Category Archives: life

Ready.

March 5, 2011life, weatherKirsetin

photo credit: The Glass Beehive

The spring thaw isn’t at hand, here. In fact, it’s snowing right now, big wet flakes sure to stick to the many inches that are already there.

But the hope of spring, it’s here.

We all know it’s coming, eventually; we dream of the green grass, the tulips poking through, the buds on the bushes.

But the best thing about spring is the hope it stirs in all of us for a new beginning: we look forward to spring cleaning for our closets, sure, but for our lives, too.

Sometimes change is thrust upon us, hard, hurting, and the sunshine and new life of spring calls us out of the dark and helps us move forward.

Other times we wallow through the winter, aimless for no real reason, slogging through the slush and clouds until we finally pick ourselves up and dust off the dross in the springtime.

There are days when the snow glistens and the sun shines and winter is a beautiful, gorgeous season.

But I am cold and tired of huddling and ready to skip in the fresh spring air. Aren’t you?

It’s not near at hand, but it’s coming. It’s coming.

Speed Limits Aren’t Suggestions?

February 23, 2011faith, lifeKirsetin

Discovery: It’s nearly impossible to go EXACTLY the speed limit. Especially for me.

Here’s the back story: I’m helping lead a study at our church called Starting Point, developed by North Point Community Church in Georgia, which encourages people to be thoughtful about their faith. I like the class because I find that it has something to offer for everyone, from people who are just testing the waters to see if this Jesus thing is a scam or could be the real deal, to people who accepted Jesus as the son of God when they were 5 and have been walking in faith ever since.

At the end of each week, the lesson offers a challenge to us for the following week, which is somehow related to the lesson. Next week, we’re reading about God’s law and discussing why the law isn’t a condition of a relationship with him, but a confirmation of one.

The fun challenge: To see if we can obey the speed limit to the letter of the law. To the very number posted, my friends.

As we laughed over how tough this would be, the leader for the week asked us all to try to recall for next weekend when during the week we cracked.

I barely made it out of the parking lot.

This was not intentional. I planned to follow exactly. Really, I did. But I have such a habit, I am such a believer in the 55-really-means-58-or-59, that I do it by default. I know, for example, that on the road leading away from church I drive 48. And so I just did. Without even thinking about it.

Less than 4 minutes after I left the building, I laughed aloud when I looked down at my speedometer. Failed already?

Sometimes life is like that, isn’t it? Thank goodness for grace. And a road without speed traps.

The tree is up

December 12, 2010christmas, family, lifeKirsetin

…the gifts are ordered, the wreath is hanging on the door. Christmas cards have begun to fill our mailboxes and the first batch of cookies have already been devoured.

But our Christmas photo is elusive. I lost them all, you see. Everything from this year.

So I’m scrambling a bit, trying to capture my boys in a quick posed shot, not the beach-walking or fun-on-vacation or family-afternoon-at-the-park kind of photo I’m partial to. It’s hard.

But the tree is lovely and the snow is beautiful and I’m very thankful for my family, even if I don’t have the pictures to prove it.

And our puppy is almost 10 months old already. How can such a lucky girl complain?

How about you? What makes you smile this time of year?