Thankful30 || Day One: Seasons

Yesterday brought the first of November and with it a reminder that the season of Thanksgiving is upon us once more. So I have decided, once again, to attempt to write about something I am thankful for each day. Of course, I already missed the first day, and almost missed this second, but I here I am to catch up.

The first thing I am thankful for is the seasons. I love that I live in the Inland Northwest where we have four distinct seasons each year. Right now Autumn is waning and Winter is quickly approaching – a heard a rumor that snow is expected tomorrow! I love this time of year, when the days are pleasant and cool, the leaves turn colors and fall from the trees, and I am blessed to work with students who aren’t ashamed to jump into a leaf pile and make “angels”!

I also think about the seasons of life, and find that I am thankful for those as well. Right now my life seems to be in a bit of a Winter, a time of stress and ill health, of searching for respect and appreciation, a way to use my gifts and fulfill some greater purpose. It is a season of struggle to be sure, but I am in the midst of it knowing that I am not alone; God always has a Spring, a rebirth, a new beginning waiting for me on the other side and I am so looking forward to this one!

Thankful365 – Day 4: Winter

Will winter wonders never cease? I must admit, I have a love/hate relationship with this coldest and darkest of the seasons. I love watching the snow fall, the icicles hang from trees and houses, the way everything seems so quiet and peaceful and innocent under a fresh blanket of white.

At the same time, I hate driving in the dangerous, slippery, muddy slush that takes over the roadways, and how much the cold hurts my poor exposed fingers – the “bite” of frost when you scrape it from your car windows. Alas, there is a dark cloud to my silver (or should I say white?) lining of winter wonderlands….

            

A New Adventure: Trinity Baptist Church

Hello and happy Sunday! Although it’s overcast and gray here in Pullman, it’s also a little cooler than it was when I returned from my trip to California, so I am very thankful for the clouds and wind! I’m also praying it brings some much needed rain to the areas with fires, as well as dampening the Palouse to keep them from spreading here.

While I haven’t been writing much this year, I have still been working on my art (I try to do at least one thing every day), and my wellness journey continues. Today was yet another step in that great adventure of my life – this morning, for the first time since being at SPU (at least 12 years, probably more), I went to a new church by myself! To some of you that may seem like a small thing, but to me it was a big step, and one I am very thankful I finally took!

Yes, it was awesome that I was able to just go, without waiting for someone to join me, silencing all of my lame excuses, getting out of bed even though I wanted to sleep longer (which, to be honest, is every day, since I don’t really sleep at night), even “dressing up” (although compared to my usual attire that isn’t saying much).


But even more wonderful was the fact that I really enjoyed the experience! The sanctuary wasn’t too big or dark, the chairs were comfortable, the music wasn’t loud, and the best part – the Pastor is a teacher! Not literally, as in he works for a public school, but he didn’t “preach”, he “taught” (I almost typed teached lol).

This is something that is very important to me, personally, in finding a new church home, and one of the main reasons I haven’t really settled anywhere since moving to Pullman three and a half years ago. I tried a few other places, and there wasn’t anything wrong with them, they just didn’t “fit”. Anyone who has gone “church hunting” understands what I mean by this. If, like me, you grew up going to the same church, then you have certain expectations and things you enjoy, partially because you’re used to them, and partially because they just “fit” – like a comfy pair of sweat pants. And sometimes it’s difficult to find a new fit.

My decision to visit Trinity Baptist in Moscow wasn’t completely random; I take my church going (and most all social activities) more seriously than that. It was recommended by Angela, who also goes there, and who is someone I have come to trust, respect, and enjoy very much. I asked her a few questions about it this past week, then found the website online, and decided to give it a go. As I said, I am very thankful I did! I will definitely be going back.

Aside from Angela, I don’t believe I know anyone there (I saw her, by the way, but didn’t say anything; I haven’t yet figured out where she fits on my chart of life relationships – family, different levels of friends, etc. – so I haven’t decided how to approach her outside of the context in which I see her regularly). In some ways that made it easier for me. I was able to sit back and watch people, check out the environment, and honestly decide if it was the right place for me.

