Taking life one day at a time

A friend of mine commented the other day that I don't like or write poetry anymore. I've never really liked reading poetry but I used to write some. Maybe some of the reason I don't write poetry is because I have a visual memory, sometimes even photographic. Using words to try to describe or convey something that is so real seems unnecessary. I don't need to write something when five years from now I will remember just as well as if it had just happened. Sometimes I go back and read what I have written and I can even remember the lines that I had decided wouldn't work. Granted there are also some that I've written that for the life of me I can't even remember what they were about. Time is a funny thing. People say that it makes things heal, fade. I think that really we just lose some of the things that remind us. We stop frequenting the same places, friends and acquaintances move, our hobbies change. Maybe if I didn't have these archives in my brain things would be different. Some albums are larger than others but I remember things like I'm looking at them right now. Each new event, new joy, new tragedy is filed away for future reference. And they will always be there. Until I grow old and the filing system begins to fade. Time really is a funny thing.

The Ragamuffin Gospel

"When we laud life and blast abortionists, our credibility as Christian is questionable. On one hand we proclaim the love and anguish, the pain and joy that goes into fashioning a single child. We proclaim how precious each life is to God and should be to us. On the other hand, when it is the enemy that shrikes to heaven with his flesh in flames, we do not weep, we are not shamed; we call for more."

-Brennan Manning

Some Quotes

"Are those monks in your bedroom that I hear?" ~ Rebecca (yes they were by the way)

"I said to Sam, I said Sam, you want to win this case the only safe way is to prove God does not exist." "Hmm, that's easier said than done. I saw an article which said they'd soon be able to, apparently." "A science magazine was it?" "No Presbyterian monthly." ~ The Man Who Sued God ( a great movie if you don't mind beyond a ton of language)

"Anyone going to movies today looking for the next Harrison Ford had better have a high tolerance for disappointment. Ford shares a quality with Sam Jackson in that he... Read more’s cool without being cool. There’s nothing reserved or overly masculine about Indiana Jones or Han Solo. In both roles, Ford is frequently vexed, not immune to panic, and usually gets the worst of it in a fistfight. He is brains over brawn (or brains over blaster) at every turn, and he sells it in a way that no actor before or since has duplicated. I have almost completely lost hope that the next Harrison Ford will emerge in our lifetime."'
~ http://www.filmschoolrejects.com/features/well-miss-them-when-theyre-gone-7-aging-hollywood-badasses.php

By Laura's Request

Well, I had a great summer. It really seems like summer is over being as it's been rainy and cloudy where I am for the last couple days. Camp went really well, it was a real joy to be able to hang out with all of those amazing kids. Our Jr. High camp of 15 including staff and counselors was amazing. We got to do all sorts of fun things that we could have never done with a larger group (such as sailing, a mystery meal, talent-show-type-thing, body drag, etc.). Both groups were just such great groups of kids, and a lot of returnees from logging camp last year. And of course, playing paint ball at Rancho La Schurpa wasn't half bad either. On top of all the cool things, there were cool people there. Having an ops staff that was really into what we were doing was amazing. Last year we had a hard time getting people interested in participating, but not this year. Jonah and Michelle were great about basically just hanging out with our group all the time, and Ryan got pulled to counsel so he was with us the whole week. Basically it was awesome, but I will be more than happy to go back to doing crafts again next year.

Oh, and I am in Oregon right now. It's beautiful and grey and rainy. And when I get back, I start school, which means a really cool class that I have been looking forward to all summer: Theory and Analysis of Gymnastics. Yay! Anyone been watching the olympics? Well, I have, and my sleep has suffered because of it, but it's got me super excited about being back in a gym with all of the apparatus. Anyway, that is all for now.

Been awhile

Laura reminded me I haven't posted for awhile.

Ashram was beautiful as always. I expected it to be really difficult to assume a leadership role at the camp that I have always been the follower. It's my last remaining area where I am not responsible, but I am now. And I think it was ok. The girls were really good and it was as if I didn't even have to worry about being a leader. I know that it sounds kind of corny, but God moves there. I don't know if it is because I open myself up, or the hundreds of prayers said throughout the whole year for that week, or both, but it is nonetheless.

I'm up at camp now. We had hailstorms with thunder, lightning, instant rivers, and of course rain when there wasn't hail. It is so good to be somewhere that I don't have to worry about money or the next thing or technology. I don't feel obligated to answer my phone (and can't most of the time anyway) and just feel unreachable. It's a nice feeling. Sometimes I wish I was a hermit, but that is a tangent. It's amazing to be with friends who you don't see very often but are still great friends with. Both at Ashram and here, it's amazing how you can just instantly fall right back into step. And besides Joy, Lamar, Ryan, and Mikey are all here (and others too).

I've ridden my bike and windsurfed and read books and played video games and eaten good food and stood in the rain and have realized again how much I enjoy having a simple life. When I am out of college I am going to try my hardest to have the simplest life I can.