Their Strength is to Sit Still...

Every since I began teaching, my grandmother has sent me a Bible verse, via e-mail, every Monday. It is one of the things that gets my week started off right and I use the e-mail as a little pick-me-up throughout the week.

I can't even begin to tell you how many times my grandmother has seemed to know exactly what verse I needed to hear, read, and become aware of in order to refocus on what is important, or just in order to gain back a sense of peace and trust. It seems like the moments of the most intense stress is when I receive a Bible verse from Grandma Damon that just calms, comforts, and supports.

This week the verse we found in our mailbox was Isaiah 30:7, "Their strength is to sit still." Her message included this as well:

And if thy plans are thwarted,
Quietly stand thou still:
Listen for God’s direction
Patiently wait for His Will

Lately, it seems like each step of progress D and I make towards getting everything in order for Ecuador, we come up against a roadblock that causes us to take two steps back. I have been getting so stressed, anxious, and overwhelmed by how little time we have and by how little progress we seem to be making. Reading this verse yesterday just reminded me that I am not in control over this. My worrying is futile and does not help things progress or go smoothly. I just need to sit still, and let God.

I am so thankful for the encouragement of my grandmother, for her constant reminders of how much she, and God, love me. I am so thankful for her weekly messages of peace and strength.

Christmas in Colombia (The post is better late than never...)

As promised, here is the Amazing Richert Christmas Adventure 2008, with special guest star, Sherry Silvers. Bogota, Columbia. As you can see...this city and I were obviously made for each other. Bookstores, libraries, and coffee shops were on every block. Yes, the majority of the books were in Spanish which causes some slight difficulties, but I don't like to focus on those kind of details. I'm more of a cup half full kind of gal. Also, the city is bike crazy. There are hundreds of miles of bike lanes; we saw bike lanes throughout the city and even along the highway. They just created a bike/walking lane in the middle of the highway, incredible! They even close off some of the major streets every Sunday and holiday so people can ride their bikes through the main arteries of town without dealing with the potentially dangerous obstacle of cars. The city had me at hello. Dave found a wonderful place for us to stay that was right in the heart of the historic district of ...

Deep Breath

Okay--I only have about two more weeks until we are off to Iowa and possibly a whole new adventure. I find myself avoiding the very things I know I need to do; e-mail prospective schools, complete my portfolio, research the different cultures and societies. Instead, I am wasting as much time as possible by checking postsecrets.com, reading the various blogs I have suddenly become addicted to, and finishing up one of the many baby blankets I have to knit. And yet.... I really am optimistic about this possibility for D and me. I feel like no matter what happens, whether we go overseas or not, something wonderful is going to come out of this. Maybe it will give us the courage to go seek jobs and a life in Boston, Portland, or New York. Maybe it will give me the courage to find what I am really passionate about and go after it, knowing that where we are now, nice as it is, is not a glass box I have to spend the rest of my life in. I think whatever comes out of this exploration, will be goo...

Blog Bling--Featured Artist of the Week

I've mentioned before that I might be a bit addicted to the "widgets" of the blogsphere, but my new favorite has to be the playlist . First off, let me apologize to all who get annoyed when websites spontaneously start singing to you. Don't judge me--I can't help but be swept away with this sparkly little blog gem. I've decided to compromise with you, I won't put my playlist on automatic play if you agree to hit play just once during the week. Deal? Good. Now, on to the new "Living the Good Life" feature, the Artist of the Week. What else are blogs for if not to share absolutely every detail about your life and interests? That fact, along with the surprise of getting a few emails and comments about the artists featured the last couple of weeks, has inspired me to attempt a weekly post explaining the music featured on LTGL (thanks for the inspiration BSucio, and by inspiration I mean blatantly stealing your idea of actually writing a post...

Living The Good Life

Search This Blog