Seat Plan Generator
5 weeks ago
Showing posts with label friendship. Show all posts
Showing posts with label friendship. Show all posts
Today is one of those days. No, I don't mean that in a bad way for once! It is one of those absolutely beautiful perfect summer days where it is not too warm or cool, sunny with little cottonball clouds amidst a bright blue sky, trees of green and wildflowers lining the drive into work. It is one of those days - the kind where there is no doubt God is smiling on us despite the aching headache, late work night and rushed day. It's a day where you can't help smiling no matter the other little glitches. I can definitely take more of those!
Today comes after another day where things didn't start off so great, but then, everything started lining up. If you've ever seen Just My Luck (and I'm a little ashamed to say I watched it on tv the other night), I felt a little like lucky Ashley. Sure, I missed the priest by five minutes when I went down to the Solanus Casey Center, but there's always tomorrow. And yes, my computer was giving me all kinds of headaches as I was trying to finish a project for work, but there were creative ways around it. And sure, the travel-wedding dress I took in to get altered ended up being two sizes too big. Always a good thing except when they tell you it will cost just as much to alter the dress as you paid to buy it. And yet, they offered me a size exchange for a dress that was of equal value which, at the end of the day, I like even better than the one I'd originally bought - and it doesn't need any alterations! Now, you can't get much better than that as a bride to be, let me tell you. Are there other headaches (literal and proverbial)? Um, sure - that's life. All in all, not so bad a day, especially once the project was all complete and set at the end of the night...and I mean the end.
Yes, that led to a bit of sluggishness this morning as I headed out for appointments and work, but it was worth the effort to not have to worry about it through the day. Unfortunately, I also received a phone call first thing in the morning from a friend, early enough that I had to check the message immediately since I'd missed the initial call. Sure enough, it was not good news, which is what I figured from the "early" hour of the phone call - my friends know before 9 a.m. is not my best time of day....make that 10 a.m.! It turned out that her father had passed away suddenly the night before, and I was the one she thought of to call, both for prayer and to let everyone know. This makes friend #2 who has called me to be the point of contact for such news.
Now, some may get a complex. I admit, even I wondered why I was the one they chose, aside from the fact that my own father died while I was still in college. That wondering turned to quite a bit of humility in the end - that they would think of me to trust with that news and to do what was necessary is actually an honor. I can only hope that my prayer and response brings a little peace to an otherwise tumultous time. For FriendG I hope that I can be a better friend as she works through the loss, and for KFriend, I pray that I might let God use me as he chooses and not shy away from my own brokenness.
All in all, a pretty blessed week so far...
I somehow seem to think that I need to get something profound out of every day. In reality, that doesn't always happen, even when I do slow down and spend some quiet time in prayer. Sometimes, my biggest revelation is "hey, at least this day didn't totally suck."
Of course, as I was sitting in Mass yesterday, the thought hit me that I complain and criticize an awful lot - not so much publicly I hope - but enough of it that I know it's something that affects my own perspective. Then the voice of God came to me saying, "Instead of criticizing, pray." Ok, so it wasn't a big booming voice - no James Earl Jones over the loudspeaker - but that quiet whisper when you know the truth of it and still resist it. I mean, is it really complaining, or just venting so you don't dwell on it?? What do you mean I am rationalizing my behavior?
Anyway, so I did have one deep thought. And as much as profundity makes me grow, it's the laughter that soothes the soul. Monster Friend is moving away, and as thrilled as I am for her, I know I will miss the laughter that always ensues. Good thing I have her blog to read!! That got me thinking of the moments I remember over the years, especially as friends from grad school are posting pictures from back in the day, and it is hands down the moments that brought with them laughter. The tears I remember too, don't get me wrong. But the stronger memories are those moments filled with gut-busting laughter, where I'm laughing so hard I'm trying not to pee my pants! Maybe if I laughed more, my gut would bust out smaller....hmmmm....maybe not.
And that brought me back to complaining...well, not actually complaining, but thinking about complaint and criticism. None of it actually moves me forward - the venting may release some steam, but I usually just end up all scrunchy in the end (to use a Phoebe-esque description). I guess that whole "release it into prayer" and move on to something funny (ok, I added the last bit myself - that wasn't so much God) isn't such a bad idea after all.
Of course, as I was sitting in Mass yesterday, the thought hit me that I complain and criticize an awful lot - not so much publicly I hope - but enough of it that I know it's something that affects my own perspective. Then the voice of God came to me saying, "Instead of criticizing, pray." Ok, so it wasn't a big booming voice - no James Earl Jones over the loudspeaker - but that quiet whisper when you know the truth of it and still resist it. I mean, is it really complaining, or just venting so you don't dwell on it?? What do you mean I am rationalizing my behavior?
Anyway, so I did have one deep thought. And as much as profundity makes me grow, it's the laughter that soothes the soul. Monster Friend is moving away, and as thrilled as I am for her, I know I will miss the laughter that always ensues. Good thing I have her blog to read!! That got me thinking of the moments I remember over the years, especially as friends from grad school are posting pictures from back in the day, and it is hands down the moments that brought with them laughter. The tears I remember too, don't get me wrong. But the stronger memories are those moments filled with gut-busting laughter, where I'm laughing so hard I'm trying not to pee my pants! Maybe if I laughed more, my gut would bust out smaller....hmmmm....maybe not.
And that brought me back to complaining...well, not actually complaining, but thinking about complaint and criticism. None of it actually moves me forward - the venting may release some steam, but I usually just end up all scrunchy in the end (to use a Phoebe-esque description). I guess that whole "release it into prayer" and move on to something funny (ok, I added the last bit myself - that wasn't so much God) isn't such a bad idea after all.
