In a lot of ways, I think I’ve settled into a routine here in Virginia. I wake up roughly at the same time every day, eat meals and the same time, and have friends that I skype with on a weekly basis. These things help me to feel less like I’m stuck at home; however, I have to admit that these four-ish weeks feel like months in comparison to how quickly L’Abri time flew by.
I spend most of my time doing outdoor projects: mowing the lawn (including using a push mower where the hills are too steep the normal one), clearing vines and underbrush, planting flowers and vegetables, pruning trees, moving dirt out of the flower beds and moving bricks. I definitely think I’m getting stronger or at least for the number of mornings I wake up sore I should be getting stronger.
One project I’m particularly proud of is a path that I created by the creek. It’s still a bit of a work in progress of clearing the dead limbs from the field and widening that path and all of that; however, it’s now possible to walk the length of the creek without steeping through knee high grass.
The surrounding area is beautiful and filled with farms. The pictures I can take don’t do justice to the feeling of driving around the rolling hills and seeing the Appalachian Mountains in the background. There are so many homes that have breath taking views from their back yards.
Other skills I’ve worked on in Virginia include: cooking vegetarian/gluten free/dairy free while pretending I’m a food blogger, continuing my at home bouquets and learning the art of campfire cooking.
Instagram Worthy Quote of The Day
I’ve been reading a bit about social justice lately, and I have learned so much. Two quotes have stuck with me so far from Dr. Ron Ruthruff’s book Closer to the Edge: Walking With Jesus For The World’s Sake. The first is about mercy and the second about justice.
“Mercy is love extended to the world even if those we love never meet our standards of success.”
“Justice stands with people as they find out who they are created to be.”
In a world where we often blame the poor for being poor and give ourselves the out to not help others and extend love because people do not meet our criteria for living, these ideas of mercy and justice seem radical. If we kept these two thoughts about mercy and justice in mind maybe we could change the way we talk about “social issues” and remember to view issues on a human level.
I’m excited to continue reading and become a bit more knowlegeable about the world around me.
That’s all I have for now folks. Keep hanging in there! If you need a pick me up, I recommend going to YouTube and typing in Jolly or KoreanEnglishmen and watching a video or two (particulary the ones with Juno). I’ve become obsessed and they make me laugh everyday.
Love you, bye!
My Life in A Variety of Places 