You are currently browsing the category archive for the 'treats' category.
I discovered this today, scribbled on a scrap of paper in with many other notes of a similar kind:
I’ve learned that strength and dignity are not lost through displays of weakness.
A silly example is when I confess to a friend that I cannot open a jar of jelly. I feel… laughably weak doing so, especially when this friend takes the jar and in one motion, twists off the lid. But to use this as a metaphor (ah, metaphors), in a very simple way, this is how the Body of Christ should look. I am strong in some areas, but I am also weak in others. If I readily display my strengths, but hide all of my weaknesses, two undesirable things happen. First of all, assuming everyone else is also hiding their weaknesses, my strengths become completely irrelevant. As far as I can tell, there isn’t anyone who needs what I have to offer. No one is weak, so what does it matter how strong I am? And the second problem is that we have all sorts of weaknesses, frayed threads, weak links, crumbling walls (whatever other image you’d like) and none of these areas are being addressed. No one is saying, “hey, I’ve got a leak in the dam over here, can anyone help me patch it up?” and so it continues leaking and eroding, growing weaker, spilling over, spilling out, and eventually breaking, sometimes in catastrophic ways. But when we confess our faults to one another (a trusted one another), when we admit our weaknesses, we find people who are strong in those very areas.
“Yea, I can’t open a jar of jelly, but I can whip up a mean grilled pb & j sandwich.”
And my friend says, “I can certainly open a jar of jelly *twist*, but grilled pb & j? I have no idea how to make that, but I sure am hungry.”
And there we are, filling each others needs, complimenting each others’ strengths and weaknesses and building each other up. When that is how we seek to live, our lives become inextricably intertwined, balancing each other out and becoming greater than we were just as ourselves.
Hopefully my metaphor can carry the point I am trying to make, despite being (as I’ve already admitted), a rather silly example 
And just for the record, grilled pb & j is for real. And mighty tasty, especially if you’ve got a sweet tooth. If you can help me get this darn jar open, I could be persuaded to make one for you
I could write about being done. But I don’t really want to. I could write about the harried packing and goodbyes of yesterday morning. But I don’t really want to. I could write about how strange it is trying to bring myself to understand that I am never moving back to that place and never living with those people again. But I’d really rather not.
What I would like to write about is the chaos my room in my parents’ house is in. Every year, I pack up the things from that room that I believe I’ll need to take with me to school. Throughout the school year, I add to what I’ve taken each time I visit home. By the end of the year, yes, I have an awful lot more than what I began with, but I did bring it all from the same bedroom. Upon arriving home, I realize that there is absolutely no space in my room to house all of the things that I am attempting to force it to hold. I do not understand how this works. I empty a bookshelf to take with me, but on returning home, there is not nearly enough room for all the books I have. Do I really purchase that many books while away? Do textbooks really take up that much room? Do I really forget how packed all of the storage spaces in my room are every time I come home?
One thing I will say about goodbyes is this: all of the friends I have made in these past four years have made an impact on me. I wouldn’t be the person I am today without their love and care, their jokes and silliness, their earnest attention, their unexpected passions, their desire to pursue a deeper faith. I have been encouraged and inspired and incredibly blessed. As I was driving home, that is all I could think about my time in that place. I have been so blessed. I never would have imagined the friendships I have made. They have–you have–all exceeded my expectations and my greatest hopes for the kinds of people I would meet there. I will miss everyone very much. But I am glad for the opportunities we have had to touch each other’s lives and for the grace to see God working in those connections. No matter how small, one life touching another cannot help but make a difference. Love and blessings. Numbers 6:24-26.
I love celebrating.
I never really identified this as a terribly characteristic part of my personality, but I’m discovering, as winter melted into spring, which is now quickly gurgling into summer, and as I celebrate little events marking the season that I love celebration. Even the word is delightful. Celebration.
