Autumnal.

Confession: I do not have time to be blogging right this moment.

Anyway, tonight I am sitting cross-legged in a cozy leather chair at Starbucks (weird cause I don't usually go to Starbucks), wearing my brand new gray socks and a long-sleeve t-shirt and a ponytail. (Confession: when I first typed that, I typed money tail.) And I just feel so warm and cozy and autumnal. I am listening to my Campfire playlist from Oh, Pioneer! and it's real nice. Have you guys heard of Oh, Pioneer!? It's just a tumblr, but if Walt Whitman would have been alive now, and had he not had an ethical problem with the whole concept behind tumblr (which I'm assuming he would have),  it's the kind of tumblr he would have glanced at from time to time. Anyway, the boy who runs it puts up playlists for download seasonally and they are so so nice. The kind of music that makes you want to be a better person, you know?
Anyway, kids, it's a great day to be alive. This morning when I stepped out my door to walk to church, it was cold. Cold. Yes, cold might be a strong word for today if you are one of those snotty Northerners who likes to brag about not wearing coats until the temperature hits freezing, but I am not talking to you, snotty Northerner. I am speaking from my Alabama soul. It was cold. And I loved it. And relished it. And I had a beautiful lonely walk to church.
And tonight, I am reading a little about Tillich and a lot about Gandhi, and this week is going to be wild and I am going to have to do a couple things that terrify me and maybe stay up til all hours a few nights, but right this second I feel real good. And calm.
I miss my dad, of course. But that will be okay.
And it's okay that I am scared of a lot of things, and it's okay that I need to sleep more than my friends need to.
Today I celebrate socks.


Here's the link to the free download of the mix I am listening to: Campfire Mixtape. Do yourself a favor and download it. It'll do your heart good.

Thanks, Jesus, for socks. Amen.

Lists for the Day.

Things I blame my dad for:
1. When I meet someone named Rich, and he says, "I'm Rich," I say, "I'm poor." (AKA being Hilarious.)
2. Sneezing loud.
3. Loving Steely Dan.

Things I blame my mom for:
1. Falling asleep on the couch at night and not getting up to go to bed.
2. Eating ice cream out of the carton.
3. Having conversations with all of the people.

Things I am up to:
1. School. I am a Junior. (old.)
2. Work. I mostly drive the kids places and listen to all the Disney songs.
3. Having friends. I do have some.
4. New church. The Village Chapel. It's real cool. I go to church at 10 on Sundays, and to college group on Wednesday nights. I really like it and maybe I love it.
5. Young Lives. This is a ministry to teen moms that I am beginning to work with. I'm pumped about it.
6. YL Bible study. This is a book study actually. It is early early on Tuesday mornings with some Young Life ladies. We are reading The Life of the Beloved by Henri Nouwen. I'm pretty psyched.

Things I am doing right this second:
1. Wearing my nice new Young Life tank top that is a giant on me.
2. Avoiding writing my paper.
3. Wearing contacts.
4. That's all. Earlier I was jumping a lot. Cause I guess I was hyper.

Things I am trying on for size and/or am aspiring to:
1. Memorizing verses.
2. Not drinking Dr. Pepper.
3. Being good at using money wisely.
4. Peace.

Can I tell you a secret?
This is how I feel honestly right now:
"And peace is a ladder up to the clouds
That I’m wishing I could climb but I don’t know how."
~Noah Gunderson, "Middle of June."

I know it's not true and that Christ left His peace with me.
"Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid."
~John 14:27.

But sometimes getting peace feels like hard work. 
So there's that.
Bye, guys. See you later.