Calm in the Storm

I turned on Air1 this morning while I did the dishes, standard procedure around here. But today was especially uplifting. 

Coppelia brought up the plight of a friend who had recently lost a baby and the prayers she was sending up on her behalf.

She mentioned a certain scripture, now one of my favorites: Psalms 34:18

The Lord is close to the brokenhearted; he rescues those whose spirits are crushed.  

Talk about an amazing verse!

I thought "Here is something encouraging that speaks directly to my heart!" We recently lost another pregnancy and the last few weeks have been..... rough. 

I was/am so grateful for the timing of God's blessings. Not in mine, but His... His perfect timing. The same timing I often question.

In short - God is good regardless of how I feel or the circumstances I face and these little reminders of His never ending faithfulness make me smile - a calm in the storm. 

Look out Lookville!

I was recently invited to explore and join Lookville, an online fashion website.
One can give tips and critiques on the clothing and accessory choices of others, or post your own "looks" for opinions. 
Having just gotten started, I've made a few comments while still thinking through some looks of my own to post.
I'm excited to think that this could be a resource for making online shopping decisions as well, the ones you can't try on first. Go Lookville!
You can bet I'll be spouting the sheer awesomeness of my favorite labels: Down East Basics and Fossil!
To give you a taste of these great names, here are a few of my favorite looks from each:

Down East Basics:  

Pinwheel Skirt $34.99  --  Petite Ruffle Cardigan $34.99

Fossil

Key Per Crossbody: $48 --  Sing-A-Long Tee : $28

Now you can enjoy my favorites too... aren't you glad? :0)


Anyways, back to the topic at hand... Here I am, my profile on Lookville... all amateur and beginner-like. :0)  Sunshine@Lookville 

Wallets, Phone Calls and People: An interesting social observation

Last night, after finishing my shift at Starbucks/Safeway, I waited for my hubby to finish some downloads on the free high speed wifi. 

We chatted, people watched, browsed the net and shared a Venti Shaken Black Tea, 5 pumps Classic. 

At about 8:45pm, we packed up our gear and headed for home. Only after we walked through the door of our humble abode, did he realize his wallet was not where it should be. After checking the pocket area thoroughly, we gave up, resigning ourselves to the fact the he had indeed left it behind.

Of course, the phones were down so there was no option to send out an S.O.S. 

And living too far out to pop back down and see for ourselves, we wait... and pray.  

We call the store in the morning to try and track down this valuable (or more than likely, not so valuable) item. 

Long story short, it took four phone calls and five people to get me an answer. (One person doesn't really count because, well, he just wasn't much help. So technically, four is more accurate, but we'll stick with 5 for dramatic affect.) By the time all this talking and waiting stuff was finished, it was about two hours later, 11:30 Am.

The wallet was there, right where he left it. 

Now, this particular store, (which I've already mentioned above so changing the name for it's protection would be, at this point, pointless) is open from six am to eleven pm. So between the time of 8:45 pm on the day previous, to 11:30 am today, no one chose to deal with the mysterious wallet on the bench. 

Now, this is a popular area of the store, the only indoor seating area , period. What I want to know, is why? Why would not one single person take action in the best interest of another? Are we all really that lazy? Self-Centered? Busy? LAME?

I guess, it only seems natural to me that you would think "Hey this is a wallet. Not my wallet. Wallets are important. They probably want it back. What should I do?" Apparently not... but why not? Would YOU?


Maybe I'm ranting or just being silly, but there seems to be a disconnect here and I find it strange... and anything strange is worthy of contemplation. 

P.S. - If you ever leave your wallet at some random location by accident, I'll take care of it for you. But just in case I'm not around, it's probably best not to visit that scenario. :0)

God Gave Me You

 This is dedicated to my husband, Rick. From the first day I heard this song, I knew immediately that I would need to share it with my honey and tell the whole world how awesome he really is.

For Rick...
A man who seeks after God and is always inspiring me to do the same.

A man who perseveres even in the face of adversity... dare I say especially in the face of adversity?

A man who puts others first in every aspect of his life.

THE man I love.

I am so grateful that God Gave Me You...

Bruises

Speaking from personal experience...

Social hurts are like bruises: Hard to hide and hurt like the dickens, especially under pressure.

.... sometimes, taking the high road really bites.

Proverbs 10:12 - "Hatred stirs up strife, but love covers all offenses."
  Just as Christ has covered up all my offenses against Him, Oh Lord help me to be like you!

A True Natural Disaster - Me

I never watch the news. Why should I? It's depressing. All there is to see is crime, scandal, and the latest celebrity "Oops!" moment. This is why I had no idea how bad the earthquake in Haiti really was... or that there WAS an earthquake in Haiti. Until recently.

My first thought was "Oh great. Another natural disaster. Those poor people." And that was the extent of my sympathy.  I selfishly tuned out conversations on the topic because, honestly, who wants to hear about death tolls?

My husband, Rick, (or as we like to call him, "The Sponge" because he remembers everything and has a random factiod on just about anything) is usually up on current events. This morning, he spouted of some stats and showed me a few pictures. I almost cried, and I hate crying.

I saw the devastation, the death, wounded waiting for care, and the little Haitian children. People climbing over giant piles of junk that used to be streets and buildings. Families collecting water spewing from a broken pipe and homes folded over onto one another like crumpled newspaper. Some have survived this 7.0 magnitude earthquake only to be shot or beaten amidst all the looting and violence.

The street sides are literally lined with the dead.  Mass graves overflowing with body after body heaped one on top of the other.  Lonely bodies or appendages, stiff with death, sticking out from amongst the rubble.

I've read of death tolls from 50,000 to 200,000; who but God really knows how many and who they were?

Pictures:

http://bit.ly/4BaF6D

http://bit.ly/5oi3Gg