missing it

i miss tucson already. i miss family. i miss friends. a, but its ok. I'll get over it...

its cold here. but today the snow is actually beautiful--dry and fluffy. everything is covered in white. i trudged through it to La Sera for french press coffee. it was fabulous :) I sat and journaled as the day got darker and soon the snowflakes were bright against the street lamps.

i wish more people would appreciate david wilcox and peter mulvey. i don't think they know what they're missing. start listening, people!

a friend and i almost have a tradition (this is year number 2) of asking each other reflections over the previous year as we anticipate prayers for a new one. so i returned her letter this evening and wrote some reflections of 2008. struck by the faithfulness of the Lord. astounded, actually, by how much he "puts up" with me. more than that, though, because He very nearly invites the doubts and questions as He lavishes grace for new revelation and faith amidst the mystery. its been an interesting year--a return from Africa, a "handling" (at times a strong mishandling) of a burden, a new depth to waiting on the Lord, struggling with faith and through intricacies of self and sin, joy inside the classroom and exciting challenges of mind and heart, a job that stretched and enlarged a selfish vision of poverty and need...how impossible it would have been to face these "giants" of life alone.

everyday life is full of small, ordinary expressions of grace. we pray for our days to be "full of him" but i sometimes think we haven't opened our eyes to see how much they are already saturated in him. we can't escape him. praise that he deems us worthy of being interrupted for our own sake. praise that he steps into ordinary life and does battle to claim the moments for his glory. praise that he sees our need and offers us pleasure in these ordinary moments.