Sunset

Tampa had some great sunrises. Monterey has some amazing sunsets.

Science will never be able to reduce the value of a sunset to arithmetic. Nor can it reduce friendship to formula. Laughter and love, pain and loneliness, the challenge of beauty and truth: these will always surpass the scientific mastery of nature.--Louis Orr (speech to the American Medical Association, 6/6/60)

“Some may try and tell us that this is the end of an era. But what they overlook is that in America, every day is a new beginning, and every sunset is merely the latest milestone on a voyage that never ends. For this is the land that has never become, but is always in the act of becoming. Emerson was right: America is the land of tomorrow.”
Ronald Reagan

Photo Ops

I'm loving the camera in my Android, and I've had some great photo opportunities to try it out lately:

Some baseball stadiums are better than others...

The Central Coast is absolutely gorgeous...

And finally, these cows have the BEST view:

Videos

Donald Miller's blog pointed me to vimeo.com. I particularly like their "video school" lessons. My hope is to make a video snippet of my thesis work someday. Since that's a LONG way off, I have still plenty of time to learn about video editing.

Portrait of Christ

Symmetry

Green Houston

Roadtrip

I finally got a chance to look through my pics from the roadtrip. Below are some of my favs:

Holy Week

Palm Sunday, Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, Easter Sunday.

Holy week is always full of emotions. I cannot even begin to imagine what it must have been like 2000 years ago. Oh how the Father must love us to put His Son through such an ordeal. May we reflect on that this Easter and truly realize how privileged we are to be called Children of God.

We sang 2 of my favorite songs, fitting for Holy Week and good songs for reflection and guitar practing:

Hosanna by Hillsong (video)

I see the King of glory
Coming on the clouds with fire
The whole earth shakes, the whole earth shakes
I see His love and mercy
Washing over all our sin
The people sing, the people sing

[Chorus]
Hosanna, hosanna
Hosanna in the highest (x2)

I see a generation
Rising up to take their place
With selfless faith, with selfless faith
I see a near revival
Stirring as we pray and seek
We're on our knees, we're on our knees

[Chorus]

[Bridge]
Heal my heart and make it clean
Open up my eyes to the things unseen
Show me how to love like You have loved me
Break my heart for what breaks Yours
Everything I am for Your Kingdom's cause
As I walk from earth into eternity

How Deep The Father's Love For Us (video)

How deep the Father's love for us,
How vast beyond all measure
That He should give His only Son
To make a wretch His treasure

How great the pain of searing loss,
The Father turns His face away
As wounds which mar the chosen One,
Bring many sons to glory

Behold the Man upon a cross,
My sin upon His shoulders
Ashamed I hear my mocing voice,
Call out among the scoffers

It was my sin that held Him there
Until it was accomplished
His dying breath has brought me life
I knoww that it is finished

I will not boast in anything
No gifts, no power, no wisdom
But I will boast inJesus Christ
His death and resurrection

Why should I gain from His reward?
I cannot give an answer
But this I know with all my heart
His wounds have paid my ransom
(REPEAT)

Gonna Get There Someday

I'm a big fan of Dierks Bentley, although I have yet to pick up his new bluegrassy CD. What I've heard on the radio has been good though, and I'm still kicking myself for not going to his concert at Rams Head Live in Baltimore a while back. This song just came on Pandora, an oldie but goodie:

Gonna Get There Someday by Dierks Bentley

Well its been a year and there so much to tell
been doing alright in spite of myself
just wish i could stop feeling bad when i pray
But I know I'm gonna get there someday

Got that job I was dreaming about
sometimes its tough traveling around
but who i wanna be still seems so far away
but i know i'm gonna get there someday

glad i told you all i meant to
while i had the chance
cause every moment i had with you
made me who i am

by the way, i met someone new
and wouldn't you know, she's a whole lot like you
still i ain't ready to settle down in one place
but i know i'm gonna get there someday

well i guess i'll be movin on
i'll just leave these daisies by your stone
and momma, i still miss you every day
but i know i'm gonna get there someday

when that'll be, guess only God can say
but i know i'm gonna get there someday

Sara Groves

I absolutely love Sara Groves. I first started listening to her in college after Gregg Motte mentioned her new album during on of his Breakaway talks. And I've been hooked ever since. She writes her own honest, raw lyrics. And she has a great mellow musical sound. I saw her in concert a few years back, just her and her piano. Absolutely amazing.

