Random Ramblings

I've been kind of slow in blogging lately, and I apologize for that. I guess I'll just list off various thoughts going through my head, and things going on in my life. Even though I'm so bad at emailing people when I should, maybe this can keep ya'll posted. :)

• I got a job! Not just any job, but pretty much the perfect job for me. You know, God provides above and beyond in so many ways that I'm just dumbfounded sometimes. I'm working at Let's Dish, a make-and-take meal kitchen in Marysville. People can come in and make up to 12 meals in about 2 hours. I love it! I get half off once a month to do it myself. Mom & I did it a week ago, and it was fabulous. The people I'm working with are so nice. They aren't Christians, but Ray just got hired on as a dishwasher, so there's one more! This job is so perfect for me. I've been wanting something that will help me prepare for my hopeful Home Ec major at Master's. Well, if this doesn't, I don't know what will! It will be very good for me; in fact, it already is stretching & teaching me. And it's been really nice to get paychecks regularly. :)

• I got to visit my grandmother in August! We had a very good time together, and I hope to do it again. We got to visit beautiful Cannon Beach, the Rose Garden, and my adorable little cousins. I got to have lunch & play cards with some of my more contemporary cousins, and that was very fun. Always good to get caught up with them. It's so interesting to see a little of my relatives' lives, when I'm often so separated from them.

• I was thinking about how people say to live like each day is your last. I've never really understood that, and I haven't been able to entirely put my finger on it. But now I think I know why. I believe that we have it wrong. Sunday before last, Pastor Sean said something that really caught my attention and put my thinking back into right perspective. He said that the natural man makes himself top priority, then others, and then maybe God. (That jerked my head up off my notes, because too often, that's how I live.) He continued to say that a believer's priorities should be the other way around: God, others, then self. So back to the "live each day like it's your last" theory, I was thinking, shouldn't we live like it's the last day of others' lives? Even down to the little things, we could love one another a whole lot more.

• Katrina. What can I say? I've been thinking so much about the incredible magnitude of this Hurricane on so many peoples' lives. In so many stories or situations, I try to put myself into other peoples' shoes, so that maybe I can understand where they're coming from, or what they're going through. I've been trying to do that as usual, but at some point, my mind goes into overload, and I can't even continue. What a huge, horrible change it's made in so many lives. But I can't help but think, isn't this the city that has been known for drinking, immorality, and Mardis Gras? Isn't the mayor of this city swearing his head off even now on national tv? Indonesia was filled with tourism-geared immorality, then the tsunami hit. I'm not really trying to sound superstitious or anything, but I do believe it's possible that God sends messages to areas of extreme ungodliness. Not to say that we shouldn't help these people--we absolutely should! There are even churches that have been hit and will need much help. We cannot let this area be without God's message. There has to be some way to at least restore the churches, if not build more. These people definitely need Him.