See Something More

My mouth dropped open when she asked me, "Do you wanna fly a kite? I have four in my trunk." Normally, I would not have been so surprised at such a question, but today was a little different. This past Sunday, I celebrated a Sabbath day - a day of rest from school and stress in general. I made no plans, no appointments, no study sessions. I enjoyed playing keys at church all morning, took a lunch break afterwards, and then hit the front lawn with frisbee and friends. We played in the sunshine for almost three hours, alternating between throwing the frisbee, relaxing on a picnic blanket, and swinging in our hammocks - which happen to be three of my favorite things in the whole world. As the wind blew across the lawn, I thought to myself, if only I had a kite...that would make four of my favorite things all in one day . But what college kid has a kite? Later that evening, I met with my community group from church for a bonfire, complete with s'mores - two more of my fa

In her book, One Thousand Gifts , Ann Voskamp says, "Joy is the realest reality, the fullest life, and joy is always given, never grasped. God gives gifts and I give thanks and I unwrap the gift given: joy." The theme of her book is thanksgiving as the ultimate pursuit and blessing for life. Thankfulness is the secret, the key, to receiving the gift of joy that God wants to give us. Even Jesus exemplified this kind of thankfulness that we are to seek after. "And he took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me." (Luke 22:19) Before the miracle of the feeding of the five thousand, " he gave thanks and broke the loaves." (Matthew 19:14) Thanksgiving came before the miracle. In the chapter that I read this week, Voskamp told the story of how she was challenged when someone asked her, "Can you list one thousand things that you love?" In response, she started maki

Clean the lab! Spruce up the classrooms! Organize all the books! Dress professionally! Every eight years, our nursing program goes through the accreditation process. This week, we saw how that process works, and we were a part of the continuing accreditation for our college of nursing. The process of accreditation, especially the presence of the site visitors, added some strain and stress to our week, but overall it helped us to re-organize and evaluate our program. After all, we strived to gain that stamp of approval at the end of the week. We sought to please the professionals and convince them that our program was worthy of recognition. Isn't that what we tend to do in so many areas of our lives? Undergoing accreditation this week made me recognize how often I seek approval. Maybe it is just me, but I tend to be a people-pleaser. I want the approval of my teachers, my parents, my friends, my patients, and sometimes just random people. So often, my goal is that stamp of approva

Rain is an amazing miracle. Think about it: millions and bazillions of tiny water droplets fall from clouds saturated with moisture way up in the sky. How each little raindrop forms way up there in the sky, I can't figure out. How far they journey before they hit the ground, I just don't know. But sometimes I just look up into that gray sky as the raindrops fall, and I am amazed that water comes from the sky in such perfect little round drops. Then each one of those drops collects into puddles to create a generous drink for the ground, like a glass of iced water for the thirsty soil on a dry day. The earth soaks it up, and it is nourished to produce spring grass and buds and flowers. The rain cools and humidifies the air, making it rich to breathe in and out. Rain cleanses the very air we breathe, making the world appear cleaner and clearer, like looking through a spotless lens. You didn't know the film was there until it was wiped away by the rain. I love rainy days.

Tapping my glass with my spoon, I cleared my throat to make an announcement. "I would like to propose a toast!" The conversation at the dinner table, full of laughter and excitement, gradually faded down as everyone picked up their glasses of rasberry lemonades and lemon iced waters. Eleven girls sat around the table tonight, all dressed up in their favorite dresses, all fixed up with their favorite hair-dos. In the middle of the table were festive gifts wrapped in pink and red tissue paper for Valentine's day. We "dolled up" and got out of town for a night to celebrate something unique, but before we opened our cute little gifts and dug into our delicous dinners, we raised our glasses for a toast. "In celebration of God's love...which is more than enough for us this Valentine's day!" "Cheers!" We said together as our glasses clinked together melodiously. We grabbed onto each other's hands tightly and prayed together, th

Heart pumping and calves burning, motivation keeps my whole body moving. My lungs begin to pant, but I keep jogging in rhythm with my fast breaths. Adrenaline and endorphins flow freely, heightening my awareness and intensity. I feel out of breath, but each pattern of deep inhalation and fast exhalation makes me want to breathe deeper, to breathe again, to keep running. Although my heart beats rapidly, it does not make me want to give up but rather to keep pursing my goal step by step. Even though my muscles begin to burn, I feel my strength increasing rather than decreasing. Step by step, I make my way toward the goal. I am exhausted, yet energized. When I finally reach the last stretch, I race to my finish line, using up every ounce of energy that is left within me. My face is flushed, and I breathe hard as I stretch my back and touch my toes, feeling the oxygen replenish my muscles. As I let out one long breath, a huge smile escapes with it. “Hey, Ashli! How are you?” I look up

I have been reading an excellent book by Shannon Ethridge entitled "Completely His". In the chapters I read last night, I learned that I often spend time with God expecting something in return. I come into His presence asking for strength, asking for help, asking for something. It is a rare occasion for me to come into God's presence with no expectations except to gain more of Him. Not to gain help. Not to gain answers. Not to gain spirituality. Just to gain more of Him. It is not that God doesn't want to help us. It is not that He doesn't want us come to Him with our petitions and concerns; He absolutely does. But there is great reward in just resting in God's presence with no expectations, wants, or needs - just simply coming to sit at His feet, rest in His arms, and feel His breath and heartbeat. This morning I read 1 Timothy 6:6, which says, "But godliness with contentment is great gain." Reminding me of my thoughts the night before, the word

"Honey, I think you need to look at the washer. I'm afraid it's not working again." My parents got that washing machine when they were first married, and I think they may have even bought it used back then. It was avocado green. One day, my sister was watching "That 70's Show" when she yelled from the living room, "Hey! That's our washer on TV!" Now this was not the first time that poor avocado washing machine broke. My mom used to complain about never getting new appliances because my dad could always fix them when they broke. That's why we used that avocado washer for twenty-five plus years. So one evening, my dad went into the operating room (laundry room) to diagnose the aged washer. He pulled it out from the wall, crawled onto his belly, squeezed into the insides of the washer, and went to work with flashlight in hand and wrench in the other. In practically no time at all, he walked into the kitchen with dirt on his shirt,