A photo for your wednesday.
Happy Day!
xoxo,
Hannah Vee
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
Sunday, May 29, 2011
Country Roads Take Me Home
May I say right off the bat that you guys inspire me to make the most of these summer days and nights ahead, to explore new territory and not hold back. If only I had friends here that were as intrepid and unrestrained as you guys to explore with, but it's possible I might just be living vicariously through all of your adventures, as well as encouraged by the spiritual desires you all share.
As I was driving down the interstate towards home it seemed I was being escorted by the majestic, rolling green mountains before me, reconnecting me once again with my southern Appalachian roots. It has always been a love-hate relationship between me and northeast Tennessee- the accent unique to our region makes me cringe with its hillbilly drawl and the way some people dress is unbearable, but, then again, I love the musical heritage, the hoedowns, the laid back way of life and people's friendliness. I have found myself listening to an abnormally large dose of bluegrass music while cooking dinner with my brother. I've also discovered a vibrant dance community in our region, giving me the itch to go contra dancing (line dancing that has been described as a cross between the shag and square dancing). But even with all this reconnection with my southern roots, don't expect to hear a southern accent cause I don't plan on going that far over the edge:)
My summer hasn't been very eventful so far. I jumped right into work the day after I got home, along with helping my brother build an outdoor pizza oven. My mom and I went to a plant nursery in NC and came away with some bright and summery perennials and herbs for the garden. I'm still coming to peace with being home this summer, especially in the many moments where I feel like I'm just wandering aimlessly through each day without a set routine, though it's interesting that I have randomly stumbled upon articles/devotions about the Biblical character Ruth. It's encouraging that maybe God is still speaking to me despite my unfaithfulness.
Je vous aime beaucoup! Bonne nuit and bon Memorial Day:)
Genny
Friday, May 27, 2011
finalmente: success!
Let me echo ashley delight to say how great it is to read your posts, as well as neens' gratitude for welcoming me into this blogging community! Thursday night, I came home from Victoria, BC where I had spent a few days with my Grandma. Yeah, just me and Grammy. It was pretty great, and much different than what I'm normally used to in terms of vacation. We stayed at this old hotel, the Empress, where people like Queen Victoria and the King and Queen of Siam stayed when they visited the Island! Crazy, right? Our days were mostly filled with tea, food, gardens, food, and did I mention food? Because we ate a lot..... haha but it was super swell!
My days have mostly been filled with job hunting - a most wearisome activity. But that is balanced out by time with sisters, laughing and being silly. Again, what a joy to be home! My brother is home for the weekend as well! Finally the whole family is together again! Today, we got Emma ready for Jr/Sr prom, which means craziness in the house. These times always remind me of how different each of us girls are, but i love it.
I came home to this little guy!
Last night, I found out that Branyn, my best friend from high school, has postponed her wedding. It was supposed to happen this July, but she said they realized they both needed time to focus on the Lord before making such a big commitment. A bitter-sweet thing, but I am hoping that this will give them both time to grow, and maybe even give our relationship time to heal.
Again, I echo Ashley's prayer request of learning how to love better. This has long been a struggle of mine, especially when I am home. Also, if you could, please pray that the Lord provides a job!! I need to work, and things are not looking bright at the moment.
I miss all of you girls - your warm smiles, and thoughtful hearts - and am so thankful to be in touch with you this way. For the summer I anticipate long, warm nights lighted by candles and good conversation. I cannot wait to read more about your summers, but for now I think of you, and pray for you!
xoxoxo
Always,
Hannah V.
p.s. could you ladies email me your addresses? thank you!
i own way too many socks.
how glad it makes me to read your thoughts and know about your summer activities! already i know that this blog is going to be such an encouragement all summer long. thank you for being willing to take part. words cannot express how grateful my hea
rt is for each of you.
