Thursday Miscellany

My apologies for being a bit of a blog slacker. My thoughts have been a bit scattered lately, and the horizon clouded with grief...the Taylor accident, the homegoing of my boss's father a couple weeks ago, the heart attack and sudden death of my uncle this past Tuesday night. Lots to process, little time (taken or made) to sort out my thoughts. And so, here's the fruit of a scattered and distracted mind on a Thursday afternoon:

* After a lifetime of resisting the little woven wheat squares, I have converted: I like Triscuits.

* Rwandan Christians love and respect the sacredness of prayer. Many churches in Rwanda close and cover all of the doors and windows during times of corporate prayer.

* After many years away from the game, I've recently made 3 new friends with whom I am cautiously and excitedly exploring the Chicagoland badminton subculture. Apparently, there are pockets of adults all over this metropolis who take their shuttlecocks very seriously. They scare me a little. And, on Monday night, my new doubles partner and I took on a pair of them who made me feel like I was a big oaf swatting at flies, rather than an athlete trying her best to be at least modest competition on the court. You know you love a sport when you get your butt kicked and feel publicly shamed, but still want to get out there and play again.

* Coffee-Mate has a new fat-free liquid creamer flavor, Cinnamon Vanilla Cream. It's the bomb.

* I was cashiering at B&N last night and this adorable elderly man in a yellow sweater approached my register cradling a big, beautiful hardcover copy of Gone with the Wind. He confided, “I’ve got one graduating from high school, and I hope they find this book as exhilarating as I did when I first read it.” Although admittedly cynical about his grandchild’s appreciation for Margaret Mitchell’s classic tome, I wanted to hug the man.

* Although it gets a bit lonely at times, there are lots of benefits to working in an office of one. For example, I don’t have to make small talk at the water cooler. I’m not good at small talk.

* Community officials in Sydney, Australia have decided to install a loudspeaker system in a local park that will play Barry Manilow music in an attempt to rid the area of teenage hooligans who hang out there and disturb residents and business owners. This following a successful experiment a few years ago in which Bing Crosby music was used to drive teenage loiterers from an Australian shopping center.

* Tomorrow night I leave for a short vacation in Nashville with my immediate and extended family. I’m looking forward to it, but am ridiculously stressed about all of the big and little things that need to get done before I go.

* I find it ironic that the word “blog” is not recognized by Blogger’s spell check.

What.

If you haven't already heard, in an unfathomable twist of events, there has been a case of mistaken identity with two of the girls from last month's van crash that killed 4 Taylor students and 1 employee. You can read the article and watch the video from the Indianapolis NBC Eyewitness News here.

My heart is breaking all over again for the families of these girls and for the Taylor community. My head is spinning with all the implications.

And yet God is good, and faith is real even when nothing makes sense. I spent some time this afternoon on the blog the VanRyn family has been keeping for the girl they thought was their daughter, Laura, and I am astounded by the depth of their faith and the extent of their graciousness even in the face of this gut-wrenching news. At a time of speechlessness, they have spoken to a watching world words heavy with grief, but rimmed with hope. Incredible.

We Wear Many Hats

This past weekend's 3G02 reunion in Galena was splendid. Some of my favorite things (at least the ones that are appropriate to post online without incriminating anyone):

1. Lisa and Lori's spectacular spread of desserts waiting for us upon arrival. Cake balls: torture for one's diet but delight for the taste buds.

2. Exploring the quaint shops in downtown Galena. (Appreciating art, discovering stylish earrings, getting harshly reprimanded...)


3. Turning heads in our assortment of beautiful and/or ridiculous hats.


4. Bedtime stories.

5. Laughing til I cried, smiling so much my cheeks hurt, experiencing the freedom that comes with being so well known.

You Gotta Gotta Get Up to Get Down

If you need something to make you smile today (or if you just have a few minutes to kill), watch this.