tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12887865426785990272024-02-07T14:56:05.961-05:00shalomrestoring peace. unending grace. sacrificial love.Breehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08485087573012503056noreply@blogger.comBlogger99125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1288786542678599027.post-74497623699581847032010-04-14T23:22:00.000-04:002010-04-14T23:23:27.730-04:00when the waves turn the minutes to hoursmy father used to/still does sing this song whenever the waves begin to pick up on the lake. my mother always quickly hushes him, but we all sit there humming in under our breath. saying these little prayers. looking out over the lake that is so calm and gentle, yet so ruthless and unforgiving. its this level of respect for the water. i couldn't quite explain it when asked recently, but the song always seems to sum it up.<br /><br /><br />"The legend lives on from the Chippewa on down<br />Of the big lake they called 'Gitche Gumee'<br />The lake, it is said, never gives up her dead<br />When the skies of November turn gloomy<br />With a load of iron ore twenty-six thousand tons more<br />Than the Edmund Fitzgerald weighed empty.<br />That good ship and true was a bone to be chewed<br />When the gales of November came early.<br />The ship was the pride of the American side<br />Coming back from some mill in Wisconsin<br />As the big freighters go, it was bigger than most<br />With a crew and good captain well seasoned<br />Concluding some terms with a couple of steel firms<br />When they left fully loaded for Cleveland<br />And later that night when the ship's bell rang<br />Could it be the north wind they'd been feelin'?<br /><br />The wind in the wires made a tattle-tale sound<br />And a wave broke over the railing<br />And every man knew, as the captain did too,<br />T'was the witch of November come stealin'.<br />The dawn came late and the breakfast had to wait<br />When the Gales of November came slashin'.<br />When afternoon came it was freezin' rain<br />In the face of a hurricane west wind.<br /><br />When suppertime came, the old cook came on deck sayin'.<br />Fellas, it's too rough to feed ya.<br />At Seven P.M. a main hatchway caved in, he said<br />Fellas, it's been good t'know ya<br />The captain wired in he had water comin' in<br />And the good ship and crew was in peril.<br />And later that night when his lights went outta sight<br />Came the wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald.<br /><br />Does any one know where the love of God goes<br />When the waves turn the minutes to hours?<br />The searches all say they'd have made Whitefish Bay<br />If they'd put fifteen more miles behind her.<br />They might have split up or they might have capsized;<br />May have broke deep and took water.<br />And all that remains is the faces and the names<br />Of the wives and the sons and the daughters.<br /><br />Lake Huron rolls, Superior sings<br />In the rooms of her ice-water mansion.<br />Old Michigan steams like a young man's dreams;<br />The islands and bays are for sportsmen.<br />And farther below Lake Ontario<br />Takes in what Lake Erie can send her,<br />And the iron boats go as the mariners all know<br />With the Gales of November remembered.<br /><br />In a musty old hall in Detroit they prayed,<br />In the Maritime Sailors' Cathedral.<br />The church bell chimed till it rang twenty-nine times<br />For each man on the Edmund Fitzgerald.<br />The legend lives on from the Chippewa on down<br />Of the big lake they call 'Gitche Gumee'.<br />Superior, they said, never gives up her dead<br />When the gales of November come early!"Breehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08485087573012503056noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1288786542678599027.post-90710373237530884402010-01-21T15:37:00.004-05:002010-01-21T16:06:03.530-05:00we are (hopefully) not pessimistic space cadets.infinity is now.<div><br /></div><div>my brother and i decided this today. </div><div><br /></div><div>if infinity exists before us and after us and time is irrelevant, then infinity is now.</div><div>and now.</div><div>and now.</div><div>and now. </div><div><br /></div><div>and we are infinite.</div><div>not in our shape. not in who we are. not what we are. but what we are made of. the neutrons and electrons and protons that comprise our body will be traded to the earth and its creatures for our decomposition. and we are infinite.</div><div><br /></div><div>we are infinite because the events and people that came before us. without them...we are not. we are infinite because of our future. our possibilities. our potential.</div><div><br /></div><div>we have class together (Christopher and I) and much of the conversation is in regards to how we know that we know. and if the more we "know", we realize that we really know nothing at all, then what is the point in trying to "know" anything?</div><div><br /></div><div>are we doomed to be pessimistic space cadets?</div><div><br /></div><div>maybe, but I think there is another option.</div><div><br /></div><div>maybe the more we "know", and the more we realize we really know nothing at all, then the more we realize how much we can consume. maybe we have the opportunity to "know" (or at least try to have some sort of idea) about so much more then we initially assumed. </div><div><br /></div><div>maybe the possibilities for knowledge are...infinite.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Breehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08485087573012503056noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1288786542678599027.post-85023175466293962262009-08-19T22:13:00.003-04:002009-08-19T22:21:18.558-04:00mere adjectives<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;">"They wanted, as we say, </span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;">to 'call their souls their own.' </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;">But that means to live a lie, </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;">for our souls are not, in fact, our own. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;">They wanted some corner in the universe of which they could say to God,</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"> 'This is our business, not yours.' </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;">But there is no such corner. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;">They wanted to be nouns, </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;">but they were, and eternally must be,</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;">mere adjectives."