How sweet it is.....

“How sweet it is to be loved by you!” Oh what a wonderful love song, one of my favorites mostly because it is one that makes me dance (usually in my car) and giggle! (Which I suppose should be the result of any really good love song!) Yesterday was a night in which I was reminded of how sweet it is to be loved by my “special someone” Joel. Since leaving for the great country of India, we have had to become creative in how we show our love to one another and last night proved to be one of the best so far. So here is what made yesterday so wonderful and sweet.

First, my day started out with my cell phone ringing with the spectacular “unavailable number” (which usually means that it’s either my parents in Kolkatta or Joel in Mussoorie). What followed was a real, live person-to-person conversation; complete with voice, no delay and no drops in the call and no “are you talking? I can’t hear you.” Previously, we had tried to talk on the phone and the phone connection in Mussoorie was horrible! So to have this real conversation was a blessing that I cannot describe, there is nothing like hearing the voice of the one you love who is far away.

So I thought that my day couldn’t get any better, I was flying on cloud 11! I went about my day, going on a run and then heading to one of my last shifts at the hospital. When I returned to my apartment and walked into my entry way, what happened to be there? An absolutely beautiful bouquet of flowers propped against my front door! Now these weren’t just any flowers, they were farmer’s market flowers; beautiful, colorful, homegrown and organic. As I picked them up and read the beautiful note attached tears of happiness came to my eyes and I was smiling from ear to ear.

This simple action (I guess not that simple, it required coordination and planning on Joel’s part) reminded me how sweet it is to be loved by Joel. How even from thousands of miles away we can be an encouragement to one another, it just takes some creativity! (And how sweet is it that Joel’s sister Sara was willing to do this for us. I thank you from the bottom of my heart!)

Bouquets of sharpened pencils

So this entry is inspired by one line from the absolutely cheesy, yet a guilty pleasure movie “You’ve Got Mail” (which I feel that I can now understand the excitement of getting an email). In the beginning of the movie Meg Ryan explains that fall is one of her favorite seasons and instead of bouquets of flowers she would like bouquets of sharpened pencils. (Though I always love flowers, so no funny ideas!) Today, I was reminded that fall is also one of my favorite seasons of the year. As I stepped off my porch, I found that I needed to grab a light jacket to take the chill off! So why do I love fall?

First, the weather! There is something special about a crisp, sunny fall day which a sweater and scarf is all you need to stay warm. There is something wonderful about my nose feeling cold and seeing my breath as I walk around the farmer’s market on a Saturday morning.

The farmers market, that’s the second reason why I love the season of fall. The farmers market has some of the best fruits and vegetables in the fall and so much inspiration can be found in the beautiful apples and squashes! I love walking around the square with my cup of warm coffee taking in all of the wonderful sights! The fall farmer’s market also allows me to cook soups, bake breads and pies! It’s much easier to turn on the oven and fire up the stove when I am not surrounded by sweltering heat!

This fall is bringing an exciting (and kind of scary) change in my life, which is a new job for me! My start date is on the first day of school (September 5th) for Madison students and even though I am not in school, I feel like I am a kid on the first day of school. I am excited to begin working at Access Community Health Centers and seeing if my desire to work with people who most need health care, is really true.

There are many reasons why I love fall and they won’t all fit on this page. Who knows maybe I would really like a bouquet of sharpened pencils for my birthday (which is also in October, yet another reason why fall rocks!)

Oh, Patience....

Patient (pa’shent) adj. 1) calmly tolerating delay, confusion, inefficiency, etc 2) able to wait calmly for something desired 3) steady; diligent; persevering 4) the ability to wait or endure without complaint

Oh how I have been stretched and challenged these past few weeks in my ability to remain patient and wait. Now, as I am starting to settle into what these next few months are going to be like I am being taught what patience means. Sometimes I feel like a little girl standing before the Lord saying “How and why Lord? Please teach me how to be patient and help me to wait for your plan!” And then, at that point, I realize that I really have to completely rely on the Lord for my peace and that He alone can give me patience. I believe that part of my nature is to know details and I like to know how “everything” is going to logistically work. But with the recent departure of Joel and my parents has launched me into a time where I have NO control over how all the details are going to work out. So my prayer has been that the Lord will teach me the patience to wait and not worry over the details. And I pray that He will forgive me when my patience runs out!

I love the US Postal service...

So I have decided that the common misconception of gun-toting angry postal workers is simply not true. I have made this observation a couple of times to my friends and usually there is rolling of eyes and a look of “For crying out loud Shannon, It’s the postman/woman.” But today I had to go to the post office and get some very important information. You see, my parents and Joel have both, in the past few days, left for the great country of India (though not quite as great as Canada, because nothing beats the great country of Canada!) Needless to say, these past few days have been hard for me as I begin to adjust and transition into a period of time of which I feel I have no control! But one consolation today was going to the post office and regaining a little control of how I handle sending letters and packages to the people I love and cherish deeply. After the very nice postal service woman explained all I needed to know and was patient with all my annoying questions; I left feeling happy, calm and accomplished. One thing that has been causing me a lot of worry is knowing how I will communicate to Joel and my parents while they are away and today helped calm some of that concern. So I say “Thank you United States Postal Service, you who deliver in wind, rain, sleet snow, earthquakes, attacks by aliens, while fighting a dragon or traversing great heights to deliver my mail! Thank you!” (Okay I’m just kidding, I think I just got carried away). But seriously, you all love to get snail mail, there is nothing better than opening up a card or letter from someone you love! So next time you see your friendly neighborhood mail carrier, tell them “Thank you”, they have eased a girl’s head and heart in Madison, WI!