A Simple Sparkle

Today was a reminder that life is beautiful. I don't know why I forget that so very often. I went to Dublin today and went to The Hugh Lane Gallery and the National Gallery of Ireland. I love art museums; The calming atmosphere, the gentle whispers of admirers. I love how a single painting can bring tears to your eyes in a way you can't explain. I couldn't take pictures of most of the paintings, I only snagged one of a Renoir and I'm not even sure if I was supposed to. Looking at art has a special way of renewing the soul. All the stress and struggle of life just disappear and melt in to the canvas the longer you stare at it. I saw for the first time today Jack Yeats' paintings. He's one of my new favorites. I might have been particularly inclined to like him since he is the brother of my favourite poet, William Butler Yeats. "Grief" "For the Road" I just found myself staring at these paintings for what seemed like ages. Th...

One of my biggest insecurities growing up was uncertainty of my intelligence. Since elementary school my closest friends have also been those at the top of the class. I was convinced that I was never smart enough and the people I surrounded myself with only confirmed that my intelligence did not measure up to theirs. My obsession with being "smart" also made me very arrogant around people I thought were unintelligent. I projected my disappointment in myself onto them and instead of valuing their other talents and skill, I only ever looked at their grades. This was not a fun way to live life. I was either feeling shamed by other people's arrogance or inflicting my own arrogance on someone else. At some point in high school I decided that there really were more important qualities in people other than their ability to master calculus or successfully analyze poetry. I made friends in other places and became less concerned with academia. Somehow, though, I st...

This week I have been listening to a lot of music. A ridiculous amount really. After a four hour lecture, it seems to be the only thing that will keep me sane and prevent me from having to absorb any more information. My music preference this week had been all over the board. It's had a high country content, which is unusual for me, and there's been quite a bit of Elvis, and a few indie bands that are very much "pacific northwest" feeling. Also, I'm obsessed with the new One Republic album, so that's been in the rotation. It's like I'm caught between the perpetual cold of Ireland and the approaching Texan summer. So here's a playlist that you might like, and if not, I hope it makes you smile because of how ridiculous it is. Sophomore Slump by Elyse Kizer on Grooveshark Also during these painfully long classes I've been making my summer bucket list. I thought I was going to take an internship in Michigan or Illinois this sum...

"Intentional Community" is a phrase that gets thrown around Taylor University at such a frequency that it has become a bit of a joke. The school emphasizes it and the students complain about how we focus on it too much, or too little. But this weekend I have begun to understand what it is that TU has been trying to push for all these years. Don't get me wrong, the Taylor community is great and there are many things that we do well as a community, but for me there has always been something missing from our little bubble of a community. Today it finally clicked for me.  This weekend I have been on kitchen duty. This means that four other people and myself have been in charge of feeding 30+ people for four meals. We plan and make everything. Frankly, this has been the most wonderful weekend! We're only halfway through the cooking adventure, but it's been so wonderful.  This morning we made pancakes for lunch. We literally made 200 pancakes. It wasn't re...

I know I'm only twenty, but I feel like these past few months have been solidifying my transition out of childhood. One of the biggest things I've noticed is that growing up does not mean that I suddenly acquire a love of lifetime movies and the need to wear high waisted Levis. In the past year, growing up has meant making colossal mistakes and learning from them. Learning that I can't always go with my gut feeling, learning that there's a time and place to argue, understanding that it's never too late to change and clinging to old opinions and routines only gets in the way of life. Sometimes all you can do is trust that God has everything under control and live life. Something else God has been teaching me is that He is truly a jealous God and He wants all of me all the time, not just some of me when it's convenient. He's chasing after me even when I put things before Him. This week especially, I've been learning to relinquish control over my life ...