</span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;">-c.s. lewis</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;">"He has</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;">paid us</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;">the </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;">intolerable</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;">compliment</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;">of loving us,</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;">in the deepest, </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;">most tragic,</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;">most inexorable</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;">sense."</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;">-c.s. lewis</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;">"God might have arrested this problem by miracle...</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;">but this would have been to decline the problem</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;">which God had set himself when he created the world,</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;">the problem of expressing his goodness</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;">through the </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;">total drama</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;">of a world containing free agents,</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;">in spite of, and by means of, </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;">their rebellion against him."</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;">-c.s lewis</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;">(quotes from "The Problem of Pain" by C.S. Lewis)</span></div></div>Breehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08485087573012503056noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1288786542678599027.post-67645454818244343242009-07-09T21:57:00.003-04:002009-07-09T22:06:42.987-04:00not less than everything<div>these are quotes i wrote down in my moleskin after reading '<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Severe-Mercy-Sheldon-Vanauken/dp/0060688246">A Severe Mercy</a>' by Sheldon Vanauken.</div><div><br /></div>'tormented thought & worn-out shoes/take all & dwell therein'<div>-julian</div><div><br /></div><div>to be a christian: 'a condition of complete simplicity/costing not less than everything.'</div><div>-c.s. lewis</div><div><br /></div><div>'thus, rather improbably, began what i must call, judging by all others i've known of, a rather remarkable love. its remarkableness lay, not in our falling quite desperately in love--many have experienced that glory--but in what we made of that love.'</div><div>-sheldon vanauken</div><div><br /></div>Breehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08485087573012503056noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1288786542678599027.post-40717199967526008522009-07-09T01:11:00.005-04:002010-04-14T23:22:02.700-04:00when the waves turn the minutes to hoursmy father used to/still does sing this song whenever the waves begin to pick up on the lake. my mother always quickly hushes him, but we all sit there humming in under our breath. saying these little prayers. looking out over the lake that is so calm and gentle, yet so ruthless and unforgiving. its this level of respect for the water. i couldn't quite explain it when asked recently, but the song always seems to sum it up.<br /><br /><br />"The legend lives on from the Chippewa on down<br />Of the big lake they called 'Gitche Gumee'<br />The lake, it is said, never gives up her dead<br />When the skies of November turn gloomy<br />With a load of iron ore twenty-six thousand tons more<br />Than the Edmund Fitzgerald weighed empty.<br />That good ship and true was a bone to be chewed<br />When the gales of November came early.<br />The ship was the pride of the American side<br />Coming back from some mill in Wisconsin<br />As the big freighters go, it was bigger than most<br />With a crew and good captain well seasoned<br />Concluding some terms with a couple of steel firms<br />When they left fully loaded for Cleveland<br />And later that night when the ship's bell rang<br />Could it be the north wind they'd been feelin'?<br /><br />The wind in the wires made a tattle-tale sound<br />And a wave broke over the railing<br />And every man knew, as the captain did too,<br />T'was the witch of November come stealin'.<br />The dawn came late and the breakfast had to wait<br />When the Gales of November came slashin'.<br />When afternoon came it was freezin' rain<br />In the face of a hurricane west wind.<br /><br />When suppertime came, the old cook came on deck sayin'.<br />Fellas, it's too rough to feed ya.<br />At Seven P.M. a main hatchway caved in, he said<br />Fellas, it's been good t'know ya<br />The captain wired in he had water comin' in<br />And the good ship and crew was in peril.<br />And later that night when his lights went outta sight<br />Came the wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald.<br /><br />Does any one know where the love of God goes<br />When the waves turn the minutes to hours?<br />The searches all say they'd have made Whitefish Bay<br />If they'd put fifteen more miles behind her.<br />They might have split up or they might have capsized;<br />May have broke deep and took water.<br />And all that remains is the faces and the names<br />Of the wives and the sons and the daughters.<br /><br />Lake Huron rolls, Superior sings<br />In the rooms of her ice-water mansion.<br />Old Michigan steams like a young man's dreams;<br />The islands and bays are for sportsmen.<br />And farther below Lake Ontario<br />Takes in what Lake Erie can send her,<br />And the iron boats go as the mariners all know<br />With the Gales of November remembered.<br /><br />In a musty old hall in Detroit they prayed,<br />In the Maritime Sailors' Cathedral.<br />The church bell chimed till it rang twenty-nine times<br />For each man on the Edmund Fitzgerald.<br />The legend lives on from the Chippewa on down<br />Of the big lake they call 'Gitche Gumee'.<br />Superior, they said, never gives up her dead<br />When the gales of November come early!"Breehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08485087573012503056noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1288786542678599027.post-9264800705132915802009-06-28T21:34:00.002-04:002009-06-28T21:42:32.506-04:00the less i know"seems like everywhere i go, the more i see the less i know"<div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">isn't that the truth.</span></div>Breehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08485087573012503056noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1288786542678599027.post-4549849394644112882009-06-28T12:40:00.002-04:002009-06-28T13:17:16.142-04:00ebb and flowits strange isn't it?<div><br /></div><div>how things come and go.</div><div>this tide.</div><div>this ebb and flow.