Lake Eagleson

In a matter of hours, large portions of my town were underwater.  At least partially, if not wholly.

Our region is in an actual "state of emergency", per the governor.

So it isn't completely surprising that it's past 1 a.m. and I'm sitting here, contemplating the the ironic nature of my day, while water is being pumped out of my cellar.

Asking God questions definitely gets you answers-- I just wasn't expecting mine quite so soon.

It seems like a silly thing to ask for, but I asked for challenges this year.  Challenges that cause me to grow and mature into a woman of God.  The sentiment is this, a comfortable life with few issues warrants few changes, but struggles test us and push us past our limits-- I want to live uncomfortably because that's where the biggest change exists.  But I'm quickly learning that it's really much easier to ask for challenges than it is to deal with challenges when they come. 

Tonight I came home from work to four feet of standing water in my cellar.  Enough water to swim in.  I've decided to call it "Lake Eagleson", for posterity.  I've had an inkling that my sump pump might be broken for a while now, but it never seemed a big enough priority to actually follow through with.

Because a picture is worth a thousand words... and the only thing you're missing with this picture is the other about 800 square feet of cellar behind those doors.

In my panic, I called my parents and texted a good friend nearby.  I asked them to come-- surely one of them would know what to do.  This eventually led to my friend finding a friend with an irrigation pump.  After hours of waiting and worrying, we got started.  It has been about four hours since then.

I was (and still am) truly amazed by the goodness of people who go out of their way to help others-- that they barely know.  That they will come back at 1 a.m. to check and see that the pump is working correctly.  And that are willing to help me get things settled in the morning once the water is all finally gone (and before the clouds open up again).

So I'm left sitting here dumbfounded at my ability to question God.  Do I believe he has a plan for Salem?  Of course.  Do I frequently question how much of an impact we can really have on this city?  All of the time.  Who am I to question this-- when people I barely know are working side by side with me through a crisis?

I guess you could say I asked for it-- not a flood (per se), but a tangible reminder of the power of kindness, hospitality, and grace.

Not exactly how I would have chosen to learn this lesson, but definitely impactful.

Plus, who doesn't enjoy a good flooding story?

New York for New Years - Watching the ball drop

In the spirit of checking things off my list (30 before 30), and seeing a very good friend of mine (who I've promised to visit for over a year now), I ventured off to New York to ring in the New Year in Times Square.  Seriously, who hasn't wanted to put that accomplishment in their hat?

No?  Okay, just me then.

The trip was amazing.  And a lot of walking.  I saw all the iconic sites: Empire State Building, Central Park, Brooklyn Bridge, Times Square, etc. and ate lots of great NY food.  Plus, I spent a good chunk of my trip pretending I was a "real New Yorker", and I'll admit, I fooled a couple of people.  Apparently I have "in a hurry" and an exasperated "get out of my way" look down pat.

Here's the tree from Rockefeller Center.  Who doesn't love gigantic trees covered in sparkly lights?  (What's that you say?  Probably the people who had to put them all up?  Nah)

But the highlight, and one of the main tenets of the trip itself, was New Years Eve, which was lovingly spent with tens of thousands of my closest buds.  A seven-hour party right in the middle of the street.  My friend and I weren't on Broadway (where the stage was), we were on 7th Avenue (which crosses Broadway, making an "X" at Times Square).  Imagine a triangle, with point at the top (ball) and the two sides (Broadway & 7th) going out from there.  So no, I didn't see (or hear) Lady Gaga or Justin Bieber... and thank goodness for that.  We got down there around 4:30 pm, stuffed ourselves like sardines into metal police fencing (which corralled off the area people were allowed to wait in), had no idea what was going on, and then tried to entertain ourselves for seven hours.  We did crossword puzzles, listened to grossly inappropriate conversations happening around us, and even got mistaken for a mother/daughter duo (I'll let you guess who was confused for who).  Then I got hit on by a 16 year old.  Yep.  Happy New Year, New York.  You've been swell.

Wholeness

At the end of 2011 I read a blog post that challenged me.  A challenge that instead of creating resolutions (that I would likely only keep for a few weeks), that this year I choose a word.  Or more truthfully, allow God to show me the word that will encompass my journey for the next 365 days.

The idea immediately captured my heart, and I started scrambling to figure out what my word was. That's the "planner" in me.  Of course, nothing came to me when I wanted it to--isn't that always how it works?  But on New Years day, while I was sitting alone in a church service in Manhattan, I heard my word: Wholeness.

I let the word roll over my tongue and swirl around my head.  And then I metaphorically set that word on a shelf in my soul--to be looked at and tangibly present during struggles and triumphs this year.  And, strangely enough, I love the largeness of the word.  That I don't know all that it entails.  That I'm not entirely sure what the journey is going to look like.

This word is my journey for the next year.  My battle cry.  And I feel like it captures the desires of my heart well; to seek God more fully, to grow in grace and truth, to impart that truth to others, and to build lasting, solid friendships with those around me.

Here's to a year full of promises and lessons.  Joy and pain.  And growth and maturity.