God Moves In A Mysterious Way

God moves in a mysterious way
His wonders to perform
He plants His footsteps in the sea
And rides upon the storm

Deep in unsearchable mines
Of never failing skill
He treasures up His bright designs
And works His sovereign will

Ye fearful saints, fresh courage take
The clouds you so much dread
Are big with mercy and shall break in blessings
In blessings
In blessings on your head

Judge not the Lord by feeble sense
But trust Him for His grace
Behind a frowning providence
He hides a smiling face

His purposes will ripen fast
Unfolding every hour
The bud may have a bitter taste
But sweet will be the flower

Ye fearful saints, fresh courage take
The clouds you so much dread
Are big with mercy and shall break in blessings
In blessings
In blessings on your head

Blind unbelief is sure to err
And scan His work in vain
For God is His own interpreter
And He will make it plain

In His own time
In His own way

-Song by Jeremy Riddle
Text taken from William Cowper's "Light Shining Out of Darkness"

Red-Letter Day

Today, for the first time in I can't even begin to remember how long, there was no traffic at the Concord Pike exit off of I-95 on the way to work this morning during rush hour traffic. Usually, there's a line almost a mile long - a line I usually end up sitting in because 1) everyone else would rush up to the front of the line and then cut people off, and because 2) people coming onto Concord Pike northbound coming from southbound 95 wouldn't follow the yield sign they had but instead try to merge, thus cutting off everyone else who had the right-of-way. To make matters worse, they've been working on construction on that exit for goodness knows how long, trying to widen it up so there's not such a heavy back up on 95 in the mornings.

And the reason for no traffic today? They finally opened up all that construction! Instead of just having one lane now to get off onto Concord Pike, it's been opened up into 3 lanes, with that nasty yield/merge gone! Yay! I'm sure there will still be some sort of traffic though, with people changing lanes to get to their appropriate exits, but I can't tell you how excited it made me this morning. I mean, I was driving past the Del. Ave. exit thinking that I had ten minutes before I was supposed to be at work, and seeing as it would take me at least that amount of time (if not more) to just get off of 95, I should call in and let them know that I'd be a few minutes late. But then I got into the exit lane, and there was absolutely zero traffic, and before I knew it, I was driving through the brand new exit and there was absolutely no hold up.

And the best part? I made it in to work on time. Yay!

Happy Autumn!

Comforting Sounds

One of the sounds that I find to be most comforting to me is the sound my brother's car makes when he's driving it. Odd, yes, I know, but it is to me one of the most encouraging sounds by far. He's got some sort of turbo on his car, and all I really know about it (for I am rather lacking in the car-savvy terminology) is that it makes a lot of noise, rumbles a lot, makes this wooshing sound when he changes gear, and sometimes, he can even make flames come out of it. I can hear it coming from a mile away; no, seriously, our family can hear his car when he's coming down the street towards our development. Our cat Long John instinctively knows when he's coming, and as soon as the sound of his car is heard, can be found standing by the window next to the front door, waiting for his Jeremy to pull up.

I love this sound because it means that my brother is coming home to visit. It means that I will soon get to see and spend some time with my brother. Every time I hear it, I know that my brother is close by, and will be there to help me and my family. And when I hear it when he leaves, I know that it means that he'll be coming back. And that he'll be alright.

I heard his car as I was leaving the church's parking lot yesterday morning after church. Seeing as my brother and his wife do not come to my church, it was therefore a surprise to hear the familiar wooshing sound his car makes. I turned in time to see the back end of his car leaving the church parking lot. And I felt that familiar feeling that he was okay, and things were going to be alright, because my brother had been there.

So it was with great surprise that I learned a little later of the drama that he and his wife experienced over the weekend. They live in a row of townhouses up in Claymont, and were woken up around 3 in the morning early on Sunday to a smokey haze all through their house, banging on their front door and shouting from a police officer for them to evacuate as the house a couple of houses away from theirs had caught fire. They made it out, but were allowed back in briefly to look for their cats. They couldn't find the cats quickly enough and were forced to leave. They safely made it away to Cindy's sister's house for a few hours, and were eventually allowed back in around 7 o'clock in the morning. Thankfully, there was no damage to any of their things. But they do have to air out their house entirely after it filled with all the smoke from the fire. And after learning of this, I learned that this had been preceded by such things as my brother facing a lost bank card, and almost getting into a major accident. *Police write up about the fire can be found here.*

And so I find myself appreciating the sound that his car makes even more today than I did yesterday. Because today, hearing it means that he's alive and that he truly is alright.

I am so thankful that my family is safe.