Today I purchased my first Iced Cap of the season. It is deliciously warm outside, and we were sitting outside basking in the glow of the sun. A friend came out, desirous of returning some books to the library, and mentioned that she was heading to Tim Horton’s on her way back. And, of course, I agreed to go with, to celebrate the arrival of spring/summer with a cool, caffeinated beverage (p.s. I could really go for a glass of water right now )
And so today I celebrate the warmth of the day with the First Iced Cap of the Season.
There really is no way to write about dancing.
Well, that’s not entirely true (see here), but I find it very difficult to write about, for you see, nothing quite captures the experience of actually doing it. Therefore, everyone must go out now and find a place that teaches beginner’s swing dance and learn .
What I find to be the most fun is the social aspect of it. I’ve only been to a couple of swing dance events, but at both of them, the people were all friendly and welcoming. The gentlemen were very good about asking different ladies to dance (meaning we wouldn’t have to sit out for too long if we didn’t want to) and everyone there took pleasure in making conversation around the room.
When I first arrived at the most recent event I attended (a Swing and Tango dance party), I was a little uncomfortable. I only knew three people in the room, but they all seemed to know a lot of the others through the lessons/group they were a part of.
Another lady sat near us and we started chatting, which was very nice. Then I dance with one of the gentlemen that I knew, sat and watched/chatted through the next several sets of songs and then I’m not exactly sure what happened, but all of the sudden, I found myself only sitting down when the tango music came on. And then even during that, an older gentleman insisted I try, even though I didn’t know the steps.
The people I danced with were all very kind, and between dances, we would all cluster in groups, enjoying the cool outdoor air, or nibbling on snacks, chatting and laughing.
A highlight was the rueda demonstration that the dance class gave. The video is, obviously, not from that night, but the idea is essentially the same.
It was a good night. The only thing missing was one of our friends, who, alas, could not make it because of schoolwork. It is that time of the year. But, there is another event coming up soon! Hopefully we can all make it to that 
To continue my discussion of this device, I have to say, it is in possession of one of the most intuitive interfaces that I’ve encountered. The phrase “intuitive interface” has become a little clichéd, so let me expand on it. When I say intuitive, I mean that when I use it, I feel like it knows what I’m trying to do. Its screen is very sensitive, but accurately so. It doesn’t register every touch to the point of frustration. It recognizes different gestures, for example, sweeping your finger to scroll versus tapping an option to select.
It is also very cool because of the additional programs it has. You can store pictures, you can enter contact information, you can watch movies. I didn’t explore all of the features, but the ones that I did I found to be skillfully made. The iPod is sensitive to how you are holding it. It switches the screen from landscape to portrait based on which way you are holding it. When entering contact information, a keyboard appears on your screen. When I first looked at the keyboard, I almost scoffed at the size of it. I imagined it was going to be a frustrating experience, but they’ve managed to deal with sensitivity issues. It registers your typing properly, and the keyboard adjusts slightly based on what kind of information you’re entering. When entering an email address, it puts the “@” symbol on a special key. That key changes to a “.com” key for when you’re entering in a website. When entering an address, you can switch to a numbers-and-symbols keyboard, and when you hit the space bar after a string of numbers (ie, the street number of your house), it switches back to the letter keyboard automatically so that you can enter the street name.
I wish that I had been able to explore more of the features, but from what I have seen, I am impressed. Apple, as it always seems to do, has thought beyond the basic function of its products; it has worked on the “minor” details that set their products apart as being products that are a joy to use. Coming from a Windows platform, I have finally stopped being surprised when an Apple device just works. My delighted surprise is now saved for when it seems to work in concert with my thought patterns. When a device is created so expertly that it seems to predict my intentions, that is when I am surprised.
Apple has set the new standard for consumer electronics and, unsurprisingly, has already reached it.
iLike
iWant
iMbroke…
oh well
They are among the more satisfying of treats/snacks/meals. That you could place them in any one of those categories makes them even better. I am currently snacking on them. But they are also almost automatically a treat because of the sugared frosting on them.
The only problem is that whenever I eat them, I get this song stuck in my head. I defy my readers to avoid getting it stuck likewise .
Recent Comments