i miss this guy. he left saturday for his three week intensive journey inward retreat. a period of three weeks of solitude and silence. no books, music, tv, movies, people...distractions. all within your soul is poked and prodded. pray for him if it crosses your mind. that he feels...and that this opens him to a greater experience of God's love. this type of retreat is pretty significant in peoples lives. it's hard not knowing how he's doing... but its a chance for me to open to God in the midst of this and ask him what he has for me during this time. am i prone to distract myself during this time? what would it be like to sit in the missingness of dan? how do i experience God in the midst of this time? what does that reveal about where my priorities and heart are? in that truth...what does that lead me to do? hide my real desires, or open to God in a different way? oh....relationships and interaction with God can run so deep. how grateful i am that it's impossible to reach the bottom. help us open our hearts to you lord!

my soul is like iowa.

word (on facebook) has it that storms are brewing in the midwest. how i miss the warm, humid air that is suddenly swept away by the brisk, cool air which along with it brings the promise of a storm. i recall a certain summer where my heart was in much pain and trauma that the rolling thunderstorms offered me much hope. i believe it struck something in my soul that reminded me that i'm small. i'm not in control. these storms were observable by everyone...but...i felt they were for me. at times you could be sitting in the cool brisk air, but the dark clouds were observable on the horizon accompanied by the lightening strikes emerging from the darkened clouds. my soul needs a thunderstorm. i'm exhausted from excessive days of sun. it doesn't match the state of my soul. the lack of seasons doesn't match my soul. i'm thankful for the seasons...to remind me that my states are normal. perhaps certain individuals do experience mostly sunny days. or perhaps their seasons of life are more timid....like the south which lacks extreme winters. my soul is like iowa. extreme cold....extreme heat...extreme storms...but the nice days are more fully enjoyed and cherished. maybe.