my goodness, i have not even been home a whole week and alr
eady my heart is bursting with gladness. this summer has begun on the best of notes and i am so so excited to see what God has in store for the rest of it. as n
ina said, we left Gordon sunday night and drove into the morning (bad idea? probably. is God gracious? yes.) to reach my house to sleep quickly before heading to philly. leaving gordon made me a lot more sad than i anticipated; it really was such a magnificent year and i feel so undeservingly blessed for all that took place.
anyway. it was such a blessing sharing the first few days of summer with nina and philly truly was a grand adventure. it was such a joy walking around, exploring, riding the subway, taking in the sights, sounds, smells... etc. the sun came out and t
he heat made it feel like summer which was an extra bonus. seeing my childhood hannah friend was also a delight and i am so thankful that i was able to see her in her new life that she now lives and it was such a joy to meet her house mates. man oh man, God is so good.
yes, we picked strawberries and spent time in hannah's new r
oom - i marveled at the slow pace of summer, the freedom from responsibility, the richness of friendship and how good company surpasses most everything.
after nina left on wednesday evening i went to play a game of whiffle ball with my friend matt. (who... i think most all of you met. haha hurray!) he told me he was playing with some of his friends that i had never met, but not being able to say no to a
summer evening game of whiffle ball, i went anyway. thankfully ellie came too and when
we pulled up to the grassy field approximately twenty people were playing! haha! i knew two. it was such a wonderful night. i tried to learn as many names as i could but it was tricky. everyone was so fun and full of laughter. whiffle ball cracks me up every time; i like that game. i was so thankful that matt invited me even though i did not know anyone, honestly it was such a perfect summer night. afterwards ellie came over and we ate pizza together. she sat on my counter while i made cookies and we talked about our semesters. perfection.
thursday i spent most of the day unpacking and setting up
my room. i know that feeling that hannah is describing, that
odd feeling of seeing all of your Gordon things in a new place, on different walls in different room - strange, and yet comforting somehow. i decided to fully move back into my room instead of living out of bags and boxes which is basically what i did last summer. (typically i hate unpacking.) it's nice feeling like my room is a place where i live again, instead of a place where i just visit.
in the late afternoon i did some weed whacking and then set out to bouncefunplex! after quickly picking up hannah we drove to matt's house and all piled into his 15 passenger van, haha! i sat in the very back "trunk" area (because only two rows of
seats were in use.) and watched a magnificent summer storm as we drove. bouncefunplex never fails. we were the only ones there last night so ten of us had the whole place to ourselves, marvelous. the group of people that went was a funny combination of friends both new and old - which always makes for a good time. (today i am sore.)
bouncefunplex, whiffle ball, strawberries, nina, hannah, family, warm weather, slow mornings, reading Wendell Berry, ... my heart is overflowing with gratitude. i'm doing my best to soak up every moment, to cherish the people here, to listen well and
learn and know people intimately. i'm trying to make time to read and write and think and pray, to be outside. i'm trying to be grateful and present. i want to use my time well, to learn to say no to things and rest... yes.
if you think of it, pray that i would love better, that i would learn to love the people in my life well - that i would carry over what i have learned this year and let it continue to change me and shape me. pray that i would have an ear tuned to God's voice, a mind thirsty for him, and a heart open to the world. pray that i would use my time well.
speaking of time, i need to go finish some lawn mowing and weed whacking soon. tonight i am going to matt's show - i have never really seen his band play before so i am looking forward to that. tomorrow i think my dad and i are planting the garden, hurray!
i love you all so dearly and think of you often.
may your today be filled with joy unspeakable and beauty untold.
with a heart so full,
ashley
post script://
2 things about this photo:
1. this morning i remembered that just because you don't like jeans doesn't mean you have to throw them away. so i pulled this faded pair out of the trash this morning and turned them into cut-offs. helloooooooo summer!
2. sarah, this is the home of your painting. it's in my favorite room in the house and i love it.
Thursday, May 26, 2011
gratitude and longing
Dearest friends,
Before I begin my first post, I just have to say thank you for inviting me into the blog community. You all are so dear to me, for so many different reasons each of you. And I'm priveleged to get to keep up with you this summer.