</div><div>this rise. this fall.</div><div><br /></div><div>for the past five days, the sun has been excruciating. shining with a warmth that is no longer pleasant, warm, or inviting. but instead. pushing past soft cottons to delicate skin. burning. this source so necessary for life begins to assault life itself. contradiction on the greatest scale.</div><div><br /></div><div>and then. </div><div>today.</div><div>i slept in. and woke up this morning to a most unusual thing. to the rushing coolness of this summer breeze. the ironic turn of the hot land colliding with lake air and rushing in and down the streets of this sleepy summer town. <br /></div><div><br /></div><div>and thats it. right there. the burning, scorching, hungry heat comes. but. so does this cool, rushing wind. </div><div> </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Breehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08485087573012503056noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1288786542678599027.post-73891026999912750882009-06-13T12:43:00.000-04:002009-06-13T12:44:47.025-04:00for always is always now.<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 5px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 5px; "><span style="font-family:verdana,arial,helvetica;font-size:85%;color:#333333;">For we have thought the longer thoughts<br />And gone the shorter way.<br />And we have danced to devil's tunes<br />Shivering home to pray;<br />I take you now and for always,<br />For always is always now.</span> <span style="font-family:verdana,arial,helvetica;font-size:85%;"></span></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 5px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 5px; "><span style="font-family:verdana,arial,helvetica;font-size:85%;">-<i><a href="http://www.quoteland.com/author.asp?AUTHOR_ID=1655">Philip Larkin</a>,</i></span></span></div>Breehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08485087573012503056noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1288786542678599027.post-5507284141640073332009-06-08T21:17:00.003-04:002009-06-08T22:42:40.244-04:00'we are far to easily pleased'<div>thoughts today in quote form:</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'lucida grande'; font-size: 11px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(255, 102, 102);">"God isn't calling you to a mediocre life. And don't you dare settle. DON'T YOU DARE. It's not what you thought it would look like. so what!? When does it ever look like what we think it should or thought it was going to? Never. It never looks like we thought it was going to. God has been making you promises. He is just and faithful to those promises. He did not die on a cross to give you a life full of empty promises and have baked plans. He has a plan, a beautiful, full, abundant path for you!"</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(255, 102, 102);"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'lucida grande'; font-size: 11px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(255, 102, 102);">-my own words in a letter to a friend [funny how our own words are often preached to ourselves]</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'lucida grande'; font-size: 11px;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'lucida grande'; font-size: 11px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(153, 153, 255);">"There is no passion to be found in playing small - in settling for a life that is less than the one you are capable of living."</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'lucida grande'; font-size: 11px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(153, 153, 255);">-Nelson Mandela</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'lucida grande'; font-size: 11px;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'lucida grande'; font-size: 11px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(102, 255, 153);">"Indeed, if we consider the the unblushing promises of the rewards promised in the Gospels, it would seem that Our Lord finds our desires not too strong, but too weak. We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased."</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'lucida grande'; font-size: 11px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(102, 255, 153);">-C.S. Lewis [The Weight of Glory]</span></span></div><div><br /></div>Breehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08485087573012503056noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1288786542678599027.post-65024632063076889632009-06-07T13:35:00.004-04:002009-06-07T14:59:33.040-04:00"for no other reason that that he is himself an extension of life around him"<div>Just moments ago finished a book that I have loved for many years. My mother gave the book to me about 10 years ago (i've read it several dozen times), trying to satisfy my insatiable appetite for reading and love for nature. The book is written by my hero, Jane Goodall, and is called <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">Reason for Hope</span>. In it, she speaks about her beloved chimpanzees, her love for nature, for people, and life. Among the many wise words she has to say about the deep rooted relationship between spirituality and science, her focus, as it always has been, is on our responsibility now. She describes a lecture she gave at the Grace Cathedral in San Francisco. </div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">"I took, as my text, Genesis Chapter 1, verse 26: "And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth." I explained that many Hebrew scholars believe the word 'dominion' is a very poor translation of the original Hebrew word 'v'yirdu', which actually meant to rule over, as a wise king rules over his subjects, with care and respect. It implied a sense of responsibility and enlightened stewardship."</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px; font-style: italic;"><br /></span></div><div>Stewardship is an uncomfortable world in western vocabulary. Responsibility for the world, the animals, the creation around us. We were given stewardship over creation. Instead, we move about our days recklessly. We pillage the land for its resources. We rape the earth of its wild places. Our planet is increasingly becoming a sad place to live. Our forests are smaller, our land is over farmed and infertile, our livestock are crammed into disgustingly small spaces, our fruit is grown to abnormally large sizes, injected with hormones. Our air becomes increasingly poisonous, we pour toxins into the atmosphere and destroy the layers that protect our very existence. </div><div><br /></div><div>There is really no such thing as an environmentalist, as a "tree-hugger", as a "green" person. There are simply those who understand the responsibility of stewardship and have the desire to live. There is simply no reason, that anyone with the desire to live life, cannot carry the weight of stewardship. Buying local produce. Purchasing meat raised and slaughtered humanely, or not at all. Picking up trash. Exploring better ways to do the necessary day-to-day things we do. Its not remarkable. Not even difficult. But necessary. </div><div><br /></div><div>Someday, I want my children to play in trees older than myself. I want them to romp in fields of wild flowers. I want them to swim in the lake that runs through my veins. I want to take them on hikes of the wild island I fell in love with as a child. I want them to see a peregrine falcon in its natural habitat. And I want them to wonder. I want them to wonder that even in the midst of our destruction, mankind turned, saw the world, and began to undo what it had done. I want them to wonder at creation and say, "It is good."