Nautical Farewell

Yesterday, I became Gilligan. With a sad smile, I watched as my sweet, old boat pulled out of my driveway for its last time. Yet, it would not be going to the reservoir for a day on the water, and it would not be responsible for pulling a "Big Bertha" inner tube or an inexperienced skier. No, yesterday its destination was a new driveway, a new family, a new home, and a new future of memories and experiences. I have never been fond of the boat's color, and to be quite honest, it is not the most handsome boat on the waters. Yet, as I watched it slip away from view yesterday afternoon, it had never looked so beautiful. However, the boat did not experience a Cinderella story where a nautical-fairy godmother came along and transformed it into a beautiful and royal voyager of the seas- it was the people and the memories that were linked to the boat that made it so beautiful.

As the boat drove away, I saw myself learning to ski and finally standing up successfully for the first time (which took thousands of times- so BIG DEAL). I heard Allison singing every single song that came to her mind while we were tubing- if you know Allison, you understand why this is humorous). I saw Allison rolling and flopping on top of Maidee and me as we tried to tube and Maidee always being in the center so she could hold down and keep Tweedle Dum and Tweedle Dee from flying off the inner tube. I saw the day Allison got the bright idea to try to catch the fish with her mouth while we were tubing. I saw us running off the back of the boat trying to escape the angry bee. I remembered sitting on the dock for thirty minutes as my dad searched the entire boat for the key to finally remember he left it at home. I saw the friends who once filled the now empty seats and heard the laughter and priceless conversations that once permeated the now silent boat. I saw a part of my childhood. That is what I saw as the boat was riding away.

Yet, I won't be sad for long, for there will be other boats. There will be new memories- new experiences. That is the beauty in life- there will always be another "boat." There will always be a new season- a new joyful time in life- a new opportunity for peace and escape- a chance to be pulled out of the water and to stand on your feet- people who will not let you fall when the "boat" speeds up- people who make you laugh with their "songs"- and new days of sunshine.

Therefore, I suppose that in fact, this is not a nautical farewell after all. It is only a see you later. Until then, I will be like Gilligan, and anxiously await my new "boat."

"Huff and Puff and Blow Your House Down!"

Two completely different stories that I vividly remember hearing a thousand times growing up- The Three Little Pigs and the the Biblical story about the two men who build their houses on rock and sand- are on my mind before I fall asleep tonight. Thanks to my current read, "Love Beyond Reason" by John Ortberg, which is absolutely amazing so far, I have been introduced to the connection of the two stories. Isn't it funny how moral lessons and themes are so intricately tied into childish stories like The Three Little Pigs, but we are oblivious to them as children? Anyways, in his book, Ortberg uses The Three Little Pigs to compliment the Biblical story of the house built on rock and the house built on sand. As Ortberg states, "Only the house that is built on wisdom will endure." Like the man who built his house upon the sand, two of the little pigs did not build their house upon a "rock." They did not stop to think, "Will my house stand up against the Wolf?" You and I both know how the two stories ended. The house on sand was washed away and destroyed, and two of the little pigs were left homeless due to the "huff and puff" of the Big, Bad Wolf.
But what about you and me?
Are we not the little pigs that have to decide what we use to build our foundations or our "home." Ortberg gives an alternative for the word "home" and says we can substitute "character" or "soul." That is what we are building, and every commitment, friendship, skill, promise, action we possess or make becomes part of our house. And the wolf comes to the door of every little pig. The storm hits every house. However, as the book says, "it is in the storm that the soundness of the house is revealed."
What will you build your house on? What will it be made of? And when life tries to huff and puff and blow your house down, will you have the strong foundation of a rock or the grains of sand?
I prefer the rock.

Count Your Cupcakes

So, in a way, this is a continuation of my last post, for I am still on the childhood tangent- I mean look at the title. Cupcakes. What little kid's life is not marked by thousands of cupcakes, birthday parties, and licking cake batter off the spoon while his or her mother is not watching? Anyways, although this word and object is immediately and commonly associated with children, I have been blessed by this object in the past two weeks, and it has served as the "icing on the cake" for me as I have grown from the experience. I know what you're thinking; what in the world can you learn from a cupcake? Just go with me. Nothing is too small in life to take a piece of wisdom from.

Two weeks ago, I had this random thought that I needed to make cupcakes. Now, if you know me, you know that I am the farthest thing from Paula Dean, so this was an extremely random thought. I tried to shake it off, but it kept coming back. I pondered why I should make them? Who would I even give them to? It wasn't a friend's birthday, and I certainly did not want tempting cupcakes just sitting around my house. However, I finally decided I would make them anyways. Little did I know, there was indeed a purpose for my creations.

The next day, a friend of mine was having a bittersweet weekend, and she became the perfect candidate for my attempt at cupcakes. Although it took two attempts due to an extremely old bottle of cooking oil, I finally produced my cupcakes and took them to my sweet friend.

I do not think that my cupcake idea was just another random thought that passed through my mind that day with no purpose or direction. I believe that it was a sweet reminder and gift of God's that we so easily miss on a daily basis. On most days, I would have quickly disregarded the thought and told myself that I do not have time to make cupcakes, don't have the ingredients, don't need to make them and wind up eating all of them, and just chalked it up to me daydreaming of the new Gigi's cupcakes that just opened in Flowood. But, for some reason, when the idea did not easily drift away, I accepted the idea. I experienced my "cupcake" moment. I let God's gift of timing take control and was able to serve someone else.

