point of view

...about a good pen. it should be quiet, smooth, and leave lots of ink without being blotchy. and retractable tips are better because then you don't lose your cap. and they should definitely not be blue. or red. the darker, the better it makes you want to just keep writing What do you think?  Pens or pencils?  Lined or unlined paper?  Blue ink or black ink?  What's the best pen in the world?

The  best recipe :  Indian Tomato Chicken  - a family favorite. And great to make a huge batch of, it seems to improve with reheating. The  best book (s), John Ploughman’s Talks by C.H. Spurgeon and Speaking The Truth in Love by David Powlison. The  best song  that you just couldn't get out of your head?  The Invasion (Hero) The  jeans  that fit best? A random pair given to me by a cousin =) The  best week  of 2012: The  CCEF National Conference . Make a resolution in 2013. Go to  this  one. Even if you are not a counselor. Best habit ? I made a goal to make sure I read, wrote, sang, exercised, invested in a friendship and created something at least once every week. Best holiday ? I think Good Friday. Just because it’s always my favorite. So stripped down, so simple, the heartbeat and climax of History. Best risk  taken - to reach into more of the lives around me.  Goodness, I ...

moment by moment singing God's faithfulness at a dear cousin's wedding Dad on sabbatical and how he slows, smiles more, trusting My sister meeting a special young man, and how he slips into the ebb and flow of family learning to love and care for people, learning to change road trips to see, gospel breaking in, breaking through Mark off to university, stretching, reveling in this new stage of life births and weddings, joy upon joy a death that hit close to home, reminding us where home really is frustration and exhaustion to teach me dependence surprising joy when I least expected it. Every day, the struggle to live thankfully, one step at a time. I am blessed. I am held.

just for something different, let me tell you which books are sitting on my shelf. first off, I just finished be still my soul - elisabeth elliott I enjoy elisabeth elliott, especially when I'm stressing out about life.  I don't agree with her on everything but this book has been good for me.  sometimes I read it when my brain is doing the too-much-spinning-to-sleep thing.  she has a whole chapter on waiting, which I enjoyed very much.  if you read her book about her & jim elliott's romance - "passion & purity" - you will see that waiting was a big part of her life.  the wisdom she shares is very helpful. john ploughman's talks - c. h. spurgeon partway through this one.  I LOVE spurgeon.  this is an easier read compared to some of his others because he specifically avoided theological jargon for this book and spoke in layman's terms, which leads to some interesting figures of speech.  for example this:  Nobody is more like an h...

you, reeking of some smoke  I am too naive to be able to identify when you say you write poetry I know I can't ignore you anymore and it grates wrong when we all sit silent and you go back to the door I'm relieved when someone has a gift card for food and you are persuaded to take it you scrawl on the booklet of poetry before you hand it over and then ask if you can recite another and as I am leaving, one more and it catches me, turns me back "the shadowlands" because life is offered and you seem to want it but you fade away,  trapped in your mists of shadow

Fairy Tales are more than true; not because they tell us that dragons exist, but because they tell us that dragons can be beaten.                                                                   G.K. Chesterton

...of color, blessings, love, pain, longing, hope, joy, gifts 1255.  Korean birthday cake 1271. When my car stereo actually works 1287. Little boys under the table 1289.  Choruses of "I love you"s 1298.  How our family always asks how things went 1301.  Grocery store guys giving away carnations 1303.  Laughing babies on youtube.com 1316.  Learning about holy anxiety 1322. An acapella song on a sunny street corner 1332. Stargazing on the driveway 1334. Coyote choruses 1343. Names for special colors, like "verdigris" 1371. Two students discussing another student with a cramp in her leg... "I thought you said Keleese had a CRACK in her leg."  "No, not a crack, it's a CRAP." 1390. Dad making me coffee 1397.  Being told I look like a mama duck with my line of little ones following 1402.  A 1950's novel for a lazy Saturday morning 1448.  How people I don't even know come up to me and say "I read your a...