Thanks for all the input on my plant. It now has been almost two weeks since I received the primrose as a gift from my friend. As of now, he seems to be doing well. The weather has been fairly nice recently, so I've actually left him outside most of the time. He gets sunlight and rain almost on a daily basis.Anyway, I decided that my primrose is a guy because he needs so much maintenance and thought. (Wink, wink.) Furthermore, he seems kind of snobby, so I decided to name him Thurston Howell III after the millionaire in Gilligan's Island. Now, I might need to find a wife for Thurston, and name her "Lovey", which I just found out in Wikipedia was a nickname for Eunice Wentworth Howell. How cool is that!?!?!
Thanks for the idea, Victor. And, I'm sorry your suggestion didn't make the cut, Carolyn.
Back while I was attending UCLA, my roommate received several potted plants from her friends. Unfortunately, she didn't quite have a green thumb and her roommates were no help either. But this didn't stop us from naming the plants. Sadly though, the plants died. It was all very tragic. To celebrate their short lives, my roommates and I held a memorial service for the perished plants one afternoon. We all wore black, said something nice about each named plant and sang "It Is Well with My Soul" before throwing them into a large garbage bag.
This experience immediately came to my mind when a friend recently gifted me with a potted plant. Like my roommate in college, my thumb is also greenless. (The only reason why my garden in LA thrives is because Jesse planted it and cares for it.) To make matters worse, I don't even know what kind of plant I've been given. It's all very stressful. I can't even bring myself to naming it... which is unlike me because I tend to name things all the time (i.e. my computer, my car, etc.)
Therefore, I'm attaching two pictures of my plant in hopes that someone can identify it for me and tell me how to care for it. Please help!!!!
God has blessed me tremendously through the years. I have had some really good friends. However, as life changed and as characters were molded in different ways, many friendships gracefully dissolved or even ended in heated arguments. The latter is worse. Such relationships feel like they'll never be repaired. The callous words and actions are ingrained in our memories... the daggers still sticking out of the hearts. Nothing will ever be the same.
Or so it seems.
Yet, God is a God of the impossible.
As I was praying this morning and considering how God has brought me to where I am at this moment in time, I realized that some of my "old friendships" have grown anew. I never would have thought that this could happen. I can still remember the hurts I felt and the hurts I've caused. Such things have not been erased, but God has brought us back into each others' lives. He has brought these friendships back. We have come full circle.
And even though I've been feeling rather down in the dumps lately, this little morning reminder brought me some hope... hope for renewal. Renewal may come in the form of repaired relationships. And renewal may come in the form of remembering my first love in Christ. It may even come in the form of a good night's rest.
If you're feeling broken or rundown, I pray that you find renewal too. I pray that you find hope. It's there... you've just got to close your eyes in prayer before God and open your eyes to the beauty He desires for you.
Yikes... sorry for sounding like a Hallmark card. I'm writing from my heart.
Within the last couple of months, I have had several friends go through relationship breakups. With each story of heartache, betrayal and/or devastated expectations, my heart physically hurts for them. I'm not sure exactly what has brought me to this place, but it goes to show that God has been working in me. In the past, when I heard of people's broken relationships, I felt bad, but I didn't ache for them. Am I actually learning empathy in my old age?
Even though I cannot reveal any names nor specific situations, I ask that you pray with me for these individuals. Please pray that God heals them and fills their emptiness with His amazing love. Pray that they may find their worth in Him, and not in others nor in relationships.
And if you're feeling emptiness in your heart, please lift it up to God. I truly believe He can fill any emptiness that we may have. He is the Love of all loves. May we seek Him together. And may we find wholeness in Him.
It is no secret that I abhor corn. People often ask me why and I tell them that I dislike the smell, the taste, and the texture. People are usually puzzled by this because corn is apparently loved by the majority of people. However, I am here to tell you that CORN CAN KILL!
I personally "witnessed" this while watching Witness (a 1985 film starring Harrison Ford) for class last week. At the end of the film, the bad guy is "drowned" and suffocated in a corn silo when tons of corn kernels bury him alive.
Therefore, I have conclusively proven that corn can kill. (Wink, wink.)
Since I came back to Vancouver earlier this month, the weather had been uncharacteristically "un-Vancouverian". It was definitely cold, but the sun was shining as well. On Monday, however, we received a bunch of snow. Since then, it has been warmer (high of low 40'sF), overcast and rainy (very "Vancouverian"). With all these weather conditions put together, there has been a lot of melted snow around. I am grateful for my waterproof Bass boots and my water-resistant REI coat, but an LA girl just doesn't like sloshing through dirty slush. I return home everyday with the bottom of my pants soaking wet and muddy. (This makes a second day of wearing the same pair of jeans impossible.)
But instead of concentrating on the slush while walking to school this morning, I looked up and saw all the people walking through the same slush as I was. These people around me were happily going about their day while I was muttering under my breath as I stepped into yet another muddy puddle.Then, I remembered that even though I don't enjoy the weather here, I ought to be grateful about where I am. God wants me here. I am thankful that He's including me in His plans, even if I'm not sure what they are. Some days, I feel like I'm just "sloshing through life", but it's awesome to know that the "messiness" is intended to teach me more about God and about faith.
So, no more complaining about Vancouver weather! Okay... I guess that's not totally possible for me. I'll try to complain less. =)
