My big sister is ENGAGED!

About a month ago, over my spring break, my older sister's boyfriend sat down with my father, my younger sister, and myself to ask for our blessing in proposing to my big sister, Candice :)

Today, March 30th, 2013, David proposed to my sister, and I am so happy to say that they are engaged to be married!

Y'all, I'm going to have a brother-in-law! I am so excited :) I have really missed having a brother figure in my life, and I really think that David will be great in that role     for Jennifer and myself. That, of course, is in addition to being an incredible, loving husband to Candice. My sister is truly blessed, and I could not be happier for her :)

Good Friday

{Isaiah 53}

53 Who has believed our message
    and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?
² He grew up before him like a tender shoot,
    and like a root out of dry ground.
He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him,
    nothing in his appearance that we should desire him.
³ He was despised and rejected by mankind,
    a man of suffering, and familiar with pain.^(H)
Like one from whom people hide^(I) their faces
    he was despised, and we held him in low esteem.

⁴ Surely he took up our pain
    and bore our suffering,
yet we considered him punished by God,
    stricken by him, and afflicted.
⁵ But he was pierced for our transgressions,
    he was crushed for our iniquities;
the punishment that brought us peace was on him,
    and by his wounds we are healed.
⁶ We all, like sheep, have gone astray,
    each of us has turned to our own way;
and the Lord has laid on him
    the iniquity of us all.

⁷ He was oppressed and afflicted,
    yet he did not open his mouth;
he was led like a lamb to the slaughter,
    and as a sheep before its shearers is silent,
    so he did not open his mouth.
⁸ By oppression and judgment he was taken away.
    Yet who of his generation protested?
For he was cut off from the land of the living;
    for the transgression of my people he was punished.
⁹ He was assigned a grave with the wicked,
    and with the rich in his death,
though he had done no violence,
    nor was any deceit in his mouth.

¹⁰ Yet it was the Lord’s will to crush him and cause him to suffer,
    and though the Lord makes his life an offering for sin,
he will see his offspring and prolong his days,
    and the will of the Lord will prosper in his hand.
¹¹ After he has suffered,
    he will see the light of life and be satisfied;
by his knowledge my righteous servant will justify many,
    and he will bear their iniquities.
¹² Therefore I will give him a portion among the great,
    and he will divide the spoils with the strong,
because he poured out his life unto death,
    and was numbered with the transgressors.
For he bore the sin of many,
    and made intercession for the transgressors.

Ignorance.

The world may not see the need,
but for me it is profoundly visible.
The concern may be on what personal sacrifice will need to be made,
but I am focusing my sights on the greater good.
I will not say that you are wrong,
but I will say that you are not seeing what is right.
My heart is for people.
My frustration is at those who are comfortable
and therefore overlook those who live in desperation.
I am a humanitarian.
I am a social worker.
Where others value capitalist gain
I hold true to human rights and equality.
Is it so hard to look past yourself?
What part of hunger and suffering do you not understand?
Perhaps it would be easier to care
if you were one who was unsure
of how they were going to live day-to-day.
It should not require that.
We should not be blissful in our ignorance.
Wake up!
Look at the truth and see it for what it is!
We CAN do something about it,
but yet there are those choosing not to.
Forgive me for not being sorry,
but I will never understand this apathy.
I see heartlessness and greed,
and it is fueling my fire.

"We who are strong ought to bear with the failings of the weak and not to please ourselves."
{Romans 15:1}

"And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased."
{Hebrews 13:16}

"Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others."
{Philippians 2:3-4}

"This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters. If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in that person?"
{1 John 3:16-17}

My first JMU snow day!

Well, for the first time since I entered this fine university, school was closed on account of snow! Twas a glorious day indeed! I started by sleeping in until almost noon, which was much needed after retreat this past weekend (which I plan to blog about once pictures are posted). I went downstairs to find my whole house sitting in the living room, waiting for me to wake up so that we could go play in the snow together :) And while it took a little while for all of us to get dressed and ready, we finally made it out to a hill by Convo to go sledding! Our endeavor looked a little something like this:

As you can probably tell, a great time was had by all! I am seriously blessed with the greatest housemates in the world. I love my fishies :)

*Some photos courtesy of Hannah.

But our day did not end there! Upon returning to the Fishbowl, Brandi and Stephanie made us all snow cream! I have never tried it before, and they did a nice job if I do say so myself :) Then, for dinner, Stephanie, Brandi, and I decided to treat ourselves to happy hour sushi at Oriental Cafe, complete with edamame! Twas absolutely scrumptious. But wait, there's more! Hannah, Brandi, Stephanie, and I polished off our snow day with Zenon: Girl of the 21st Century! Yes, that gem of a movie is always a pleasure to watch     even more so with my beloved fishies :)

For those of you who also had a snow day today, I hope you had as much fun as I did! Love you all :)

Not.

I am, but you do not see.

I do, but you do not know.

I feel, but cannot say.

I want, but cannot find words.

I fear, but cannot share it.

I desire, but cannot see.

I know, but do not grasp.

I am not. I do not. I feel not. I want not. I fear not. I desire not. I know not.

But I do.

I confess, but will not regret.

I acknowledge, but will not falter.

I struggle, but will not fall.

Will not.