Thoughts on Beauty

Greg, the worship leader at my church, has this neat blog where He explores many angles of his life as a Christian. Especially worthy of note is what he posted today. It'll really get you thinking.

I commend this to you.

Similarly related, I've been thinking a lot about how beauty relates to my life, how it fits in with who I am called to be.

Beauty on earth is something that reflects the image of God. With His own hands he created beauty. As Psalm 19 says, "...the skies proclaim the work of His hands." (vs. 1b)

Shouldn't what we create reflect our Creator. After all, we bear His image. Our creations ought to do the same.

(And I don't just mean painting and drawing and other obvious forms of creation. I mean how we live creatively in the everyday.)

In The Truth Project, Del Tackett explores this realm of beauty and creativity in a lecture entitled "Labor: Created to Create." Near the end, an artist interview is shown. The man (his name escapes me presently) speaks of how all art forms are a reflection of God's image, but that in our sinfulness and brokenness we have tainted them - twisted them until ugliness is what prevails. As Christians, we are to untwist the ugly, redeem the broken, shine the tarnished so that it once again proclaims God's beauty.

Isn't this a most incredible mission? I get so excited just thinking about it. Lately my prayers have been, "God, show me how to reflect your beauty in the way that I..." There I insert whatever I'm doing. Practicing piano. Washing dishes. Cleaning my room. Interacting with my family. Conversing with friends. Teaching. Baby sitting. Studying science (I still need a LOT of help with this last one! Please, if you discover the beauty of karyokinesis before my exam Wednesday, let me know. :)

I hope you didn't begin this expecting an essay or highly researched article. On the contrary, these are just thoughts that have been near both my mind and heart of late.

Recently Josh H. and I were talking, and he asked me who I felt I was called to be. Of course I began by answering with things I do. He stopped me and gently spoke words that I won't soon forget:

"Jessie, God created you to be a being, not a doing." What beautiful words of truth for a perfectionist!

As I sat there, I began to talk about this concept of beauty. You know when you're trying to express something, but you're just not sure exactly what it is you're trying to express? :) Finally, I looked at him with a big smile on my face and said how I felt I have been created to reflect beauty - to untwist the ugly, redeem the broken, shine the tarnished.

Now, this isn't something that I have to drop out of school to do, sell all my possessions to pursue, or go halfway across the world to take part in. (I don't mean to patronize those who do such things; it is a worthy call meant for some.) This is something for the everyday.

One last thing that I found exceptionally powerful in this man's interview was how he spoke of the way our churches should be creative havens. Shouldn't we - who know the Author of all Beauty - want to make it known in the way that we worship together and live as a community?

That's all for now, though it's in no way concluded in my mind or in this post. I feel as though God is just beginning to show me a glimpse of what all this means. It makes me so excited!

I wish Clay and Megan's little munchkins were still awake. It's so easy to find beauty in their faces and personalities. But it's back to karyokinesis for me...

;)

Lazy Saturday.

My alarm went off at 8 this morning. When I set it, I knew that was the latest I could possibly get up and still run without dying of heat exhaustion. This morning, however, I turned it off and awoke again after 10! Definitely too late by that point!

My parents are gone for a long weekend in celebration of their 32nd wedding anniversary, so Julia and I have the house to ourselves. I'm so glad she's here keeping me company, because I don't much care for staying alone at night. She didn't roll out of bed until 11. We had planned to canoe in our lake, but the weather wasn't too cooperative. Instead, we opted for a movie. We saw My Sister's Keeper. Interesting movie. Discussion prompter. I'm still thinking about it.

In other news, I'm doing well trying to eat better. I've had a couple killer headaches, but I know my body is just de-toxing. (I've felt the benefits of this before, so I'm staying strong!) I've been drinking a lot of water and LOVING my fresh fruits and vegetables. Mmmm. Cucumbers, cherries, blueberries, strawberries, broccoli, celery, peaches, kiwi. Mmmm.

Snacks aren't an issue. (Cream cheese on everything!) Neither are breakfasts. This morning's, for example, was utterly de-lish: Kashi Autumn Wheat mixed with Grape Nuts with fresh blueberries and shredded coconut on top in coconut milk. So yummy!

Dinners, on the other hand, do pose some problems. I'm finding almost every meal has either citrus, vinegar, cheese, or nasty preservatives I can't eat. I went through my mom's entire recipe stack the other day and only found ONE winner.

