Hands held high

No other way to give them up except to throw them in the air. All my cares. I'm feeling like I first did when I arrived in Germany. Those beginning months where you're scared and sad and feel crazy emotional and not entirely like yourself. Turns out that the last three months and the first three months really aren't all that different. Instead of crying or screaming or pouting (all of which I've tried and it didn't help) I sat down and wrote like a fanatic. Here are some small portions of what spilled out.


Joy.
His paint is brushing across her skin
Coloring each crevice and curve of her body with elegance and ease
Slivers of light gleam daintily through the panes of her eyes
And she cries, she cries.
He is bright, he brings light to her form
Shadowing in the corners of her soul
Erasing errors with a gentle stroke
Swirls of color rush across her 
And she cries, she cries.
Alive inside the wild streaks of blues and golds
Her tears fall freely and fully 
Colored drops fall from her skin to his 
Coating him in his art, his love
And he cries, he cries.



Maybe I'm teetering on the edge of your grace
I tighten my face
You can lower my place, just don't take grace
The splendor of the heavens could be dim lit for me
I don't need to see
All that I plea is don't take grace
Hell's fire could tickle the soles of my feet
I don't mind the heat
As long as I leap up into your grace
But I don't understand, I don't understand
Do we all fit in your hand?
Tell me you can, tell me your plan
Please be bigger than I am.

Observations
I have a wild heart and I don't always do things the way others think I should. Sometimes I'm a fool, sometimes I'm stubborn, sometimes I care way too much of how others think of me. And sometimes I don't know the reason why I get up every morning and live. I don't know what keeps me breathing. Suppose it was hope. If I didn't hope for the next breath I would not take it. Each breath is a tiny fulfilled hope. I have to believe just to breathe. But hopes are not just tiny. There are bigger ones like hoping for a pleasant day or hoping for the strength to conquer a struggle or hoping for the mastering of a skill and those hopes keep us breathing in and out. So if I can have small hope and big hope, what about eternal hope? Because we all know that at any time our next breath won't come. At one point all of us will have that hope fail us. But there must be an eternal hope, one that all the other hopes were built upon, were formed out of. I hold this eternal hope that strengthens all the smaller hopes within the expansion of my lungs. A hope that there is more than this life. The hope that all the constrictions in my heart and strains on my soul will be lifted. Hope for that emptiness in my eyes to be filled and the questions in my mind to be at rest. With every breath I'm hoping for Love to come for me and smooth my every crease that I may finally have life.

Clings to the tree, bound but free; green
Loosens hold, doesn't want to be told; gold
Twirls to the ground, flutters down; brown
We are all leaves.

Expressions

Senses

I see a dying world; in need. 
I see a search for comfort; in religion.
There is a craving to know it all; in vain.
There is a perception of weakness; in reliance. 
I hear wails and cries of the lonely; they seek.
I hear haughty scoffs and higher thoughts; they devour.
There is a ruler within; him or me.
There is a truth; bound or free.
I taste a war; bleeding hearts.
I taste an evil; fiery darts.
There is a way; victory.
There is a fall; sinfully.
I smell a fear; it grips on tight.
I smell a love; it brings on light.
There is a sorrow; alive in sleep.
There is an ache; pressing deep.
I touch a shaking shoulder; surrender.
I touch a tear-stained cheek; grace.
There is a reason; faithfully.
There is a cure; entirely. 
Listen.




July 2nd, 2013
She pressed her cheek against his chest
And let him lay her down to rest
The sweetness of her sleeping form
Curled up inside his loving arms
This girl has beauty time can't age
He opened the act upon her stage
Of life, she has life
He has taken her strife
She is pure, she is free
Longing tugs inside me
Prick and prod and bleed me out
A reddened drop for every doubt
Of hope
I have none in my veins
Too late
Time and sin stole him away.

June 23rd, 2013
Bending whispers through the trees, you stir a restlessness in me. A look around cannot recall a world without you standing tall. You throw down glimpses of your love, there is no need to look above. You are everything I see, I am at peace; you are in me.

