Rain in the Poconos

I woke up this morning to the sound of the pouring rain. I love it. Especially when I don't have to be up for anything. Rainy days are great for just staying in and reading a book or watching a movie. And a good rain storm up here in the Pocono Mountains is the best.

Quick update for those that read this more for life updates than my random thoughts. :) I am still at Camp Ladore in Waymart, PA. Ladore has a year round conference center where I have been working for the last few weeks. Starting next week, I will be taking on a full-time position there as the resident host. So this is where I'll be through the winter.

Speaking of winter, I'm trying to mentally prepare myself for the cold and snow. I haven't lived north of the Mason-Dixon line for a few years. And even when I live in Maine, I never liked the cold, so it's going to be a change.

If you know me very well though, you know that I love Camp Ladore. It's one of my favorite places. So I'm excited to be here for the next few months. And if you find yourself in northeast Pennsylvania, come visit. :)

isn't she lovely

Colleen & David's Wedding 9-4-10

The bicycle built for two...

Scars

A couple weeks ago I sliced my finger open while making dinner. I'm not one to rush to the ER for cuts and scrapes. And being the bull-headed, independent person that I am, I was determined to just take care of it myself. But the truth is, it probably needed a stitch or two. Now, over two weeks later, it's still healing and there is definitely going to be a scar. A constant reminder of my stubbornness. I looked at it the other day and thought about the fact that if I have gone to the doctor and had it stitched, the scar would be smaller and less noticeable.

Here's a truth about life: it hurts! We all get hurt and hurt others at some point. And the blows we receive can be physical or emotional. Sometimes they are at the hands of others and sometimes they are due to the choices that we ourselves made. But how we deal with those hurts will determine the size of the scar that is left behind. Sometimes when things go wrong, we blame God or get angry with Him. But truthfully our hurts can usually be traced back to selfishness, stubbornness or our need for independence. And if we go to God with the hurt and the pain and the bleeding, He will help us heal. That doesn't mean He works magic and makes it all go away. There are still consequences. Healing will still take time. And there will still be scars. But they serve as reminds of lessons we've learned and God's grace along the way.

Not The Breath You Take

I've spent the last couple of weeks driving all over the eastern and midwestern sections of the country. I've been around my amazing family more than I usually am. I've watched my younger sister get married. I saw the sunset in front of me as I drove through the flat lands of Indiana. I took in the beauty of the Amish country in Ohio and apprecaited the beauty of Maine and New England all over again. And tonight the skyline of Philadelphia never looked so welcoming as I came "home".

George Strait has a new song that I heard a couple of times in the last 24 hours. It's a spin off the saying, "Life's not about the breath you take, but the moments that take your breath away". There have been a lot of "breath taking moments" for me as of late and I think that I'm finally coming to appreciate life in the here and now as it happens instead of constantly living in the future. And it's a great feeling!