Random Musings

I love Sundays. However, this Sunday was better than most...and thought provoking as well. After a VERY rough few months and a stressful week, I was finally able to hand some baggage over to God that I should have a LONG time ago. I also started reading a book that has changed some of my thinking as it pertains to church and I. For the first time in months I attended church without even a trace of anger or bitterness. I was finally free of that bondage. It was a new and incredible feeling...a hurdle that had finally been jumped and cleared.

After church I made my weekly trek up to Portland (to take advantage of my family's washer and dryer). I sat in the living room and began to thank God for the dysfunction and fun in my family. My mom and I tried to play Yahtzee with my 5 year old niece who skips the number 13 every time she counts. It was a slow game. My atheist sister was playing on the floor with my 2 year old nephew as my dad tried to speak louder than the baseball game that was on the television to her about church...an act that is NOT appreciated on her part. Awkward tension does a family good. The afternoon ended with pizza, clean laundry, and a free for all wrestling match in the living room between my mom, sister, niece, nephew, and myself, as dad laughed from the sidelines. I lost of course...my mom may be small, but she grew up with three older brothers, she's TOUGH.
I knew that I loved my family...but I really truly appreciated them this day, kinks and all.

No Sunday would be complete without a trip to see "the girl" (Megan). We decided that we were going to hit the big city and go to the coffeehouse that we had dubbed our favorite in high school. It's called CoffeeTime on NW 21st. It's small and a little creepy in places, but it was the perfect atmosphere to play some cards. We were soon joined by a girl that we went to high school with, but that I have not spoken with since freshman year in college. It was awkward. It reminded me of previous times in my life and made me realize all the more how thankful I was for the place in life that I am at right now. It never ceases to amaze me, however, how one person can change the entire atmosphere. The conversation between Megan and I shifted from life and God, to absolutely nothing at all as we began to play poker with this other girl. We knew she would not join in the previous conversation, so we stopped.

Our poker game was a little unorthodox. We had no money, so we used materials around the coffee shop. Stirring sticks were worth the least. It took 5 stirring sticks to be equivalent to a Splenda packet. It took 3 Splenda packets to equal one straw, and three straws was equivalent to one java jacket. The guy behind the counter was a little less than pleased that we had put our hands over all these supplies which had to be thrown away afterward. It was over this ridiculous game that the negative outlook on life that I had been carrying around for the last few months finally made its final transition into a more thankful and content outlook.

Praise God for tension, awkwardness, family (church and blood), clean laundry, revelations, changed hearts, coffee, a best friend, and simplistic poker games.

Posted by Christi on Monday, October 17, 2005 at 10/17/2005 11:28:00 PM | Permalink