10 Places That Mean Something

Okay, so I've done the whole listing off art/entertainment that means something to me, but I've never written a list of places that mean something to me. Since I do have some experience in this area and love to travel whenever I can, I say it's about time. In no particular order, here's the list.

~ The Lower Camera Reading Room in the Bodleian Library; Oxford, England With over 11 million printed items spread throughout nearly 40 different libraries around the area, I was in book lover heaven when I had access to this place for a month. Studying was no problem, though with so much to explore it was quite overwhelming. Sitting by the decorated windows, taking in the smells and sounds of European knowledge was amazing! Being there with new-found friends made it even better.

~ Road between Focus on the Family and MTI; Colorado Springs, Colorado When I first got to the Springs last summer to intern for a month, I was nervous about driving. By the time it was over, the thing I was going to miss most was my morning drive along the curvy mountain roads of this gorgeous state. With the Weepies to keep me company and the ever-changing sky to amaze me, this place was in my thoughts long after I left it.

~ Schloss Heroldeck; Millstatt, Austria A castle built in the early 1900s complete with a tower and gorgeous view of Lake Millstatt. Fill the place with Slovene teenagers and it's by far the coolest place ever for JV English Camps. And I absolutely adore the sparkling green, blue, and purple shingles on its rooftop.

~ First West Olson at Taylor University; Upland, Indiana The saying is true, First West is best (not that I'm at all biassed)! But honestly, 30-40 college girls sharing life with each other is always cool to see. The late night dance parties, the discussions in the hallway, and the nickname shouting from across the wing all served as a fun reminder to me that life is better when you've got company.

~ Josiah Venture's Main Training Center; Malenovice, Czech Republic I've seen this place and JV go through a lot of changes in the past 13 years, but through it all one thing has stayed exactly the same -time with JV always feels like time with family. And that makes Malenovice a home away from home. From having Jacob's hat party, to watching Miss Congeniality in a closet-sized room, to many games of Star Wars mafia, to worshipping God alongside so many people I love, this place holds great memories.

~ Kidsbooks Bookstore; Vancouver, British Columbia I love visiting my relatives in BC and have to agree with my parents when they say if they could live anywhere in Canada they'd want to live there. Vancouver has everything, including beautiful beaches, mountains, and this specialty shop. It's the best children's bookstore I've ever been to and it keeps that Kathleen Kelly dream of owning my own bookstore someday alive.

~ Clapping Circle at Jefferson Pointe; Fort Wayne, Indiana This secret place, sadly no longer there because of a stupid potted tree, was a favorite spot my Freshman year of college. To me it symbolizes the spontaneity and fun of a lot of firsts in life on my own. If you were there, you understand, and if you have no idea what I'm talking about, you missed out.

~ Schoolhouse; Kakolo Village, Zambia Okay, so I've never actually been here, but I feel like I have been. Going to high school at Wheaton Academy taught me a lot that I'll never forget. Maybe the biggest  lesson I learned though is how the least in life should be a part of my daily life as a Christian. The Zambia Project, raising money for this village, showed me the power of giving, compassion, and a life of love. Learning to live sacrificially for the sake of others less fortunate than ourselves and changing the world because of it is a lesson I hope I always remember. And who knows? Maybe someday I'll get to visit in person.

~ Ho'okipa Beach; Maui, Hawaii In my ideal other life, I would totally be a surfer here. I'd drive a yellow jeep, own 15 different swim suits, and hang out with the local beach bums. Yeah, forget dreams of being a celebrity, I would be completely happy living in the sun, sand, and surf of this place. They don't call it paradise for nothing!

~ My House; Carol Stream, Illinois Not everyone is blessed enough to be able to say, "There's no place like home" and actually mean it. However, I am. Through babysitting quite a bit recently I've gotten to see some other family's homes in the area and I am quite certain that mine should be everyone's favorite. The calming colors of the walls, the comfy couches, and of course my mom's hospitality and my dad's jokes make the place great. If you don't believe me, come visit!

And there you have it! What places are on your list?

How I'm Like A Horse

Anyone who knows me knows that I'm not a country girl. I prefer big cities and haven't ever spent much time on a farm. And if you happened to be in my beginning horsemanship class last year at Taylor when Shammy got spooked, you also know that I have personal reasons to dislike horses. Nevertheless, I have recently found myself enjoying the Canadian hit TV show, Heartland. For those of you who have never heard of it, it's a modern family drama about a teenage horse whisperer (named Amy) and her life on a ranch in Alberta. Though I mostly like it for character development purposes, I have to admit it has also piqued my interest in rodeos and the different events that take place at them.

