad for me to be here and see this — it’s been more of a time of blessing for me because I’m getting about 7 hours a day with him and I’m able to sit and hold his hand and be present.Â? The sadness will probably come when I head home.

On a more positive note, I was able to have a lovely evening with my friend Melissa with whom I spent 3 years at UCSC.Â? The two of us headed to Applebees and then back to her apartment to watch the Oscars and talk.Â? She is literally the world’s most sweet and giving person and I’m really blessed to have her as my friend and to get to see her the last couple times I’ve been in Washington.Â? I really miss having her around since she’s very much like me in terms of faith and convictions.

I head back to Montana tomorrow and I’ll arrive sometime on Wednesday morning/afternoon depending on how late Amtrak is.Â? One nice thing: they messed up my reservation date coming here so my accomodation got upgraded to a deluxe family bedroom (i.e. my own sink and bathroom as well as more space).

Back to the crocheting I go!

Ash Wednesday Thoughts

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The Ballad of Reading Gaol

..And thus we rust Life’s iron chain
Degraded and alone:
And some men curse, and some men weep,
And some men make no moan:
But God’s eternal Laws and kind
And break the heart of stone.

And every human heart that breaks,
In prison-cell or yard,
Is as that broken box that gave
Its treasure to the Lord,
And filled the leper’s house
With the scent of costliest nard.

Ah! happy those whose hearts can break
And peace of pardon win!
How else may man make straight his plan
And cleanse his soul from Sin?
How else but through a broken heart
May Lord Christ enter in?
–Oscar Wilde

Lenten Resolutions

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(Idea taken from Rachel)

Ash Wednesday is in a week so I’m starting to think about my Lenten fasts.Â? (Could someone also remind me to make pancakes on Tuesday so that I can bond with my Anglican side?)

What I’m giving up
I have no clue at this point.Â? Probably soda since that *will* be an interesting fast for me as a Coke addict.

What I’m taking on
I’ll be working through a devotional book that my mother-in-law gave me and I’ll also be doing two squares a day for afghans for Afghans.Â? I need to cut my yarn stash down and it will be a good way to do so.Â? I can also start breaking apart the yarn stash that Krissy sent me.Â? 🙂

This Is Pretty Distressing

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MercuryNews.Com: 3 churches, bookstore are defaced with symbols

This really upsets me because I was part of the college fellowship group at High Street Community Church and I also attended Messiah Lutheran Church during my second and third years of college.Â? I’d go down and pray at the Mission chapel on occasion (it’s pretty, quiet, and near downtown) and I got quite a bit of music and stuff from Agnus Dei.

This is seriously painful for me to hear about, especially since I’m really missing all those places these days.

In Memory

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A friend of my sister-in-law’s was killed by a drunk driver a couple days ago and my s-i-l asked if all Lutherans could sing “Children of the Heavenly Father” in her memory.Â? So…

Children of the heavâ????nly Father
Safely in His bosom gather;
Nestling bird nor star in Heaven
Such a refuge eâ????er was given.

God His own doth tend and nourish;
In His holy courts they flourish;
From all evil things He spares them;
In His mighty arms He bears them.

Neither life nor death shall ever
From the Lord His children sever;
Unto them His grace He showeth,
And their sorrows all He knoweth.

Though He giveth or He taketh,
God His children neâ????er forsaketh;
His the loving purpose solely
To preserve them pure and holy.
-LBW #474

Blogged in memory of Kara Rose Ardella Maes.