Good Day, Mate!

How many times have you wished someone to "Have a good day!"?
How many times have you responded to "How was your day?" with a simple "Good." in reply?


Isn't there more?!?


How can you improve that well-wish or response?
How can each day be better?


Well, my friend, I think Woodrow Kroll says it best:  "My prayer for you is that you would have a good and Godly day, for of what lasting value is a good day if it's not also a Godly day?"

Bikes biKeS bikes BIkEs BIKES

So, I’ve gotta thing for bikes  :) 

From the training wheels to the jeweled and noisy spokes with streamers whipping my hands, I learned how to ride a bike as a little kid, like most do.  It wasn’t until college, though, for the love relationship to begin.  It was then that a friend introduced me to the pure joy of riding a bike.  The feelings of giddiness and delight, freedom and speed, and laughter and sheer joy continue to bloom to this day.

My friend convinced me to get a bike to ride around campus and to go on bike rides with him and others.  I was definitely skeptical at first.  How could something as seemingly simple as bike riding be as fun and enjoyable as he said?  I mean, there’s congestion on campus with everyone walking to and from classes and then there was the fact that campus was not bike-friendly (we had no bike lane, for example).   Nevertheless, one weekend I brought my oldest brother’s mountain bike to my dorm after a weekend at home.  Life was never the same.

I rode that bike in full force for years.  I rode with several friends over the years who also had the bike-riding bug.  They knew.  Like only fellow cyclists can know.  So, we went gallivanting around our college town during the day and even the night, of which “night rides” are still a favorite of mine. 

Surprisingly, the reasons why I thought riding a bike would be a bad idea became reasons to ride.  I still don’t like congestion anywhere I go, but I make a game out of it.  It’s like Frogger.  I’m on my bike trying to avoid all the pedestrians, curbs, and whatnot to make it to my destination.  It was a challenge to find the best bike routes on campus or the best times to ride (i.e. not much traffic), and I accepted it.  I like the feeling of slight invincibility while on my bike, going fast without a care while dodging people and cars alike. 

My alma mater eventually made a bike lane, which helped a little.  When it was new, people didn’t pay much attention to it.  Now, if you don’t, you’ll be run over.  Look over that shoulder.  Don’t stupidly walk in the bike lane.  Don’t meander into it while texting.  I’ve even heard a tour group warning incoming, uninformed students to look before crossing the narrow lane.  Words of wisdom, for I must confess that I can sometimes be a snooty biker.  I’m going fast and I like it.  If you get in my way, that’s your problem and there might be nasty consequences. 

Over the years, I’ve kept that mountain bike and have gained other bikes to go on joy rides or simply to get from point A to point B.  Some think it’s ridiculous to have as many bicycles as I do, but I think they’re a bit ridiculous.   Of course, there’s the sentimental reason to keep a bike or two that I have, but there are practical reasons, too.  I ride my mountain bike for when I’m feeling tough and want to jump curbs.  I ride my cruiser bike for when I want to slowly ride around looking at the scenery.  I ride my road bike for, duh, riding on the road and to get somewhere fast(er).  Three bikes helps to make a good life.  Plus, you never know when someone who doesn’t have a bike will want to ride.  I’ve gotcha covered.

Now, even though I’ve owned several bikes and ridden different ones in the past, I truly have only loved three bikes.  They are my mountain bike, my road bike, and my adopted bike.  The love for my mountain bike is obvious since it was my first to really ride on, but it also belonged to my oldest brother who died ten years ago.  My road bike is “my little red” and was my first roadster.  Lots of great memories, some vivid close calls, and two big scars all prove our bond.  The last bike is a love because I feel responsible for the owner getting it.  Quite frankly, I remember my “cutely excited” self saying, “You should get a road bike!!” so I think I was the friend that sparked the bike-loving life for them.  Maybe not, but I still took that road bike in as my own and bestowed on him the epic name of Plutonium Amadeus C… or PAC.     *the C stands for a last name and I don’t like to give names…

Like I said, I’ve had other bikes and lots of fun memories because of them.  For instance, I got a bike while in England and can still remember lugging groceries to and from the store and my mini house.  Another absolutely great bicycle time was with my brother in Paris, France, when we went on a bike tour of the city and had sweet names for our respective bikes.  In the same vein, I rode around on a bicycle in Amsterdam, which is a very bicycle-friendly city, while visiting a friend.  Finally, my most recent (and one of my most favorite) bike adventure was in New England riding around the beautiful Cape Cod trails.  Such good times.

