“Spring in the South is seersucker and tornadoes.” – EW Erickson (via my BFF’s Twitter)

April and May are always crazy weather months in Tennessee. I’ve spent too much of the past couple of weeks in my safe bathroom with my cats and weather radio, but thankfully nothing major has happened in my area. Last night was the worst so far this year. I was excited to get some dime-sized hail – the first time I’ve ever watched hail falling at my house – but the rain melted it all before I could take pictures. Here are the best storm photos I saw on the Channel 5 website. They are NOT my pictures, and I’d gladly credit the takers if I knew their names.

Taken at Rhodes College. How creepy awesome is this?!? A friend of mine commented on another friend’s Facebook, “It looks like the Dark Mark should be coming out of it.”

This funnel cloud was spotted a couple of miles from my house, but it didn’t touch down.

I don’t remember where this was taken, but I believe it was also close to my house.

I keep thinking of this time last year – almost the exact weekend – when massive storms flooded the Memphis metro area and went on to cause that devastating thousand-year flood in Nashville. I know the odds of that happening again are very low, but I’m sure Nashvillians are extra jumpy about any flash flooding at this point. I would be too. According to my home rain gauge, we’ve had almost 5 inches of rain here since last night. I drove over the Wolf River on the way to work and it had completely overflowed its banks.

I don’t know if I’ve mentioned here that I always wanted to be a meteorologist. So I apologize if this stuff is boring to others. :)

4 Comments + Posted in: weather

How was everyone’s Easter weekend? Mine was great! My brother Kevin and his girlfriend Stefanie were in town, so there was lots of family time. My church sponsored a free Bebo Norman concert at the Levitt Shell. My pastor preached an Easter sermon that made me want to stand up and cheer. But just as exciting: I got to see Sara Bareilles in concert!

Caroline and Stefanie were my concert companions. :)

Sara is one of my VERY favorite artists, and her music has been especially dear to my heart over the last year. This happened to be the last night of the Kaleidoscope Heart tour, and she definitely left everything on the stage. It was amazing! In addition to her own wonderful songs, she also covered Cee-Lo, Mumford and Sons, and Coldplay. :)

Also amazing: opening act Elizabeth and the Catapult. I need to download their album. Elizabeth reminded me a lot of Kelle Hampton, both in looks and in personality (not that I actually know Kelle Hampton, but you know).

This was my first show at Minglewood Hall, although it’s been open for several years. It’s a great venue – small but not too small, clean, totally non-smoking, and they even have chairs toward the back for those who want/need to sit. I’d definitely go there again!

Add a Comment + Posted in: celebrate, music

I want to start with a disclaimer that not all of my favorite movies are from the family section! But Beauty and the Beast is the one I felt like talking about this week. I’m not going to summarize it because probably 98% of the population has seen it – right? – but here are some thoughts.

When I was a kid and we saw BB for the first time in the theater, my mom leaned over during “Belle” and said, “This is you.” The book addiction, the friendly nature but inability to fit in, the good relationship with her dad, the often-musical conversations with animals – all still true today. So the burning question of which Disney princess I am was settled for life. Other than the whole great-beauty thing. :)

For some reason, I love the part where Lumiere and Cogsworth are trying to distract Belle away from the forbidden wing of the castle, and dance off down the hall exclaiming about all the kinds of books in the library. It pops into my head sometimes in distraction situations. Oh, and speaking of:

Who doesn’t swoon when Beast presents this library to Belle? Forget diamonds, guys – an epic personal library is the way to a woman’s heart.

Plot-wise, I think BB is one of the most mature Disney classics. There are a lot of serious issues here: familial sacrifice, chauvinism and feminism, mob mentality, blackmail, the real threat of institutionalization… and someone tries to melt Lumiere!!! (I still don’t like that part.)

I got the Extended Edition when it came out several years ago, and while I enjoyed seeing new footage, I think it was a good move not to include “Human Again” in the final cut. It just goes on, and on, and on.