One such event is the colt taming competition.

Basically, each competitor is given a wild colt and has a certain amount of time in a ring to tame it. They are given points for being able to saddle the horse, ride it, lead it over obstacles, etc.

When Amy attempts to tame a horse (which happens a lot in the show), she does so by making the horse run around a ring for as long as it takes before the horse decides to "join up" with her in the middle of the cirlce. Sometimes the horses are pretty stubborn and won't meet her for a while. Instead, they run around in circles, bitter that someone else wants control. Other times the horses will allow Amy to touch them, will meet her eye and sometimes even let her put a saddle on their back, but they throw her off and fight her if she gets too close or dares to try riding because of fear and distrust. It takes a lot of patience and compassion from Amy, but it is clearly a victory when she finally gets a horse to join up and partner with her.

This process fascinates me and I wasn't really sure why until the other night when I opened my Bible to Psalm 32:8-9 and read, "The Lord says, 'I will guide you along the best pathway for your life. I will advise you and watch over you. Do not be like a senseless horse or mule that needs a bit and bridle to keep it under control.'" 

Though I'm not considered a "farm girl" in any sense of the term, my recent interest in Heartland, paired with these verses, made me realize that most of the time I am that senseless horse. Amy taming those stubborn, scared animals is a lot like what God wants to do for us. He calls us to "join up" with Him in the middle of the ring. He calls us to a partnership of trust and love where He'll guide us along the best pathway of life... if we let Him. My problem, like the untamed horses, is that I don't always want to give up my control. I want to go the way I want to go -do the things I want to do. And I don't fully believe that anyone could know better than I do how my life should be.

Trusting is difficult, but just as the verse says the alternative is senseless. If you aren't the horse joining up with the Master in the center of the ring, living for the exact purposes you were created for in a harmonious partnership with one who knows better than you, then you're the horse running around the circle, wasting your energy on a life that will get you nowhere, while the kind Master waits patiently for you to come back to Him.

When Following Means Staying

"Where You go, I'll go

Where You stay, I'll stay

When You move, I'll move

I will follow." - Chris Tomlin

Chris Tomlin's latest hit, "I Will Follow" has been in my head for the past few weeks for a lot of reasons.  Besides being played on the radio constantly, the theme stands out as one I know well. As a missionary kid, it just makes sense that I would resonate with the idea of going where Christ goes. After all, my family did move across the world twice for the sake of following God. I'm confident I've seen Him move in the past and that He's called and invited me into a life of stepping out in faith with Him and going wherever He wants me to. But these days, those aren't the lines in this song that really speak to me. Instead, it's the second line above that has gotten me thinking. 

Where You stay, I'll stay.

It's one thing to be the person always leaving -to say goodbye to people and places on your path because you're changing directions. I guess moving is what I'm good at. At an early age I was bit by the travel bug and the effects have been with me ever since. I like the adventure of the unknown road to newer and better things. I want to be called to action and enjoy it when I am.

The part I'm not so used to is staying put.

I've realized recently that it's ten times harder to be content and patient while staying still. Goodbyes are harder when everything has stayed the same, but you're missing someone. I'll just be honest, it's hard not to be the one taking off for a foreign country, a different mission field, or at least a new grad school campus (especially, in this economy). I'd rather be way too busy, than bored like I am here at home. I'd rather be learning in a new place, than admit I might have more to learn here where I'm comfortable. And I'd definitely rather have God tell me something specific to do, than have to be waiting around for His answers to my questions. 

But Chris Tomlin's song has reminded me that my commitment to following Christ means that sometimes I'll be staying where He stays, instead of going anywhere. And you know what? I'm beginning to be okay with that.

On Success

What is success really? How do you define this daunting word? The world says one thing; one thing we all know well, that we hear day after day.

"It's all about the money. The status. The power. It is all about giving them exactly what they want." 

But who is this "them" who wants these things? And what if what you want isn't what "them" wants? And what about God? What about His wants? 

If you tune out what the world says and listen more to what He says where does that leave you? If you're really, truly honest with yourself what do you think success means? What does it look like? Like money, status, and power? Or something else? What is success really? 

And what would you have to do to gain it? 

The Many "Me"s That Make Up My Life - Part 2

As seen below, there are many different "me"s that make up who I am. When combined you get a full picture, but otherwise you only understand a part. Lately I've been learning that we like things too separate.

Think about it for a minute. If you're like my brother, you like different types of food to be on separate plates so that they don't have to touch each other before making their way to your mouth. If you're like my sister, you'd rather not have different groups of friends over to your house for the same party, because that could get awkward. And if you're like me, you want separate sticky notes for different categories of your scribbles, even if there's room for everything on one. 

