Beauty For Ashes

Crossing Lake Michigan.

Fri, 17 May 2013 22:49:56 -0400

Crossing Lake Michigan.

Photo

Thu, 16 May 2013 21:22:17 -0400

My freshman year of college has taught me this: The journey is broken but it’s beautiful We...

Tue, 14 May 2013 23:40:49 -0400

My freshman year of college has taught me this:

The journey is broken but it’s beautiful

We have to choose joy daily

The Lord is faithful. Always.

Leaving our mark behind the mirror in our dorm room. Its been a...

Tue, 14 May 2013 00:15:12 -0400

Leaving our mark behind the mirror in our dorm room. Its been a good year!

thesoulandbody: arctic-mcpenguin: Congratulations to Minnesota...

Mon, 13 May 2013 18:34:21 -0400

thesoulandbody:

arctic-mcpenguin:

Congratulations to Minnesota for passing same-sex marriage in the House and Senate this week. Marriage equality for everybody!

amazing!!!!!!!!!!

I spend all my money on traveling. It’s worth it.

Mon, 13 May 2013 13:57:00 -0400

I spend all my money on traveling. It’s worth it.

Photo

Sat, 11 May 2013 19:08:27 -0400

Photo

Sat, 11 May 2013 00:41:12 -0400

graceandfire: Well said.

Fri, 10 May 2013 22:55:54 -0400

graceandfire:

Well said.

It has been years and still just seeing a photo of you on Facebook ruins my day.

Fri, 10 May 2013 12:23:00 -0400

It has been years and still just seeing a photo of you on Facebook ruins my day.

Photo

Fri, 10 May 2013 00:34:08 -0400

Photo

Thu, 09 May 2013 13:49:50 -0400

Macklemore

Thu, 09 May 2013 01:55:26 -0400

has song about feminism

has song about gay rights

has song about consumerism

has songs about drug abuse and alcoholism

has song about white privilege

in all of them, he speaks realistically about subject and includes his personal experience

fucking song about thrift shopping gets popular

And this is why I was so confused that thrift shop got him famous. Like seriously people?

"I came to tell you that you’re beautiful, I think you’re lovely, I think that you’re made for more..."

Wed, 08 May 2013 19:08:55 -0400

“I came to tell you that you’re beautiful, I think you’re lovely, I think that you’re made for more than you settled for.”

- Levi the Poet (via beauty-happens)

It’s that point in the semester where my roots are two inches long and I need a haircut, my...

Tue, 07 May 2013 00:33:14 -0400

It’s that point in the semester where my roots are two inches long and I need a haircut, my tooth is chipped, i’m out of meds, all my clothes are dirty and FINALS ARE CONSUMING MY SOUL.

Thank you to everyone who has listened to my story and donated to SHE Rescue in honor of my...

Sun, 05 May 2013 16:57:28 -0400

Thank you to everyone who has listened to my story and donated to SHE Rescue in honor of my birthday. Cambodia changed me and continues to inspire me. THANK YOU for supporting the work of SHE Rescue in prayer and financially, it means the world to me.

Summer Reading List:

Sun, 05 May 2013 12:35:00 -0400

Finish Love Does by Bob Goff
In the Shadow of the Banyan by Vaddey Ratner
The Tipping Point by Malcom Gladwell
The Great Divorce by C.S. Lewis
Say You’re One of Them by Uwem Akpan
The Cure by Bill Thrall, Bruce McNicol and John S Lynch
God in a Brothel by Daniel Walker
The Fault in our Stars by John Green
Sex Trafficking: Inside the Business of Modern Slavery by Siddharth Kara

My goal is to read one book a week and I couldn’t be more excited. If you have any suggestions, please share!

My 18th year was a mountaintop, My 19th has been a valley....

Sun, 05 May 2013 11:16:42 -0400

My 18th year was a mountaintop,
My 19th has been a valley. Despite how difficult this past year has been at times, I can’t help but notice how it has also has been really beautiful. It has been a year of learning to trust in The Lord and trust in His goodness and love. He has blessed me so abundantly I can’t help but be filled with joy. Here’s to a new decade of life and adventure with God.

"After learning my flight was detained 4 hours, I heard the announcement: If anyone in the vicinity..."

Thu, 02 May 2013 18:03:13 -0400

“

After learning my flight was detained 4 hours,
I heard the announcement:
If anyone in the vicinity of gate 4-A understands any Arabic,
Please come to the gate immediately.

Well—one pauses these days. Gate 4-A was my own gate. I went there.
An older woman in full traditional Palestinian dress,
Just like my grandma wore, was crumpled to the floor, wailing loudly.
Help, said the flight service person. Talk to her. What is her
Problem? we told her the flight was going to be four hours late and she
Did this.

I put my arm around her and spoke to her haltingly.
Shu dow-a, shu- biduck habibti, stani stani schway, min fadlick,
Sho bit se-wee?

The minute she heard any words she knew—however poorly used—
She stopped crying.

She thought our flight had been canceled entirely.
She needed to be in El Paso for some major medical treatment the
Following day. I said no, no, we’re fine, you’ll get there, just late,

Who is picking you up? Let’s call him and tell him.
We called her son and I spoke with him in English.
I told him I would stay with his mother till we got on the plane and
Would ride next to her—Southwest.

She talked to him. Then we called her other sons just for the fun of it.

Then we called my dad and he and she spoke for a while in Arabic and
Found out of course they had ten shared friends.

Then I thought just for the heck of it why not call some Palestinian
Poets I know and let them chat with her. This all took up about 2 hours.

She was laughing a lot by then. Telling about her life. Answering
Questions.

She had pulled a sack of homemade mamool cookies—little powdered
Sugar crumbly mounds stuffed with dates and nuts—out of her bag—
And was offering them to all the women at the gate.

To my amazement, not a single woman declined one. It was like a
Sacrament. The traveler from Argentina, the traveler from California,
The lovely woman from Laredo—we were all covered with the same
Powdered sugar. And smiling. There are no better cookies.

And then the airline broke out the free beverages from huge coolers—
Non-alcoholic—and the two little girls for our flight, one African
American, one Mexican American—ran around serving us all apple juice
And lemonade and they were covered with powdered sugar too.

And I noticed my new best friend—by now we were holding hands—
Had a potted plant poking out of her bag, some medicinal thing,

With green furry leaves. Such an old country traveling tradition. Always
Carry a plant. Always stay rooted to somewhere.

And I looked around that gate of late and weary ones and thought,
This is the world I want to live in. The shared world.

Not a single person in this gate—once the crying of confusion stopped
—has seemed apprehensive about any other person.

They took the cookies. I wanted to hug all those other women too.
This can still happen anywhere.

Not everything is lost.

”

- Naomi Shihab Nye (b. 1952), “Wandering Around an Albuquerque Airport Terminal.” I think this poem may be making the rounds, this week, but that’s as it should be.

"Let this world know me by Your love."

Wed, 01 May 2013 23:11:22 -0400

“Let this world know me by Your love.”