</div><div><br /></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">"A man who possesses a veneration of life will not simply say his prayers. He will throw himself into the battle to preserve life, if for no other reason than that he is himself an extension of life around him.</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">"</span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">-albert s</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">chweitzer</span></div>Breehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08485087573012503056noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1288786542678599027.post-82390962021269252312009-06-06T21:30:00.002-04:002009-06-06T21:42:42.156-04:00things i'm obsessed with this week. my weekly emails of art, music, food, style, life, etc. are going over a little transformation!<div><br /></div><div>coming soon via video to an <a href="visualabundance.blogspot.com">art blog</a> near you.</div><div><br /></div><div>also.</div><div>vimeo vs. youtube--feedback anyone?</div>Breehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08485087573012503056noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1288786542678599027.post-73569724865518081592009-06-04T20:18:00.008-04:002009-06-04T20:58:58.052-04:00to search deep.<span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">"</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);">Most people are like: oh this is nice, this is bad. No one wants to search deep. Sadness. You so would</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);">.</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">"</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">-m.a.</span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">[i've never been so flattered in my life.]</span></span></span></div>Breehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08485087573012503056noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1288786542678599027.post-88954902087155533512009-06-03T01:03:00.001-04:002009-06-04T20:57:17.116-04:00you yourself are capable of bothgo camping. fish for dinner. and sleep on the forest floor with me. <div><br /></div><div><br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></div><div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">"<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">Adventure is a path. Real adventure - self-determined, self-motivated, often risky - forces you to have firsthand encounters with the world. The world the way it is, not the way you imagine it, Your body will collide with the earth and you will bear witness. In this way you will be compelled to grapple with the limitless kindness and bottomless cruelty of human kind - and perhaps realize that you yourself are capable of both. This will change you. Nothing will ever be black and white again.</span>"</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">-mark jenkins</span></span></div></div></div>Breehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08485087573012503056noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1288786542678599027.post-2155515391550653452009-05-21T01:41:00.005-04:002009-05-21T01:51:32.968-04:00the society of the sea<span class="Apple-style-span" style=" "><span class="Apple-style-span" style=""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">"If the coast guard did stop by, it was for a cup of coffee. We were part of a society: the society of the sea."</span></span></span></span></span></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">-Latts & Atts<br /></span></span></span></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=""><span class="Apple-style-span" style=""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 204, 255);"><br /></span></span></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=""><span class="Apple-style-span" style=""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 204, 255);">from the first week i breathed life on this planet i became a member of the society of the sea. i have the seas in my veins. and i will promise you this friends, there is no better life than the one spent on the water.</span></span></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: 23px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">"Haul the sheet in as we ride on the wind<br />That our forefathers harnessed before us<br />Hear the bells ring as the tight rigging sings<br />Its a son of a gun of a chorus"</span></span></span></span><br /></span></div></div>Breehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08485087573012503056noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1288786542678599027.post-28905993874316853302009-05-18T21:20:00.005-04:002009-05-18T22:30:21.402-04:00dear friends,<div><br /></div><div>i must say, i truly enjoy reading your blogs. i enjoy reading about your dreams [<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">sleeping or awake</span>], your travels, your thoughts, your struggles, your triumphs, your lives, and your stories. i love being able to connect with you through your words. whether you are 2 blocks, 2 states, or 2,000 miles away. </div><div><br /></div><div>i love reading your words, listening to you wordsmith. listening to you wrap and weave words with the skill of wise craftsmen. and you all use them so differently. so beautifully. some of you use raw words. writing allows you to escape, to say what you want to say. for some of you, your writing is thought out, detailed. every word is carefully chosen, exchanged over and over and over until the right combination is found.</div><div><br /></div><div>your words. i read them all [<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">although perhaps a little too often</span>]. i love your words. i value your words. so please. please. please. please. please. please. write. write a little. write a waterfall of words. but please, write. because if you don't, who will? who will tell the world of your dreams? who will tell the world of your travels? who will tell the world of your stories, your struggles, your anger, your beauty, your sorrows, your joy?