See? We like things separate. 

It's easier that way. Not too messy. Simple. 

But somehow I think that's dangerous. Don't get me wrong, being organized is a good thing! However, keeping things too separate, especially when it comes to pieces of your actual life, can be lonely. It's like making someone read a random section of your favorite book without giving them any context. That's frustrating, and to be honest, there are already too many people who will only understand one part of you anyway. 

Allow me to invite you into my room right now. I'm sitting here alone in my empty house. I'm clearly the home me on the surface. To someone looking in at the moment, I know I give a very different impression than the me inside my own head. However, take a step into my mind for a minute and you'll see that besides thinking about this blog post, I'm thinking of the many job applications I've filled out this week and the many more left to be finished (work me), I'm thinking about my visit to Taylor coming up soon and all of my friends there without me (academic me), and I'm definitely thinking about the many Slovenes I met this summer who are still moving forward towards Christ (travel me). And even though I can hide those "me"s to the outside world and look like merely home me, I can never truly separate things inside my head or heart. There, I'm always just me.   

But God didn't create us to be ourselves alone, inside our souls only to be understood by Him or ourselves. Instead, He gives us opportunities to be open with those around us and make friends who are able to see more than one of the pieces that make up who we are. True, some friends will only ever really see or understand one part of us, and that's okay. However, those who see, understand, and relate to more than one "me" are the ones you really want to keep around.

Because some things need to be separate (like doodles versus lists on sticky notes). But others are better understood when all together. 

The Many "Me"s That Make Up My Life - Part 1

My life at any given moment is a series of sections; small pieces of me that make up what I do, what I think, and essentially who I am. 

There is home me who is an older sister and daughter. The one whose room is in the basement, who always has a book in her hand, and who is known to spit soup out of her mouth from laughing too hard at the dinner table on occasion. This me is independent, a little stir crazy, and either too relaxed or just bored most of the time. The one who is uncomfortably comfortable with being selfish. She struggles to be content, but is also super grateful for the security, warmth, and consistency of home. 

There’s academic me. The one who knows what’s expected and is capable of pulling her weight. She likes studying, though she may complain, because she’s an idea person who likes hearing new things, thinking them through, and discussing them with peers. This me is responsible for the most part, but is smart enough to pair hard work with lots of fun. Not normally too stressed out, she enjoys the craziness of an ever changing dorm and plenty of friends. This is the me who is social, likes to write, and stays up way too late. She tries not to get overly obsessed with grades or competition and most of the time succeeds.

Then there is work me. Not super experienced, but a fast learner and consistent. This me tries hard to fit in and act professional, but feels like she’s playing a little girl’s pretend game of “Real World.” She is known as detail oriented and thorough, quiet but pleasant, and is always willing to do what’s asked of her. This me sometimes knows exactly what she wants and how to get it and at other times has no clue what she’s doing.  She has to push herself to take initiative, but she’s usually up to the challenge. And though she likes working by herself, she is also more than willing to be a team player. Reading people well, getting along with them, and being easy going but organized makes people notice….sometimes.

And of course there’s travel me. Maybe the most content of them all, this me breathes easy, trusts a map, but enjoys adventure. She is the experienced one, the missionary kid with a fresh perspective on life and a smile on her face. This me absolutely hates when ignorant people joke about different races and nationalities, she is proud to be Canadian, and thinks that newspapers are too biased to give an accurate picture of what goes on in the world. She keeps track of license plates from different states on road trips, feels at home when on the move, and loves learning about different cultures. She’s been to a lot of places and can picture herself in many more. And somehow people on the other side of the world have captured her heart.

These are only some of the many “me”s that make up my life at this moment. What do your “me”s look like? More to come on this soon.

Dear Europe

Dearest Europe,

I have something to confess. I don't say this lightly, but I'm kind of hopelessly in love with you. Every time I get to visit my heart leaps and every time I'm forced to say goodbye I miss you even more than the last time. I've only been gone from you for a month now, but it feels like so much longer.

I absolutely love the way you greet me with roses and chocolate on occasion, the fresh bread you make me in the mornings, and of course the gelato in the afternoons. Thank you for welcoming me into a life of laid-back adventure. The cobblestone roads you lead me down and the views of church spires and country-sides you have shown me over the years have stayed with me. No matter how hard I try I cannot forget the history lessons you've taught me -the art and culture. I appreciate the steady way you change while still remembering your past. Your faithful and welcoming heart is appreciated.

And more than anything else, you feel like home.
Thanks for that.

Amy