What's Your Passion?

I was chatting to a friend earlier today, and somehow (I don't even remember how) we got onto the topic of my love for dancing. I learned dancing (ballet and jazz) for many years, and I absolutely love being able to move to music.

I wish I could explain better what dancing means to me. How, when I dance, it's like everything - my body, my heart and my soul - are all moving together, in an expression of all that is in me - my dreams, my tears, my hopes and my desires. I get this feeling of joy and freedom and hope that just rushes through me. I can't explain it or understand it. But I know I passionately love dancing.

But I know dancing isn't for everyone. Some people (Nica... Andy...) believe they're too unco-ordinated, or just don't enjoy it. But everyone has some activity they are passionate about. For me, it is dance; for someone else, it may be running around a soccer field and scoring that winning goal. It might be taking beautiful photos, sewing a new dress, making a great meal. Whatever it is, I hope you find your passion. Cause no-one should miss out on the feeling that it brings.

A Poetic Turn

This started off as something entirely different... it was originally a poem of thanks to a friend, but somehow became something else entirely. I'm not sure about a couple of the lines... but I needed to 'publish' it or I will keep using up time when I should be doing assignments tweaking it.


"Of Grace"

Out of the darkness you heard my cries
Fought a path through the forest of lies
Called me beloved and opened my eyes
To grace

You whispered of a Way and a Light
To lead my heart from its starless night
Having tasted it, my soul will fight
For grace

Unashamedly my soul now sings
For God has given this fledgling wings
My spirit soars free as each dawn brings
His grace

KJGH, May 2009

Chasing Sunsets

I catch the train home from uni most nights - around a 30-35 minute ride - in the late afternoon, which at the moment (as we're approaching winter here in the Southern Hemisphere) is around the time the sun is setting, and my train travels directly west, following the disappearing sun.

I was sitting on the train a couple of days ago, when I happened to look up from my book and realize that out the window behind me was an incredibly amazing sunset -an incredible red-orange sun illuminating pink clouds and sending off those visible beams of sparkly golden light. It was beautiful and the sight of it lifted away all the clouds of emotional worry that had been ruling my day up until then.

I turned back from the window to see if anyone else in the carriage had caught the same taste of glorious joy from the image of it that I had, but no. They all still had their heads buried in books, magazines, the newspaper, the PSP, the iPod. And I really thought at that moment... this is what our society is. We're so busy chasing after happiness from anywhere that promises it, that we miss the simple moments of true joy, in merely being a witness to God's magnificent creation.

Being Pretty

Bible study times are fun times, but also times when I learn the most. I was doing a study a couple of days ago with two other girls. We were looking at purity, which can be a fairly hectic topic for young people, when one of the girls managed to breaj the tension completely. We were looking at a verse in 1 Peter 3, when my friend suddenly announced, "I like this chapter. It teaches you how to be pretty." Both I and the other girl stared at her for a moment, before she amended "In God's eyes." At which point we all promptly burst out laughing, because she just sounded so cute saying it. Later, apart from appreciating the irony of the comment - as the girl who said is physically very beautiful and could probably get work as a model if she wanted it, her comment started me thinking.

Not so much what true beauty is, but rather how to obtain it. My friend used the word "teach", which isn't what society would normally associate with beauty, is it? In the world, you are either born beautiful (too late on that one... joking. I'm perfectly happy with how I look :) ) or you buy beauty (not on my wages...). So that brings us back to learning, and I would dare to add growing or developing, as ways beauty can be produced.

And how do we learn to have "a gentle and quiet spirit"? Peter gives us one source - by looking at the lives of the women of the Bible, and I would add, by emulating the faithful Christian women in our churches, friends and families. I know I learn best when something is modelled for me to follow. The other way I think we can learn beauty is the one I know I need to pay more attention too, and that is growing through my mistakes - looking back on when I have failed to demonstrate this and examining my attitude and motives in that situation.

I know being quiet adn gentle is counter-cultural in a society that is rewarding women for exposing themselves adn celebrates "bitching" as a freedom. Interesting, I think. Freedom in envy and anger? Give me serenity any day, thank you.

Commitment to Loveliness

This is an idea from... I can't really say a friend, cause I don't know her ( I haven't even commented on her blog!)... let's say a fellow blogger, whose journalling I have been following for a while, and which may have inspired me to take up the practice myself. Anyway, she has this thing - I don't know what you'd call it - called A Commitment to Loveliness, where you choose 5 things to make your life and that of those around a little bit more beautiful, and complete them during the week. Here is her list below:


http://charmingthebirdsfromthetrees.blogspot.com/2008/05/may-18th.html

So, here are my five things to make life that little bit more beautiful:

1. Clean up my bedroom - to the degree that I can vacuum and there is no clothing not in a drawer or the wardrobe!
2. Make fairy bread for the exec team and for my university friends!
3. Do the ironing this weekend, so my mum doesn't have to do it.
4. Catch up with the friends I haven't seen all week, and treat them to coffee/hot chocolate/any kind of chocolate.
5. Find old cross stitch projects and start finishing them off.

Hopefully those things will contribute to making life that bit better for us all. After all, what's life without a few glimpses of beauty and loveliness?