Anywhere Is

I walk the maze of moments
But everywhere I turn to
Begins a new beginning
But never finds a finish

I walk to the horizon
And there I find another
It all seems so surprising
And then I find that I know

You go there, you're gone forever
I go there, I'll lose my way
If we stay here, we're not together
Anywhere is

The moon upon the ocean
Is swept around in motion
But without ever knowing
The reason for its flowing

In motion on the ocean
The moon still keeps on moving
The waves still keep on waving
And I still keep on going

You go there, you're gone forever
I go there, I'll lose my way
If we stay here, we're not together
Anywhere is

I wonder if the stars sign
The life that is to be mine
And would they let their light shine
Enough for me to follow

I look up to the heavens
But night has clouded over
No spark of constellation
No Vela, no Orion

The shells upon the warm sands
Have taken from their own lands
The echo of their story
But all I hear are low sounds

As pillow words are weaving
And willow waves are leaving
But should I be believing
That I am only dreaming

You go there, you're gone forever
I go there, I'll lose my way
If we stay here, we're not together
Anywhere is

To leave the thread of all time
And let it make a dark line
In hopes that I can still find
The way back to the moment

I took the turn and turned to
Begin a new beginning
Still looking for the answer
I cannot find the finish

It's either this or that way
It's one way or the other
It should be one direction
It could be on reflection

The turn I have just taken
The turn that I was making
I might be just beginning
I might be near the end

-Enya

Weekend Highlights

-Driving across the Chesapeake Bay Bridge for the first time.
-My cousin's wedding! He was amazing! And Karissa was absolutely beautiful!
-Spending time with family I do not get to see and spend much time with.
-The gorgeous weather for the out-of-doors celebrations on both Saturday and Sunday!
-Taking the day off yesterday to recoup from driving into the wee hours of Monday morning.
-Spending the evening with my family last night to celebrate my birthday.

And now I'm off to finish up and head home to celebrate my father's birthday!

Virginia is for Weddings

Well, here I go, off again to another wedding. :)

This time, it's down in Virginia Beach. And it's yet another cousin.

It should be fun.

And as an added bonus -
Highlights from this week:
-Celebrating my birthday
-Breakfast with Michelle
-Dunkin Donuts!
-Spending time with my mother and sisters
-Getting to be outside in the gorgeous fall weather

Have a good weekend, everyone!

The Magician's Nephew

"Then two wonders happened at the same moment. One was that the voice was suddenly joined by other voices; more voices than you could possibly count. They were in harmony with it, but far higher up the scale: cold, tingling, silvery voices. The second wonder was that the blackness overhead, all at once, was blazing with stars. They didn't come out gently one by one, as they do on a summer evening. One moment there had been nothing but darkness; next moment a thousand, thousand points of light leaped out - single stars, constellations, and planets, brighter and bigger than any in our world. There were no clouds. The new stars and the new voices began at exactly the same time. If you had seen and heard it, as Digory did, you would have felt quite certain that it was the stars themselves who were singing, and that it was the First Voice, the deep one, which had made them appear and made them sing.

"'Glory be!' said the Cabby. 'I'd ha' been a better man all my life if I'd known there were things like this.'"

****

"'Child,' he replied, 'that is why all the rest are now a horror to her. That is what happens to those who pluck and eat fruits at the wrong time and in the wrong way. The fruit is good, but they loathe it ever after.'

"'Oh I see,' said Polly. 'And I suppose because she took it in the wrong way it won't work with her. I mean it won't make her always young and all that?'

"'Alas,' said Aslan, shaking his head. 'It will. Things always work according to their nature. She has won her heart's desire; she has unwearying strength and endless days like a goddess. But length of days with an evil heart is only length of misery and already she begins to know it. All get what they want: they do not always like it.'"

- The Magician's Nephew by C.S. Lewis

To the Owner of the Large 18-Wheeler on 95 Last Night:

