FaithFull Living

This week has been heavy for me. And I’m not going to sugar coat it. Adjusting to a new place, community, and work while being separated from loved ones is hard enough, without a global pandemic, political unrest, and the threat of fires. In many ways, my life may look like I have completely moved on, but I am still grieving. I think that’s the right word for it. While I am safe, others are not. The places I love are on fire. The people I love are being displaced. They’re struggling to breathe. My heart is with three communities, my current home in Atlanta, my home where my parents live, and the home of my undergraduate university, where most of my friends and mentors are. ____________________________ If you are experiencing grief, it is an appropriate and healthy emotion, a very human emotion. It’s okay to grieve and you needn’t justify that to anyone. It’s okay to acknowledge that everything is not okay and still do normal things. No one has the right to tell you if y...

I'm rarely spontaneous, but when I am, I like to think I do it well. I went to Florida this weekend.  On Thursday evening, I realized that I was ahead on Homework (for probably the first time in my life) and decided to go to the beach, something I had been thinking about doing since I knew I was coming to Georgia. I did some research and found a hotel right on the beach for a decent price for the next day. After hastily making reservations, I made a plan.  That plan included printed map quest directions, because who can rely on cell service?  I did use those directions, and ironically enough, I was lost as soon as I left my driveway--I forgot which way was South. That's what happens when you forget to have Google tell you where to go and are also talking with your spiritual director via bluetooth. Anyway....after making a circle around my neighborhood, I finally found a highway that I thought was going south. It was only later that I realized it was the right one. I guess...

I am slowly acclimating to my Georgia home and my new ID reflects this reality. Sometimes I imagine I'm still in Oregon, only not with my parents. If it weren't for the 8-lane freeways, it might be a little easier. At any rate, I simply cannot grasp how far I've come.  This week I learned the Cardinal Directions from my house and where my grocery stores are. Also, that cockroaches are a thing and that they FLY--ew. You know, basics. I've also learned how to navigate the area enough to be able to find my way home without GPS in many cases, or to argue with my GPS in others.  Today I climbed Stone Mountain, which for all my Oregonians, isn't really a mountain at all; it's a Butte. A granite Butte. Apparently, it is the most visited site in Georgia and it isn't far from my house. It's famous for a 360° view of the Atlanta area, and a particularly good view of the Atlanta city skyline. It's kind of overwhelming to suddenly be face-to-face with your new h...

Today I felt alive, more alive than I have in a long time.  This afternoon, I headed out to explore a small lake (or a big pond?) that borders campus and the walking trails that surround it. I found my way with little trouble. It was beautiful, sunny even. I watched a swan dwell among the reeds as I sat by a little waterfall to journal. I watched dirt swirl in the water and leaves blow across the surface of the water.  On my journey home, the clouds that had been lurking all day burst. Now, if there's one thing about Georgia that's different from Oregon, it's the deluges that come out of seemingly nowhere. Ten minutes of rain can cause a street to flood and double the size of a creek.  Needless to say, it started raining while I was nearly two miles from home. I donned my raincoat and my waterproof backpack and picked up my speed. Five minutes later, it was downpouring and the streets were flooding. The skies had lowered and had brought a kind of darkness with them. ...

My life is about to change in a major way. I am moving cross country to become a graduate student of theology.  For friends and family, I am reviving this old blog, a remnant from highschool to give brief updates. They'll be unedited and sporadically posted, but I hope meaningful.  That's pretty much all for now. I move on August 12th. I'm mostly excited, although it feels as if what I'm about to do hasn't fully been realized in my head.