My sister was so sweet tonight, trying to work with these food limitations.

"Oh, I think I'll sauté some onions with our chicken."

"Can't have onions."

"How about this seasoning?"

"Read me the back?"

*Insert some ingredients I cannot consume*

"Nope. Sorry."

She finally just made a "Jessie" pan for me. :)

Thanks, Julia!

As soon as it gets a little cooler, I'm going for an overdue run. Counting down to the 5K!

Word Just In!

Tali has safely made it to Kenya!

Praise God!

The team's baggage, however, has not yet arrived. That's an immediate prayer request, I'm sure.

I spoke with her on the phone Tuesday, while she was in Chicago. She called to wish me farewell a few hours before leaving the States. She said she already loves her team! That is a true praise, because she knew no one going into this.

Please keep her in your prayers. She flies "home" to OK July 14th, so she has a long road ahead of her. :)

Oh, and for you visual people, here's her face to pray for. :-P

Doubly Wonderful Day

Today is special for more than one reason. As all of you know, it is Father's Day. I am so blessed by Daddy and Papa, my mom's dad! I can't even begin to say how thankful I am for them! :)

Today also marks one year of dating my favorite young man, Tyler. We celebrated yesterday and had the grandest time! I'll post all sorts of pictures from our adventures later.

But for today, enjoy the old pictures of my father and grandfathers and the pictures of my time with Ty over the past year.

Daddy coached my basketball teams in elementary middle school. Even more special to me is the fact that he supported (and still supports!) my pursuit of musical things :) It's not exactly his cup of tea, but he's behind me all the way!

California 1999
Boating on Lake Tahoe 1999

4-H fishing project with Daddy

Valentine's Day <3Gator games with Daddy and James :)

Papa, seated next to my sister Julia (L) and my cousin Katie (R), holding me

Papa with me 2008

All of Papa's grandchildren this very Father's Day.

Missing in this photo is my lovely sister in love, Amanda. :( She had to work today, and we missed her greatly!

This photo is in honor of Pop, my grandfather who passed away in 1997.

I LOVE YOU, DADDY! HAPPY FATHER'S DAY!

***

This photo is out of chronological order, but it's one of my favorites!

At the brickyard in Mexico with Jasmine :)

All dressed up as Humphrey Bogart and Audrey Hepburn for a birthday party in October. Let's just say Ty's a good sport. ;)

At Ben and Angela's Halloween Party in October. We've both loved getting to be better friends with those two. :) They're the greatest!
Puzzles with Tsukasa and my parents one night.
Thanksgiving weekend Ty came over and played games with a bunch of us girls. Let's just say - again - that he's a good sport.

At the W's one evening in December.

Celebrating 6 months in St. Augustine

New Year's 2009

Being silly. :-P

Valentine's Day 2009

With my family on my birthday in February
Nose piercing on my birthday! :D

Busch Gardens for Ty's birthday
James and Amanda's wedding, April 2009

Gatorland for Ty's birthday, April 2009

Memorial Day 2009

Our romantic dinner a couple weeks ago

A preview of yesterday's fun!

I'm so thankful for these past 12 months! Thanks for sharing them with me! :)

Stuck to by the Man!

Our mall is doing a promotion where if you sign up for their mailers you receive a $10 gift card. I had no thoughts of the mall until I heard about this. I was perfectly content. But hey! It's free, right? Another opportunity to stick it to the Man!

Uh, no. I definitely got suckered into spending more money than I would have without this promotion. I told my mom that we were just the types of customers that made this promotion worthwhile for the mall! She looked at me, money still in purse, and said, "Not me!"

On the flip-side, I got a couple great deals! :-P

In other news, I've spent the last three days preparing for my Teaching Diverse Populations final, using my professor's study guide to direct my studies. I was having a terrible time finding everything, but I used google and searched and searched until I had all but a few answered! Well, my professor sent out an email this very afternoon saying he had sent us the study guide for his other class by mistake. He was sorry and provided us with the correct one. I almost took the final this morning! (Thankfully, I need my dad's computer, and he won't be home until later.)  As you can imagine, I was not too enthusiastic to discover all of this.

That's It!

This morning, on our jog, Angela and I discussed how we want to eat healthier, live healthier, feel healthier, etc. You get the point.

This, coupled with the fact that my headaches have gotten progressively worse over the last month, has led me to a decision: I'm going to monitor everything I eat. This way I'll be prompted (coerced? ;) to make good choices and read labels; additionally, I can see if there's anything that could be triggering my headaches.