July 2nd, 2013

Years will not change the heart in me that pulses with emotion and fills me to the brim and pushes out of me all the joys and tears and delicate things that remain trapped in the hard hearts of those ashamed to spill torrents of passion and let the tears join in the waterfall of life pouring from their souls as they feel feel feel and never dry out, except they have this fear clogging their throat, their eyes and their heart and release is ever distancing as they dry up in their dusty shells of bodies and this is why I can't be unthankful for any abundance of any flood of feeling, for in that flow I am free and alive and my heart beats bigger with every drop of emotion I spill to the world and for you.

July 8th, 2013
Let your blood heal my soul
Clean my heart, fill the hole
Cover me Jesus with your wings
Every effort on you I fling
Sin is dead, you live in me
My All in All, great Mystery.

Loser loser pumpkin eater!

Sometimes Johanna cheats in games and that really makes me crazy. So I call her a cheater cheater pumpkin eater. And she really loves that so much that she cheats much more frequently! She has also incorporated it into many of her day to day conversations except in strange ways, like loser loser pumpkin eater and loser eater pumpkin cheater. I try not to laugh, but it is actually really funny. Today we were hanging out in the garden and I taught her how to do a handstand and a cartwheel. It was sweet. She listened so well to all the instructions I gave her on her form and within 30 minutes had mastered both skills! And Gereon learned the word skill today in his vocabulary. He is also able to ask me for a napkin now instead of a serviette! After only 18 months of me drilling the word into his brain! But really, I'm so proud. I've been teaching Jojo some silly phrases and some of our current favorites are "are you ready to rumble?" and "That's how that cookie crumbles." Her saying those in her accent are quite indescribably hilarious. We also say wicked now instead of cool. Today we were trying to move a spider from the terrace to the grass but he didn't want to go and after a few minutes Jojo crushed him with a stick. I told her that he was now in spider heaven. That got us on the subject of animals in heaven and I was raving excitedly about how wonderful it will be to snuggle up with lions and not have them eat you. She got so excited during our conversation that after a moment of silent she stares into the distance and says, "I want to die now." Soooo I guess I should be a bit less excited about heaven! ;) She was learning how to ride her unicycle today and my arms are red and worn from her death gripping them. When cars would pass we stopped and made cool poses on the side of the road together. It made me miss Kristen. While we walked up the drive way she says to me, "Karly you can take this Einrad now" and tried to hand me the unicycle. I replied, "No you are a big girl. And you have big hands that can carry that big unicycle over to that big porch." We walk in silence for a moment and then she says, "That is much of big." Ah man, I love her. And now I have to relate all the other ridiculous words that came to pass this week:

While I'm chasing Jojo in order to tickle her:
"You can run but you can't hide." - Me
"You can poop and fart." - Jojo

As I'm putting dishes in the dishwasher:
"Nasty, I just got tea on my socks!" 
"You are so ew." - Gereon

The kids and I built a swing where the hammock used to be. We were having a jumping competition and as Jojo began her turn, Gereon grabbed the ropes and yelled hysterically to me, "Karly, we must anschubsen her!" 

"I'm too good for my world." - Gereon

I'm officially signed up for the B2 German Language Test next month!!! I'm ridiculously nervous. And there's no going back or else I pay 200 euros. God help me! 

We're all the same; we need your love.

The kids have been slaying me with their ridiculous sentences the past few weeks. I literally start laughing so hard I can't breathe and then I run and grab a sticky note so I won't forget it! Here is my collection from the past weeks:

A conversation with Gereon about Call of Duty, while I interjected with the English words the entire time he spoke: "There was an Ecke and I stood in it and a man was in the middle and then I drücken all the Knopfen and messered him!" (corner, pushed, buttons, knifed)

"Karly, how much do you wieg?" - Jojo (weigh)

When I began to beat Jojo in chess:
"What now, brown cow!"  - Me 
"I'm not brown." - Jojo "
But you're a cow?" - Me

Discussing her sugar addictions.
"Not good things gleich yummy!" - Jojo (equals)

"One time we retten ein Eichhörnchen." - Jojo (saved a squirrel) 

"I don't can beschreiben that!" - Jojo (describe)

"I must vertraue you now." - Jojo (trust)

"Look at all the Schmetterlinge! There's one, and there's two. They are all over." - Gereon

And with their German accents, it's really just so indescribably darling.

