Alone... with My Self.

I think partially because I am such a social being and partially because my soul craves connection with God, I find myself drawn to alone times. I've been finding recently, that my life is full of opposites that create a beautiful rhythm if I will listen to the beat.

Work and play, community and solitude, exercise and rest, talking and listening (I totally suck at the listening part, stop laughing friends I'm working on it.) But that is exactly what I mean, if I find the opposite of what I do excessively I can bring balance to my days. With all the recent ways that have been invented to connect, I find a tranquility in being with myself. My Self. I kind of like myself and I figure she deserves my attention. And with all the noise and conversations I just need some wide open spaces at times to hear her think. :) You know what I mean?

A Wedding

This is Buddy. Buddy has been a part of my parent's home for about 10 years now. A few years ago Buddy began plucking out his chest feathers. I read up on possible reasons, one of which is loneliness. We have been debating whether or not to get him a cage mate for at least a year. Every time I visit I have the notion to bring over a bird and just stick it in there with him and see if my mom will notice.

So... with a beautiful Saturday under way, Alistair and I headed over to PetsMart completely delighted with our plan. Alistair agreed to distract my parents while I brought Bella in. He did a great job too because my parents were in the backyard and Bella got away from me. I was chasing her all over their kitchen and they didn't even see me through the windows. I placed a wedding invitation on the counter and tied one to the cage.

We were all chatting in the entry way and my dad went into the kitchen and I heard him mumble to himself... "The wedding of Buddy and Bella? Huh?" Then I heard him walk over to the cage and go "Oh!" He brought my mom over who stared at the cage for a moment before realizing Bella was not Buddy. Her expression was worth the whole thing.

When Buddy first saw her he flew away. Lol. But it didn't take him long to loose his grip on his bachelor ways and share the same perch.

All night the Lord had been speaking to me about how we our made for community and how vital it is to be IN relationship. He brought this scripture to mind, "Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from the will of your Father." Lucky for Buddy, they had only one yellow bird and it was a female. She is so adorable I can't wait to introduce you. So without further ado... I would like to welcome you to...

Kia reading her invitation.

The Circle of Life

I've been thinking lately about how we were created for connection. To be plugged into a cycle, a network that gives and takes, moves and breathes. We draw physical life from the earth around us. Look at gardening for instance. We place our unused food into the soil, which makes it richer. That soil then returns the favor by producing more food for us to eat making us richer. The more food we have the richer we are. I mean come on... people used to think you were poor if you were skinny right? Whatever happened to those days? But anyway, I digress.

Sometimes I wonder what God uses as His educational tools. How He speaks and teaches His people. And I figure since most of the world is unable to read or write, maybe He uses something very simple, but that we all can understand. Like eating. Or gardening. Maybe He says profound things to us, in a very un-intellectual way. We can learn so much about ourselves in the simple daily tasks of life.

We are like the very plants that we eat from. We too need to be rooted and grounded in order to sustain health and personal growth. You mean all those times my mother told me, "You reap what you sow," it was true? Yes Mam. And true not just of the poor decisions in life, but more importantly of the good ones. Choose right now what you want to come back to you, what kind of fruit you want in your life, and go plant it.

If we constantly move, we avoid the benefits of roots. We miss the healthy conflicts that naturally occur in relationships as they grow deeper. In order to produce a depth of character, you MUST be submitted to authority in your life, and be plugged in to a community. Oh. I just stumbled across a get rich plan. (Without the quick.) There is nothing quick about growth, but the fastest way I can think to become rich??? Plug yourself into a community of people and let all their little quirks and differences-of-opinion rub you the wrong way, and poke and prod the soil of your heart until you are just the richest little plot of land around. I promise you... God will plant some rich relationships in that kind of soil.