</div><div><br /></div><div>please continue writing friends. </div><div>i like your words.</div><div><br /></div>Breehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08485087573012503056noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1288786542678599027.post-82228372464018548122009-05-17T13:58:00.000-04:002009-05-17T13:59:25.017-04:00postscriptp.s.<div>many new photos up on my art blog: <a href="http://visualabundance.blogspot.com">visual abundance</a></div>Breehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08485087573012503056noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1288786542678599027.post-51529752506548479942009-05-17T12:37:00.002-04:002009-05-17T13:58:03.867-04:00doesn't mean i'm lost<div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana;">lately i've been loving the song "</span><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3OsV3Ep3dUA"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana;">Lost</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana;">" by Coldplay. its a song about losing, but not being lost. and there is something about the way that the notes fall into the riff and the way chris martin sings that speaks about redemption.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana;">and i think that's kind of what its all about. i lose. everyday i lose. but i'm not lost. and thats the greatest irony in all of history; everyday we're losing, but at the end of the day, we're not lost. at the end of the day</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana;">we have redemption.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana;">we have grace.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana;">we have mercy.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana;">we have restoration.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana;">and that's the truly beautiful part. not just that we are given redemption, grace, but that then</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana;">we are restored.<br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana;">we are made new.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana;">we are brought into a new and better life.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana;">this week has been a week of redemption. its been increasingly refreshing in a world of dry leaves, like small trees bursting through the rotting decay of the forest floor. and leaves opening up to warm, warm sunshine. i feel like i'm feeling the sunshine for the first time in so, so long. </span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana;">but its alright. because i feel like redemption is better. being brought back from wandering, from losing, from making a general mess of life is the best gift of all. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana;">"just because i'm losing</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana;">doesn't mean i'm lost."</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana;">-coldplay</span></div>Breehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08485087573012503056noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1288786542678599027.post-69495596782699272272009-05-16T11:41:00.004-04:002009-05-16T14:26:57.868-04:00nice things:<div>*cooking</div><div>*cleaning the boat with my father</div><div>*<a href="http://www.vat19.com/dvds/ambf.cfm">indoor bonfires</a></div><div>*lightening storms</div><div>*dresses</div><div>*<a href="http://www.sector9.com/">longboarding</a></div><div>*<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCbjLebwr2kOMLt8BqycM4LRSUW9zniB0GIfi6sBRDrfl24p1HAPrcuMgBp_0dNoCaekCnexErC-v_mYUiX0hPcAPvLLb4bFkrPtZCFVWyuSuLIZCHxuHmLaHTQh8-cQxPL-_2zY12Pms/s400/sammons.schwinn.JPG">bicycles</a></div><div>*fedoras</div><div>*<a href="http://shop.equalexchange.com/ProductInfo.aspx?productid=10005">coffee</a></div><div>*<a href="http://www.equalexchange.coop/organic-tea">tea</a></div><div>*<a href="http://vegweb.com/index.php?topic=7975.0">pesto</a></div><div>*guitars</div><div>*<a href="http://www.coldplay.com/lrlrl/lr.html">leftrightleftrightleft</a></div><div>*ray lamontagne cover of gnarls barkley's "<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6mEfDSP4g_U">crazy</a>"</div><div>*the Lost<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=72xVqMl32HA"> theme song</a></div><div>*dogs</div><div>*people taking photographs with my camera</div>Breehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08485087573012503056noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1288786542678599027.post-77184316204512194902009-05-14T21:05:00.002-04:002009-05-14T21:10:25.013-04:00zoooooooo<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioc0AAs0xHJo9cljmApNmgYS_fFhTa_vyO4xDgg1iCVNle-aHiCUe9jOTM1ioUfTAbai6kUIClE6JppsbU-oQyHPfigMaKSLYsZWnGYmX97xEvVoup3z8CxEUh80Qc1xu0mLeRN7-iahby/s1600-h/IMG_1724.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioc0AAs0xHJo9cljmApNmgYS_fFhTa_vyO4xDgg1iCVNle-aHiCUe9jOTM1ioUfTAbai6kUIClE6JppsbU-oQyHPfigMaKSLYsZWnGYmX97xEvVoup3z8CxEUh80Qc1xu0mLeRN7-iahby/s320/IMG_1724.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5335851579800214818" /></a><br />new photographs up on my art blog. check out some <a href="http://visualabundance.blogspot.com/">visual abundance</a>.<div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Breehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08485087573012503056noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1288786542678599027.post-70551450105429474912009-05-12T15:58:00.003-04:002009-05-12T16:10:47.648-04:00wedding dress<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(128, 128, 128); font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13px; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; "><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">The raw, but very convicting words of Derek Webb:</span></div><div><br /></div>If you could love me as a wife <br />and for my wedding gift, your life <br />Should that be all I'd ever need <br />or is there more I'm looking for <br /><br />and should I read between the lines <br />and look for blessings in disguise <br />To make me handsome, rich, and wise <br />Is that really what you want <br /><br />I am a whore I do confess <br />But I put you on just like a wedding dress <br />and I run down the aisle <br />and I run down the aisle <br />I'm a prodigal with no way home <br />but I put you on just like a ring of gold <br />and I run down the aisle to you <br /><br />So could you love this bastard child <br />Though I don't trust you to provide <br />With one hand in a pot of gold <br />and with the other in your side <br /><br />I am so easily satisfied <br />by the call of lovers so less wild <br />That I would take a little cash <br />Over your very flesh and blood <br /><br />Because money cannot buy <br />a husband's jealous eye <br />When you have knowingly deceived his wife</span>Breehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08485087573012503056noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1288786542678599027.post-37486641238738833932009-05-11T16:51:00.003-04:002009-05-11T17:02:01.563-04:00be a localvore:<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); line-height: 18px; font-family:verdana;font-size:12px;"><p align="center" style="margin-top: 2px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; "><strong><span style="font-size:130%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102);">10 Reasons to Buy Local Food</span></span></span></strong></p><ol><li><div align="left"><span><span><strong><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 204, 0);">Locally grown food tastes better.