To prevent myself from going on and on: basically, if you feel like watching something good and uplifting with catchy tunes, you can’t go wrong with Beauty and the Beast. :)

Add a Comment + Posted in: movies

I’ve been in the middle of Natalie Goldberg’s Writing Down the Bones for a long time now. It takes me forever to read meaty or instructional books, because I’m afraid that if I read at my normal pace, I won’t absorb any of the content. Attempting to slow down usually results in forgetting about the book entirely and rediscovering it weeks or months later. There must be a better way.

Anyway, here are some selections from my favorite chapter so far, “Don’t Use Writing to Get Love”:

Writers get confused. We think writing gives us an excuse for being alive. We forget that being alive is unconditional and that life and writing are two separate entities. Often we use writing as a way to receive notice, attention, love…

…We want honest support and encouragement. When we receive it, we don’t believe it, but we are quick to accept criticism to reinforce our deepest beliefs that, in truth, we are no good and not really writers… Students say to me, “Well, you’re just the teacher. You have to say something positive.” Friends say, “Well, you’re just my friend. You already like me.” Stop! Really stop when someone is complimenting you. Even if it’s painful and you are not used to it, just keep breathing, listen, and let yourself take it in. Feel how good it is. Build up a tolerance for positive, honest support.

Add a Comment + Posted in: quotes, the writing life

But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.
– II Corinthians 12:9

I’ve read this verse a hundred times. But while reading it again last night, a lot of things I’ve been wanting to say suddenly coalesced.

In my pre-divorce life, I privately despaired that I wasn’t like many of the other Christian women I knew. We’re all sinners and no one truly has it all together, but they seemed much more together than I. The things that came so easily and naturally to them – marriages that measured up to Biblical standards, husbands who wanted to spend time with them, babies conceived easily, job flexibility (including the option NOT to work) – just were not happening for me. I assumed something was fundamentally wrong with me or with my faith walk because I couldn’t achieve, or God wouldn’t grant me, these simple, basic things. I didn’t fit in the Perfect Southern Christian Woman box, OR the Radical Missionary to Africa-type box. I was in a messy, struggling, non-conforming place in the middle. I didn’t see how that could make God look good, or how He could use it. And since my greatest desire was and is to glorify God with my life, I felt like a failure on the deepest level.

I no longer believe these differences to be failures. I’m learning that God gives us unique paths on purpose, and that being different from the norm doesn’t make you better or worse – just different. But that’s a post for another day.

Whatever our weaknesses are, and whether they’re real or perceived, I think most of us consider them hindrances. They’re the things we need to fix before God can use us. Even if we’re comfortable coming to Jesus in our mess, we don’t believe He’ll actually be able to do anything with it as is. You’d think He’d want to fly through like Niecy Nash and clean our “houses” in one swoop, turning us into perfectly polished trophies ready for display. But He’s been showing me that our mess, our weakness, is what really allows Him to shine. It reminds us of our dependence on Him, so we’ll turn to Him constantly and grow closer to Him. It refines and matures us. It also gives God the opportunity to show His strength and do big, miraculous things in our lives. What’s more inspiring and attention-getting: a life in which everything runs smoothly and according to earthly plan, or an unexpected life full of big and small triumphs over adversity? God LOVES to triumph over adversity. It’s kind of His thing (which, incidentally, is never more evident than during Holy Week).

Sometimes I get bogged down by my personal weaknesses, and the major imperfections of my life situation. I feel like the deck is stacked against me in many ways. But I try to remember that where I’m weak, He is strong. I know in my heart that God’s purposes are being accomplished in my life, and my experiences make me more useful to God, not less. And odds mean nothing to Him; He’s Lord over the odds. I hope for all of you to have that peace too, if only for a moment. I’d like to have it for longer than a moment!

I labored long over this post, and even now am not satisfied with it. But I’m letting it stand as further support of my point. :)

3 Comments + Posted in: faith, imperfection