I know bicycles will always be in my life.  They will carry people into my life and will definitely leave memories.  Although, even if I’m riding alone like today, I truly can’t help but smile as I feel the sun shining, the breeze blowing, my legs pumping, and my heart happy.

^ Best Decor Ever ^

^ Whilst touring New England ^

^ PAC when I wasn't asked to keep him (yes, those are icicles and he feels neglected) ^

^ My bike in England ^

^ My brother and me in Paris with "Big Bopper" and "Jasmine" ^

^ Amsterdam ^

^ College Bike Ride ^

    

Forgiveness is a Miracle

Forgiveness.  It’s liberating and necessary and difficult.  It’s a miracle.

So many emotions and thoughts run through my head and my heart and all at one time it seems!  Depending on the situation and/or the people involved, getting to the point of true forgiveness is a long, hard road filled with navigating or redirecting and processing.   

Working through a hard situation or dealing with a person who’s less than rainbows and butterflies all the time is going to happen.  How important the event or person is in my life (i.e. how important I’ve made them in my mind and in my life) indicates how much time and effort or, rather, how much of a drain on my emotions it will take to make things right or be at peace with the circumstances.  Honestly, I wish I could shake things off like a wet dog and be done with it in a split second, but that’s not going to happen.  It will take time, work, and a miracle.

Even if my emotions take a toll and who knows what all else, if I cling to God and truly forgive, I’ll come out stronger in the end.  Especially if I learn from what transpired and do not return to the same unhealthy pattern, relationship, place, etc.  I want to forgive and move on yet be wise and be proactive by setting healthy boundaries for the future.

Thank goodness for other people to help carry our burdens, to be wise counselors, and to be great sounding boards.  More so, thank goodness for God, for His Word renewing my mind, and for who He is repairing my heart.  I would not be able to forgive myself or others without Him. 

I sometimes write poems or little rhymes to get my thoughts out or to be cute.  Enjoy my latest and know that, ultimately, we need to be forgiven and we need to forgive others, and it comes from God.

Forgiveness

Misunderstanding

Mistreatment

Miserable

Conflict

Confusion

Confession

Good bye

Good riddance

Answers

Anguish

Anger

Hopeless

Helpless

Speechless

Heartsick

Heavy-hearted

Grasping to understand

Amidst the pain

The why

The good that can come

From the surface so terrible

Strong enough to confront

The sin inside

Darkness

That needs God’s bright light

Making the hard path visible

Forgiveness is the answer

Not blame or shame

Through God

To weather life’s storm

Keeping fragile lives livable

Forgiveness is a miracle

Um, I Don't Care

I’ve decided that I don’t like hearing “take care” at the end of a conversation.  I think it’s short for “take care [because I most likely won’t see or talk to you again].”  That and the fact that if, say, care was a pill to take, then I don’t need it because I’ve OD’d.

Faithful, loyal, or caring.  Call it whatever you want! 

I believe I’m faithful, loyal to a fault sometimes, and I most definitely care too much.  Because of this, I’ve gotten burned out on people.   Yes, I want to love God and love people, but I’m tired.  Tired of caring, making the effort time and time again with little in return.

Since coming to Texas, I decided a new leaf was going to be turned and that I was going to take a nice break from instigating hangouts and what-not.  You know, just not doing things that in my mind showed I cared.  I wanted to focus on me.  It worked pretty well since I didn’t’ know anyone in the beginning, ha!  Yet now I’ve learned to focus on me in a more healthy way and to prioritize. 

This coming weekend is a good example.  I’m going to where I call home, and time is limited.  I have a lot of people who I love that I want to see and spend time with but there’s not enough time!  Prioritize.  Each visit I have to choose a handful of people to see and do certain things with in order to catch up.  It’s a two-way street, though.  So, in the end, if I don’t get to see someone or do something for whatever reason, I’ll try to not take it to heart but chalk it up to trying.

