A Little Prayer and Laughter

I’m back! Back from the lovely yet unpredictable mountains. Good to be home...So, earlier this afternoon me and God were having a little heart to heart to heart, and I just thought I’d share a tad of what went down. This may be hard to believe, being as the fact that I’m such a naturally happy and positive person and all, but I have been having some crazy stressful/unhappy/frustrating situations thrown my way over the past few months. Life’s junk, and all that. So, like many days lately, I found myself deep in prayer. But today, I started telling God what all I “need” in my life. Some of you reading this are probably thinking something like “Silly Claire! God is ALL you need.” And ok, I know that’s true in essence, but I’m only human…Anyway, there I was bearing my soul to Jesus. And then it hit me like a rock. I could almost hear God laughing at me (good naturedly of course). Because the thing is, what I think I “need” for my life has nothing to do with what God knows I truly need. What I was really doing was “wanting”-wanting a quick fix, a perfect solution, a heal-all band aid to all the issues at once. And the fact is, a solution like that would be great, but would it really benefit me as a person? Maybe for a while, but it certainly wouldn’t help me grow as a person, in my faith, or prepare me for the future. So, I quickly apologized for my needy pity party, and instead asked for guidance through the situations, and that doors would open to start the process of putting my life in the right place. And I would love to tell you that after I was reminded of this lesson, that magical “mega solution” to all of my issues that I was hoping for appeared. But nope… And that’s ok with me. Because even though I’m still quite frustrated, I know that God DID hear me. He was laughing wasn’t he? :) And that means that sooner or later something’s gonna give. So for now, even though its not easy in the least bit, I’m going to be still, and find peace in knowing that HE IS GOD, so whatever he has planned has got to be awesome.

Paradise? Maybe Not...

Whew. Talk about a weird morning…Day 2 of mountain excursion thus far: I woke up at 2:30 am, and I was blind. It was as black as tar, and I couldn’t see the digital clock. I freaked out, sitting bolt upright in bed, trying not to yell. Only then did I realize that the power had gone out. Yeah, I’m stupid, I know. But let me just say- Power outages in Charlotte have NOTHING on the ones in the mountains. I mean, there is dark, and then there is DARK….anyways, I stumbled around my room and finally found my phone, and had a tiny bit of light as well as a working clock. The power came back on about two hours later…So then there’s this morning. I get up, and go down stairs, where my grandma just points for me to go onto the deck of the house. There, laying right by the sliding glass door, is a gigantic dead possum. Talk about randomly gross. Needless to say, I was not prepared to see that, and flipped out a little. We are currently waiting for the city to come pick up the critter….So, that’s my morning at a glance. It kind of puts my blogpost from yesterday into perspective a tad. But ah well. I’m still loving it up here. Dead possum and all.

"Almost Paradise"

Being kidnapped is amazing. Currently, I am looking out over a backyard that is bursting with color, and it is only 80 degrees. The sun is shining, the breeze is blowing. It truly is beautiful- like something you would see in a movie. Words can’t even capture it… Yesterday, I decided on a whim to go up to the mountains with my grandmother, Mudde. And thus far, it has been a relaxing blast. I have wanted to come up here for a really long time (since April, to be exact) , but I just haven’t gotten the chance. So, when my grandma stopped by on her way up to her house in Black Mountain, how could I refuse the offer to hitch a ride? So, its just me and her, eating, shopping, reading, watching some good TV, sleeping, and talking ALOT. And after being here for one day, I am reassured that the saying “life’s better in the mountains” is 100% true. Its cooler than the boiling summer days in the city, its gorgeous, and its an all around slower pace. Its not boring either, as some would suspect. Its just plain tranquil. Also, with all of the pretty views of mountain peaks around, God’s creation is so naturally glorified. And up here, I really do feel a little bit closer to heaven…cheesy? Maybe. But still….I need to get up here a lot more. Its good for me I think, just to “sloooowww down”, even if its just for a day or two. Anyway, as you can CLEARLY see, I am loving a summer day up here. Thank goodness for grandmas.

