A poem by Emily Dickinson
Love is anterior to life,
Posterior to death,
Initial of creation, and
The exponent of breath.
Merry Christmas from the Arnolds. May this truly be a season of Love.
Wednesday, December 24, 2008
Monday, December 1, 2008
Surveying in Awesome Wonder
This post is a bit of a backtrack. After I graduated from college, I went to New Zealand as a live-in babysitter for a family who had just recently moved there to be missionaries. They were looking for someone who might help them with their kids as they organized their affairs and I was excited for the opportunity to travel! This ended up being an incredible time for me to desperately desire and depend on the Lord as well as learn to reflect. Below is a journal entry I wrote one morning completely energized by the greatness of creation. I have included a few pictures but of course they do not come close to justice!
June 2007
This morning I stepped out the front doo
r of the temporary house where we are staying and crossed the street to the mixture of sand and shells at low tide, ready to enjoy an early run. Running quickly turned into exploring because there was just too much to take in at a quick pace. Exploring turned into Appreciation followed by a deeper Love for my Father who created every bit of this that I would call Spectacular. Yesterday at church there was a guest speaker who suggested the deadliest thing to the human heart is pride. As with everything, there are two sides to every story and I am feeling prideful today. Proud of God and His imagination, proud to be called His daughter. Honored to be included in this incident of Beauty.
I pressed on in my expedition, not sure of what I was looking for but certain it was not yet time to turn back and immensely enjoying the time alone to think and listen. And then I found it. To a runner, this would simply be another large rock. To an explorer, this was a jewel. I started toward the formation and noticed a descent size hole. Hoping I might fit through it, I ducked and crawled. Caught off-guard by the slippery algae-covered other side, I almost went swimming, which reminds me- never leave home without your chacos! As I attempted to regain my composure, I felt a little bit like the Little Mermaid experiencing her first few awkward steps on human legs.
I began to breathe deeper and truly take in where I was. Inches away from the sound and spray of rolling and crashing waves, there was a sense of awe combined with this fragility of life. And still this place I call Peace.
June 2007
This morning I stepped out the front doo
r of the temporary house where we are staying and crossed the street to the mixture of sand and shells at low tide, ready to enjoy an early run. Running quickly turned into exploring because there was just too much to take in at a quick pace. Exploring turned into Appreciation followed by a deeper Love for my Father who created every bit of this that I would call Spectacular. Yesterday at church there was a guest speaker who suggested the deadliest thing to the human heart is pride. As with everything, there are two sides to every story and I am feeling prideful today. Proud of God and His imagination, proud to be called His daughter. Honored to be included in this incident of Beauty.
I pressed on in my expedition, not sure of what I was looking for but certain it was not yet time to turn back and immensely enjoying the time alone to think and listen. And then I found it. To a runner, this would simply be another large rock. To an explorer, this was a jewel. I started toward the formation and noticed a descent size hole. Hoping I might fit through it, I ducked and crawled. Caught off-guard by the slippery algae-covered other side, I almost went swimming, which reminds me- never leave home without your chacos! As I attempted to regain my composure, I felt a little bit like the Little Mermaid experiencing her first few awkward steps on human legs.
I began to breathe deeper and truly take in where I was. Inches away from the sound and spray of rolling and crashing waves, there was a sense of awe combined with this fragility of life. And still this place I call Peace.
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