Word.

Sojourner. I love that word.

Our good friend Merriam-Webster defines it this way: "To stay as a temporary resident."

1. Temporary
2. Resident

This world is not my home. I can--and must--press forward, reaching for the eternal prize. The cares of this world will fade away, the disappointments of all that has been experienced will not jade my perspective forever. Temporary.
Yet I am here. To deny the present of any intention of life and purpose is to live in a manner that is not glorifying to God. I am here... on earth, in North America, in California, in SoCal (and so on and so forth)... reminds me of some lines from that song, "Picturesque":
Don't go missing life, waiting on Paradise, 'cause what's Heaven without the road that leads?

It has been a struggle to keep these things in mind. Anxiety for the future, disinterest in the present, disassociation from reality............ and so many more faults have been bombarding me. But the Lord is my Shepherd! I am not a wandering, aimless traveler. I sojourn this world, guided by my Shepherd! I am a sojourner.

2/12 kept alive...

...by God's grace. (The string quartets help as well, since I've had to do without your wise counsel for too long. *hint*)

Oh Evange. Why do things in life get so complicated so quickly?

* * *
"I need Thee every hour, most gracious Lord;
No tender voice like Thine can peace afford.

I need Thee, oh, I need Thee;
Every hour I need Thee;
Oh, bless me now, my Savior,
I come to Thee.

I need Thee every hour, stay Thou nearby;
Temptations lose their pow’r when Thou art nigh.

I need Thee every hour, in joy or pain;
Come quickly and abide, or life is vain.

I need Thee every hour; teach me Thy will;
And Thy rich promises in me fulfill.

I need Thee every hour, most Holy One;
Oh, make me Thine indeed, Thou blessed Son."

bumps in the road

Dear Pirate,

First of all, I'm glad we agree on the "12 months." *big smile*

As I mentioned to you on the phone last night, I had an amazing weekend at Emily's place. It was so much fun to "practice" together, eat delicious home-cooked food, and really just hang out with good friends. And...Em's parents were amazing. (I wish I could tell you all the details here, but I'll save some for the regular phone dates that we're going to have this semester.) Mr. Murphy gave Renae, Meg, and I a very inspirational talk--amidst stories of his "young, pyromaniac days" on the farm and hilarious jokes--after dinner on Saturday. (He closed with a Doris Day song, but it was inspirational nonetheless. *grin*)

We'd been telling him our majors, plans, etc. and he, in turn, told us a few things about his life and the plans he'd had. He described his different jobs and the "bumps in the road" that he encountered along the way. He told us to never stop dreaming, yet also realize that God may take us down paths that we wouldn't have chosen ourselves. Things change. People change. We'll hit those bumps--most certainly--but how will we react? Do we truly trust that He knows best and will be faithful? Are we doing our best to be faithful? Despite the laughs, it was such a good reminder. But...

Evange (I can't use Pirate here - haha), what if one of those bumps in the road means not being able to "make music" someday? What if it means I can't travel the world, or be with the children that I have yet to see but dream about so much? What if it means loss of something, or someone, that I love?

Ahh.

"Seek Ye First" (remember that song?) suddenly comes to mind. Back in the day, I was too concerned with sounding good on the harmony/round part to pay attention to the words, I think. But it's so true.

And remember Psalm 37? (I've been going back to it recently--minus the ohsocreative hand motions, mind you--and it's...loaded. For lack of a better word.) "Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him and he will do this: He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn, the justice of your cause like the noonday sun. Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him... If the Lord delights in a man's way, he makes his steps firm; though he stumble, he will not fall, for the Lord upholds him with his hand..."

I think that answers a lot of questions.

1/52... Does PST count?

Dear Muffin,
It's 11:39, PST. Yes, I'm cutting it close (as usual!).

It was day two of the film shoot, day ten of the year, and day bajillion of missing you. At one point in the day, I declared that I missed you and that you are "the coolest sister ever." Too bad for the rest of the crew that they don't know you.

So you wonder why you have been dubbed "Muffin"? Well, my dear Muffin, it is because you are a great bakeress of muffins! (This is where you go Aha!) You have now been enlightened and know your purpose in life!

Guess what I have the urge to eat at this very moment (and every other moment, as well). Yes, of course. Your granola. I brought a bag onto set yesterday and today... of course it caused many of my fellow crew members to envy me (because I selfishly did not share. At all.). It is interesting that my love affair with granola has not waned. Not at all. Mhmmm.

Okay, I feel like I'm blabbing. Oh... because I am. Off granolaing I go!!!


- Professor Pirate!

1/52 things left behind, and bach

Dear Pirate,

I'm glad you have spare keys--sometimes they come in handy, you know. And now you have yet another fun note to top off your ever-increasing "interesting travel stories" (although Mom certainly wasn't thrilled).

Last night after you left, the house seemed very quiet and we kind of moped around. We wanted to read the Sunday newspaper but--thanks to our lovely weather--couldn't find it. Zac used his old baseball bat to "slash through" the snow but came back empty handed, and I (armed with a shovel this time) tried to prove him wrong, but to no avail. (Later we called the carriers and they promptly delivered one.) For the longest time, I couldn't even get one word in the crossword. How lame is that?? Later I tried taking a few photos and felt void of inspiration. While looking around the house, I walked through the kitchen and noticed your mug. The thought of you having to rush to the airport before you could finish your coffee seemed so awful and made me realize how much I'd miss our afternoon tea and such. (Yes, this is me being dramatic. Enjoy it while it lasts.)

Anyways.

I'll try to make future posts better (whatever that means), but I'm somewhat brain-dead at the moment. I just finished some more practicing...and it was humbling, to say the least. Of course, thanks to our endless feasting, fireplace-chatting, jamming, cooking&baking, late-night-talking, and all those other wonderful things we did while you were home, my hands are quite out of shape. I wasn't expecting to race through the tricky passages in one of my accompaniment pieces, and I most certainly didn't think I'd nail the octaves in the Saint-Saens. And I didn't. Still, getting back to it was so good and time flew. I was reminded of how much I love the piano...even though it is often incredibly frustrating, makes my whole body stiffen, and is probably the cause of my failing eyesight. Learning Bach Fugues can do that to a person. However--and I am still partially referring to the fugues, though this includes much, much more--the blood, sweat, and tears (and aches)...it'll all be worth it. "Love always perseveres," right? *grin*

Well, I'm turning off the fireplace and going to bed. I lubba yew a yot.

Muffin

P.S. Why am I "Muffin"? I tried explaining to Mom and Zac earlier and we had a bit of trouble figuring that out. haha.