He is good!

i'd love to major in photography, travel the cobblestone streets of florence, and have unlimited time to study the history of the united states through a personal tour. these opportunities may never present themselves, but still i can proclaim boldly that i have lived.

i've painted my walls. i've stood inside the trunk of a giant redwood. i've been to a court trial and roofed a house. i've made paper and probably a few bad meals. i've carried a baby inside my tummy, carried friends through hard times, and watched 'beauty and the beast' on imax. i've had a purple sunburn, one cold sore, and two broken fingers. i've ridden on motorcycles and slept in the wilderness. i've fished cold waters, seen a double rainbow, and wondered why the sun is yellow. i've traveled across the world. i've had fake fingernails and a fake suntan. i've collected stickers and jelly packets, and been in the live audience to hear 'the lord of the rings' symphony. i've danced to swing music, read the bible, and written "i love you" on a frosty window. i've jumped on a trampoline and ridden horseback across sandy beaches. i've written love letters, sung in a musical, and eaten blueberries from the bush. i've grown my hair out past my waist and then had it cut up to my ears. i've saved empty gift cards because they're cute, and a pine cone from our old front yard pine. i've smelled fresh lilacs, really stinky socks, and pepper steak marinating in my oven.

yes, there is so much to do and much more to see and try, but if i die tomorrow, please know that i have lived.

written by me - march 2006

as i read that back and consider why i wrote it, it's fun to see the different memories i conjured up to create a poetic paragraph. why i confessedly mentioned that i've fake tanned or smelled stinky socks is another question, but i'm missing the most important reason of why and how i've lived. please know that i've lived because, and only because, He has lived in me. it is a reflection that i want residing in me as the clock strikes midnight. it's also reassuring that i, or my subi, will not be turning into a pumpkin at one past twelve. whew.

last year, we were ringing in the new year by celebrating the conquering of the toddler toilet issues. and this year? with three sick girls under one roof, i don't think we're going to be raising it with anything too exciting. bummer dude.

may your memories of this last year be sweet as you anticipate the Lord at work in the year to come. He is good!