Sweet, Sweet Memories

Today I went to the office of my apartment complex to retrieve a package that I WASN'T expecting. Upon retrieving the package I immediately looked for the sender's info; I was delighted to find that the package was form a couple of dear friends of mine currently living in the frozen wonderland of New Canada (a.k.a Minnesota).

It's amazing how something as simple as a bag of coffee and few personal, thoughtful notes written on the side of said bag of coffee can brighten ones day and flood one's thoughts with a thousand beautiful memories of times gone by! :)

A year ago I might have mourned the passing of that period of my life and taken upon myself a cloak of sadness at no longer being near these friends of mine or being in Italy with them. I find, however, that I over the last year that God has so greatly worked in my heart and mind that instead of sadness, I fully embrace the  joy of times past, the gratitude of friendships that survive the harshness of time and distance, and the grace of a God that has allowed me to have both.

I may no longer be in Italy, but I still have those memories. I may not be living in the same building as those dear friends of mine, but I still call them friends and I know that we are there for each other if life were to rage against us. I have learned from the past and look to the future with a great hope and with the knowledge that I have many more unique experiences awaiting me. Places to go, people to meet, and a God that is going to be with me through it all!

Ave Atque Vale! Hail and Farewell!

Peace be upon you,

Stephen

If You're Going to Look, You Might as Well See

I once heard this quote by G.K. Chesterton that made me shout out "Yes yes yes!" The quote went like this, "The tourist sees what he came to see; the traveler sees all that there is to see." I want to be a traveler and not a tourist. I don't want to just see the fancy, beautiful attractions. I want to see everything! This was how I lived when I lived in the Jordan a couple summers back, and then in Italy the year before.

I wasn't in the Middle East to see the Jordan River or Petra. I was there to truly see; to be apart of the lives of a people group I didn't know and barely understood. When in Rome I was there to see the people, hear the subtle differences in accents from those in Venice
, the difference in clothing and food; I looked for the patterns in the stone road ways just as much as, if not more than, the architectural feat that is the Colosseum.

Upon my returning to the U.S. of blessed A. I found myself struggling to maintain the same mindset that I had in other countries. I was failing to see what I was looking at. People, culture, needs...life was happening right in front in front of me but I didn't "see" it.

This is how many people live their lives. Living as tourists to their lives, here to see what they came to see and not seeing what there is to see. As a result people die without truly being a part of the world around them and without experiencing the fullness of life. By "looking" but not "seeing" we do an injustice to God's creation and to the humanity that we are a part of. We do an disservice to our fellow believers, fellow humans, and even to ourselves.

What are you not seeing? What details are you brushing over? Do you see the painting and not notice the delicacy of each stroke of the brush or the mixture and manipulation of colors that were used to make said painting?

Don't just look....

See.


Peace be with you always,

Stephen.