She has a new album "Fireflies and Songs", which has been in my car's CD player for a few months now. Good stuff. Check out this review or some songs and videos on ilike.com

One of my favorites songs on the album is the title track Fireflies and Songs. It speaks to some basic things I've been learning in my own friendships and relationships these days. Love isn't about expectations or checklists. It's about loving the people God puts into your life, for who they are and who He made them to be. With a relational attitude, those things you'll remember forever, those little moments, well, they just happen.

In Sara's words:

It feels like a good representation of what is on the album as a whole. The album is very reflective. The song is reflective and reminiscing. It's also about looking for love in all the wrong places or holding each other hostage with all the expectations of what love should be. Really, love is not something you can tame or nail down.

My experience is that my expectations can be very poisonous to my family. I feel like God is just continually stripping those expectations and telling me, “Those are not my expectations. That is your own set of rules for people in your life.” I have seen an incredible season of tenderness and growth as I have backed off of some of those demands. I've let my husband grow and be who he is going to be and love me the way he is going to love me. That is where, all of a sudden, there is music and fireflies everywhere. This is the marriage I have been dreaming of and had hoped for, but because I am not demanding it of him or anyone, then they are able to give it as a freely given gift.

Fireflies and Songs

Thirty years ago I was a little girl
Riding in the back seat of the car.
A woman sang 'You don't bring me flowers anymore.'
I felt the sadness in my little heart.

We're looking for the music
In the music box,
Tearing it to pieces,
Trying to find a song.

I was drawn to you in ways I can't explain.
I fought like crazy but I couldn't stay away.
Piled on expectations and lots of blame,
like we couldn't do it any other way.

We're looking for a firefly
Moving through the night,
Staring at that one place
Swear it never lights.

We're looking for the music
In the music box,
Tearing it to pieces,
Trying to find a song.

Were you surprised our hearts were not like ticking clocks?
The faces and hands easy to read.
We both wished 'if only in the land of Oz.'
And longed for things we'd never really need.

Now we're standing in the kitchen,
All pretense is gone.
You kiss me on the shoulder.
Fireflies and songs.

Fiction Family

Just got back from a trip to Texas.  What fun to see old friends and old places!  I realized that it's not necessarily that I miss Texas so much, it's that my Texas friends and my Maryland friends are from different parts of my life.  And those parts of life don't intersect very often. But I certainly will remember the times they do: like when I got to take a friend down to Texas and show him where I grew up and the places that made me who I am, and when Texas friends were able to come up here and see where I spend my time these days and the person I have become.  I guess it's all part of growing up.  And growing up isn't as bad as I used to think it might be.  But I'm not a big fan of the growing apart that often accompanies growing up.

In other news, my friend Linds pointed me to Fiction Family.  It's a band consisting of Jon Foreman from Switchfoot and Sean Watkins from Nickel Creek.  AMAZING!  Check it out!

Just Haven't Met You Yet

Heard this song on the radio a while back.  Today I learned it was sung by Michael Buble.  "I Just Haven't Met You Yet".  Sigh.

I'm not surprised, not everything lasts
I've broken my heart so many times, I stopped keeping track
Talk myself in, I talk myself out
I get all worked up, then I let myself down

I tried so very hard not to lose it
I came up with a million excuses
I thought, I thought of every possibility

And I know someday that it'll all turn out
You'll make me work, so we can work to work it out
And I promise you, kid, that I give so much more than I get
I just haven't met you yet

I might have to wait, I'll never give up
I guess it's half timing, and the other half's luck
Wherever you are, whenever it's right
You'll come out of nowhere and into my life

And I know that we can be so amazing
And, baby, your love is gonna change me
And now I can see every possibility

And somehow I know that it'll all turn out
You'll make me work, so we can work to work it out
And I promise you, kid, I give so much more than I get
I just haven't met you yet

They say all's fair
In love and war
But I won't need to fight it
We'll get it right and we'll be united

And I know that we can be so amazing
And being in your life is gonna change me
And now I can see every single possibility

And someday I know it'll all turn out
And I'll work to work it out
Promise you, kid, I'll give more than I get
Than I get, than I get, than I get

Oh, you know it'll all turn out
And you'll make me work so we can work to work it out
And I promise you kid to give so much more than I get

Yeah, I just haven't met you yet
I just haven't met you yet
Oh, promise you, kid
To give so much more than I get