I read the book of Hosea last week and it's the first time I've read continuously through it in one sitting. It's so saddening to read. The sorrow of the Lord at the rejection from his beloved people is so emotional. He calls them to Him and longs that they long to know Him. In chapter 6 verse 3 it says, "Let us know; let us press on to know the Lord." And in chapter 7 verse 14 it says, "They do not cry to me from the heart, but they wail upon their beds." I found that so intense, because as fallen people, we desperately need God and crave His love, but we so often don't choose it. We sit in our sorrow and pain and don't turn our hearts to Him. He wants a relationship with us and we're always choosing everything else that lies before our eyes, these things that never satisfy. They never ever satisfy. And Jesus satisfies and He loves you and calls to you in your pain to run to Him and trust Him. What a fallen people we are to reject Him. Sweet, sweet grace, how thankful I am for you! My heart cannot choose Him on my own; He is my Helper and Redeemer. And He will never stop the work He started in me!!! Philippians 1:6 - "And I am sure of this, that He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ." 
And now to speak of evil... I think people define evil sometimes very broadly or only in headline news stories or only when they've personally been deeply hurt by evil. But evil is more than that isn't it? It's sometimes little and sometimes fun and pretty easy and sometimes it seems very good. And sometimes it seems non-existent, because let's face it: the world is quite often really quite a blast and it's easy to be very happy in it. It's definitely black and white, but we tend to let the white be how we see the world instead of the black. For me personally, I don't always register the hugeness and deepness and broadness of evil and how it can devour anything in it's path. I was reading an article about this man who'd been doing illegal abortions and as I read through the stories I burst into tears and felt the power of evil in this world. I was sickened by evil, I felt deep sorrow for evil and I didn't understand how God could love that man through it all. And then I remembered a very very sad thing that humbled me profoundly. The same evil that pumps through his veins pumps through mine. I have the same capabilities to produce evil as he does. We have wicked hearts that need a cure. I sat there crying out to God and asking why this happened and if justice would come to the poor babies who were killed within seconds of finding life and breath outside of the womb. And in my frustration, I remembered a few verses in Psalm 37: "He will bring forth your righteousness as the light, and your justice as the noonday. Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for Him; fret not yourself over the one who prospers in his way, over the man who carries out evil devices!" And I trust that the Lord will bring justice to every evil thing that has happened here and will happen and is happening right now. Evil that I've done and evil that everyone else does. We all sin and fall short of the glory of God. But he is faithful and just and He will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. And slowly, my crying turned into a sober understanding of what is to come and how exquisitely precious it will be to see justice brought to evil and tears turned to laughter, sorrow turned to joy, the dead souls brought to life in Christ Jesus. Praise the Lord for this!!!

I never thought I'd be someone to speak of the weather, but SPRING IS HERE!!! And how glorious it feels to breathe in the fresh, warm, sweetly scented air! I biked through it this morning to get bread for Gereon and I (we're alone today!) and I couldn't stop smiling, even up the hills! The birds are chirping everywhere, the flowers are blooming, the grass is continuously greener and I'm wearing tank tops again. It's a good thing. Yesterday I biked to Holland and the blue skies poured sunshine down on my back! I enjoyed being sweaty, simply because it was so new to feel so warm outside again. I don't know if it's just the weather, or what, but I have had a heart overflowing with thankfulness and joy. And usually it's always a battle to not get sucked into the whirlpool of dissatisfaction and irritation, etc etc. But lately I've had this joy I can't get rid of! And oddly enough, I'm really thankful that the Lord is blessing me with a thankful heart! It's beautiful, how when you truly and completely open yourself up to let Him in, He comes immediately and works strongly inside of you. And naturally, what's inside begins to pour out of you and surround your life. It's amazing to be in His embrace.