Tick, Tock, Tick,Tock

I have neglected this blog for a few days- my apologies. I have been busy, working, and thinking a lot more than usual. One of the random (but interesting) things I’ve been thinking about a lot is the idea of time. In my opinion, time is the most powerful variable in a human life. It marches onward, no matter what. There is no going back in time, nor is there speeding time forward. It is always changing, and yet its measurements never get larger. A second is always a second. I guess you could say it’s a changing constant. It leaves its mark with the turning of calendar pages or wrinkles on faces. And it is in the way that we chose to use it that time gains its power. Because, as I have noticed, it is time itself, that causes most human’s to become preoccupied. People get frustrated, because they wasted their time on something or someone for far to long. Or, people are regretful because they didn’t put enough time aside for something that really is important. Often there “isn’t enough time” in the day to get things done. “it just wasn’t the right time” is a phrase that feasts on the ideas of what might have been and can cause a person to go mad. As I live my life, the deep value of time becomes more apparent, as well as the stress that time itself can cause. And the more I look at it, the more I realize that just living in the moment can relieve a bit of that stress. And the idea of perfect timing? Yeah, its MUCH more possible if your not to busy dwelling on all the wasted time in your past or all you have to do in the future. And one last thing that everyone has to come to grips with- no matter how much you want it to, time stops for no one.

Long Live the Crab

We had a bit of an ordeal today. I am grieved to report that on June 18, 2009, Jack Hilton’s beloved crab was killed. Ok…so it may not seem like that big of a deal, but to a 7 year old, the death of a pet is traumatic. Although this wasn’t the first pet that Jack had seen die, it was the first pet that was HIS that has passed away. And can I just say, as gross as that little red thing was, Jack loved it. Being like a mini zoo keeper, he earned it (along with another little different type of crab) as his kindergarten graduation present. And he has been infatuated with them ever since. So, when I came in from work today and heard, my heart went out to him. Its hard to watch a little kid deal with the concept of death, even if it is just a crab. Because to Jack, the crab was his responsibility, his friend. Its truly a deep thing to behold. There is nothing more genuine than the emotion of a child. You can see exactly what’s on their hearts by looking at their faces….But then of course, with promises of a brand new crab, the sorrow etched across his face was replaced with excitement for the new that’s to come. And all sad thoughts of what was lost is forgotten. *sigh. If only it was that easy as you get older..... Oh well. That was my little deep contemplation for the day. Guess what? Only one class left of Jr. Seminar tomorrow! And I’m PUMPED!!!

The Sight at the Pool

After spending the past few afternoons at work at the pool, and then at swim meets, I am now convinced of one thing- there is nothing more entertaining than watching little kids swim, especially when they’re racing. They’re just so determined to go fast! So they dive off the block and speed for about 20 seconds, only to get tired, and poop out. Then it’s a race of the turtles to the end. The idea of pacing themselves is foreign. And butterfly is even better. Imagine it: 8 lands full of 7 year olds, flapping their arms in no recognizable way whatsoever. You would think they were drowning, except for the fact that they’re inching their way to the other side into the waiting arms of the timers and parents at the meet. Trust me, its quite the sight to see….and I get to see it again tomorrow night at another swim meet. My little brother is swimming in it. The way he’s been talking about his events and times, you would think he was in the Olympics. Oh well, he’s just getting excited and competitive….hmmm….I wonder who that sounds like?

My Little Joke For The Day

The SAT and ACT are the most pointless tests I have ever come in contact with. We had to take a combo test today in jr. seminar to see which of the two we’re better at taking. And four hours of scantronny goodness later, I am left feeling incredibly stupid. It wasn’t that it was hard (the math was a tad bit hard, but whatever) …just that is was all such fruitless information. It amazes me that college boards make a decision as to whether or not you are accepted to their university based off of it. I know it measures your potential, or whatever, but I don’t see how your knowledge of being able to comprehend the trends of the Japanese kuzco plant, or the history of the democracies of minor countries is really going to matter in the long run. In my opinion, what matters is who you are as a person, and a college can’t gain that knowledge by a score….the only thing you really gain by taking it is a couple of numbers and bragging rights to all your nerdy friends. Now, I say all this, but I know that come this fall when I take these tests for real, I will be stressing and stewing and sweating it out along with the rest of the upper classmen. But for today, I’m laughing at the headaches it causes. HA!