</span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102);"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102);"> </span></span></span></strong><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102);">Food grown in your own community was probably picked within the past day or two. It's crisp, sweet and loaded with flavor. Produce flown or trucked in from California, Florida, Chile or Holland is, quite understandably, much older. Several studies have shown that the average distance food travels from farm to plate is 1,500 miles. In a week-long (or more) delay from harvest to dinner table, sugars turn to starches, plant cells shrink, and produce loses its vitality.</span></span></span></span></span></div></li><li><div align="left"><span><strong><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 204, 0);">Local produce is better for you.</span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 204, 0);"> </span></span></span></strong><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102);">A recent study showed that fresh produce loses nutrients quickly. Food that is frozen or canned soon after harvest is actually more nutritious than some "fresh" produce that has been on the truck or supermarket shelf for a week. Locally grown food, purchased soon after harvest, retains its nutrients.</span></span></span></span></div></li><li><div align="left"><span><span><strong><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 204, 0);">Local food preserves genetic diversity.</span></span></span></strong></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 204, 0);"> In the modern industri</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102);">al agricultural system, varieties are chosen for their ability to ripen simultaneously and withstand harvesting equipment; for a tough skin that can survive packing and shipping; and for an ability to have a long shelf life in the store. Only a handful of hybrid varieties of each fruit and vegetable meet those rigorous demands, so there is little genetic diversity in the plants grown. Local farms, in contrast, grow a huge number of varieties to provide a long season of harvest, an array of eye-catching colors, and the best flavors. Many varieties are heirlooms, passed down from generation to generation, because they taste good. These old varieties contain genetic material from hundreds or even thousands of years of human selection; they may someday provide the genes needed to create varieties that will thrive in a changing climate.</span></span></span></span></div></li><li><div align="left"><span><strong><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 204, 0);">Local food is GMO-free.</span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 204, 0);"> </span></span></span></strong><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102);">Although biotechnology companies have been trying to commercialize genetically modified fruits and vegetables, they are currently licensing them only to large factory-style farms. Local farmers don't have access to genetically modified seed, and most of them wouldn't use it event if they could. A June 2001 survey by ABC News showed that 93% of Americans want labels on genetically modified food - most so that they can avoid it. If you are opposed to eating bioengineered food, you can rest assured that locally grown produce was bred the old-fashioned way, as nature intended.</span></span></span></span></div></li><li><div align="left"><span><strong><span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 204, 0);">Local food supports local farm families</span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 204, 0);">.</span></span></span></span></strong><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102);"> With fewer than 1 million Americans now claiming farming as their primary occupation, farmers are a vanishing breed. And no wonder - commodity prices are at historic lows, often below the cost of production. The farmer now gets less than 10 cents of the retail food dollar. Local farmers who sell direct to the consumers cut out the middleman and get full retail price for their food - which means farm families can afford to stay on the farm, doing the work they love.</span></span></span></span></div></li><li><div align="left"><span><strong><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 204, 0);">Local food builds community.</span></span></span></span></strong><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 204, 0);"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102);">When you buy direct from</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102);"> the farmer, you are reestablishing a time-honored connection between the eater and the grower. Knowing the farmers gives you insight into the seasons, the weather, and the miracle of raising food. In many cases, it gives you access to a farm where your children and grandchildren can to go to learn about nature and agriculture. Relationships built on understanding and trust can thrive.</span></span></span></span></div></li><li><div align="left"><span><strong><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 204, 0);">Local food preserves open space.</span></span></span></span></strong><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102);"> As the value of direct-marketed fruits and vegetables increases, selling farmland for development becomes less likely. You have probably enjoyed driving out into the country and appreciated the lush fields of crops, the meadows full of wildflowers, the picturesque</span></span></span><span style="font-family:Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102);"> </span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102);">red barns. That landscape will survive only as long as farms are financially viable. When you buy locally grown food, you are doing something proactive about preserving the agricultural landscape.