Anyway, I feel like I went from the one extreme of caring too much to the other of not caring at all.  Yet, going between the two has helped me realize personal tendencies, which are not bad per se but need to be more balanced.  Furthermore, as I’ve struggled with how I use my time and how I want to use my time or with just simply saying no, I’ve had some breakthroughs.  Well, more like some nudging from God to let me know that it’s okay to care [again].

Over the past week to week and a half, I’ve seen the most progress in delving through the “should I care or should I not care?” dilemma.  To begin, I’ve loved seeing that I’m not the only one who has a tendency to “care too much”. 

• On Wednesday, I was talking to a sweet new friend about this very subject.  She agreed and said that she’s in the same boat.  I was relieved that she understood and kept talking, and then at the end of the conversation she said, “So, what you’re saying is that we’re going to be GREAT friends.”  Yes.  Yes, I am. :)

•  I know we’ll be great friends not only because of that awesome comment but also because she’s similar to me.  For example, when I super randomly saw her walking out of the grocery store while I was walking in, she gave me a hug and thanked me for hanging out with her on Friday night.  She went on to say that she couldn’t talk right then since someone was waiting in the car for her and they were dashing off for an event but that she was looking forward to having dinner this Tuesday with me.  It was like a “did that just happen?!” kinda moment because I thank people for doing things with me and make concrete plans to see them.  Wow.  It’s nice to be on the receiving end for once, not gonna lie.  And this has happened more than once lately in God’s kindness.

• This same friend was kind enough to tell me, in a nutshell, that, even if we have a lot of crummy relationships (i.e. relationships we put a lot of time and energy into without much return in our opinions), isn’t it worth going through them to find the gems?  Yes, I think it is.  Hopefully the good ones that last will out-weigh the bad ones a zillion to one!

• I was skyping with another friend this past week who provided more insight and is another person who gets it.  She asked what my personality type was because she thought we were the same.  Yep.  Our personality tends to care.  A lot.  Knowing this and knowing that everyone is not like me (thank goodness) helped me be more gracious when people “don’t care” or when I have very different expectations of what should happen based on how I do things.  Now I’m trying to say let grace come instead of going to the mindset of “are you even a human being?!” or “are you seriously even my friend?!”

Thank goodness for people who understand, who are similar to us, and who will be my friend. 

Moving on to the nudging of God about how to deal with those who might not fit one or any of the categories just listed…

• I have a personalized verse pack on my dresser that I love.  I turn to a new verse ever so often, and the one I turned onto last week was the following: “Jessie, do not become weary of doing good, for in due season you shall reap, if you do not give up.  Therefore, Jessie, as you have opportunity, do good to all people, especially those in the Church.”  -- Galations 6:9-11  Yep.  Okay, God.

• On Tuesday, I heard a sermon about the prodigal son.  I’ve heard that story many times.  This was the second time it made a huge impact on me, with the first being when I was convicted of being the older brother.  While listening this past week, the preacher mentioned that “prodigal” means “recklessly extravagant” and that most of us think of the son in this way but that we should actually think of the father in this way.  His love for his son was recklessly extravagant!  God loves us like that!!  I want to love others like that.

• In tangent with this, the preacher spoke about another parable Jesus had given.  It was the shepherd going to find his one lost sheep even though he had 99 that were safe.  When you lose something, your complete focus is on finding it.  What if I’m so focused on me that I miss someone else who needs Christ, needs help, needs someone to care?

Needless to say, I was challenged with Scripture and God tugging at my heart, and several friends, both old and new, helped me come over the mountain of “to care or not” and start the decent. 

It’s a process, to be sure, and one I’m going to be cautious on and not let my guard down yet try to be gracious.  I mean, I’m not going to be everyone’s friend and that’s okay.  I’m also not going to do everything perfectly or exactly the way I’d like things done toward me a hundred percent of the time, so I need grace, too.  I’d just like to keep the close friends I have, do some pruning if need be, and branch out to those who are in my path now.