My Assessment of The Iliad

-Achilles needs some anger management classes.
-I applaud Odysseus. I think he is a pretty swell guy. Honest, brave, smart, respected, faithful.
-Zeus is a nut job and not only needs anger management classes, but also a reality check. The world doesn't revolve around him (though as head god, I guess he would think it does).
-I actually like Hector. For a Trojan, he's a nice guy. He loves his wife and his son, and works hard to defend his city.
-Paris is an absolute jerk. You don't steal another man's wife and then let your city fight a war over it.
-Hera is a witch.
-Athena...good job for standing up to your father who is absolutely insane.
-Women are not objects to be bought and sold, objects to be used for bribery, materials for a treaty, or items to be stolen and used. I'm not a feminist by any standard, but women are not to be treated like this!

Elisabeth Elliot Quote

"If your goal is purity of heart, be prepared to be thought very odd."
-Elisabeth Elliot in Passion and Purity

Little Blessings

I wrote this list in March of 2010, but so many things on it still ring true today. I am always on the look-out for more little blessings that will make my day just a little more exciting.

-Sunshine
-Wildflowers
-Clear skies
-New flip-flops
-An unexpected and encouraging text
-Walking into the kitchen expecting a pile of dishes but seeing them all washed
-Pancakes on a Sunday morning
-A good laugh in calculus class
-A genuine smile
-Cookies that taste good and are healthy
-A hug from a friend
-The sound of a friend calling your name
-Feeling the wind play with your curly hair
-Hearing your favorite hymn
-Cherry blossoms
-Seeing a little baby toddle over to you and hold out her arms, wanting you to hold her.
-Warm blankets
-Listening to your favorite Celtic song with the volume turned all the way up
-Being told that you are a blessing

It doesn't take much to make someone's day.

Notes to Self

Self, please refer to this post if you ever consider any of these things.

-Self, you are not a computer person. Never claim to be so. Never change your major to anything computer or mathematical related. You will regret it.

-Self, never let your dinner consist only of a chocolate milkshake. Even if it is homemade.

-Self, stop being late everywhere you go. Why is it that once you learn to drive, you are always running late?

-Self, when you get lost in downtown Bakersfield, just call your mother instead of wasting time, gas, and sanity trying to find it yourself. Otherwise, you will end up on the Garces Circle getting honked at for being too slow.

-Self, when you need to get some serious reading done, don't stay in your room where you can hear the strains of Hogan's Heroes coming from the TV.

-Self, just buckle down and read the Iliad already.

I wish...

...I wasn't such a procrastinator.
...I would stop worrying.
...I was braver.
...I would stop feeling sorry for myself.
...I would rely on God more.
...I wasn't such an idiot so often.
...I could handle problems better.
...I would talk more when I need to.
...I would shut up when I need to.
...I would stop thinking about myself so often.

These wishes and I have a love/hate relationship. I love that I have the power to make these wishes come true. I hate that making these wishes come true requires my hard work, not a genie.

Lazy Summer Days

If you know me, you know that I don't like to spend my days doing nothing. I would much rather be in school than be sitting around my house doing nothing. I like to be productive, and I like to be around people.

Which means it is quite odd that I have found myself with an entire summer without a job, summer school, or much else to do. Not that I'm completely deprived of activity. I still have volunteer stuff to do, Homer's Iliad to read, college to pack and plan for, friends to talk to, odd jobs to do, and errands to run. But after a school year chock-full of deadlines, projects, applications, and senior year paraphenalia, summer feels very...lazy.

But then I got thinking...maybe this lazy summer is a good thing. I like to be busy, but during my senior year, the ordered chaos of high school got a little too busy and cost me my health and endangered my safety, not to mention the safety of those around me. Could God be using a seemingly useless summer to teach me to rest and relax in Him? To teach me that I don't have to always be doing something to be loved and accepted by Him? That there's more to life than busy-ness?

I think it is quite possible.

The Family of God

I love my church. I really do. First of all, it's a country church, which means I can be in the mountains and worship God with other believers...at the same time. That alone is pretty awesome.

Second, the people at my church are just phenomenal. They take care of me, invite me to "family-only" get-togethers, pray for me, and just all-around love me. It's a nice feeling to know that you have a family outside of your blood relatives. And I know the people at my church don't love me because I'm Kevin and Marlene's daughter, or because of any monetary status I may have (which is nil), or because I get good grades. They couldn't care less about any of that. Instead, they love me because they are a part of the family of God.