</span></span></span></span></div></li><li><div align="left"><span><strong><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 204, 0);">Local food keeps your taxes in check.</span></span></span></span></strong><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102);"> Farms contribute more in taxes than they require in services, whereas suburban development costs more than it generates in taxes, according to several studies. On average, for every $1 in revenue raised by residential development, governments must spend $1.17 on services, thus requiring higher taxes of all taxpayers. For each dollar of revenue raised by farm, forest, or open space, governments spend 34 cents on services.</span></span></span></span></div></li><li><div align="left"><span><strong><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 204, 0);">Local food supports a clean environment and benefits wildlife.</span></span></span></span></strong><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 204, 0);"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102);">A well-managed fam</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102);">ily farm is a place where the resources of fertile soil and clean water are valued. Good stewards of the land grow cover crops to prevent erosion and replace nutrients used by their crops. Cover crops also capture carbon emissions and help combat global warming. According to some estimates, farmers who practice conservation tillage could sequester 12 - 14% of the carbon emitted by vehicles and industry. In addition, the habitat of a farm - the patchwork of fields, meadows, woods, ponds and buildings - is the perfect environment for many beloved species of wildlife, including bluebirds, killdeer, herons, bats and rabbits.</span></span></span></span></div></li><li><div align="left"><strong><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 204, 0);">Local food is about the future.</span></span></span></span></strong><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 204, 0);"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102);"> By supporting local farmers today, you can help</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102);"> ensure that there will be farms in your community tomorrow, and that future generations will have access to nourishing, flavorful, and abundant food.</span></span></span></div></li></ol><p align="center" style="margin-top: 2px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; "><span><strong><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102);"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 255, 51);">Buy local food.<br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 153, 0);">Sustain local farms.</span></span></span></span></strong></span></p></span>Breehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08485087573012503056noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1288786542678599027.post-9430879186136028972009-05-07T14:50:00.006-04:002009-05-07T17:22:21.716-04:00these friends of mine<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">friends</span>. <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">i see Jesus in these people</span>.<div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeJq-Yf8RxOou5DB1PgHhyphenhyphenkpfs_-pWd7vdvZzGwgp3rwRGruO4p-mziyhhr4kPIjutnGzZ5NGi9YH5euUXuZN5DoDwfi0L6JCLzHR-E-4_0bNpYZ3GHZTAQYwuV0dCI1fa-hTzNuZWt4_n/s200/n15303078_30972604_6993.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5333182063096404002" /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">alexandria.</span></div><div>the God loving, earth caring, food cooking, beautiful soul that i call my best friend. a lover of God and of people. so full of adventure and life. when i'm around her, i'm more compassionate, more honest, more of the me that God is calling me to be.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 162px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiex-HiO4r6oSqvj9K723McU-MAOgmuImSlA3rGxqm5jsBWn7TqkrRZyceL20KFUEnmc6YMywaaorrMxdCThTFeRQ8H-aEO5Ww8lWQXtzk14cQc1LONWBktMe7km6gLceu2YB7ijD6MOz3A/s200/n11404196_31189839_7488.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5333193647368459058" /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">jaime</span>.</div><div>lays down her life for the best and worst of friends. holds tightly to God's promises and is a friend who truly understands what it takes to stand in the will of God. she keeps me sane when i'm tip-toeing the edge of insanity.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 134px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHS6lmMs7V-mVpGuyCz9CRJEbpzCFkuvLeRHdn0h_UhVH2YQvAKDu9BRmOveaqNhr1HNew4QxUa9mAD_kzkJQQz_FyAtBzqx-Iu-pSCdTCuU3y2RfdH_HZAIOisnkpjlDGfD0Unw0V3hVA/s200/IMG_1002.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5333192644704512514" /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">marcus</span>.</div><div>the kindest man i know. loves those who don't deserve love. cares more deeply for the people around him than anyone i have ever known. chases after God with such fervor. and never, never, never gives up on anyone.</div><div><br /></div><div><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 134px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyPv2W3o0sRCOoGDjcmssh341Lp5X3BpLnrmHmw84WCFBFhlWqQls-y65YB5yUZj3ZLCUIKmtdUx4cATQsoarY0bgtoAf_Z0UGTbSXcLIjTcifRgFQZVcRuHX7rIw-WKHMy17lOl5t99D7/s200/IMG_0370.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5333182069634804114" /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">nathan</span>.</div><div>the thinker. the professor. the contemplator. he wrestles with every idea, relationship, aspect of life. when he cares, he cares deeply. he is one-hundred percent in or one-hundred percent out. he is deep and good and full of wisdom. he is my brother, the first person i call. his wisdom is a strong, steady keel in an ocean of waves.</div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 134px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix52A-G8CPhV2tJ6Pw2xHXz4riGGRpFEHLWM8F6AcRF4dta1lJU01KcxgcS4dwiBboamCZll5HGjBkqrBBA1LMiQcTwNTVFLrDEWbVaaeS-OJF_Yvq5jLflB2gVvIry5NdMB76A4B2OAxz/s200/IMG_0555.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5333191828358492466" /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">behr</span>.</div><div>makes everyday new. everyday bright. everyday beautiful. she's a rock in a crashing sea of unsteady friendships. beautiful, free, and young. she grows boldly and pulls others up off the ground as she grows upward. she's full of forgiveness and mercy. she's my neighbor, my friend, my late-night-confidant. i laugh harder and breathe deeper when we are together.