I said love, love, love, love
Love, love, love, love
I just haven't met you yet

Love, love, love, love
Love, love
I just haven't met you yet

Home Again

I'm not a big fan of Miranda Lambert, but she's got a great new song out:
The House that Built Me

I know they say you can’t go home again
I just had to come back one last time
Ma’am I know you don’t know me from Adam
But these handprints on the front steps are mine

Up those stairs in that little back bedroom
Is where I did my homework and I learned to play guitar
I bet you didn’t know under that live oak
My favorite dog is buried in the yard

I thought if I could touch this place or feel it
This brokenness inside me might start healing
Out here it’s like I’m someone else
I thought that maybe I could find myself
If I could just come in I swear I’ll leave
Won’t take nothing but a memory
From the house that built me

Mama cut out pictures of houses for years
From Better Homes and Gardens magazine
Plans were drawn and concrete poured
Nail by nail and board by board
Daddy gave life to mama’s dream

I thought if I could touch this place or feel it
This brokenness inside me might start healing
Out here it’s like I’m someone else
I thought that maybe I could find myself
If I could just come in I swear I’ll leave
Won’t take nothing but a memory
From the house that built me

You leave home and you move on and you do the best you can
I got lost in this old world and forgot who I am

I thought if I could touch this place or feel it
This brokenness inside me might start healing
Out here it’s like I’m someone else
I thought that maybe I could find myself
If I walk around I swear I’ll leave
Won’t take nothing but a memory
From the house that built me

You Said

A recent road trip got me thinking about concerts that I've attended. Which got me thinking about Shane & Shane.  Which got me listening to their music again.  Which made me remember how much I like it.  Songs like  "You Said".  Listen to it here.

You said "Ask and you will receive"
Whatever you need
You Said "Pray and I'll hear from heaven and I'll heal your land"

Foreman

I've liked Jon Foreman ever since I've learned he was the lead singer of Switchfoot.  I've liked Switchfoot ever since I first heard of them back in Old Army Days when I was a freshman in college.

I recently started reading some of Foreman's interviews and articles, and I really like the way he communicates.  Much like his music, he's a bit unconventional and he makes me think.  He recently started blogging on the Huffington Post.  He has 3 articles posted there, and if you have time, I highly recommend reading them.  The RSS feed is here.  Add it to your Google Reader list.

Foreman's latest release is a Switchfoot CD titled Hello Hurricane.  I've been listening to it at work lately, but gained a deeper appreciation for it after reading the lyrics and Foreman's introduction to the CD:

The storms of this life shatter our plans. They tear through our world and destroy our hopes and dreams. They ruin sunny days, flatten the structures we depend on, and shock our world views. Hello Hurricane is an attempt to sing into the storm. Hello Hurricane is a declaration: you can't silence my love. My plans will fail, the storms of this life will come, and chaos will disrupt even my best intentions, but my love will not be destroyed. Beneath the sound and the fury there is a deeper order still- deeper than life itself. An order that cannot be shaken by the storms of this life.  There is a love stronger than the chaos, running underneath us- beckoning us to go below the skin-deep externals, beyond the wind, even into the eye of the storm.  Hello Hurricane, you're not enough- you can't silence my love.

I've seen storms in my life. I've even seen them pass through on stage. I've witnessed chaos and dissonance overtake a song. But after the rain, some of these unsettling musical experiences become my favorite moments: the ones that can't be planned, rehearsed, or repeated.  This was not an easy record to make; we were fighting to get somewhere we had never been. Looking back at the ground we covered I'm certain that every moment (even the more difficult ones) were meaningful to the final push. I'm so honored to have been a part of this record- to share these experiences with Tim, Chad, Drew, Jerome and everyone else who helped in the struggle for excellence. In many ways, these songs are like children to me and I'm honored to be able to introduce you to them first-hand.

To stream the entire Hello Hurricane album while reading a song-by-song review, click here.

Christmas, in January?

Dad's side of the family had a belated Christmas, combined with Grandma's 84th birthday celebration this past weekend. Everyone was able to attend, as evidenced by our traditional group shot at Grandma's house:

My sister won the Pickle competition.  I was disappointed that I couldn't regain my title this year, but I lost to my sister in the first heat, so at least I can say I lost to the champion!  There's always next year!  For dinner, we went to the Walburg Restaurant and enjoyed the good German food, live music, and lively atmosphere.  Good times and good memories...

