Forgiveness

I was running around the house a few minutes ago packing and cleaning. Zach and I are going to visit one of our grandmas this weekend! My phone rang and a much loved friend had called to say hello. You know those friends who you always pick up where you left off. It could be 5 days or 6 months since you last talked and it doesn't really make much difference. After the usually chatting of catching up we ended up talking relationships. This time about the ones that don't work out so well. Awwwww. Pain. Bitterness. Hurt.

We do have another option. It is slightly more scandalous and its ways are usually foreign to us. Usually it hurts our pride or our own self image, but in the end we win. The crazy thing about forgiveness, the part we miss the most is that it requires more of us than we realize. To truly forgive, we must be able to do it before one say's they are sorry. To FOR- (as in before) Give. Tough stuff*.

Anyway I thought I would share this...











*Actually it is so tough that when I Google-d 'forgiveness' to see if I had an validity in breaking it down as I just did (for the record I didn't find much (ha) there were books, seminars, classes, ect. on how to learn to forgive. Crazy! We are pretty bad at it as humans.

For the philosophical/spiritual part of this blog: In the atonement theory of the cross, the demonstration of Jesus dying shows he did such a thing even before so much of the world had come into existence.

Cousins

They're special people. Thankfully not your siblings, but closer than the neighbor kid. Even from a young age you know that they are more than a friend. Sometimes silly things like binkies, toys, hormones, competition, the classic boy/girl difference that split even the closest of cousins. Sometimes they are our role models, or those that we learn which mistakes not to repeat. Sometimes they are simply a familiar face at the family reunion and in rare cases, though the relationship morphs, they are still that true friend in life.


This is me and my best-est childhood friend, Chris. I think he is the first boy that broke my heart ;) . Girl cousins just aren't cool past a certain age.


David and all his cousins from Cali.






To many more happy cousin years!

Super Lame Am I

Here I sit, in my running clothes. I ran about 2 hours ago. Eating last nights popcorn. I love day old popcorn. Something about stale puffs that taste like butter. I haven't blogged in who knows how long. My messy house taunts me like the neighbor kid on the roof. Long story, annoying teenager, yells profanities while I take my child out of the car-seat. Rabbit trail. I haven't made my bed for about 6 days. Laundry is piling up. (This is the super lame part.) What else?

My baby and I ate breakfast on the back patio while listening to Adele. My BIG baby (as in tall, and not like extra fussy) worked to make the yard very beautiful. Fewer weeds and new flowers! Finished the night sharing a bowl of vanilla ice-cream and chocolate with little Zach. Played the tickle monster game. Cuddled the rest of the night away.

Sink full of dishes. Wet laundry in the washer.

I guess what I am saying, is I'm learning how to have both. The messy with the wonderful. The chaos with the fun moments. Disorganization with peace that this is my blessed life.