Stop. Stop this very moment. I find it disgustingly appalling that you have the gall to think you own the road. You don't. Let me re-emphasize this concept: you do not, nor will you ever, own the road. Yes, I know it is obvious that you drive a very large vehicle. But this simple fact does not give you permission to just change lanes without noticing the other vehicles around you. I am forced, therefore, to come to several conclusions. Either you are abnormally and exceptionally stupid, not to mention rude, disrespectful, impolite, arrogant and a great many other adjectives I could pull from my mental thesaurus; that you are all together both blind and deaf not to have seen me or heard me; or that you failed your truck-driving test and are therefore incompetent in your driving skills and thus should not be on the road, period. I do have to add, though, that I was rather grateful for the turn signal - not many of your kind are adept at knowing how to use their turn signal, or even where the turn signal might be located, so the warning you gave was much appreciated. I do not appreciate it, however, when you attempt to take over the lane in which my small car is occupying. My disgust for you and your brethren is amplified ten-fold by the simple fact that there was another 18-wheeler on my right hand side, thus leaving with no where to turn and effectively sandwiching me in between two demons on wheels. This left me with no other options except to slam on my brakes, lay on my horn, and pray fervently that I managed to get out from in between you both before I became nothing more than something akin to peanut butter. This is not the first instance of your stupidity I have had the most serious misfortune of dealing with, either. Already, once, I have had to pay for your idiocy in previous years and being forced to pay for your mistakes (not to mention the simple fact that I could have died had I not done the exact same thing I was compelled to do last night the last time you did the same thing to me, the time previous actually going so far as to hit me) leaves me with a bitter taste in my mouth. Might I strongly suggest that you go back to school to relearn how to drive? Or possibly visit an optometrist or maybe an otologist? They might be able to better your hearing and your vision so that in the future you might be able to see and hear the little people who are around you, cringing at the very sight of you. Or how about just not driving at all? I am sorry that it would mean giving up your livelihood, but it is costing human lives for you to be driving the way you do. I am afraid that asking you to change your arrogant attitude towards fellow drivers and human beings who share the road with you to one of care and concern, being my preferred course of action and one that would prevent the loss of life, loss of money, stress, worry and as well as the loss of your job, would be too much to even hope for or ask.

Sincerely,
A Concerned Driver on America's Roads

Homecoming

This past Saturday was the University of Delaware's Homecoming. Highlights from this year include:

-playing my flute in Alumni Marching Band. Sure, that called for an 8 a.m. rehersal time, but getting up at the crack of dawn is so well worth it.
-catching up with old friends from my marching band days.
-watching the University of Delaware football team beat Northeastern, 30-20.
-playing "In My Life" with the 'baby band' down on the field after the game.

The added bonus was that things were wrapped up early enough so that I could have a decent amount of time to myself the rest of the day. For the first time in a rather long time, I didn't have anything planned (and I purposely kept my schedule open just for that reason - it's been too long).

It was also a reminder of God's faithfulness; I'd been praying and preparing for a potentially "interesting" (the only word I can think of to describe it, a word that can be defined in so many different ways) situation that I could find myself in, a situation that I didn't want to be in. Especially within the last week, I had been (besides getting nervous and worrying) praying for and asking God for the strength and courage to do and say the right things that I knew would need to be said when I found myself talking to a certain person I used to know in band, for I had assumed that they would be there as well. It hadn't even occurred to me to ask God for anything else. When I walked in to band practice on Saturday morning, the person wasn't there. It's amazing the answers to our prayers the Lord gives - totally unexpected, unlooked for, but so appreciated.

No. Nononono. NO.

The last few days have been major lessons in learning to say no. It's really hard, especially when the opportunities that come up are all good things. There are so many things that I'd like to do or be involved with, and I can see myself getting involved with each of them, but it would be at the expense of my health and what little sanity I do have. And so instead, I have been learning that:

• there are other people who can get things done just as capably as I could.
• I just need to focus right now on the tasks I've been given.
• everything will turn out alright.

Ezekiel 28:2-10

" 'In the pride of your heart
you say, "I am a god;
I sit on the throne of a god
in the heart of the seas."
But you are a man and not a god,
though you think you are as wise as a god.
Are you wiser than Daniel?
Is no secret hidden from you?
By your wisdom and understanding
you have gained wealth for yourself
and amassed gold and silver
in your treasuries.
By your great skill in trading
you have increased your wealth,
and because of your wealth
your heart has grown proud.

" 'Therefore this is what the Sovereign LORD says:

" 'Because you think you are wise,
as wise as a god,
I am going to bring foreigners against you,
the most ruthless of nations;
they will draw their swords against your beauty and wisdom
and pierce your shining splendor.
They will bring you down to the pit,
and you will die a violent death
in the heart of the seas.
Will you then say, "I am a god,"
in the presence of those who kill you?
You will be but a man, not a god,
in the hands of those who slay you.
You will die the death of the uncircumcised
at the hands of foreigners.

I have spoken, declares the Sovereign LORD.' "

Baltimore!

I am off to Baltimore for the weekend to see and spend time with my very dear friend, Tracey! Have a good weekend, everyone!

Renaissance Faire!

Highlights include:

- A Midsummer Night's Dream

- Playing with swords

- Crossing the Kissing Bridge by order of the queen (no, seriously - she told us to cross it, and we couldn't disobey)

- Human Chess Match

-Archery demonstration

- Joust

- Watching Nicole enjoy herself, as she had never been before

Pictures come courtesy of Nicole and Becky!

Wake Me Up When September Ends

Some people call this time of year 'autumn.'

Others call this time of year 'fall.'

Still others wish that people would stop arguing about it.

Happy October!