i have always had a hard time saying that i "remember" a day that someone passed (unless they didn't know the Lord). it is more of a day of celebration, although it is still very sad.
today is the one year mark of jeremiah going to be with the Lord after a scuba diving accident. i can't believe a year has passed. jeremiah was a man of character, integrity, chasima, hardship and lots of love. his life was short lived and was much more challenging then any of us suburban kids could of dreamed up. melanie, a beloved friend of mine, has fought the fight this year and has been a strong woman- some days easier than others. i honestly do not know how anyone could do this on their own strength, thank goodness for the Lord's. jeremiah's death brought many people to Christ. his story has been lived on and is an inspiration to many. i am praying today for his family, loved ones, and especially mel. keep them in your prayers!
Today after lunch I ran over to AAA to get a NYC map for my roommate. She has painted three different canvases white with the a black sky line of a city… that all flow together. For some reason she needed a map to complete the paintings (still waiting to see how it turns out). So being the nice roommate I am (jk, but really), I picked her up some maps. I always get super carried away with maps! I cannot contain myself so I decided to get maps of Downtown LA, San Francisco, NYC, and Chicago. Some may call me a nerd, but I absolutely love them. I could stare at them hours and often do. If someone has a world map up at their house I am always drawn to it and end up sparking up some kind of traveling conversation with someone nearby. Today I opened up the NYC map in the parking lot at work and just stared at it. My mind drifted off into this place where I was reminded of lots of vivid memories of my trips to NYC. I think that there is a special part of my brain, or maybe many peoples, for maps. Living in WashingtonD.C.for four months and riding the Metro absolutely everywhere made for a permanent map in my brain. I sometimes dream about it.
I think that maps have somewhat lost their value. People have become lazy and have resorted to a GPS because they are convenient and much more efficient. But what happened to trying to figure out the puzzle? Trying to figure out your destination? What happened to people who actually have a sense of direction and can locate North, South, East, and West? Perhaps even by just knowing where the sun and moon are located? I know that those people are out there… but our world is becoming more and more reliant on a machine to tell us where to go instead of figuring it out with our own brain.
I do not have a GPS. I do not plan on having one unless I need one for work or something. My Mom, sister and I traveled throughout Europe (Spain, Italy, France... and even Morocco- in Africa) with a map... we survived.
Anyways, this is the DC metro map, which is very dear and close to my heart. You can learn a lot about a place through their public transportation system- but that is another story.
Today I visited one of my best friends in her new apartment with her newly wed husband. It took about 45 minutes to drive from Pasadena to Arcadia (Little India) to where they are living. Both of them are Biola grads, who know that they are called to missions, particularly among Muslims. Most people who graduate want to go live in some hip neighborhood with a whole bunch of people who are similar to them. Not Shannon and Joel. They are living in the heart of Little India among a lot of people who are well... not white. They definitely stick out, but that is not going to get to them. I am inspired by them. They have intentionally placed themselves in a place that might not be the most comfortable, but they are doing it to meet people other then themselves and to learn from them. I am praying that they will come to know people in their neighborhood and develop lasting loving friendships. Way to go Shannon- I am proud of you (even if you do watch Jersey Shore behind closed doors).
