Why did you go to.....Arkansas?!?

Arkansas is a really odd place that I just can't seem to stay away from. I never thought that when I graduated from school there 2 years ago that I would have been back so many (i.e. 3) times. But Arkansas seems to hold and attract too many of the people that I hold dear. Note the picture of Pryor 109 (my former apartment) to your left.

After my northern-ized lungs recovered from the shock of unmeasurable humidity, the weekend consisted of a whole host of great things. I cannot tell you how important and significant it is to me to spend hours upon hours of just catching up with good friends. These are real people, the ones who remind me who I am and what I am all about. These are the kind of people who let you raid their fridge and love doing nothing but sitting on the couch and talking about everything under the sun. For days on end. Jennifer, Jordan, Nathan, Robert, and Teague were the main attractions on Friday.

Saturday morning was occupied by talking with Jennifer. Saturday also included a graduation party for Dave with his family and a birthday outing in downtown Little Rock for Jenel, attended by Jennifer, Emily, and Brandon. Sunday started with a passionate, wonderful worship service at Downtown Church. I adore that church. After a very needed 3+ hour nap and a few more hours of talking to Jennifer, we were blessed to join Pat Rice for dinner. She's pretty much a wonderful, spunky lady who knows and loves everyone, and she's always full of good advice. This visit I was actively seeking some out, and it was so valuable I came home and wrote some of it down. I hope when I'm older I take younger girls under my wing and try to pass on a few things I've learned along the way.

Monday included more time spent talking with Jennifer (notice the trend?) and a little time with Josh and Nathan before returning to the Little Rock airport. I said bye to Arkansas for now, but who knows when I will return again. I always feel like I find a little part of myself when I go back there.

Beauty

Beauty--that ever-alluring, much sought-after mystery. Our attempts at it are occasionally comical, sometimes damaging, and often in vain. What is beauty? What makes something beautiful? I think I'd have to argue that beauty is often an experience. Here are some beautiful experiences from my life the last several weeks, as a praise and thanks to the one God who gave them all to me:

-a two week old baby curled up on my shoulder
-a close knit family
-surprises
-picnics
-not setting the alarm clock
-jogging in the rain
-a child's laugh
-freshly plowed fields overlooked by silos and barns
-feeling pretty in sweatpants
-falling asleep on some one's shoulder
-75 degrees and sunny
-a lively courtyard scene filled with patients and families
-twirling joyfully on the bike path and not caring who's watching
-having a friend come to me in tears
-being called wise by a friend of whom I think the same
-flowers, scattered in fields and yards and sitting on my table
-taking work time to make scrapbook pages for hurting moms and their children
-a clean comical production
-conquering a tough hill without another soul in sight
-duets
-clean sheets
-holding hands
-friends who are distant in miles but somehow always close
-still feeling that ache to love people
-not having the words to express gratitude

And I'm only getting started.