I'm really sick of headaches. This particular one has been with me since last Thursday and turned into an actual migraine last Saturday. If you've ever had a migraine, you know that feeling. I was practicing piano, and then it hit me: this is more than that annoying headache. I went straight to bed for a few hours, covers pulled over my head. It helped, but it's never really subsided. It's just back to that annoying headache again.

All this to say, I'm hoping a monitored and thoughtful diet will help. Oh, and I'm trying to drink a lot of water. Running has made that easier.

Love Notes, Lovely Reminders

This morning my phone alarm went off. Puzzled, I picked it up, knowing full well I hadn't set it for 11AM. A reminder read, "Stop and Pray." I was suddenly very worried that I was supposed to pray for someone or something in particular! So I just prayed. (If I said I'd pray for you at 11 this very morning, know that God knows your name and I'm sure He'll transfer my prayer accordingly!) I honestly have no recollection of setting the alarm.

Just now, at 4:00, my phone went off again! This time, the note read, "God smiles at the thought of you."

Ever have one of those days when you don't even realize you're desperately in need of Truth until it's whispered in your ear? Okay, okay, so the analogy doesn't carry through too well with phone alarms. No matter: the message is music to my ears.

I still have no idea where these reminders came from, but I'm not going to investigate this situation. I love surprises!

A First!

I signed up for my first-ever 5K today! Woohoo! It's July 4th. Let's hope I make it through to celebrate Independence Day. :)

Ever seen that part in Breakfast at Tiffany's where Audrey Hepburn and George Peppard enjoy a whole day of firsts? Signing up for my very first 5k reminded me of that. Completely unrelated to 5ks, Audrey's wardrobe in that movie is so classic. (I want to be cool enough to wear a black dress every day and a hot pink one for special occasions! ;) Oh, and while I'm on the topic of Audrey Hepburn, I'll share part of a cute poem. As the story goes, this was her response when someone asked her for tips on looking lovely:

For attractive lips,

Speak words of kindness.

For lovely eyes,

Seek out the good in people.

For a slim figure,

Share your food with the hungry.

For beautiful hair,

Let a child run his fingers through it once a day.

For poise,

Walk with the knowledge that you never walk alone.

People, even more than things,

Have to be restored, renewed, revived, reclaimed,

And redeemed; never throw out anyone.

Occurrences of Late

I finished Jane Eyre today! Finally! Kelly read Wuthering Heights and Jane Eyre all in the time it took me to finish the latter. My mom read it aloud to me, so we had to find times when both of us were available. That should be easier, seeing as it's summer, but somehow life is just as crazy.

Angela and I ran/walked around Crane's Roost this morning and then headed over to Barnes & Noble. Joy of joys, I purchased new books! I came home with an Emily Dickinson poetry collection, A Tale of Two Cities (a must-own favorite), Great Expectations, and Les Misérables. Great Expectations is next on my reading list, and I would love to get through the very dense Les Misérables this summer, too.

Biology exam number one is down. Two more to go! I have a portfolio due and a final to take for my online class next week. My first six-week class is winding down. Summer B and physical science here we come! =/

I just finished writing a bilingual education reflection, and now I'm off to practice. I'm loving my Chopin Etude, so that should be fun.

Tonight is even more promising, as I'm having dinner with my mom and sister :) and going to a musical event at church. After that it's a sleepover with my bosom buddy, Tali Rose, before she heads off to Africa in 11 days! Yikes, that's soon!

Here's a verse that I happen to love:

" 'For the mountains will depart and the hills may be removed , but my steadfast love shall not depart from you, and my covenant of peace shall not be removed,' says the LORD, who has compassion on you."

-Isaiah 54:10

Happy Thursday to you all!

Notte Bella

Friday night, my favorite young man invited me to dinner. You must understand: I'm not one for fancy restaurants and expensive foods. I enjoy a good meal, but I dine mostly for the social aspect - a thing which can be done anywhere. He knew this. And yet, he told me, he wanted to take me to a nice dinner. So I got ready. I chose a nice, black dress and was ready when he came at seven. I had no idea where we were going. To my surprise and delight, we arrived...

...at his house!

He escorted me to their detached school room. When the door opened, I was met with a beautiful scene of lights, flowers, candles, and artwork. Oh, and the Finding Neverland soundtrack playing softly. :)

Notte bella means "beautiful night."

