Mondays

Somewhere between watching The Next Food Network Star and just being an all around creative person, my wonderful wife planned out this great meal for us on just an average Monday. Fajita marinaded chicken, grilled mexican corn and some spiced up zucchini (as if it needed any help). And so, after an hour or two in my ever-challenging quest to master the charcoal grill, we ended up with a pretty awesome meal. Add to it a sweet glass of grape juice (our vice of choice) and it ended up being one of those little holidays in life that just shows up out of no where. A delicious way to spend the evening...

Who spilled the milk?

last Friday: after working out and dropping Neil off with his carpool buddy, Madeline, I rushed home to quickly jump in the shower, grab a bite to eat and head off to a much anticipated pool day with the girls at the office. I grabbed a quick cup of milk and was off.

I got home 6 hours later and was super hungry. I remembered that I had splurged and bought BRAND NAME Honey Bunches of Oat.....w/ almonds :) I cannot describe the giddyness I felt in knowing I was about to enjoy my favorite cereal on my day off. What a happy way to end the day. I poured the cereal, dancing around the kitchen in excitement (no dramatic flair added, I swear), went for the fridge and found no milk. Hmmm...I forgot I had milk that morning but was still convinced that I had just seen milk in the fridge. I closed the door and opened it again, thinking a fresh perspective would reveal the milk jug right in front of my eyes. But, no. I was really confused and really frustrated that I wouldn't be having my HBOO. Ever tried to tease a craving? It's miserable. I opted for grape juice instead and when I opened the cabinet to get a cup, what did I find? $2.50 worth of milk sitting luke warm next to my spices. 'You've got to be kidding me.' I went to pour it out, lamenting my intense desire to have my cereal. Then I remembered how many bizarre things I have eaten in other countries. And it inspired me...

I had my bowl of cereal. Lukewarm milk and all.
and it was fabulous.

Memory

This is Neil. I am now fully aware of this blog and I approve the following message:

So a while back Courtney and I realized that we kind of have a little more extra time on our hands than we are used to, but we didn't feel like we were using it in the best way. At the same time, I was struggling with a fear of a lack of boldness and a dryness when it came to trying to read Scripture. I felt like I knew what to expect and it wasn't satisfying my "knowledge fix". I didn't know whether I should just force myself to read or take a new approach. As a couple, we decided to do "lexio-s" (not a dorky cereal) to help us be reenergized by the word. In doing that, I decided I was going to try something I had virtually abandoned since my feared Bible Bowl days - memorizing Scripture. I don't know quite why I always pushed this discipline aside in days past, but I thought it would be a good thing to try.

Then I got to thinking about my job. As some may know, I work in a Brain Injury program, trying to help people get to their most independent level. Some people have a really bad struggle with their short-term memory. Sometimes forgetting what they ate for breakfast, sometimes forgetting where they were ten minutes ago. Yet, all of these people have a strong sense of who they are and the things that are really important to them in life. Some things even a brain injury can't take away.

So, as much as I love reading Scripture, I want to do whatever I can to burn it onto that part of me that doesn't go away with a car wreck or a stroke or a seizure. I have loved just sitting in the car and then started to hear the cadence of James 1 start in my head ("Consider it pure joy, my brothers..."). Hopefully this will not be one of those things that sounds cool and you really start out strong and then fades out after a month. My goal now is to brain-injury-proof the Words of Life in my head.

Peace,