Remaining Awake

At church tonight, the speaker referenced a speech that MLK Jr gave in which he referenced the story of Lazarus and the rich man. The speaker encouraged us to read the speech, so I came home tonight and did just that. You can read it or listen to it online here.

And this reveals to us that the most striking thing about the story of Rip Van Winkle is not merely that Rip slept twenty years, but that he slept through a revolution. While he was peacefully snoring up in the mountain a revolution was taking place that at points would change the course of history—and Rip knew nothing about it. He was asleep. Yes, he slept through a revolution. And one of the great liabilities of life is that all too many people find themselves living amid a great period of social change, and yet they fail to develop the new attitudes, the new mental responses, that the new situation demands. They end up sleeping through a revolution....

Let me close by saying that we have difficult days ahead in the struggle for justice and peace, but I will not yield to a politic of despair. I’m going to maintain hope as we come to Washington in this campaign. The cards are stacked against us. This time we will really confront a Goliath. God grant that we will be that David of truth set out against the Goliath of injustice, the Goliath of neglect, the Goliath of refusing to deal with the problems, and go on with the determination to make America the truly great America that it is called to be.

I say to you that our goal is freedom, and I believe we are going to get there because however much she strays away from it, the goal of America is freedom. Abused and scorned though we may be as a people, our destiny is tied up in the destiny of America.

Unreasonable

The reasonable man adapts himself to the world: the unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore all progress depends on the unreasonable man.

-- GEORGE BERNARD SHAW, Maxims for Revolutionists

John Greenleaf Whittier

I was listening to the radio tonight, and the speaker quoted from John Greenleaf Whittier. I was curious where the quote came from, so I looked it up and came across this poem:
Maud Muller by John Greenleaf Whittier

MAUD MULLER, on a summer's day,
Raked the meadows sweet with hay.

Beneath her torn hat glowed the wealth
Of simple beauty and rustic health.

Singing, she wrought, and her merry glee
The mock-bird echoed from his tree.

But, when she glanced to the far-off town,
White from its hill-slope looking down,

The sweet song died, and a vague unrest
And a nameless longing filled her breast--

A wish, that she hardly dared to own,
For something better than she had known.

The Judge rode slowly down the lane,
Smoothing his horse's chestnut mane.

He drew his bridle in the shade
Of the apple-trees, to greet the maid,

And ask a draught from the spring that flowed
Through the meadow across the road.

She stooped where the cool spring bubbled up,
And filled for him her small tin cup,

And blushed as she gave it, looking down
On her feet so bare, and her tattered gown.

"Thanks!" said the Judge, "a sweeter draught
From a fairer hand was never quaffed."

He spoke of the grass and flowers and trees,
Of the singing birds and the humming bees;

Then talked of the haying, and wondered whether
The cloud in the west would bring foul weather.

And Maud forgot her briar-torn gown,
And her graceful ankles bare and brown;

And listened, while a pleasant surprise
Looked from her long-lashed hazel eyes.

At last, like one who for delay
Seeks a vain excuse, he rode away,

Maud Muller looked and sighed: "Ah, me!
That I the Judge's bride might be!

"He would dress me up in silks so fine,
And praise and toast me at his wine.

"My father should wear a broadcloth coat;
My brother should sail a painted boat.

"I'd dress my mother so grand and gay,
And the baby should have a new toy each day.

"And I'd feed the hungry and clothe the poor,
And all should bless me who left our door."

The Judge looked back as he climbed the hill,
And saw Maud Muller standing still.

"A form more fair, a face more sweet,
Ne'er hath it been my lot to meet.

"And her modest answer and graceful air
Show her wise and good as she is fair.

"Would she were mine, and I to-day,
Like her, a harvester of hay:

"No doubtful balance of rights and wrongs,
Nor weary lawyers with endless tongues,

"But low of cattle, and song of birds,
And health, and quiet, and loving words."

But he thought of his sisters, proud and cold,
And his mother, vain of her rank and gold.

So, closing his heart, the Judge rode on,
And Maud was left in the field alone.

But the lawyers smiled that afternoon,
When he hummed in court an old love-tune;

And the young girl mused beside the well,
Till the rain on the unraked clover fell.

He wedded a wife of richest dower,
Who lived for fashion, as he for power.

Yet oft, in his marble hearth's bright glow,
He watched a picture come and go:

And sweet Maud Muller's hazel eyes
Looked out in their innocent surprise.