Just another bend in this road.

As a prelude to this post, I met with a pastor last weekend to discuss Bible schools and future mission work. It was my first real step forward after the past 8 or 9 months of speaking with a contact from ECM about my possible interest in missionary work here in Europe. Friday morning I walked to the train station in Wegberg to begin my journey to Rostock, a city in East Germany right at the tippity top by the Baltic Sea. I sat on the train for almost 8 hours, watching the fields and cottages pass me by while I wrote poems and listened to music. It was relatively lovely, although I sat for far too long. I was warmly welcomed by the Libuda family at the Rostock Hbf and enjoyed a relaxed evening having some dinner and meeting everyone. I said my first 'out loud' prayer in German before we ate. :) Saturday afternoon I went ice skating with some of the young people at the church and then we went to the Easter Market in town and drank Glühwein, ate candied almonds and went on a ride that was so scary I was screaming with fear and the guy actually stopped the ride and asked me, "Möchten Sie aussteigen?" while everyone stared at me...low point of the day for Karly! I stayed on, but I'm not sure how. In the evening I spent time with Klaus discussing what needed discussing. :) Easter Sunday was unlike any Easter I've ever celebrated. Before I came on this trip I was hesitant, because I was inclined to spend Easter at my home church in Dusseldorf. But after praying about it, I felt led to come to Rostock and was excited to see what the Lord had in store for me. Sunday morning, I walked with Katarina (the girl I stayed with) through some snowy paths to the Rostock community center which is where the church meets. The building was bright orange and pretty small. We set up chairs and tables and set the dishes out all pretty and festive. We prepared a Sunday brunch all together as a church and then enjoyed a time of fellowship while we ate! I loved it! And Klaus said a few words about the Resurrection, read from the Bible, and then I gave my first ever German speech. When he asked me if I'd come forward and talk about what I was doing in Rostock, and what I had in mind for the future, etc I felt like I should be nervous, but God was so encouraging to me and I wasn't afraid! I got up and just relaxed so the words would come out... and they did! It was a small thing, but a big step for me. We all went as a group to Warnemünde, which is the beach area by the Baltic Sea. It was breathtaking and reminded me of Juist. Looking across the water, Klaus told me that Denmark was just across and that I could take a ferry over for 10 euros. I'm definitely coming back. :) I was asked if I wanted to go ice swimming in the Sea and I was kinda hesitant because my bones already were freezing! The day was really cold and windy. But then I thought how deeply I would regret missing an opportunity to jump into the Baltic Sea in winter time. I mean, come on. I would definitely regret not doing that. So I borrowed a tee shirt and shorts from Katarina and stripped down right there on the beach like a true East German! Okay, not true. I wore my coat as long as possible so I was covered until the last second. And then they all just started running towards the water, so I ran after them screaming and the point where I touched that icy water is the point where I can't even describe how it felt. It was the most enthralling experience and I got such an adrenaline rush! Once it got deeper and the waves started coming towards my head, I began to swim and then dove under and let my head be completely immersed. I could barely breath because my chest was aching from the cold and I kept yelling and then suddenly I was toasty warm and began to swim back to the shore! I felt like I had goosebumps on my bones and I jumped up and down on the beach while I tried to get dressed but my body was so stiff that I could hardly take my clothes off, I barely got my shirt on, and I had to have my friend Nadin zip up my jeans. It was a bonding moment for us. :) Then I ate some Easter chocolate and went back to Katarina's. Later that evening, we had a game night and played our own version of pictionary, boys against girls. We chose the most impossible things to draw and it was a vicious game! We ate pancakes, drank wine, ate chocolate and I won a long game of gummy bear poker. It was a lovely evening of laughter! On Monday I said farewell to the wonderful group of people I'd met and started the long trek home. There was a delay on one of my trains and then I missed my other connections, so I went to the info office and got a free taxi ride back home! The guy was funny and we listened to The Rolling Stones on top volume as we drove to Wegberg. He was dancing along and singing and it was so silly and great! And now I'm home and all my things are clean again and I feel good. :) And now to the most important part....

