See Something More

The sky moved swiftly with layers of dark, thick, smooth clouds. Soon the sirens started blaring, and the air began to appear an eerie yellow color. Maybe that's the color of humidity because it was so thick you could feel it in your nostrils.  Spring time in Arkansas means tornado weather. This kind of weather would make most people take cover as they should, but many of the neighbors at the apartment complex were outside, heads tilted back and mouths open, staring into the sky, hoping yet not hoping to see some action.  "Are you guys not afraid?" Some people yelled at us like we were crazy because we were standing on the balcony and watching the sky instead of taking cover in the bathtub and watching the weather radar.  And the truth is we were not afraid. "I just don't feel any fear. Like none at all," my friend said as he shrugged his shoulders. "Yeah, but Arkansans are just used to it. That's why you have no fear," some will say. But in re...

The sky lightened in the distance to the east as I drove down the country road. The majority of the world was still asleep, making it beautifully peaceful and quiet like a pond that has stilled overnight and has not yet been disturbed by the ripples of the first stone's throw. My eyes were still heavy, until I turned turned the corner and there it was - the fiery bright sun peeking halfway up on the horizon. It looked bigger than normal, oranger than normal, and more friendly than normal. I could stare at it without wincing, and I couldn't take my eyes away. It moved so slowly as if to say, "Don't be in a hurry. Treasure this moment." In that breathtaking moment, I remembered how much I love to watch the sunrise.  I pulled up behind some familiar cars already parked, and joined some friends as we walked leisurely to a bluff overlooking the Little Red River. It was a perfect place to watch the sunrise, so we spread out our blankets and got out our guitars, and we w...

In reflection of Easter this coming Sunday, I am more in awe of the hope-filling message of the good news of Jesus Christ. The Easter story - the story of the resurrection of Jesus - is a story of invitation. That word has stuck in my mind: invitation . Jesus has invited us to accept his forgiveness and grace, which he purchased for us with his blood on the cross. It's a free gift, and we received it by invitation...not by anything we do to earn it. He has invited us to carry our own crosses and die to ourselves. Our old way of living only left us hungry for something more, and now Jesus has invited us to participate in a full, abundant, rich life. Through his own resurrection, he invites us to be resurrected also and to live a new life in Him. He invites us to be His children, to be adopted into his family, and to be called sons and daughters of God. He invites us every day to follow Him and embrace the adventure he has for our lives. And he invites us to join him in hea...

"Here comes another patient, and she thinks she is in labor," I was told. We get a lot of patients in the middle of the night who think they are in labor, and many of them go home with instructions on the difference between true and false labor. But every once in a while we get a patient who really is in labor, and let me tell you, we nurses have learned to recognize it the moment they come through the door. Wheelchair rolls up. Patient is panting. She cannot speak, but only focuses on her breathing. Contractions are two minutes apart. By the look on her face, I know. She is in labor, and it's already well on its way. It's go time.  "You are seven centimeters," I tell her calmly, trying to reassure her and myself at the same time. Though cool and collected on the outside, my mind is running one hundred miles an hour because the truth is that I know we don't have much time.  Usually it takes me about an hour to fully admit and assess a patient. But I put...

I watched her carefully fold the paper into a perfect Chinese fan, trimming off the excess and scooting it into a pile on the side. "Can I have those scraps?" I asked. When she agreed, I started peicing them together and examining the paper from every angle to see what I could possibly make with all the extra.  I recently did some spring cleaning in my apartment and created quite a large pile of t-shirts from high school and college that I no longer wear. I bagged them up to give them away, but then after further thought decided they might be useful for something. I do not like to throw perfectly good things away. I  guess I tend to see the potential in the scraps, the extras, and the excess.  After some time (and with the help of a few staples), that scrap paper turned into a beautiful paper flower. And that extra pile of t-shirts is about to become a t-shirt quilt. It's trendy these days to do stuff like that - make necklaces out of old newspaper, purses out of old pota...

"Have you checked your oil lately?" My dad wrote in a text message to me.  "Oops!" I said to myself. So I ran outside and checked it real quick before texting him back and letting him know it was all good. (Sorry, dad. I am sure you are finding this out as you read this...) It's kind of like when you floss your teeth right before going to the dentist, and then the hygienist says, "Oh, I see you've been flossing! Great job!" Only she doesn't know that I only floss my teeth twice a year...once before each of my dental check-ups.  Jesus encouraged his followers to "check their oil" in a parable that he told about ten young women. The ten women had lots of things in common: they were all waiting for a bridegroom, they all had lamps to keep them through the night, and they all eventually fell asleep waiting for him to come. Only one thing divided them into two groups. Five of the young women had enough oil, and five of them did not. When t...

The warming of the weather, the little green buds on the trees, the wildflowers springing up - all of these things mean only one thing: it is camping time.  Throwing my hammock, guitar, and some bare minimal necessities in the back of my car, I headed home for a weekend family camp out at devils' den state park.  I love everything about my camping family. I love how dad gets up early and has a campfire and hot chocolate ready for me when I venture out of my warm down sleeping back into the cool crisp morning, where the fog is still settled in the valley but the sun will soon rise and sweep it away.  I love how us three girls make nightly trips to the bath house together, and mom stops in the middle of the path to point out how gorgeous the stars are, popping out one by one as the night gets deeper and darker.  I love how Kaysi and I become little girls again, playing with sticks in the fire, taking walks by the river, passing the time by swinging in our hammocks, and...