Hmmm...wonder how long I'll keep up with this?

It is hilarious to me that I am starting this Blog. I wonder how much I will actually keep up with here? I have a hard enough time writing in my journal, which I actually love doing. I like looking at other people's blogs so what the heck, I figured it couldn't hurt to make my own. I don't know if I will ever be quite as diligent about adding new stuff all the time like the other family blogs I've seen, but I will probably at least do something every now and then.
Anyway....today is the 4th of July 2008 and this is what I am doing.
Pretty sad I know, but...we didn't make any plans this year. Our family is getting pretty lackadaisical about getting together. Huge bummer b/c I love it when we are all together. We didn't get together for Easter either. Strange. Perhaps it is b/c Julee feels overwhelmed having people over right now with her new life in 'Ma-Ma of Twin world', John, Chrissy and Mom's houses are too small for all of us, Joy got a new job, we have a mud pit for a yard, and Dad and Susan ummm.....well...I don't know why they don't organize get togethers but I'm sure they have good reason. And that pretty much leaves Michelle to do all of them and I'm sure that has to get pretty exhausting hosting all of us all the time!! Maybe we should have got our heads together before today and met up at a park. Oh well...maybe next year we'll be more organized. I can NOT wait to have a yard b/c I LOVE LOVE LOVE having everyone over and I will be having people (not just my family) over here as much as I can! I just love it.
Okay- I'm a dork and I need to calm down about that. HA!
At least we all went to the McKinley Monument for fireworks on the 2nd. The Canton Symphony Orchestra started playing at 8pm with fireworks at about 9:15. We got there at 5:45, got great parking, got an even better spot to sit, had a picnic, the Jocas' family joined us and all 16 kids ran all around playing together and visiting with other friends and family they ran into. Rachael and John Peterson happened to come and sit by us, along with Paul McMahn, Michelle Jocas' cousin and my Mom. We ran in to quite a few other people we knew and met some new people. it was a great time for everyone. To top it off, the fireworks went off right in front of us and it seemed as if the show were just for us.
I had an interesting experience there. Before the fireworks, while it was still light out- a young guy with a sweet dark haired white boy afro, a go-t and a Wednesday shirt came up to me to tell me how much he loved my dreads and we had a sweet chat about nothing. It was good, but nothing extraordinary. After the fireworks were over and everyone was heading down the hill and we were still gathering children and cleaning up- this same young man came up to me and
told me I was the coolest, nicest person he has met all year. Now I know it is only July 4th and so he still has 6 months to find someone cooler- but I still thought that was interesting. Also, kind of sad. I thought- Wow, we didn't really have that prophetic of a conversation but yet here he was and he was over taken by it. What kind of people are in the world? What kind of people are in his life? What kind of people is it that he is used to running into? Maybe they judge him b/c he looks a little punk. Maybe they blow him off b/c he is young. Maybe they are rude b/c he doesn't fit their circle? I don't know. But all I do know is that we only have a minute to change someone's view on others. We only have a second sometimes to touch someone's heart. We never know when we will have to show Christ on our face or give Christ to someone else's soul. The Lord says- by small means does he make great things come forth. Could that small moment in that young man's life be a seed that needed planted by Christ? Was he using me to change that young man in some way? Will he find hope through my kindness? Joy through his hope? Christ through his joy? And finally ultimate peace through his new relationship with Christ? Who knows? Maybe he will be a Prophet some day? You can never know who God sees when he looks at someone. We will never be good judges of that. Why do we think we can know what God has in store?
We must always be ready and open to be his servant. It is such a wonderful freeing thing when we are able to recognize him at work in our lives.
I also had another experience this week that has helped me to understand that people are watching and we do leave imprints wherever we go.
I went to a Cure concert a couple weeks ago. It was awesome and I had a blast.
Yesterday, David and I went to Penn Station for lunch b/c it was our anniversary and while we were sitting there eating, a young woman came up to me and said she remembers me from the concert. She said her and her boyfriend were enjoying watching me down on the floor. They were sitting up in the stands. This made me feel a little paranoid for a minute b/c I'm not sure what she meant by enjoying watching me, I was dancing the whole time after all. So whatever...I put this thought aside and I thought, this is really the same thing I experienced before. The plain and simple fact that people are watching. What are they seeing? Is it of good report or praiseworthy? Could they place us on the side of Christ by what they saw? It gives me even more strength to never drink a caffeinated drink, watch an R rated movie, say any kind of cuss word, skip church, take my callings lightly or miss an opportunity to say hello to someone new at church or in life.
Who will see us do them, buy them or use them?
Who could we effect in that moment?
Could we have made a difference if we had chosen a different path?
We never will know.
All we can know is that the only way to be completely open to his work is to be living as he would live so he can always use us at the exact moment when he needs us most.
Okay, I think I have said enough for the first (and possibly only) blog post. HA
Hope your Holiday was more interesting then ours.
Happy 4th of July people.