This post is not so much about things I have been doing over the past weeks, but is more of a reflection of who I am and how I am living in this world:
I Am One of Those People
I am one of those people who grew up in Wyoming. I love the wide open spaces and blue skies that the state has to offer. There is nothing more enjoyable than being in the mountains of Wyoming: smelling the fresh air, hearing the breeze blow by and the birds chirping, looking at the magnificent views created by our Father. I love Wyoming because of the genuinely nice people it contains. The state is so small and the residents look out for each other as fellow ‘Wyomingites.’
I am one of those people who loves running. The feeling of moving swiftly through the landscape, seeing the surroundings pass by and hearing the activity around you is irreplaceable. Running allows for the perfect pace of exploring the outdoors (or even cities and towns) – moving slow enough to notice the things around you, but fast enough to want to return later to notice more. I love running by myself because it is just me, the outdoors and God. My best reflection and prayer happens when I am running. Something about being by myself in that motion allows me to think clearly and openly with God.
I am one of those people who is from the United States of America. I enjoy the freedoms that America has to offer: freedom of speech, freedom of assembly, freedom of petition, freedom of religion and freedom of press. Freedom of religion is the best freedom that Americans have. To be able live a life based upon whichever belief system you choose, without the fear of being beaten, arrested or even killed is astonishing.
I am one of those people who is at times ashamed to be an American. America is one of the most wasteful and overindulging countries in the world. The amount of things that people possess in excess in America is disgusting. Not everyone in America chooses to live this type of lifestyle, but enough do to give the country that stereotype. I try to be one of those people who lives a lifestyle to counter the actions of those who overindulge. I consciously make efforts to live more simply: take shorter and/or less frequent showers, wear my clothes multiple times between washing, recycle and reuse, put on extra layers of clothing instead of turning up the heat, take public transportation and walk to get places.
I am one of those people who enjoys being in the kitchen. There is something about preparing food and sitting down with others to partake which brings people together. Some of the best conversations and moments happen whilst preparing or eating a meal. Growing up, my family made dinner and ate together almost every night of the week. This was the time when we could check in with each other and reminisce about good times and bad. Christ shared many meals with the people closest to him, and I find value in doing so also.
I am one of those people who is married and is so thankful to have someone to share lifelong love. In my husband, I have found a best friend to share life experiences, a person whom I can be completely open to, someone to laugh and cry with and a companion to be by my side through hard times.
I am one of those people living in a new culture. I have ventured away from the home in which I feel comfortable in order to follow a call to experience God and my faith in a new context. Living in a new culture has shown me how God is at work in areas unfamiliar to me. He is present everywhere, and I am encountering his existence in new ways. Daily I experience people who speak differently than me, sites that are unfamiliar and political issues which differ from those at home. I am learning about the importance of reconciliation between groups and sides of people who have lived in tension for so long and also learning how this applies to my life and the world as a whole. God has called us to live as one, breaking down barriers and making peace.
So, I strive to be one of those people who does not conform, but stands up for their beliefs; one of those people who is filled with the Holy Spirit and lets it work through them; one of those people who challenges the barriers set up between those with conflicting ideals and beliefs; one of those people who enables change; one of those people who follow Jesus Christ.
Ephesians 2:14-18 "For He himself is our peace, who has made the two groups one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility, by setting aside in his flesh the law with its commands and regulations. His purpose was to create in himself one new humanity out of the two, thus making peace, and in one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which he put to death their hostility. He came and preached peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near. For through him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit. " |
| Karl and I at the top of Cavehill |
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| Patrick and I dishing up some grub....we had dinner with all of the YAV's at our place |
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| A dragon from a dance we saw during Belfast Culture Night |
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