This is just one of many blessings God has brought into my life in the past few months, and I will be sharing more about my experiences soon (as well as some art to go with it). One thing I wanted to share today, while on the subject of Trinity and this important next step, is that I realized something as I was sitting there listening to the sermon:  I chose this church for the right reason. The two previous churches I’ve attended in Pullman were chosen because I had someone to go with – first to Emmanuel Baptist with Kristen and Kylan, then to Resonate Church with Wendy and Brandon – and that’s a good thing, I really appreciate their friendships and wanting to help me find a good church home. However, I soon realized that those churches weren’t quite the right fit, and I eventually stopped attending altogether.

This morning I went because I know God was nudging me in that direction. I don’t need church to have my “quiet time” with Him, but I do need to have fellowship time with others who share my faith (something I’ve been learning as I’ve been exploring friendships this past year, but more on that in another post). A great way to find those people to fellowship with is to find a church home – and then a home group or Bible study, since there really isn’t time to socialize Sunday mornings.

I look forward to seeing how God will use this new place to speak to me and strengthen me, and I look forward to sharing that here with all of you!

Snapshot Saturday: Ellis in Winchester

This week I took my first field trip of the summer, to a small town in Idaho, about an hour or so southeast of here, called Winchester. This is hanging on a wire across one of the streets. Not the main street, although I’m not sure the town actually has a main street. In fact, it doesn’t even have all paved streets.

I went along with a friend of mine who was visiting family, and while they visited I was able to walk around and take pictures. I’ll be sharing more of them soon in a different post; for now, I want to focus on one particular aspect of this tiny little town:  a bird I met (whom I will call Ellis).



Here you see him with ruffled feathers. This was taken after he followed me for three or four blocks up a street, then back down. He was on the telephone wire, I was wearing my black Batman hoodie – perhaps he thought I was a threat, a giant black bird come to take his family away [smile]. Whatever the reason, he flew out from the wire, over my head (but not close to it, he stayed well up in the air), then back onto the wire. He was chattering at me the whole time, too!

Here he is perched atop the street sign (hence the name Ellis), very upset with me for taking his picture again (I took three or four). Or maybe just one final warning before I crossed the street. Either way, I was very pleasant to him, I even told him everything was fine! Obviously he didn’t believe me [smile]

The Great State of Consciousness

Today in history, the State of Idaho joined the United States of America, back in 1890. For those of you who are curious yet struggle with mental math, that was 122 years ago. Many things have changed in all those years; fortunately for you, I have absolutely no interest in listing what those things are!

Instead, I want to share a bit of stream-of-consciousness with you. Let’s take a trip through the Great State of my consciousness and explore Idaho from there….

Usually at this point in the telling of a story, one would begin at the beginning (thank Kaptain Obvious for that little factoid!); however, when rowing up the stream-of-consciousness you must start where you start. Idaho. Potatoes. Idaho is probably most famous for growing potatoes. I’m a big fan, especially the little red ones, although I’ve recently been enjoying baked sweet potatoes with butter and salt. A healthier alternative to red potatoes apparently, and very tasty!

Sometimes potatoes are called “spuds.” I had a little friend named Spud once. He was about two inches across, maybe four inches long, and stuffed with lentils. Kind of like a bean bag I suppose, in the shape of a brown potato. He had ears, but one eye was missing and his tail had come off before I got him (he was supposed to be a mouse). I named him Spud because he looked like a potato. When I was 12, I gave him to someone special. My friend Fawn.

Fawn Moon. She was a friend from Cocolalla Lake Bible Camp, which is in north Idaho; she was a cabin leader, someone I looked up to, and the first person I allowed myself to open up to. Ever. You see, I have Asperger’s, which is a high-functioning form of Autism, and I didn’t approach the concept of social relationships in a “typical” way. Being autistic isn’t new to me (I was born that way) but knowing about it is. Back then I just knew that something was different about her. It was more than just looking up to her; she was the first person in my life to tell me that she cared about me, and then back it up with her actions.

I never got Spud back. On Wednesday, April 12, 2000, Fawn locked herself in a garage, inside a running car.

Another friend I made that year at camp was Crystal. She was 17, the Wrangler, and while two friends and I were waiting for camp to start, her and her junior Wrangler played toss with us – using oranges and toilet paper. In 16 days it will be exactly 20 years since we met, and we’re still friends! She still lives in Idaho. She has more reason to celebrate it’s 122nd birthday today than I do; in fact, we all should – so stop reading this blog and go sing “Happy birthday” already!