Cloudy

So that's not the best picture ever, but it's a cropped pic of the sunset clouds the night before ole Ike rolled in.

My brain's been a little cloudy lately. October sucks. Don't get me wrong, I get to have alot of fun this month with Erin's showers and Brandy moving two buildings away. But school is going to suck. Between "education go get it" week and applications, TACRAO weeks in the middle of the month equalling 25 schools visiting in 9 days YIKES!!

On a clearer note, I am doing a bible study at church on Sunday nights that seems like it's going to be good. We shall see.

Hopefully I will be able to focus and get more done at work and at home and in my heart.

Take A Hike Ike

I wouldn't be a good Houstonite if I didn't take the time toblog about Ike. My favorite picture of the storm has been a store that boarded up it's windows and one of the pieces of the plywood has a comment along the lines of leave us alone Ike, we aren't Tina. A reference to Ike and Tina Turner, who I belive was beat within an inch or so of her life by her husband here in Houston.

Anywho. My sister was on call this weekend so she is at Texas Children's/St. Lukes and hunkered down. My brother in law and nieces are here in my apartment. It's pretty funny. Sarah is like Dawn. She want's to go outside, she doesn't care about the wind, and she's looking forward to the pine tree in front of my balcony to snap. Hailey has all of her stuffed animals and is sitting with me on the couch with a flashlight and asking when the lights were going to go out.

Hopefully we will just get bad rain and not quite as bad wind as what I think we might. I am hoping to get to bed before it really gets horrible.

Hope you are staying safe if you are dealing with this.

Say a little prayer for the 200,000+ already without power.

I have a strange feeling we won't be at school on Monday, because I doubt Caney Creek will be up an running...I know it took a while during Rita.

Untitled

I search for words
That despite my futile efforts
Just don’t come.
Words to explain that you are gone.
Not from my heart, unfortunately.
But from my desires, from my wants.
The thought of you
With her
Again
Is almost a joke.
I like to laugh, but not at myself.
Has the desire for being needed
Burdened me?
Yes.
The desire to be wanted by you there.
Yes.
Why? A question, a statement.
A promise.
If you aren’t where I am supposed to be, then
Am I lost?
No.
The 23rd promise tells us that we are guided.
Sheep. We follow.
Cattle are driven.
It’s hard to follow.
To know not where we are being led.
To know that we shouldn’t want, because
We are given what we need when we need.
Follow.
Open heartedly.
Ready for something we couldn’t have imagined.
Burdened by years of trying to be a cattle prod, instead of
Feeling the rod and staff of protection.
Hurt that a friendship is damaged
By desire.
When it could have just been still.
Knowing that what we deserve is
One another’s best tomorrow, not
One another’s yesterdays.
Words, escape my mind and hands,
But not my mouth.
I’m sorry for wanting you, yes.
But never sorry for the love
I gave.
But was not returned.

Thinking Before Speaking

So, I'm not perfect. Please don't think I am. If you are reading this you know me and you know I'm not, no one is. Yesterday on our way back from lunch some of the counselors and I were talking. They've decided that I should have a husband as well, since they know that I would eventually love to get married and have kiddos. It's been funny hearing them give me advice on how to find a husband. It truly is hysterical at some points.

A few days ago I had mentioned that I would really like to marry someone who was church of Christ or Baptist. It's not like I'm telling people no. No one is asking. :o)

Anywho, we were walking back from lunch and another counselor (not the one who,is a minister's wife) said something shocking. Well, I know she didn't mean it in a rude way, but it really bothered me. I mentioned that the only big difference between the two demoninations was the a capella music. I don't think piano music is the difference between going to heaven or not. That's crazy. She proceeded to tell me that my church was stupid because of that, and insinuated that only dating people that believe the same thing I do is risky and I may not get married.

Again, it sounds rude and that's not the exact thing she said, but it was implied. I was speechless. Really. I can find things to say about anything and everything but couldn't find the words. I finally tried to explain why we don't have instrumental music and how it's actually pretty but I gave up. And, if God doesn't send me a husband then I have to deal with that. But, I shouldn't put myself in a dating situation where I date someone who has totally different beliefs that I do. God's supposed to be the center of our lives, single or married...and if two people have really conflicting views I'm not sure how they do it.

So, again, I guess I'm not really upset as much as I was surprised that someone in my profession speaking before thinking it through. I know I have before and now I'm more sorry than ever that I do.

In short...my bad if I have ever done this to you...please forgive me!!

Trees and Wires

When I went to UMHB I thought that people were crazy when they said that God spoke to them. Really. Delusional much? Part of me thought that God really was going to say, "Debra, the answer to number 5 is D." Never happened. I prayed for God to speak to me and never heard a thing.

Flash forward a few years, and it hit me that God speaks through other people, through the decisions we make and those that are made for us. I shouldn't wait around for God to give me the answers that I want, but I should be quiet enough and observant enough to know when he's telling me something.

I love how He does it. He uses a friend's comments about something remind you that He is faithful to your prayers. He uses students who struggle with every thing from their families to their grades and social skills. He uses the idea of a student balanced on a wire a ropes course to make you realize that you need Him. You see, you can't make it around the ropes course without holding onto one another...and trees. Huge live oak and pine trees that are anchors. Huge anchors that don't move, haven't changed in hundreds of years. Trees that you can lean on and they won't budge, no matter how hard you push.

It's been a good week and I have a feeling it will be a good year. I pray that I am open enough to hear the things that He might be saying.

Jeremiah 17:7-8
7 But blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, whose confidence is in him.

8 He will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green.

It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit.

Happy 4th of July

There's just something about fireworks...they are so cool! Even better when they are free. Next year I will know where to park and what time to get there so I will get better pictures!


Here's to the founding fathers who built this country on God and his promises. May our current leaders be blessed and our future ones be strong in their faith as well.

Proverbs 3:5-6 Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.

Here I Go!

Well, I guess if you blog it it must be true.

This morning I started "training" for the Komen 5K in October. Well, as much as you can train for the non competitive 5k. I haven't registered yet, because I need to check my school calendar and it's well...at school. I am going to do it. Mark my word.

I told myself I was going to do this two years ago, then last year, and well, I've never done it. I want to do it for various reasons. Training for it gives me a goal to work towards. A 5K isn't a half marathon or anything, it's an achievable goal. Erin's wedding is the next month and hopefully I will lose a little more weight/tone up for this wedding. I've had a good friend go through breast cancer and come out a survivor.

I found a website about how to train for a 5K called "from the Couch to the 5K" training regimen. It makes sense. It sucked this morning though. It showed me how out of shape I actually am. You walk for 5 minutes then alternate jogging for 60 seconds and walking for 90 seconds for the next 20 minutes. In one way it's not that bad, in others, that 60 seconds sucks. Really sucks.

Oh well. Wish me luck...I will need it!!