we need each other.

yours truly is now a published editorialist in the bison. :-D this might be small potatoes in all actuality, but for now i'm going to relish in having my name printed next to some stuff! last week i wrote this letter to the editor of my university's newspaper in response to some interesting conversations i have both witnessed and been a part of about politics lately. i've become so disappointed, especially with my fellow christian students, in our conduct during this presidential election. i'm sick of being looked at as uninformed and unintelligent simply because my vote will reflect conservative views. [and let me just remind you that it is quite possible for one to come from a small town, know how to shoot a gun, and still hold the title of 'oklahoma academic scholar.'] likewise, i became sick to my stomach as my suite-mate relayed a conversation she had with another student during work. kelly very politely expressed an interest in obama, and one of her co-workers quickly began belittling this decision in a very un-Christlike manner. what is wrong with us? are we not capable of expressing our opinions without intentionally hurting or berating those who do not agree?
phew. my blood pressure's rising just thinking about it all. so, let me leave you with the following paragraphs which explain my feelings about it all in a much calmer tone! [my life of christ professor was pretty proud of it, which is one of the highest compliments i think i could ever receive.] whether or not you agree with mine or anyone else's political views, it's absolutely imperative to treat one another with dignity. we'll all need each other eventually.

---

our nation's upcoming election has sparked numerous conversations between individuals on campus, and i am quickly discovering how such a topic can both unite and divide. i have often heard the term 'conservative' spoken in the same breath as 'ignorant,' as well as many with 'liberal' views being labeled as 'ungodly.' both of these judgments have left me unsettled in the past several weeks, and i hope they unsettle my fellow classmates as well. have we become do engulfed in politics that we would forsake relationships to defend our opinions?
many of us will be exercising our privilege to vote for the first time next week. as newcomers to the polls, i believe we have the power to set a very different precedent for future voting generations. if we all understood it is indeed possible to both disagree with and respect the opinions of others, i can only imagine how improved our treatment to one another might be. throughout this election process, may we not forget that our privilege to vote and speak freely comes second to that of our call to be loving and respectful to one another.

things i've learned lately.

• mike mcclure said it best with "those who know don't say much, and those who don't know talk all the time." who ever said red dirt music isn't philosophical?
• one is never too old to be tucked in at night. =)
• sweet potato butter is one of the greatest things the amish could ever give us.
• purchasing gas for $2.04 per gallon can, in fact, be an adrenaline rush and a cause for celebration.
• my sweet hometown seems to have more of an effect on me now that i'm away than it did when i was growing up. i was so blessed.
• there is no better sound than hearing "you're my best peanut nutters" from my niece, kaitlyn belle. what a wonderful nickname. :]
• the long awaited apology which i was sure would heal my heart for good wasn't nearly as monumental as i had hoped. but i have every reason to believe i will get through this. i will heal.
• my past - and even painful things in the present - can and will be used as a powerful story.
• a little culture would probably do me a world of good, hehe.
• the future seems so exciting to me these days! whether i am thinking about a life overseas or simply planning my class schedule for next spring, i am filled with such a wild hope for the days/months/years to come.
• collecting antique editions of the classics and old cookbooks is apparently a new endeavor of mine! this, combined with my fervor for coupon clipping, driving the speed limit, and going to bed early probably means i'm already a grandma-in-progress.
• i am realizing how unready i really am for many of the things i think i want.
• so many things about me are unique. please understand that i say this not in jest or boasting, but in amazement at His blessing!
• the musical term "recapitulation" intimidates me. thank you, leonard bernstein.
• people always surprise me. this truth can be so humbling.
• dr. thunder really does taste just as good!!

behind and before.

You hem me in - behind and before;

You have laid your hand upon me. // psalm 139:5

is this passage not gorgeous? with the many things that have been entangling me in the last few weeks - new responsibilities i'm afraid i cannot adequately handle, the fast pace of classes which leave me in a tailspin many days, and the temptation to allow the enemy to steal my joy with the smallest things - i am so thankful that my eyes fell upon this reassurance. i am bound to Him, both behind and before, and i cannot be snatched away! His hand is upon me, full of blessing and presence even when i am sure He is looking everywhere but in my direction. i know this truth; i believe it. yet i rarely live my days in it. i am giving over my power to my past, convinced i cannot escape it, and i continually seem to forget my satisfaction originates only in Him.

but today is the day that all stops. He has hemmed me in, behind and before. i will plant my feet on this truth. won't you join me in standing on it too?

life in a northern town.

ah hey ma ma ma heyyyy ah
life in a northern town…

couldn’t tell ya why that song’s in my head, but it’s fixed there nonetheless! i’m spending a few days of fall break with my sweet mama in branson, home of gorgeous foliage, winding hills, and a population of rampaging, retired tourists. yes, i said it: america’s elderly have all seemed to follow us here on their charter busses this week, and they’re on a mission to experience this town with full force. so, word to the wise: if a group of older women in matching pantsuits walk toward you in a determined manner, do not - i repeat - do not impede their path to the jim stafford gift shop. phew. i’m exhausted just thinking about it.
we’ve had a wonderful time just relaxing, looking through antique shops, and lolly-gagging downtown. we conned someone into taking this picture of us down by the lake at an area called “the landing” today. ain’t them leaves pretty?




oh, and i couldn’t help but capture this from a hotel marquee on the yellow route. i’m gonna go ahead and interpret these words as being all one needs in life to be happy. =) [although, i'd definitely place biscuits and gravy above wireless internet, thank you.]

fall break for an obu student isn’t without homework, however, and i’ve spent all of tonight poured over books and “scholarly articles” for my upcoming civ paper on iconoclasm in the byzantine empire. don’t be fooled by the luscious vocabulary of my previous sentence - i have no idea what i’m doing. but i have spit out an outline for myself [and dr. sanders], which should make this whole history thing a bit simpler. do you like history? does it bore or excite you to discover things about the past? tonight, i’m just not sure which of those applies to me. hehe.

no cussing in holy city!

funny faces, how i love thee.

yesterday was spent with a few of my great loves in the mountains of my upbringing, and i cannot imagine any better saturday. sometimes i wonder if i will ever be able to stay gone from my hometown longer than a few months. it's pretty difficult to resist a meers burger and the wichita's, even in the middle of istanbul or some other exotic place.

as a kid who began the first pages of countless journals with a short, corny autobiography, i can think of no introduction to explain it all these days. because, truth be told, i'm just now starting to have the desire to search and figure it all out for myself. in high school i devoted many an hour to writing online, but college has depleted a great deal of that composing fervor. so who knows, maybe between cramming for civ tests and keeping up with my frantic schedule, this little blog will reclaim its rightful spot in my life. i love sitting down to read over all my old notebooks and scraps of reflection, and i realize how foolish it would be to skip over such an important segment of life by not taking a few minutes to jot some things down. do you ever wish you could chronicle all those moments to one day relive them?

these kids are my world.