Lovenote

Last spring (after I got out of my spring semester, actually), I read a book called Captivating. One chapter spoke of how God longs to romance the soul of every human, and he sends gifts to us just as an admirer or significant other would. A bunch of roses. A sticky note on the fridge or the bathroom mirror. A peck on the cheek while making dinner. This month, I feel God has been sending me one of those same lovenotes.

There are these two trees that sit just outside my window, but there is a third one on of their kind on our property. They are beautiful trees, with stunning branch structure (I'm a nerd, I know). Their leaves are a dark purple, which is what first really attracted me to them. I don't know what to call the trees. Our gardener calls them ornamental plums. The tree trimmer called them oaks. Their blossoms remind me of sakura.

Now, with having recently redone my room, I tend to keep my blinds open more often than I did in times gone by. I'm proud of my room, what can I say? With the way weather is around here, it took until January/February for these trees to completely lose their leaves. But almost as soon as March started, their blooms arrived. Beautiful, tiny pink blossoms. The bees apparently like them, too, but that doesn't bother me. I can still look. And there are more blossoms every day. Some have started to fall, and they leave a dusting of pink petals on the grass. Tiny purple leaves grow in their wake. And when I look at those trees, I can hear God telling me that he made those trees bloom just for me. He sends those blossoms to me and causes their petals to drift so peacefully so that I can have a little message that reminds me that God loves me as a man loves his bride. And I know that nothing can separate me from the love of God (Romans 8:38-39).

Over the River and Through the Woods

What do you know? It's been a month since my last blog. Yes, I really have been keeping busy. What, knitting doesn't count? How about if I knit while reading my texts? I bet you don't know very many people who can truthfully say they can do that. Sometimes I can even watch tv while reading and knitting, and throw in the odd conversation. That's talent.

Speaking of talent, I exercised one of my least favorable talents today. When I'm behind a wheel, I call it experimental driving. I don't know what to call it when I'm walking around for an hour, trying to find the speech clinic that's associated with my school but not on campus proper. Yes folks, an hour. And with my pile o' books still in-arm, too. Because I had thought it wouldn't take much more than 15 minutes to get there. I walked across campus, down through the 6 flights of stairs in a parking structure, through an endlessly long parking lot, over a bridge that crossed a random stream-like valley, through another parking lot, and then around the 17,000 blocks that comprised the medical center/offices off of this street where the speech clinic should have been. 411 didn't even know where to find the place. I walked far enough that I actually found the next trolley stop. I seriously considered riding the trolley back to campus.

I still haven't signed up to do any observation hours at the clinic. I think I should get one hour already, just for trying.