I've been in contact with a man named Frank from ECM, which is a ministry agency. Here is the website: http://www.ecmi-usa.org/index.php
To be honest, I had no idea if I was serious about working for them when I first began researching mission opportunities here. As I spoke with Frank about a possible interest, he gave me so much information and we began taking in detail about the possibilities I had before me. We spent the last 9 months or so skyping and emailing about ideas. I kept mulling it over in my head and never quite knew what I felt. It was scary imagining having a commitment for a certain amount of years and I felt insecure in deciding anything formally. We continued speaking, and he interviewed me and wrote out an assessment which he then sent to Klaus in Rostock. So last weekend, I came to meet Klaus knowing only that I was going to ask for advice on Bible schools and the possibility of mission work through ECM. When I arrived, it because quickly clear that God had been working a lot more behind the scenes than I was aware of. Klaus found me a Bible school in a district outside of Berlin which I would attend for a year. It's in German and he said I had enough knowledge of the language to understand and learn from the program. He showed me the charts and percentages that showed the amount of people who believed in "god" in East Germany, and it's extremely low. Also, the children's poverty is very low in that area. Through ECM, they would put me into East Germany, perhaps in Berlin or somewhere near there and I would work with church planting ministries and focus on children's ministry, which is desperately needed. So as we sat there looking through charts, discussing the mission work and what the work looked like and as I listened to his stories, it became so clear to me and I felt a bit shaky with the realization that I want to work in East Germany as a missionary. And then I began to wonder while we sat there talking if the Lord had this in my plan all along, and coming here in 2011 was the beginning of his preparation for me as my heart fell in love with Germany, and as I matured in myself and my faith from stepping out on my own. And that was my first little step, and now this is my second, and who knows what my third will be. And then it was like a slideshow in my brain and I could see it all when I first came to Germany and who I was and what I thought I came here for and how God led me through this journey and worked in my heart and desires to lead me to this point. I'm really scared. And I'm at peace about it. So here is what we worked out tentatively... I start by telling people that I want to be a missionary in East Germany, get the word out, and begin making preparations for raising funds. This summer I'll take my German language test, then I'll come home for Christmas this year and stay until October saving up money for the Bible school and raising funds for the ministry after school. In October 2014 I'll attend the Bible school for a year and then most likely step straight into wherever they send me. I'll have more details in the portfolio I'll be making with all the information. It will include where I'm going, what I'm doing there, statistics on faith and poverty, etc etc. What I can say now, is please pray for me as I prepare myself for this next step and please consider whether you'd be willing to support me financially in the future. Thank you!

And to end, here's a new idea I tried out. I wanted to have this poem feel continuous and slightly overwhelming so I wrote it all without any punctuation. I'm happy with how it turned out!


Without End
My back finds the bed and my eyes find the ceiling and my mind finds your face and my tears find my hair as they slide under my neck and choke me from within while they lace around my throat like a simple string of pearls and now a strange sort of heat has been building in my bones and it wraps around my thighs and creeps around my waist and entwines around my fingers and what is happening what is happening because I'm feeling something or maybe everything and it's sometimes fear and sometimes sadness but sometimes anger and sometimes love and love is pursing my lips together and they won't press any tighter so my softly slipping tears have turned to torrents and they drown me oh they drown me but all I did was think of you as I laid down on this bed but it brought me to my knees and pulled me to my face and stripped me of my life and brought me to the end.

Write it out!

This weekend is new and scary and exciting. And I will explain more next week! I've always loved to write. But especially in the past 19 months, I've developed a deep love for writing about all sorts of different concepts. I finally understand what Anna said when she told me she pretends to write from other people's perspectives. Because my own life just isn't enough I guess! Anyways, my train ride to Rostock inspired some writing to take place. I'm contemplating putting together a compilation of my stories and making a book! The first three are from today and the others are from the past few months. And there are yet older ones on facebook. 

