Sacred In The Ordinary - Part 3

1. Sharing a bottle of red wine with close friends, Iowagirl and Irishgirl. I had two and a half glasses of red wine and they insisted that I was a bit "happy". Not. :D

2. Loud and raucous laughter with said close friends.

3. Close friends who take an interest in yours trulys love life. Or shall we say, lack of a love life? Irishgirl and Iowagirl signed me up on Christian Cafe. Oh. Joy. Nonetheless, I must say that these two crazy women are my lifelines and I am so blessed to have them in my life.

4. When you're living and working in the city, parking is one hot commodity. Especially at my office. Fortunately my office has some parking spaces, although limited, they ARE spaces where social workers can park for FREE. The thing about these parking spaces, in order to grab a spot close to the office building, I would need to arrive at the office before 9:00 AM. Or else I would have to park at the parking lot two blocks away (which is almost always full!) or drive circles around the vicinity in order to find a parking spot. The latter is most frustrating, especially when the only available spots are meter parking. And naturally the longest you can stay parked at a meter parking spot is abut 4 hours. Which brings up another issue...I mean, who carries enough quarters to feed the meter so you can park for four hours? But I digress. So yesterday I arrived at the office around 9:30 AM and lo and behold.....I found an empty parking spot right next to my office building!!! RIGHT NEXT TO IT!!! Now that's what I call sacred! :)

5. A scrumptious dinner out with my sweet Irish friend, Laura, at the Olive Garden where we only had to pay $12 for a $35 dinner because of the gift card I received last November for being social worker of the month at my job. :D

Sacred In The Ordinary - Part 2

1. A long conversation with my dearest friend, Helen, who inspires and challenges me. She is an incredible mother full of grace and much love for those around her. She is my biggest cheerleader and my best friend.

2. Wednesday "Lost" nights with Kim and Bethany. Tonight was an especially sweet time of fellowship as we shared a meal together before the show and exchanged knitting tips. Yes, we are a bunch of old ladies!

3. A memory of my very first mission trip to Tijuana, Mexico when I was 16 years old. "Serve '89", what a life-changing experience.

4. Sharing my M&M's with my crazy cubicle mate, Roy, who has the most impeccable timing in making me roll with laughter with his crazy antics. It always comes at a time when I am most stressed and in need of an outlet.

5. Finally receiving in the mail the cookbook I ordered from half.com, Super Natural Cooking, by Heidi Swanson. My friend Becky has this cookbook and while I was visiting her in Chicago, we made many a meal from this cookbook. I can't wait to try some of the great recipes from this cookbook!

Sacred in The Ordinary - Part 1

So the last year or so has brought me to a place full of cynicism and apathy. It's somewhat depressing....no, it IS depressing to be so incredibly stoic and full of passivity. It's like I've shifted into some kind of survival mode. Not good. Not good at all. I currently live and work in a world that is harsh and full of demands which robs me of seeing how God works in even the most ordinary of circumstances. I don’t want to just see God in the mountain peak experiences, but I want to see how He brings to life the holiness hidden in the ordinary places of my life: through friends and family, through a walk along Kelly Drive, watching Georgie play at the dog park, through a delicious meal, a hug from a child, etc…I want to see beauty, truth and holiness illuminated through my everyday life and to see the ordinary circumstances as instruments to see God, even through the most frustrating moments. I guess the challenge I am posing for myself is to look at life's simplest circumstances and everyday moments, to find the Sacred in the Ordinary. So in essence, as I discover the Sacred in the Ordinary, I will start posting a list here in my blog with hopes that my heart will change from its cynical and apathetic state into one that is full of hope, joy, and passion. Here goes.....

Sacred In The Ordinary - Part 1

1. Kisses from my dog, Georgie. (Well, more like licks.) An obvious show of affection and unconditional love. Makes me think of God's love.

2. Listening to a foster parent’s life story of the circumstances surrounding his placement in foster care as a child and how he overcame adversity through a community of caring and strong individuals. He is now giving back to the community as a foster parent and an adoptive parent to some very challenging children. What an inspiration!

3. Attending my church home group for the first time since last June and feeling so blessed by the people in the group. I was somewhat nervous coming back to the group after such a long hiatus (From September through January, I did a book study every Monday evenings with a small group of women from church). The discussion was rich and the fellowship sweet.

3. Yummy leftover beef stroganoff, which was made from scratch! Hey, what can I say? Physical sustenance is also part of maintaining one's spiritual well-being! ;)

4. My ghetto-assed Toyota Corolla. As old as this car is and the amount of mileage I've put in it, driving all over Philly, I want to say that God is so good with his provision of this car. I am so thankful for this vehicle and how it continues to keep going and going and going. Kind of the Energizer Bunny. Seriously.

5. The privilege of getting to work with one of my closest friends, Iowagirl. It almost seems so wrong that our agency allows us to work together. Let me describe us in one word: Trouble.

Update

So I did get away and it was COLD. Nonetheless, I had a deliciously relaxing time with my wonder-friend, Becky. Two and a half days of girl time before her husband, Lars, arrived back to Chicago from a ski trip in Tahoe. Later in the visit, I was able to spend time with my very long-time and dear friend, Jana, jaunting through her favorite parts of the city and showing of Chicago's fine architecture and art. A few pics.....

Hanging out with Jana in the Windy City

Oh the sheer silliness of it all!

The Bean at Millennium Park in Chicago. It looks like a bean
but it's actually British artist Anish Kapoor's, "Cloud Gate".

Cold much? A very white Lake Michigan behind us.

A lovely family photo of Becky, Lars, and their sweet pup, Drexel.

It was so hard to leave but alas, real life was calling me back to Philly. I'm thinking that another visit this summer to Chi-town should suffice.

I really, really miss Becky.