"God is..." Idea

It has been a very Jesus-filled weekend, what with church today, small group yesterday, and reading “The Shack” (so good, by the way. I’m a little over half way done. READ IT!). But that’s exactly how it should be!!!! At Elevation, we are doing a series called “God IS…”- and it’s exactly that- a walk through who God is (and as Pastor taught last week, who God is NOT). Yesterday in small group, my leader asked us to come up with our own “God is” idea. I thought about it, and I came up with one! I don’t know if its original, but I had never thought of it this way before…
God is my personal trainer, trying to get me, and the body of Christ in shape. He’s there every step of the process, to encourage and help, but he never give us the false hope that it’s going to be easy. We have to work. We have to do exercises we don’t like to do, or that we don’t even get the point of at the time…and sometimes they leaves us sore, and hurting. We get so frustrated, that we don’t even want to show up to the gym and see our “Trainer”, because clearly he “has no clue what he’s doing!” But our trainer is always there in the gym, waiting for us to come back and get back to work, because he sees our potential, even when we don’t. He says that his workouts have a reason and purpose, even if we disagree or think that he is flat out wrong. But we know deep down, that he’s right (HE ALWAYS IS). That this soreness is only strengthening our muscles for even longer and more fulfilling workouts down the line. We want to be toned, don’t we?...So we go back. And when we do go back, our trainer reminds us that we have to “lose to gain.” But in the case of God, He’s talking about something a whole lot deeper than losing extra pounds and gaining that perfect swimsuit body- he’s saying lose our worldly desires and gain eternity… and if we do, and stick with him, at that final weigh in, he will smile and say “Well done, my good and faithful servant!” ….That’s who God is, or at least what I thought about it all. So, think about it. You’re working for the final weigh in, the most important weigh in ever- the ETERNAL weigh in. It’s the start of a new week- make the most of it!

Story Time

Ok.I wasn’t planning on writing today,but I had a total God moment I wanted to share.In Jr.Seminar yesterday,we were assigned an overnight group project concerning a college ministry. My group chose to do Campus Crusade. We were talking about it at the dinner table. My sister and I knew that our dad had been involved with the ministry when he was in college, so we started asking him about it. And this is what we found out- Once upon a time, when he was in college; his French teacher shared her testimony and then invited her students to come to a Campus Crusade event. My dad went, and was also paired up with a mentor. It was through this mentor that he was put with, as well as Campus Crusade, that my dad came to know Christ. He was greatly involved with the ministry for the rest of his college years, and he and his mentor are still friends today. And that got me and Polly thinking- My mom and dad met at church after college…So, if it weren’t for Campus Crusade, they might not have met, because he might not have been saved….then we would never have been born! Crazy to think about how so many lives could have been affected… But anyway, I thought it was super cool that we had such a significant connection to the ministry that we chosen to work on without even really knowing it! Talk about God’s plan… It was a total blessing moment! So, we were able to share that story with the class today when we presented. It really brought the ministry to life in my eyes (and hopefully the rest of the class as well), what with the connection to our dad and all. Anyway, it was a gift…Oh and sorry all my posts are so long… Enjoy this sunny Thursday!

