Favorites.

Sweet, white peaches.
Ice, cold watermelon.
Laying under a tree
and falling asleep to the gentle breeze.
(After reading a book and laying it across my tummy.)

These are a few of my favorite things.

They're simple things. I've always wanted to live life simply, but is it ever bad for everything to be too simple? I've always thought it was a good thing, but what if there is a myth to simplicity?

Eyes.

This week, I am being humbled from realizing my self-centeredness. It's ugly. And being proactive with killing my sins has surprisingly altered my vision. I guess I shouldn't be surprised because Paul speaks of it in Romans 5 and 12, but that speaks all the more of how blinded I can be by immediate rewards. No more. No more ugliness. I want to love, to see the needs of those beyond me, to act and do something about it.

What am I missing? Love for humanity. Caring for the broken-hearted. Heart for the forgotten. I need God's eyes.

Faith my sight.
Grace my feet.

Not me. You.

“So he said to me, "This is the word of the LORD to Zerubbabel: 'Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,' says the LORD Almighty.” Zechariah 4:6

You increase.
I decrease.

Nerd Buddies.

I'm at the library right now. 2 hours before my exam. My laptop is angled towards me at approximately 130 degrees. Meanwhile, my textbook is propped up on my newly acquired book-holder (so exciting!) at a 45 degree angle. And in front, I've properly laid out my lecture notes and scratch paper. After years of schooling, I've embraced my inner nerdness. What could make this even better?

A bigger nerd!

Enter an Indian guy. He observes the table next to me, takes out a cloth, and wipes the table down before propping down all his materials! I don't wipe the library tables down (yet). WIN!

Two is better than one.

*EDIT: He drums his fingers! There are people trying to concentrate here! This is what libraries are for! Nerd buddies no mo'!

Bruises.

Fact: I bruise easily.

I find mysterious bruises on me all the time. Tonight, though, I knew where this one came from: I ran into the dishwashing machine. As I rubbed my sore leg, a memory of my father tiptoed into my thoughts.

My dad worked two jobs when I was growing up. He would leave the house at 6:30am and often wouldn't come home until 10 or 11pm. I always thought that was normal. Now that I'm older, I realize how tiring that must've been and what a sacrifice that was for him. He always regretted not being around more as we were growing up.

No matter how late, I would run to the door to greet him as soon as I heard the garage grumbling. Often a father's favorite part of returning home, right? When I had bruises, I would get the Chinese red box from the medicine cabinet. With my mom working at her computer, channel 2 FOX news blaring in the background, and a number of siblings in line after me, my dad would rub the medicine into our bruises. I can't even remember what the Chinese name for it is, but to this day, it's in our medicine cabinet. I had lots of bruises, but they weren't even a concern because I knew my daddy would be there. Fathers are so important.

So I cry now for the fathers who love as much as they can. And I kind of wish I had the Chinese medicine, too.