We enjoyed a fantastic meal of salad (with the best homemade dressing!), garlic bread, and delicious spaghetti!

And who, you might ask, were our servers? Who was our chef?

Ta da!

I do believe Ty came up with this idea all on his own, but his lovely family helped him pull it all together in one afternoon!

It was my favorite-ever fancy dining experience - hands down. Thank you so much, Ws!

Then, Now, & Somewhere in Between

Last week I was assigned to create a family tree (for my Teaching Diverse Populations class), so I went through a bunch of old photos. I just love old photos! There's something fresh about the faces, something unique in the lighting, something wonderful in the way they smell and feel that makes me wish I had lived then. It's as though each face has its own story to tell, and I wish I intimately knew every single one!

I do have the privilege of personally knowing many of the faces seen in my family's old photographs, of knowing their stories.

I just thought I'd share some favorites of the photographs I found.

This is my grandfather, in his 20s.This is my great-grandmother Annie (Nanny to me), holding her youngest son, Charles, the handsome young man shown above. I want to go get my hair cut just like Nanny's right now! She's so beautiful!

This is Annie's husband, George.

And here are all three of their children (L to R), Emma, Charles, and George.

I've been meaning to ask my dad about this little family. I don't recognize them, but aren't they the cutest family you've ever beheld? I love everything about them! Sorry I don't know their history, but I liked them to much to leave them out of this narrative.

This is my great-great uncle (Nanny's uncle) Dr. George Worth. He was a missionary in China for many years, supported by his home church, First Presbyterian Church in Wilmington, NC. This book was written about his ministry.

Switch gears for a moment. Remember the handsome young man from the beginning of this post? Well, he fell in love with this gorgeous lady (go figure, right? :), Jean. Oh, I love this photo of my granny. I have an original 11X13 that I hope to keep forever. Not a day goes by that I don't wish Granny still lived. What conversations we would have!
Well, Charlie and Jean had two adorable and wild boys, also known as my dad (R), and my uncle Greg. It looks as if they're having some sort of picnic. Are those Confederate hats? Forget picnics, it's probably gruel and bad coffee. ;)

Fast forward quite a few years, and you'll see another familiar face.

Any guesses?

Well, Charlie and Jean are the middle-aged couple (Granny's still so classy!) in the center of the photograph, but my own mother is featured on the right. Another beautiful lady, I might add. This is at my dad's Naval graduation, only weeks before my parents' wedding.

And here's the strapping young man my mom married, seen here with his parents.

This is my dad with his cousin, Sandy, who is a captain of a ferry in NC.

And here are the two of them again, as of March 2009.

My dad and I had the best trip, because we both got to reunite with many relatives, and I was privileged to meet some for the first time, after hearing so much about them!

Here I am in First Presbyterian Church (the same one that supported Dr. George Worth) with my great-aunt, Emma. Emma is the daughter of Annie Worth (Nanny), and the sister of Charlie. Remember her as the small child pictured above?

The woman in the green shirt (Stephanie) and the man in the blue (Bill) are married. Bill is the son of Bill Sr. and Emma. The woman in the white is Emma and Bill Sr.'s daughter, Betsy. The sweet and lovely lady next to my dad is the sister of Bill Sr. and the wife of George, my great-uncle. George is Charlie and Emma's older brother (also pictured as a child above). I know, I know. This is where it gets confusing, because I'm doubly related to Aunt Harriet. She married my great-uncle George and is the sister of my great-aunt Emma's husband, Bill Sr. Phew! Got that?

George and Harriet's daughter, Happy, is seen next to Aunt Harriet.

Okay, maybe this photo will clear some things up. That's why I saved it for last.

Can you find Charlie and Jean? (Hint: look for pearls. I told you my Granny was a classy lady.)

They are the first couple on the left. My dad and his brother, Greg, are crouching in front of them. Cousin Sandy (the boat ferry captain) is next to Charlie, my grandfather.

Aunt Harriet is standing between Granny and her husband, George. Only two of their children are pictured here, Sandy (far left) and Happy (between them). Emma and Bill are the couple on the right, with their four children. Bill Jr. (seen above) is on the far right, and Betsy (also seen above) is the cute blonde in the front. The small boy in the front's name is Henry, but the name of Bill and Emma's other daughter escapes me at the moment.

Finally, the couple in the middle is George and Annie (Nanny). They are surrounded by their children and grandchildren (minus two) in 1967.