An Accent of Truth

I am absolutely infatuated with accents. From Scottish, to Irish; British, to slightly Southern (key-word on that particular one- SLIGHTLY), accents make listening to people talk almost a hobby. But the accent that I love to listen to the most is Australian. I don’t know why, but its just one of those things that makes my ears go crazy. I was thinking about it today, as I watched this movie that was set in London (the accent-age in it was just beautiful!). Maybe my love of accents has something to do with my love of music. Accents have a rhythm, and pitches, and a cadence…a lot like songs do. And speaking of songs- you know what’s better than listening to a person with an accent talk? Listening to a person with an accent SING!!! It’s just so great, I can’t even explain! But anyway, I have a feeling that one day I’ll end up living in Australia or London because of all the beautiful accents, and all the beautiful guys with those accents! Because, lets face it- a guy with an accent always seems to be more attractive. Or at least, that’s my dorky, and totally random opinion about the matter….In other news- I went to the Chili’s in the Arboretum for my friend Katy’s birthday. And it was quite the ordeal because the waitress forgot to bring our appetizer and also forgot to bring out Mark’s food. So we ended up waiting for about 45 minutes, and Mark didn’t get his food until the entire group was leaving. Not necessarily the way it was planned to go…but all was redeemed when we went to Harris Teeter for dessert, and found a gelato bar (yes GELATO!) for dessert. It. Was. Scrumptious. Next time you’re in there, you should get some….and finally- the other day, one of my friends was nice enough to devote a blog post to my twin sister Polly and me. Here’s the link to it- http://maddisonw.blogspot.com/2009/06/twins.html. Its accurate (almost embarassingly so). So drop on by her blog and read it!Have an astonishing Wednsday!

Talent, Strength, and Top 5

So, due to my super crazy schedule for next year at school, I have to take a class over the summer called Jr. Seminar. I wouldn’t bother taking it if it weren’t for the fact that it is required to graduate. It’s just a college prep class that also covers worldviews and Christian based advice about the college life. I just completed day two of the two week course. And thus far there hasn’t been much to report….except the STRENGTHS FINDER 2.0!!! What is this craziness?:)Well, it’s this overpriced little book/personality test that we had to take before we started the class. The premise is this idea of “strengths psychology”. The point its trying to make is- “You cannot be anything you want to be, but you can be a lot more of who you already are” by using your natural personality strengths. The book was a tad weird, but it did make some good points. Anyway, after the introduction, you are supposed to go online and take a test with your little code in the little envelope in the back of the book, and it tells you your top five natural talents. And with the results, you are supposed to read their analysis and then apply what you have learned to your life to turn those talents into strengths! Here are my top 5- Ideation, Communication, Futuristic, Empathy, and Input. After reading the analysis, I can pretty much see where they all fit in my personality…Futuristic was a bit of a puzzle, but oh well. What I thought was rather amusing about the entire thing was that when we got to class the first day, everyone was asking each other “What are your top 5?” and evaluating their results. I felt like I was watching those cell phone commercials- “Who’s in your 5?”, you know? But anyway, it was really funny because you sit there and watch- the people with “competition” were running around comparing their results with others, the people that got “woo” were saying “Let me woo you!”, and then there were the “positively” people letting everyone know that their results were just great! I’ve thoroughly enjoyed observing this. So, reliable or not, this test was definitely a conversation starter, that’s for sure… It’s simply a beautiful Tuesday! I hope you enjoy it!

"The Start of a Beautiful Friendship"

And here it is. My blog…I’m amazed that I actually made one. I’ve been talking about creating a blog for about a year now, but have just been far too busy (or lazy) to actually follow through with it. I’m sure all my friends are quite tired of my “blog talk” without really having one. I’m always having the same conversation. I say “I have so much to say about stuff, and so many lessons I’m learning…I should…I should START A BLOG!” and my best friends are always quick to reply “YOU SHOULD!” And yet, I never have… But now I’ve actually done it! I, Claire, have a blog! That definitely deserves a pat on the back, if I do say so myself. To be quite honest, I have no clue as to what all I’m going to write on this… For all I know, it could turn out being overly happy word-vomit every post. Because, typically, I’m an optimist that can find a silver lining in every situation, no matter how annoying that silver lining may turn out to be. So, this is the disclaimer- for whoever may be reading- This might just turn out to be the most boring, and aggravatingly positive blog in the history of blogging. But you never know. It could turn out to be interesting. I always have a lot to say about God stuff, opinion stuff, and random stuff. Maybe someone will get something out of it….