right in front of his eyes

mom wanted to try an enticing new recipe for marmalade glazed carrots for thanksgiving this year and i was put in charge of cutting the carrots. pete anxiously sat next to me as i cut carrot after carrot.

as i worked at the cutting board on the counter, a carrot fell to the ground. pete didn't notice. he was zeroed in on the pile of cut carrots on the cutting board.

so i tried getting his attention by saying his name. "pete." "pete!" "PETE!"
he didn't even blink.

then i tried pointing at the carrot with my toe (my hands were busy with the knife and carrots). you can imagine a lazy ballerina practicing her battement tendus.
he did nothing.

finally i tried giving him a little nudge with my foot. even mom tried coaxing him to the carrot. still, he wouldn't break his gaze on the mound of carrots that were out of his reach on the counter.

he was so focused on the pile that would never be his, that he didn't notice the little piece of heaven just under his nose.

i'm like that too sometimes.

are you? what happiness is right in front of your eyes that you've been missing?

grace

"for meat and drink, we thank Thee Lord
who stand round this fraternal board.
grant that our sisters everywhere
in Thy full grace and bounty share."
~ the alpha gamma delta grace

oftentimes, when we speak of "grace" we are talking about the undeserved forgiving love one has for another. the grace we say before a meal is different. it has been shortened from the word "graces", which is from the latin "gratiarum actio" or the italian "grazie", meaning thanksgiving or thanks.

the history of saying grace goes far back into history. for christians, we see Christ model breaking bread and giving thanks for it before partaking (acts 27:35) and are reminded of this every time the bread is broken as we celebrate holy communion.

saying grace before a meal, then, is a reminder of communion. communion not only with our Creator, but with each other. and when we sing the alpha gam grace, we break bread together as sisters and we thank our Awesome Parent for all who gathered around the table.

it's important to note, that we don't only thank God for those who are with us, but we also ask the Almighty to care for our sisters everywhere. we ask that grace - that undeserved, forgiving, unconditional, sacrificial love - wash over each sister, that they may never go hungry for nourishment of the body or the soul.

tonight, i pray the alpha gamma delta grace. over and over again. that each sister may know the love of their sisters and the love of the Wonderful One.

a tale of five cities

i've written a lot about charlotte. about how it became home over the years. about how the people there are my family. about how much i miss it sometimes.

as i drove away from the city this morning, i wondered....will i ever feel the way about another place and another people, the way i did about charlotte?

of course i will. because i've lived several places in my life, and each city holds a special place in my heart.

my love for coshocton seems to grow, more and more, as the years go by. i may have dogged the place as a teenager, but it's home. the people are constant and the welcome is eternal.

buckhannon was the first place i ever felt free. i made a lot of stupid decisions, but i lived with abandon.

lewisburg was my training ground. could i be an adult? could i live on my own? could i make it in the professional world? was ministry really for me? lewisburg taught me how not to lose myself in adulthood.

charlotte was like college, round two. i made a lot of stupid decisions, and i loved with abandon.

and then there was misenheimer. it's hard to separate the village from the college. similarly, it's hard to separate my personal life from my professional life. this is where the lines began to blur and my role as a workaholic was birthed.

now, indianapolis. the cross roads of america. where i feel like i am at a cross road in my life. i'm not sure exactly where i'm headed, but i feel like my next few years in indianapolis are going to be important ones. something big is on the horizon - i can feel it. can you?