Weakling

Little skeleton branch, why do you perch on that solid trunk? Does your pride keep you clinging or is it that voice in the wind stirring you to strain for strength? You are not strong, you know. It seems that one stormy night would break you off and snap you into miniscule, insignificant fragments. I want to tell you that you're a fool and that you aim too high. But somehow there is beauty in your frailty. The trunk holds you firm and you've placed yourself in it's sturdy foundation. And in that beautiful frailty I see a sort of strength. And I long for it. I look much better than you and much stronger and I seem secure through every storm, but I am dying and you are living. The storms wear me down and weaken me. But you? They only seem to strengthen your little skeleton self. I want to have strength, but only for myself and from myself. The view of you on that trunk is distant to me now as I carve my own way through the wind and sleet. I can't give up my precious mirage of strength that clothes me so securely. You are naked and ugly and you are weak and frail. But you are living and I am dying. What you found I cannot find a way to want. The only thing I do want is to want it. You've found rest and a peculiar beauty and a tender strength. And I will continue growing in my own strength, stronger and stronger until I die. And I am dying and you are living.

To Stop, To Turn, To Look

Oh, to have eyes in the back of my head. I'd continue looking at you while moving forward. To keep my gaze on light and beauty deters me from the thorny trail that leads to you. For all the could bes and what ifs and might have beens instead there lies only my muddy footprints as a constant display of my unattainable, ever distancing desire. You are a thorn in my flesh, you are clinging to my skin, and you are inside of me. No matter that I passed you by and kept treading forward. No matter, because you linger on my body. Ever present, ever painful, ever constant to remind the flesh of what the heart is without. Though my skin is covered with your presence, my heart remains empty. I miss you and I never had you. I want you and I never got you. I love you and I never stop.

Lose it

I wish I could lose his love. Accidentally drop it in the ditch or leave it behind in a restaurant. But love, like honey, is sticky and sweet. My soul clings to him, my heart is swept away with him, and I wish I could lose love. He's drawing my head to his chest and this pulls me into an eternalized moment, held captive by time only through the constant beat of his heart against my cheek. And suddenly I am the one that's lost.

Ghost

When his arms surround me, time is made to rest. Intertwining fingers, love, you love the best. Pouring from my eyes, my heart, are words without a voice. I tilt my head to look at you, my love, my reason to rejoice.

  

What a big world that I am trapped in. I walk the streets, see the pretty lights, hear the music from the clubs, and my bones go cold for lack of you. What a strange, tender love that I have fallen into. I step into a bar, dance the night away, and let a smile lift my cheeks to hold up the tears seeking escape. This world is big without you in it. My body is foreign without you beside it. If I could climb out of the earth that surrounds me like a pit, then I could crawl into your arms and rest in your timeless embrace. But this big world has trapped me and as it it swallows, it rips me further and further away from any shred of hope that your face would be before my eyes once again. I let the night be cold on my skin as I slip away into the dark streets. I sit down and pour out my heart on the pavement until I am empty of me and empty of you. And there on the stones, we are together. 

Finger-painting with your blood

I draw the story of our love

Smear you all across the page

Wipe my hands upon my face

My fiery words devoured your flesh

Crept to your heart and turned to ash

I watched your eyes slide into death

They looked towards me with innocence

Your soul is soaked in sweet, sweet mercy

My hands are wet, they're cold and bloody

I drug the dagger through my chest

To rip away the emptiness

My eyes are turning to the sky

Your ashes lightly drifting by

A fire seeps into my skin

Hot shame that burns me deep within

My hands they clawed into my chest

And ripped away the selfishness

It's residue clings to my fingers

My sin, my sin forever lingers

For What Was

Sadness comes over me and seeps inside of me. I grab hold tightly of Anger and swallow him quickly as he burns down my throat. All too soon, Pain is within me and he blends into Anger and Sadness. Crippling Fear manages to stir its way into the concoction whirring inside my gut. And then Vulnerability slips into my mouth and creeps down my throat. She weaves her way into the churning tumbles of my insides and sends herself into my veins so that I'm enveloped, devoured by her. She overwhelms me and even Fear isn't strong enough inside me to open his eyes and fight. Fear, Pain and Anger cower inside my belly while Vulnerability defeats my being, mocking me for what was.

