I have been reminded today of my love of Sleeping at Last.  Their music is beautiful and lyrics are compelling as well as thought-provoking.  I could say a lot more, but I will just let the song speak for itself.  I'd love to hear your thoughts.


Here is a link to a live performance followed by the lyrics.
Sleeping at Last - "Careful Hands"

Put your coat on, this city trembles.
Keep your chin up, as you untangle God
From cold blood and bruises.

We are X-rays of something broken.
Cursive bloodlines write every forecast:
An orchestration Of dissonance and innocent surrender.

When our color dies,
We will bury the ashes of time,
And we will earn new eyes.

Wrists get tired rewriting futures.
Our bodies beg us to be creatures of habit.
We are creatures of habit.

Only with careful hands
We'll turn their fangs into feathers and cures.
Only with careful hands
We'll divide the prisoner
From the pioneer.

Clever beauty,
Umbrellas folding.
In architecture, our lines will measure
A map to find us.
Blue ink will guide us home.

Cranes are creeping, lifting metal,
We will find new ways to settle,
Tipping scales from the killer to its prey.

I can feel the weight around us,
Climbing every rib inside us,
A sanctuary in a lion's mouth.

---

From the Album Keep No Score
All Lyrics Copyright 2006, Sleeping At Last

From  The Official Sleeping at Last Website

Today I'm thankful for:
- candy corn
- the Hebrew language
- professors like Rodney Ashlock and Randy Harris who trust me to teach their students
- time spent in relaxation and good conversation with my brother, Keith
- sausage calzones
- Nathan, Amanda, and David - my wonderful chapel planning group 
- my umbrella that matches Olivia's and Heather's
- Jaeden, who is currently using my foot as a pillow while she dozes


Again, I invite you to join me in the intentional practice of thanksgiving!

As long as I can remember, I've always loved food. In middle school, high school and early college I prided myself on being able to eat as much as the boys...and occasionally even more! But, more than I loved how much I could eat, I loved tasting new flavors and new flavor combinations.

My dad has undoubtedly influenced me in my love for food. Anyone who knows Dad has heard him recommend "the best" restaurant in town, tell stories of "the best" meals he has eaten while traveling, or, if you've eaten with him, it's likely you've heard his exclamations about how delicious the food tastes - perhaps it's the best he has ever had (this isn't as rare of a statement as one might expect).

Now, you might assume that I cook regularly because of my love for food. But I don't. It's not that I don't enjoy cooking - in fact, I quite enjoy it. The reasons I don't cook are four-fold:
1) I don't like cleaning up the mess I make.
2) Part of the food experience is sharing the end result with others...being single, this doesn't happen often.
3) Cooking can be expensive and I'm relatively poor.
4) I am in graduate school and am far too busy to cook on a regular basis.

As a result, I depend on TV to provide my "fix" of the cooking experience. I love shows like Top Chef, Iron Chef America, and Dinner: Impossible. Even though the experience is quite weakened due to the lack of smell, touch, and taste, I love every bit of these shows. I love learning about ingredients, knowing what words like "julienne" and "ceviche" mean, and seeing how these creative chefs use their imaginations to create a brilliant dish I could never come up with in my wildest dreams. Seriously, every time I watch these shows I want to cook...or at least eat something! (This has turned out to be a bit dangerous for the waist-line!)

Who knows...perhaps I've missed my calling to go to culinary school and become a professional chef. However, I prefer to think that I can keep it on the side as a sort of muse. Perhaps then, it can stay fresh and exciting for me, always leaving me wanting more.

Freaky Friday was conceived as a way for Naomi to talk about her "things" that she has. You know, those wonderful little quirks that make her Naomi. I decided to join in the fun. I really wanted to write about Naomi's quirks as well, but decided it would be better to just talk about my own.

I'm not feeling too creative today and I'm pretty tired (seeing as it's actually Saturday now) so I'll start with something that is quite freaky, but many people know about since it is my fall back "weird" thing about myself.

I have 3 freckles/moles on the back of my left eyeball.

How did I find that out, you ask? (everyone does)
Either the optometrist or ophthalmologist found it when I was very little.
My parents had to wait over the weekend to hear whether the doctors thought it was melanoma or not. Thankfully it wasn't. And thankfully they came to that conclusion without taking my eye out to do a biopsy.

There you go. I promise - next week will be more interesting.

Lately Naomi and I have been teasing each other about not blogging consistently. We were thinking about various "themes" we have enjoyed in the past - her "Wordless Wednesday" and my sister(-in-law)'s "Thankful Thursday". So, get ready...because we're about to blog more often...and it all starts tonight!

Today, I'm thankful for:
- Naomi, who managed to bring happiness and laughter into what had been a tough day
- Jaeden, who groans and wags her tail in a circle when she's particularly happy
- Arby's chicken, bacon & swiss sandwich; it's one of my comfort foods
- the new friends that come with the start of a new school year
- sushi; the Spider Roll at Bonzai was delicious last night!
- the men at ACU who are willing to respectfully and compassionately listen and talk regarding gender equality/justice and want to discuss how to move from theory to practice

Well...I think I'll stop there for today.
Remember, you can always share what you're thankful for in the comment section! (hint hint, nudge nudge) :)