When Life Doesn't Make Sense

I came home from work, grabbed my Bible, journal and a book and headed to the park to sit by the lake and.... listen. I felt like I should pray but didn't know where to start and felt more compelled to just sit still and listen and write. Whoever coined the phrase "When it rains it pours" hit the nail on the head. It seems that it sometimes works that way. And right now it's not so much my life as the lives of those around me that seems to be crashing in and God doesn't make sense. And what do you say?! I for one am not a fan of the "Sunday school answers" because sometimes "God is in control" isn't always the most comforting thing to hear, however true it is. Sometimes I have to ask "Why?". And sometimes I have to express my frustrations with God. He's God, and He's big enough to handle our frustrations and anger. And even though His plans are sometimes hard to see and figure out, I don't think that He sits in Heaven trying to hide things from us and play games. He wants to share with us but in our human minds and limited visibility, we aren't going to understand some things this side of heaven. That's just a cold, hard fact. Today was a day that I couldn't find anything in the Bible that expressed how I felt except for the book of Job. God allowed Job to ask and be upset. And when he was all done, God spoke. And though I'm sure Job still had many questions, that was enough. So... ask questions, scream at the top of your lungs, cry until you can't anymore and then when you've shared all your frustration with Him, allow Him to wrap His love around you like a hug and listen.

So "American"

I went tubing with some friends the other day on the Chattahoochee River. As we were floating along, my friend Amber made the comment "This is so American. Only an American would come up with something like this". And as I thought about it, I realized she's probably right. And I think that's one of the things I love about summer. I'm adventurous and love to travel. I love all things international. But at the end of the day, I'm an all-American girl. And summer brings out the American in me. I love camping and roasting hot dogs and making s'mores. I love the ocean but I'll take the lake any day too. I think everyone needs a little culture in their life and I'm definitely all for seeing the world. But as I stood on my back porch last night spitting watermelon seeds into the grass, I once again thought how American I truly am. :)

This Land is Your Land, This Land is My Land...

I love this day. I have so many great childhood memories of July 4th. We would get up and head out town for the community parade. We always sat in the same spot every year with the same people. It was great. In fact, to this day, when I go home on the 4th, I have to sit in that same spot to watch the parade. Otherwise, it's just not the parade like it should be. Funny, I love change but I love family traditions as well. :)

Then, we would head to Gram's or Uncle Paul's for lunch and most of the afternoon. I love family and we spent a lot of time with family.

We had our spot to watch the fireworks from as well. We called it the Sjoberg's spot because a lot of our family all sat there. One of our traditions again. When I was really little, fireworks scared me but they soon became one of my favorite parts.

But for as much as I love the traditional 4th of July events, I love this day because it reminds me of the freedom of the great country that I live in. I was raised very patriotic. I have many family members that have served our country in one branch of the military or another. I cry when I see soldiers march by or when I hear the National Anthem or "God Bless the USA". The 4th means so much more than parades and fireworks. Yes, it's a celebration. It's a party for our country. But price for our freedom was great.

So enjoy this day! Enjoy the traditions! Love being with family and friends! And, if given the chance, thank a soldier!

GOD BLESS AMERICA!!!