Spetember 10th, 2012

And just when I was done with it all, I came back and crawled over to your lap and you took me gently. But when all the rules have been broken, I won't need you anymore to tell me what to do or how to say what I'd like to say, except that all the good things in this world come at the most terrible cost.

A Stones Throw Away

I put my cozy, wool socks from Italy on, painted my nails black and straightened my hair and now I've snuggled myself into this desk chair to write about anything and everything. I have the entire afternoon free this Saturday and I'm going stir crazy. I've been sick all week and being calm was so annoying. Now other than a stuffy nose, my old self is back and I feel like jumping out into an ice cold ocean or running through a jungle or something crazy that doesn't involve being at home drinking tea.  Not that I don't love drinking tea while reading a good book...but I'm bubbling over with the want of something bright and fun. I want to go out dancing or take a run along the Rhine or even jump into the Rhine! And somehow this evening finds me completely alone in my room. At this desk. So I will write. I have to continuously learn that life brings you what you usually don't expect and quite often what you don't particularly want. I have a day that I don't actually want and I'm trying to solve that problem. My hair feels soft and smooth and my nails make me think of Boogie and my feet are warm and snuggly, but it's just not cutting it. What can cut it though? Will these words slice right through my dissatisfaction? I don't think they will. Instead I will let my thoughts wander onto this screen and let the minutes slip away as I drift into the world of words. Sometimes it's hard to delve deep into my purest, untouched thoughts. The ones no one invaded and wrapped their opinion around. The pure thoughts surprise me. They are light from the lack of weight of pre-concieved ideas. Because then I am one layer. No opinions wrap me up. I fear entering that place where all is accepted but never penetrates the heart or sparks the tingling inside your body. Emotion is scary. It's embarrassing and it's dramatic. It can be laughed at or scoffed at and it can be confusing to some and clear to others. Emotion is something greatly feared but greatly desired. I cannot deny emotion in my life, and not only because I am young and growing and learning. But because it's untouchable in it's purity. It sits on the floor of our hearts and explores it's way through our soul. It pours out through our eyes, comes out from our voices, and exudes from our bodies. Emotion brings both deep pain and bright joy. And if you haven't noticed yet, I'm quite at ease with being emotional!!! 

My mind is turning now to some exciting facts from the past week. I'd been pondering what I'd do for Christmas this year. December is when I'm done being an Au Pair and my initial thought was to start directly with Bible School here in Europe. But then I wanted to see my family over Christmas and then I spoke with my engaged sister who might be getting married in April or May 2014. And then I figured that'd be quite dumb to be flying back and forth from Alaska to Germany and also impossible to afford. And also it's not nice if I fly down just for the wedding and I wouldn't really feel like a part of it. Sooooo I'm contemplating coming home for Christmas (Joe said they'd pay for me!!!!!) and then staying until the wedding so I can be 100% involved in the wedding, spend quality time with my family and save up money for school. Then I'd go back to Germany in the summer or fall to start school. I'm not sold on this plan yet, but it's been lurking in my mind and I'd love prayer about it!!! Being home would be a blessing for me but also hard. But then knowing that I'd be returning to Germany at a specific time would be nice so I wouldn't get too sad. Another prayer request is for my German test. I'm taking it in June and I really want to pass!!! It's really challenging in school and I'm feeling confident but also knowing anything could go wrong so please keep me in your prayers over these next few months! 

Well, this was one of my odder blogs. It's time for some music, some cooking and some wine! Tata for now!