I spent the last few days with the fantastical Ashley Miller. We began our journey late sunday night, and drove pretty much through the entire night down to Lancaster. In separate cars, mind you. It was not an easy journey, staring at the back of Ashley's tiny red car in the dark, wishing I was sitting next to her so we could celebrate sights like ferris wheels along the highway, and dig into the well of each others' thoughts after ending such a full semester.
We ended up talking on the phone so that helped accomplish such things. :) And we both agreed how terribly difficult it is to process and reflect on things while driving alone. It seems like such a great environment for that, but inevitably you sink into the mode of watching the white lines in front of you and allowing your thoughts to bounce all over the place without finding somewhere to settle.
My time in PA was far surpassing of any expectations. Not only did I get to see Philadelphia, but I got to walk practically the entire length of the city with a great friend by my side, meet some cool new people, sit on a street corner eating ice cream, and come back to Lancaster to pick strawberries and hang out with the Millers and company. I even got to see Hannah Becker's lovely home and friends! Such a treat.
On the drive home from Lancaster last night (en route to my mom's in NJ), my heart was heavy with a mixture of deep gratitude and sorrowful longing.
First, the gratitude: The only word that even slightly encapsulates the praise I owe for how much God has done in my life. For how richly he has blessed me, how far he has taken me, how clearly he has moved in my heart and my world, particularly since coming to Gordon. He's taken me from a position of isolation to one of community that I had never known before. And to the point of overflowing: I can't even make sense of how extravagently faithful he has been through the gift of relationship- authentic, real, Christ-loving relationship. And with models of this relationship in friendships and in marraiges and in families like the Millers, and the Strauss's and the Curtis's and the Andersons at Gordon...
Then, the longing: A longing to see those I care about in Virginia and New Jersey come to know the same fullness of life in Christ. I look at the lives of people like my older brother Matt, an atheist since my parents split 12 years ago, and my best friend Erica, caught up in an empty lifestyle of drunkenness- and I long for them to share in the joy and truth that I've come to know.
I think I haven't been grieved enough about these things, and many, many more things. I don't think I've spent much time being broken over the brokenness of my own family and friends, because I've been afraid for what that actually means.
Yesterday I brought these things before God, with a lot of tears of frustration, wanting so badly to finally hand the most stubborn, long-standing circumstances over to him in faith, but feeling incapable of doing so. It's as if the things that matter most to us, we are afraid to pray for because we are afraid of ultimately being disappointed.
So, if you could pray for me, it would be for the ability to pray for people like Matt and Erica, and many more family and friends and broken circumstances for the first time. Believing that just as He intervened so surprisingly in my life many years ago, he can do the same in these.
Also, as I tried to explain to Ashley yesterday, it's such an encouragement to see the community that she and others have at home. Yet it's so easy to then compare this to my "community" of friends and family at home, and to be aware of how different the culture is, how challenging and lonely it can feel, and how sometimes I (pridefully) fall back into thinking it's "me against the world" and feeling all sorry for myself.
I guess my prayer shouldn't be that I find all sorts of new, cool, Jesus-loving people at home, but that I return this time with more strength and courage to face the same patterns of living with a counter-cultural love. With the courage to continue loving people to the best of my abilities, even though sometimes I get discouraged and fail at that. (of course, I only fail when I'm doing it in my own strength).
Okay, I should stop blabbing. Thanks for reading, and I hope I didn't share too much (wrong: see, that's my isolation-self talking). I love all of you.
Today I'm going to work in my mom's vegetable garden. We are planting seeds this morning!!!! :) Brocolli and string beans here I come!!
I really do thank God for all of you.
Neens
Before I begin my first post, I just have to say thank you for inviting me into the blog community. You all are so dear to me, for so many different reasons each of you. And I'm priveleged to get to keep up with you this summer.