Oft when the wine in his glass was red,
He longed for the wayside well instead;

And closed his eyes on his garnished rooms,
To dream of meadows and clover-blooms.

And the proud man sighed, with a secret pain,
"Ah, that I were free again!

"Free as when I rode that day,
Where the barefoot maiden raked her hay."

She wedded a man unlearned and poor,
And many children played round her door.

But care and sorrow, and child-birth pain,
Left their traces on heart and brain.

And oft, when the summer sun shone hot
On the new-mown hay in the meadow lot,

And she heard the little spring brook fall
Over the roadside, through the wall,

In the shade of the apple-tree again
She saw a rider draw his rein,

And, gazing down with timid grace,
She felt his pleased eyes read her face.

Sometimes her narrow kitchen walls
Stretched away into stately halls;

The weary wheel to a spinnet turned,
The tallow candle an astral burned;

And for him who sat by the chimney lug,
Dozing and grumbling o'er pipe and mug,

A manly form at her side she saw,
And joy was duty and love was law.

Then she took up her burden of life again,
Saying only, "It might have been."

Alas for maiden, alas for Judge,
For rich repiner and household drudge!

God pity them both! and pity us all,
Who vainly the dreams of youth recall;

For of all sad words of tongue or pen,
The saddest are these: "It might have been!"

Ah, well! for us all some sweet hope lies
Deeply buried from human eyes;

And, in the hereafter, angels may
Roll the stone from its grave away!

And then I also came across this interesting parody:

Bret Harte wrote a famous parody of this famous poem, "Mrs. Judge Jenkins" in which the Judge marries Maud, and which he ends with the lines:
Maud soon thought the Judge a bore,
With all his learning and all his lore;
And the Judge would have bartered Maud's fair face
For more refinement and social grace.
If, of all words of tongue and pen,
The saddest are, "It might have been,"
More sad are these we daily see:
"It is, but hadn't ought to be."

Other quotes I like by Whittier:

“No longer forward nor behind,
I look in hope or fear;
But grateful take the good I find,
The best of now and here.”

“The best of a book is not the thought which it contains,
but the thought which it suggests;
just as the charm of music dwells not in the tones
but in the echoes of our hearts.”

Heroes

I have a new hero. His name is Greg Mortenson. I ran across a book about his story while wasting time in Barnes and Noble the other day. Turns out it was not a waste of time! It's called Three Cups of Tea and I HIGHLY recommend the book. It's truly a story of what one person can accomplish when they are passionate about their cause and refuse to give up.

Greg grew up in Africa where his parents were Lutheran missionaries. When they got back to the States, he joined the military for 2 years where he trained to be a nurse in combat situations. He went to college on the GI Bill, but was a bit aimless in life for awhile. He spent most of his time working late shifts and crazy hours so he could have plenty of time to go climbing up in the mountains. When his youngest sister Christa passed away from a seizure, he pledged to honor her by summiting K2 in Pakistan. He didn't make his goal of reaching the top, but instead he stumbled upon a small village in Pakistan and found a higher goal: promoting peace by building schools in one of the most violent areas in the world.

Greg's experiences fascinate me. What started as a promise to build one school has resulted in 81 schools, including 15 schools in Afghanistan. All of this came to fruition through Greg's sincere desire to build relationships with people, to embrace their religion and customs, and to give them tools to help themselves. Greg feels that literacy and education is the best long-term solution to violence in the Middle East. Empowered children who see a bright future ahead of them will have less reason to join violent extremist movements. It is an uphill battle to be sure, but Greg is making the journey one school at a time.

In my view, Greg is right up there along with Gary Haugen from International Justice Mission and Catherine Rohr from Prison Entrepreneurship Program. All 3 of these folks are on my hero/wish I could meet someday list because they are using their talents to directly help those less fortunate and do their small part in making the world a better place. I'm sure all 3 of them could be working somewhere else for more money and more stability, but they are living off their passion and wouldn't have it any other way. Great inspirations to all of us.

If you are interested in buying the book online, purchase it using the links to Amazon through http://www.threecupsoftea.com/purchase-three-cups-of-tea/ and 7 percent of your book purchases will benefit Greg's non-profit organization.