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /><br /><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 134px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtrz1RfU8VFhY5NfLdA6ycMveJE7bHA349WuTHFMNT8OdD7nyS4zFp-PjEzpx-rii-9vs8rAbqalf4TP_p0bn-c17CM3tqU6xYLqHnWyzFCO61tz3j91J3ON9lj-3h1l-NOUsiDyORgsSN/s200/IMG_0636.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5333182078066555330" /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">andrew</span>.</div><div>sacrifices sleep, food, homework, sanity for his friends. gives so much of himself. lives abundantly, beautifully, and true. lays down his life for his friends daily. honest and true, and his friendship makes me more so. our first conversation was 10 hours long. (not exaggerating)</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 122px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-XDfJWdIMCN883g_Tu0YwI22PB3EU2oyzgUJ868Zcus3Lb7U8VlIzYVQW4yyQT_ZZQxleI_SiR9ZTkHSfdobRKqxveh3xlwA47ollwLKXKxP1K36R2ucw-sBwWje77-CU1kqjGNioHacL/s200/IMG_1337.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5333192855443841266" /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">paul</span>.</div><div>his smile, laughter, humor are contagious, but not ignorantly so. his kindness shows the wisdom of a life that has seen less happy times. he soaks up each day so fully, sometimes, i swear i can see each ray of sunlight sink into his skin. he is so sincere, and i learn what sincerity is every time he hugs me.</div><div><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDRLqb_gWBZNDVDYcCis6MNz0cGpJ1ife4jXec5QgMmid0Rn4AMfsWL9jGFHXhQuZ-KvK-mn0qkv-9vnd0ifcZmz1EyM232nW_iY_TrOBdskrJ-fyKks05JmJ6YhmaTFz_-B8WDBVMHZCt/s200/n11404374_31455462_7194.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5333193762164732034" /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">arin</span>.</div><div>wonderful. wonderful. wonderful. one of the most intelligent minds and souls that i know. a lover of words and thoughts. he has taught me the value of every-single-word. every word is carefully chosen. every thought, thought out. he is bluntly honest and wonderfully bold. his life humbles and encourages me.</div><div><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 134px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIl3yQfo71v0P3k75fde3iTfr8qTT8KvvIRqfUpLGts1YsAQkotT9VJkWMAMWV5UVfycomO_86zy-CR8Fi2rzeLhVzOY8NrHtK9r9ZRUdf4LLef_ABtbI3X8ahlvhm1tWoXhhdMho2IXgN/s200/IMG_0538.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5333182071212001042" /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">allison</span>.</div><div>humble and beautiful. steady and bright. her laughter lights up rooms. her compassion topples buildings. she has a voice that the most talented lark would envy. a beautiful woman, down to the deepest part of her soul. i am humbled to call her friend.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">you bless me more than you know.</span></div>Breehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08485087573012503056noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1288786542678599027.post-19767315408973107382009-05-06T20:16:00.003-04:002009-05-06T20:19:35.138-04:00"in case of rapture"i saw this license plate border driving back from the thrift store:<div><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglHWYaSrrF57Rwor61R4p0oQsGOXIDDS78O0ogRhfNxkd_sq6I7IFAImkrOrpggW_1VwYIFc2kMlmM_3xe2DvrF39YpBbikzCa-J6Mn1644sYVhyphenhyphenLTHiiewdVV7Ax91GI9YtmAPH6xSWB0/s320/50393102_0daf0c7c19.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5332869868133470178" /></div>Breehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08485087573012503056noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1288786542678599027.post-9242540122317005562009-05-05T22:38:00.004-04:002009-05-05T22:46:48.823-04:00the pedestrian lifei made my first dinner in the new house!<div>i cooked for trena, gabe, mike, and ben. i made stir-fry with lime-cilantro chicken and peppers and onions. i also made home-made guac. everyone seemed to enjoy it!</div><div>pictures to come of food and house soon!</div><div><br /></div><div>(also: going on a bike ride tomorrow on sophia[my schwinn breezer])</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: 18px; font-family:georgia;font-size:14px;">"This is what I’m finding, in glimpses and flashes: this is it. This is it, in the best possible way. That thing I’m waiting for, that adventure, that move-score-worthy experience unfolding gracefully. This is it. Normal, daily life ticking by on our streets and sidewalks, in our houses and apartments, in our beds and at our dinner tables, in our dreams and prayers and fights and secrets – this pedestrian life is the most precious thing any of use will ever experience."</span><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 48px; line-height: 18px;">-shauna niequist</span></div>Breehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08485087573012503056noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1288786542678599027.post-64658444631064386952009-04-27T19:38:00.003-04:002009-04-28T17:20:59.392-04:00lists<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">if you know anything about me. you know that i love lists. and its about the end of one season and the beginning of another, so it seems right. </span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">(these are not in any particular order or rank)</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">good things this year:</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">~winning pull (legendary '11)</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">~hope women's lacrosse</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">~reading thoreau all december long</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">~seeing live in concert:</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"> -denison witmer (for probably the 7-8th time)</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"> -brooke waggoner</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"> -my brightest diamond</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">~deciding to stay at hope (yes, i almost transferred)</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">things i want to cook this summer:</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">~leeks</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">~octopus</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">~calamari (nummmmmmy)</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">~vegan/vegatarian everything</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">(also, buying all food local is the hefty goal via my beautiful bicycle with shiny new baskets!)</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">to be continued....</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div>Breehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08485087573012503056noreply@blogger.com0