I spent the last few days with the fantastical Ashley Miller. We began our journey late sunday night, and drove pretty much through the entire night down to Lancaster. In separate cars, mind you. It was not an easy journey, staring at the back of Ashley's tiny red car in the dark, wishing I was sitting next to her so we could celebrate sights like ferris wheels along the highway, and dig into the well of each others' thoughts after ending such a full semester.
We ended up talking on the phone so that helped accomplish such things. :) And we both agreed how terribly difficult it is to process and reflect on things while driving alone. It seems like such a great environment for that, but inevitably you sink into the mode of watching the white lines in front of you and allowing your thoughts to bounce all over the place without finding somewhere to settle.
My time in PA was far surpassing of any expectations. Not only did I get to see Philadelphia, but I got to walk practically the entire length of the city with a great friend by my side, meet some cool new people, sit on a street corner eating ice cream, and come back to Lancaster to pick strawberries and hang out with the Millers and company. I even got to see Hannah Becker's lovely home and friends! Such a treat.
On the drive home from Lancaster last night (en route to my mom's in NJ), my heart was heavy with a mixture of deep gratitude and sorrowful longing.
First, the gratitude: The only word that even slightly encapsulates the praise I owe for how much God has done in my life. For how richly he has blessed me, how far he has taken me, how clearly he has moved in my heart and my world, particularly since coming to Gordon. He's taken me from a position of isolation to one of community that I had never known before. And to the point of overflowing: I can't even make sense of how extravagently faithful he has been through the gift of relationship- authentic, real, Christ-loving relationship. And with models of this relationship in friendships and in marraiges and in families like the Millers, and the Strauss's and the Curtis's and the Andersons at Gordon...
Then, the longing: A longing to see those I care about in Virginia and New Jersey come to know the same fullness of life in Christ. I look at the lives of people like my older brother Matt, an atheist since my parents split 12 years ago, and my best friend Erica, caught up in an empty lifestyle of drunkenness- and I long for them to share in the joy and truth that I've come to know.
I think I haven't been grieved enough about these things, and many, many more things. I don't think I've spent much time being broken over the brokenness of my own family and friends, because I've been afraid for what that actually means.
Yesterday I brought these things before God, with a lot of tears of frustration, wanting so badly to finally hand the most stubborn, long-standing circumstances over to him in faith, but feeling incapable of doing so. It's as if the things that matter most to us, we are afraid to pray for because we are afraid of ultimately being disappointed.
So, if you could pray for me, it would be for the ability to pray for people like Matt and Erica, and many more family and friends and broken circumstances for the first time. Believing that just as He intervened so surprisingly in my life many years ago, he can do the same in these.
Also, as I tried to explain to Ashley yesterday, it's such an encouragement to see the community that she and others have at home. Yet it's so easy to then compare this to my "community" of friends and family at home, and to be aware of how different the culture is, how challenging and lonely it can feel, and how sometimes I (pridefully) fall back into thinking it's "me against the world" and feeling all sorry for myself.
I guess my prayer shouldn't be that I find all sorts of new, cool, Jesus-loving people at home, but that I return this time with more strength and courage to face the same patterns of living with a counter-cultural love. With the courage to continue loving people to the best of my abilities, even though sometimes I get discouraged and fail at that. (of course, I only fail when I'm doing it in my own strength).
Okay, I should stop blabbing. Thanks for reading, and I hope I didn't share too much (wrong: see, that's my isolation-self talking). I love all of you.
Today I'm going to work in my mom's vegetable garden. We are planting seeds this morning!!!! :) Brocolli and string beans here I come!!
I really do thank God for all of you.
Neens
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
I had strawberries for dinner too.
My dear friends,
I am so very much looking forward to hearing from each of you! I already miss you all dearly..