What do you hope people gain from reading THREE CUPS OF TEA?
That ultimately to achieve global peace and defeat terror we must do it with education and books, not edicts and bombs. I also hope it inspires our younger generation to know that anyone can make a difference and be pro-active. Martin Luther said that even if the world would end today, we should still plant seeds and trees for tomorrow. Even in America, we have extreme poverty, but I think the greatest poverty we face in our country is a poverty of compassion and that we live more in fear than in hope. If you fight terrorism, it is based in fear, but if you promote peace, it is based in hope. Ignorance is the real enemy, wheather it is in Afghanistan, Africa or America, and it is ignorance that breeds hatred. We can overcome that ignorance with compassion and courage, and encourage all children (and adults) to promote peace and have hope through education. -- Greg Mortenson

Stories

This weekend, DC was hit by one of the biggest snow storms in its history. A blanket of snow covered monuments, buildings, and roads; it was beautiful, and peaceful.

In the midst of a busy holiday season, I took advantage of this weather-induced free time and caught up on some reading. I started out with Crazy Love by Francis Chan. The Foreward by Chris Tomlin is what reeled me into the book. I did enjoy the book, but it seems to be "just another one of those books". I mean, it seems like today I am bombarded by messages that seek to awaken a sleeping church that has become too comfortable. And I admit, the church probably HAS become too comfortable. I guess I'm just tired of reading about it. Instead of passionately preaching to people to get them to wake up, shouldn't we be passionately seeking to create opportunities that people can participate in and see what lives lived for Christ really look like? Don't get me wrong, Crazy Love has a good message. It starts by helping us remember that God is so much bigger than we are, and life is not about us. It goes on to explain what a lukewarm Christian looks like. And it encourages us to be absolutely in love with Christ, regardless of how crazy the world might think that is. All this is good stuff.

Then I started reading Donald Miller's A Million Miles in a Thousand Years. And I absolutely loved it. There's just something about the way Don writes that make you feel like he's right there, simply having a conversation with you. This book is about Don's experiences while writing a screenplay about his life. He compares the elements of a good story to the elements of a meaningful life. In his own unique non-assuming way, He helps the reader realize that God wants to help us write amazing stories with our lives, stories that fill our lives with meaning, memories that we will share and cherish. But these stories don't necessary equate to comfort and success. Just like a character in a movie, we must overcome conflict. Unlike a character in a movie, our stories don't always have a nice and tidy ending. At least, not in this life. Not yet. "We live in a world where bad stories are told, stories that teach us life doesn't mean anything and that humanity has no great purpose. It's a good calling, then, to speak a better story. How brightly a better story shines. How easily the world looks to it in wonder. How grateful we are to hear these stories, and how happy it makes us to repeat them."

Essentially, both of these books have the same bottom line: God wants us to live a life that points to Him. If we give him our heart and our trust, He will write an epic story through us.

A few quotes:

It's like this when you live a story: The first part happens fast. You throw yourself into the narrative, and you're finally out on the water... You think that you'll paddle for a bit and arrive on the other side by lunch. But the truth is, it isn't going to be over soon. The reward you get from a story is always less than you thought it would be, and the work is harder than you imagined. The point of a story is never about the ending, remember. It's about your character getting molded in the hard work of the middle.... I think this is when most people give up on their stories. They come out of college wanting to change the world, wanting to get married, wanting to have kids and change the way people buy office supplies. But they get into the middle and discover it was harder than they thought. They can't see the distant shore anymore, and they wonder if their paddling is moving them forward. None of the trees behind them are getting smaller and none of the trees ahead are getting bigger. And they go looking for an easier story.

It's a Donald Miller book, I can't leave out a quote about love:

I was interviewing my friend Susan Isaacs after her book Angry Conversations with God came out... Because so much of her book was about relational needs, relational fulfillment and unfulfillment, one of the questions asked was whether she believed there was one true love for every person. Susan essentially said no. And she said that with her husband sitting right there in the audience. She said she and her husband believed they were a cherished prize for each other, and they probably would drive any other people mad. But then she said something I thought was wise. She said she had married a guy, and he was just a guy. He wasn't going to make all her problems go away, because he was just a guy. And that freed her to really love him as a guy, not as an ultimate problem solver. And because her husband believed she was just a girl, he was free to really love her too. Neither needed the other to make everything okay. They were simply content to have good company through life's conflicts. I thought this was beautiful.

Like A Melody

I heard this song at the Penn State volleyball game and couldn't get it out of my head... shaking head...

Shawty's Like A Melody In My Head

Sounds Like Life

Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. -- James 1:17