Black Friday

Thursday night was Black Friday; the day when American consumerism is manifested in winding lines of freezing people outside retail stores at ungodly hours of the morning. After spending the day cooking and eating Thanksgiving dinner, hundreds and thousands of people bundle up and wait for *hours* for their favorite store to open and rush into the organized maze of material goods in a frenzied race to find the best bargains.

My friends and I weren’t outside waiting to empty our bank-accounts, instead we arrived armed with coffee, hot chocolate, apple cider, brownies, cookies, muffins and more. As those cold, bored people waited in line at 1, 2 and 3:00 in the morning, we sold them our deliciously warm goods. Steaming cups of caffeinated happiness. Individually wrapped chocolate packages of joy.

It was awesome. They loved us and we raised almost $200!! What a great way to fundraise, right? One dear soul in our group brought a propane heater, so during a baked-goods lull, we’d crowd around it, warming our hands and bursting with laughter. At 2am!!

It was a great Black Friday.

Roses in the Rain

2 Corinthians 12:9

The leaves blaze bright against the dull grey clouds. Splashes of red and vibrant yellow resist the coming monotony of winter. The air is crisp and cold; the leaves are the last remnants of an indian summer nearly gone.

The raindrops softly hit the windowpane, quiet reminders of the impending storm. Inside the house is quiet; George Winston plays on and I’ve a steaming mug of tea to warm my cold hands.

I snuggle up on the couch to solidify UC applications. How does one sum up one’s life in a couple pages? How do you recount your experiences in 160 words? This is difficult and I feel very inadequate and unprepared.

George Winston makes me nostalgic and melancholy today. I want to sit and watch the rain fall on the colorful leaves. I want to close my eyes and remember times long past. Hugs and whispers from a time to which I can’t return.

Seasons come and go. Memories intensify and fade. Our journey changes and grows. Nothing is permanent; life is not static.

I look out at the beautiful red and yellow leaves; bold against the stormy sky. His grace is sufficient for me, for His power is made perfect in my weakness. How can I be dismayed?

Quiet!

Quiet! Can you hear it?

The endless heartbeat of the earth.

An echo; throbbing, pulsing

Hidden deep within its chest.

Its rhythm is eternal

Its beat is so intense.

In the ocean, in the rainfall

In the cadence of a song.

Can you hear it? Can you sense it?

Quiet, softly pulsing.

Hush! Can’t you feel it?

The endless breathing of the earth?

A soft and peaceful rhythm.

The rise and fall of time.

It beckons and it calls

Internally whispering.

In the breeze, in the shadows,

In the laughter of the young.

Hush! Can’t you hear it?

Mysterious. Innate.

Listen! Can you feel it?

The rotation of the earth?

Spinning, flying, endless twirling,

A great celestial dance.

You see it in a lifetime

That once vibrant now grows wane

Something ending, something growing

Neverending. Ever turning.

Spinning, endless twirling.

In the seasons and in dance

Sleeping, waking, living, breathing

Stars and moon and rocks and plants

Listen! Can’t you feel it?

It’s the endless pulse of life.

From the heartbeat to the spinning,

From the whisper to the laugh.

Life

* UC Applications

* Petition for creating my own major

* MUN, calendars, new members, details and politics

* Applying for graduation and A.A. degree(s)

* IR, Anthro, Film, History

* Weekend shifts at Jamba

* Planning for next semester’s classes

* Choir rehearsals

* Wrestling with God

“You better lose yourself in the music, in the moment. You own it, you better not let it go.” Eminem

“It is the Lord who goes before you. He will be with you; he will not fail you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed.” Deuteronomy 31:8