brooke fraser

got to go see brooke fraser last night with a couple of church friends and corey's sister. it was fun being in austin. i got to be silly for a while, which is awesome, even if i am totally insecure revealing my true self.

we ate at kerbey lane, which is like a little pancake joint/eclectic eatery/bar. pretty hip little place. i had a meditteranean salad and a mimosa. yummy!

the show was at a club on 6th called the parish. it was relatively small, with lots of dramatic features: black and white flocked wall paper framed along the brick walls, beautiful chandeliers, red velvet curtains, wooden floors in an upstairs venue. classic.

brooke was very fun. she is a good entertainer. she has a way of interacting with the crowd that makes you feel very welcome. she seemed to enjoy the rowdiness of the austin crowd. i liked it best when she gave us a web address in an american accent.

she played 'crows and locusts' off of the new album. excellent! i was very surprised, because that is such a weighty song. they played it, none the less.

all the audience sang along with a few of the older songs, but i was particularly struck by the crowd singing albertine. i also love the fact that she is still telling the world about albertine, as she promises in the song.

i was a little hurt by the fact that her husband refused to sign my shirt. it may sound silly, but i am what i am. god totally used it, however, to speak to me about idolatry and pride. my pride, that is. i always have to fall down a chunk of stairs to get to my knees. i don't like this about myself, but i am so grateful that the lord loves me enough to do what it takes to bring me to humility.

as far as idolatry goes- people are people. not one is above the next. this is a constant struggle for me. it is so easy to buy into the hype that it is what you look like, what you do, your power or position that make you worthy; that only the beautiful, elite, talented, successful people are the ones that matter. of course this is a lie. it is still easy to adopt the ideology. i have been subscribing to this deceitful philosophy all of my life. incidentally, i have struggled with self-contempt as a result.

by the end of the evening, i was blessed with the reality that i belong somewhere. being a wife and a mother isn't as prestigious as a great many other things, and i frequently feel completely insignificant, but i matter a great deal where my family is concerned. they care about me, despite my blaring imperfections. they love me anyway.

i am satisfied. that is enough. i thank the lord that i am so blessed!

turn about

i just finished reading the boy who came back from heaven. i must say that something has taken a turn for the better. my spirits are high. i am filled with a hope. something about that account just makes the eternal more of a thing to live for. like i have been returned to my first love. this book coupled with you, hillsong, and brooke fraser's who are we fooling, have just redirected my path. i know the mountain top experiences are not meant to last, but i am ever so grateful for this fresh wind, this new perspective.

second quilt

finished my second quilt in the wee hours of sunday morning.i haven't really figured out how to miter the corners, so, needless to say, the quilt is not perfect. it is pretty, though. corey says that it reminds him of jane austen, which, of course, warms my soul.

the quilt is actually a baby gift for a dear couple. i'm not sure why, but i am very excited about this child. for now, i have just surrendered to the fact that i am especially drawn to the nurturing of this child, rather than feeling weird about it. every person is special, but only certain people hold special places in one's life. it's a start.

couldn't resist a photo shoot with elijah and the quilt. the photos turned out nicely. the first one especially. you can't pose babies, and he looks just like he's praying. what a special boy!

my darling daughter is now writing poetry-for fun. i am so overjoyed. of course i want my children to be their own unique persons, but i also find it extremely refreshing when we actually have common interests. i truly see her blossoming into a singer songwriter like her daddy, but until that day comes, i will celebrate that she is a poet, like me.

Aqualung - Good Times Gonna Come

this video kinda embodies what i'm talking about. how long must we falter before we take flight?

think for yourself

while talking with a dear friend earlier, i realized something intriguing. for some reason, i have it in my head that unless my thoughts are validated by an outside source, they themselves are invalid. what a strange concept. i am so afraid to think for myself that i must seek another person to hide beneath. this is absolute craziness. why is it so difficult to think for yourself? why does the fear of confrontation cause me to cower, to go along with things i do not believe at all, just to keep the peace? i don't want to live confined by fear. i want to soar, to rise above the temporal. i want to be me. how we rob the world when we hide the unique creation that we really are. i'm not sure the resolution, but i am sure that the revelation will reset my path. only time will tell. for now, i am okay with possibility and the indefinite.

I finally finished my 1st quilt. It may have taken nearly 6 months, but it is done. I actually finished something I started!!! What progress. Who takes a quilting class 6 weeks before they are due to deliver a baby anyway? Oh, that would be me. I am well pleased!