I have another two weeks at home before heading out to Adventure Camp and so far, it has been a delight finding myself back at home. I've settled right into that delicious laziness of summer--only, instead of feeling the guilt of frittering away time, it has been wonderful being able to rest. I'm quite content with this temporary routine of playing in the yard with Stella, gardening, daily teatime with my mom and sister Elizabeth, reading for fun (and for Oregon Extension) fixing up dinner, and getting immersed in all sorts of little projects--oh and accomplishing the very slow activity of unpacking, packing, and "stuff-sorting" with an average of about three-five items a day :)
Yesterday, I laid out on the grass after a run and watched the clouds pass by. Stella chewed on a stick next to me, and a hawk came and circled a couple of times before flying on. I thought about the little town in Missouri that was hit by tornadoes the night before. A hospital was leveled to the ground and a number of people were killed. I thought about that for a while, and in the midst such a desperate catastrophe; in the midst of all the wondering and question-asking, found God's presence to be so near--so very near. And I thought about that too. I'm not sure how long I was out there thinking, praying, and just talking to God, but I don't think that I've ever had quite the same experience before.
I wonder if you could pray for me if you think of it. Although thus far, these last few days at home have been filled with wonderful rest, there are things which need to be done; some of which I'm not sure how they ought to be accomplished, and I'm worried about their outcome. Will be sure to update, but I'm so tired I think my eyes might just close before I finish typing.
Well,
Thanks a billion-and-two my friends.
With tons of love (ponds, and little brooks, and rivers full)
Sincerely,
Sarah
I am so very much looking forward to hearing from each of you! I already miss you all dearly..
I have another two weeks at home before heading out to Adventure Camp and so far, it has been a delight finding myself back at home. I've settled right into that delicious laziness of summer--only, instead of feeling the guilt of frittering away time, it has been wonderful being able to rest. I'm quite content with this temporary routine of playing in the yard with Stella, gardening, daily teatime with my mom and sister Elizabeth, reading for fun (and for Oregon Extension) fixing up dinner, and getting immersed in all sorts of little projects--oh and accomplishing the very slow activity of unpacking, packing, and "stuff-sorting" with an average of about three-five items a day :)
Yesterday, I laid out on the grass after a run and watched the clouds pass by. Stella chewed on a stick next to me, and a hawk came and circled a couple of times before flying on. I thought about the little town in Missouri that was hit by tornadoes the night before. A hospital was leveled to the ground and a number of people were killed. I thought about that for a while, and in the midst such a desperate catastrophe; in the midst of all the wondering and question-asking, found God's presence to be so near--so very near. And I thought about that too. I'm not sure how long I was out there thinking, praying, and just talking to God, but I don't think that I've ever had quite the same experience before.
I wonder if you could pray for me if you think of it. Although thus far, these last few days at home have been filled with wonderful rest, there are things which need to be done; some of which I'm not sure how they ought to be accomplished, and I'm worried about their outcome. Will be sure to update, but I'm so tired I think my eyes might just close before I finish typing.
Well,
Thanks a billion-and-two my friends.
With tons of love (ponds, and little brooks, and rivers full)
Sincerely,
Sarah
I have my sister's old room
The room is blue, but my dad and I are going to repaint the chipped and faded walls in a few weeks. Until then, my belongings have collected around the room's perimeter like hesitant cobwebs. It was odd to pack everything from my room in Fulton and see it resurface in my life, in a new room, in Pennsylvania, out of boxes and into the light. I don't like owning so much stuff. But I'm so blessed to have it. This is the big paradox.
Home has been good to me. Last night, after asking me what I'd want for my first dinner at home, my Mom made crepes. We had strawberries, fresh whipped cream, and Nutella. My Dad made some decaf and we ate outside, my family and two friends. Earlier, my brother William had strung christmas lights on the fence, and it grew dark but ever cozier. I brought out Sarah's brother's banjo and we sang for a little bit, and two more friends joined us. Just when I was becoming afraid that I'd spend my summer missing Gordon's community, this sweet experience of togetherness and beauty happened. I was really comforted.
How is it? How are Wisconsin, Tennessee, Massachusetts, Virginia, California and Pitney Road? I praise the Lord for each of you. Do write, friends. It'll be so good to keep our spirits together.
Love,
Hannah
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
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