How many times in our lives do we miss out on the "cupcake" moments? We are too busy, too tied down, too distracted, too oblivious to the silent ideas and thoughts that enter our daily lives and never wonder what they might lead to or mean. We can't make the "cupcakes" because we don't have the right "ingredients." Excuse after excuse pours out until we have justified our cause. Yet, just as a literal cupcake is sweet, so is God's timing and love. He gives us the "cupcake" moments in life to be reminded of His grace and His love and to serve others, and when we just need a sweet moment in the midst of our sour times, he sends someone into our lives that gives us our own cupcake- whatever that may be. He knows that you don't always have all the ingredients, but that is the beauty of His work. He provides you with the "ingredients" to create your "cupcakes." Although my friend received literal cupcakes, that could quite possibly be horribly unsweet due to my cooking skills, I received the eternally sweet cupcake that only a Father can bake.

So this week, don't just count your blessings, count your "cupcakes."

Bicycles and Beaches

So, I just returned from a two-day get-a-way to Rosemary Beach with Maggie and her absolutely adorable family. Although it rained the majority of the time, we did get a few hours in the sun and sand and two days of vacation, so it was perfect. Also, I was introduced to Red Bar which was nothing short of amazing. I will be running for quite a while tomorrow, but it was well worth it.
While I was at Rosemary, I was also reunited with bicycles- this was a Lucy moment for sure. After a rough start and a close call with a four or five-year-old little boy merely trying to enjoy his vacation and bike adventure with his dad, I began to catch on once again. And to be quite honest, I enjoyed it. I wish I had had my camera to document the bike ride because the houses and shops we passed along the way were so cute and all had their own unique, picturesque charm. Anyways, as I was struggling to conquer the bicycle and navigate successfully, I couldn't help but think that I was revisiting part of my childhood (not to mention I probably had not been on a bike since I was ten and thought Lance Bass and I had serious marriage potential). Yes, for that short period of time, I was a kid again. I was riding a bicycle, nervous of falling, but once I caught the hang of it, I was fearless. I couldn't help but think to myself how life would be if we revisited aspects of our childhood and took on that attitude. Like the bike, I was fearless and drove faster to feel the wind against my face and amazed by what I saw along the ride. Or we should be the child who dreams of being a rockstar, an actress, the doctor who cures cancer, or whatever else our heart desires and is not discouraged by the world, others around us, or are grounded by "reality." Or the child who loves quickly and forgives even faster and whose bitter feelings are as easily forgotten as their name on the top of their papers at school. Or the child who takes a completely motionless swing and soars to unimaginable heights by their efforts alone and the child who takes his sole piece of sidewalk chalk and creates a masterpiece even if the rain will wash it away the next day. Or the child who still dances when the music stops and makes his own moves as he or she goes. I think you get what I'm saying. I had an amazing past two days, and I am very glad that I, for two days, was a kid all over again.

Caved.

So, as the title says, I have caved.
I got a blog.
I blame this on all of the other people I know who already have blogs, and I have become obsessed with the idea and more obsessed with reading their blogs. So I shall try my own. I named the blog moderndayslucy (I wanted moderndaylucy but someone already has that blog and hasn't written on it since 2004- I wish you would delete yours so I could have your name!) because I am sure that is what my blog will centralize around. By modern-day lucy, I am referring to Lucille Ball. A cheerleading coach in jr. high told me that my life is one big "I Love Lucy" episode, and quite frankly, it has remained this way since. I mean not many sober people can successfully fall flat on their bottom in a dress and heels, at a date party, their freshman year of college. Also, not many people lose their shoe and watch it tumble helplessly down the stairs behind them as they are leading their class out of their graduation ceremony in front of the entire town and have to walk down the stairs grab the shoe in one hand, diploma in the other, and limp out of the roaring-with-laughter auditorium. Both, sadly, happened to me.

I also decided on Girl Meets World because that is where my life is right now. In the past year, I have moved away from home,experienced an amazing freshman year of college, met so many amazing new people, changed my major, and discovered more about myself along the way. I am beginning to meet the world.

I should probably be short and sweet with my first post, so I will end with a piece of my current world. Now that I am home for the summer- I have received an enormous amount of free time and have found my ways back to leisure reading. I recently picked up Joanna Weaver's Having a Mary Heart in a Martha World, and I highly highly recommend it- although I am only like fifty-pages into it. Anyways, one thing I have really taken from it so far was a definition of true devotion. However, since Joanna credited Robert Boyd Munger, I suppose I should as well. In his article "My Heart Christ's Home" (which she talks about in the book) he says that "true devotion is not a duty- it is a delight. It is not an exercise in piety- it is a privilege. And it is not so much a visit as it is a homecoming."

I love this definition. I feel as if so many times, devotion is another task to add to the to-do-list. We try and try to find the time to do this in our day and often fall short, but we cannot see this as a task. We are to see this as a delight. It is supposed to do something because we love it and want to- not because we feel as if we need to or should do it. It's amazing to think what devotion would be like if this was everyone's perception.

So, this turned out not to be so short. I will work on my rambles next time.

Hello and goodbye blog world,
Shelby