My Day and Three Half-Hearted Cheers for it. Oh Woot.

-Ah yes, it was a classic scene. The faucet spouted out water with a malicious glee, filling the overflowing sink until more water fell over the sides, splashing into a happy little puddle on the laundry room floor. Which is weird, because the faucet was definitely spouting with a malicious glee, but I cannot think of a single reason why the laundry room faucet would have something against me, though the look on my face must have been priceless, and worth any trouble that blasted faucet may have gone to in order to share it's wealth of liquid with the floor and ensure that all the dust-bunnies under the washing machine were quite soggy. The dust-bunnies under the clothes dryer turned out to have an even nastier disposition that the faucet itself, so I will leave that part to your own excellent imaginations and I hope you give that nasty faucet all the credit it deserves.

We can just forget, at present, that the reason the faucet was being nasty was that I left it running for about forty-five minutes. In fact, forget that I even mentioned it, and we'll not let the facts interfere with a good story, since it is infinitely more interesting to imagine that our laundry room water faucet has very unique properties in that it can hold a grudge. Maybe even more than one, and hopefully, I will never incur enough of it's anger again to find out just how many grudges it is capable of holding.

Needless to say, I sopped up the mess using just about every towel in the house, and for a while, the world looked pretty bright for our dog Uli. She had been the principal reason that I had turned on the water to begin with, and for a while it must have seemed as if she would not have to take a bath. Unfortunately for Uli, she was a dreamer if she thought any such thing. After a grueling battle with a water faucet of evil intent, there was no way that I would be thwarted from my original purpose, and now, despite all hardships, that darn dog is squeaky clean.

Loves to all dust-bunnies that are no longer soggy,
Triss

Reality Check

God is real.

Everything else, not so much.

Isn’t that nice?

~Triss

Get Stubborn

So about the title... It seems kind of random, but after you read the rest of the post I hope it will make more sense, keeping in mind that believing no matter what junk you are going through is a lot like being stubborn. In fact, hope is something you need to intentionally be stubborn about.

For those of you who hadn’t already guessed, I’m a bit of a C.S. Lewis fan. Even in his fantasy novels he wrote addressing at least half a million subjects that are very applicable to our everyday life. I don’t need to tell anybody that it’s getting pretty late in the year, a most people have a lot on their plate, the election went in a completely opposite direction than many of us would have liked, and this is a very easy time to get bogged down and hopeless. Getting depressed about anything and everything; America, emotions, our lives at home, homework, applications, and so many of the other complications that happen when you are trying your hardest to function productively on a daily basis is highly possible.
Well, this post is going to focus on, (yeah, I know this is gonna sound cheesy), but it’s going to focus on looking for the bright side of things and not loosing hope.

I’m not telling anyone to “stuff it”. You are real, you have real feelings, and bad or annoying things are happening to you, then the last thing you need to do is turn all fluffy and sweet and pretend like your life is sunshine and roses without thorns. There is a difference between “stuffing it” and intentionally keeping your mind on things that will uplift and inspire you. You need to keep on hoping and trusting that God knows what he’s doing with you and your future even when you don’t, because if that belief ever fails then all that is left is a shadow of a person chasing his tail and bewailing that he was ever born at all. As harsh as that sounds, it happens. But where does C.S. Lewis tie into all this?

Now I realize that Puddleglum from Lewis’ The Silver Chair isn’t exactly the first person that would come to mind when you try to think of a role model, but maybe this quote will change your mind. A quick catch up in the book: Jill, Eustace, Puddleglum, and the Prince, are in the underworld, where the witch is trying to convince them that there is no Narnia, no sun, no Aslan. Nothing but her dark domain, she has been pretending that they are dreamers, playing childish games, she almost has them convinced and feeling more than a little hopeless…


“But Puddleglum, desperately gathering all his strength, walked over to the fire. Then he did a very brave thing. He knew it wouldn’t hurt him quite as much as it would hurt a human; for his feet (which were bare) were webbed and hard and cold-blooded like a duck’s. Bus he knew it would hurt him badly enough; and so it did. With his bare foot he stamped on the fire, grinding a large part of it into ashes on the flat hearth. And three things happened at once. First, the sweet heavy smell grew very much less. For though the whole fire had not been put out, a good bit of it had, and what remained smelled very largely of burnt Marsh-wiggle, which is not at all an enchanting smell. This instantly made everyone’s brain far clearer. The Prince and the children held up their heads again and opened their eyes.
Secondly, the Witch, in a loud, terrible voice, utterly different from all the sweet tones she had been using up till now, called out, ‘What are you doing? Dare to touch my fire again, mud-filth, and I’ll turn the blood to fire inside your veins.’
Thirdly, the pain itself made Puddleglum’s head for a moment perfectly clear and he knew exactly what he really thought. There is nothing like a good shock of pain for dissolving certain kinds of magic.
‘One word, Ma’am,’ he said, coming back from the fire; limping, because of the pain. ‘One word. All you’ve been saying is quite right, I shouldn’t wonder. I’m a chap who always liked to know the worst and then put the best face I can on it. So I won’t deny any of what you said. But there’s one thing more to be said, even so. Suppose we have only dreamed, or made up, all those things –trees and grass and sun and moon and starts and Aslan himself. Suppose we have. Then all I can say is that, in that case, the made-up things seem a good deal more important than the real ones. Suppose this black pit of a kingdom of yours is the only world. Well, it strikes me as a pretty poor one. And that’s a funny thing, when you come to think of it. We’re just babies making up a game, if you’re right. But four babies playing a game can make a play-world which licks your real world hollow. That’s why I’m going to stand by the play-world. I’m on Aslan’s side even if there isn’t any Aslan to lead it. I’m going to live as like a Narnian as I can even if there isn’t any Narnia. So, thanking you kindly for our supper, if these two gentlemen and the young lady are ready, we’re leaving your court at once and setting out in the dark to spend our lives looking for Overland. Not that our lives will be very long, I should think; but that’s small loss if the world’s as dull a place as you say.”


Puddleglum wasn’t particularly strong, or smart, or anything. But he believed with a fire that would not be quenched by anything. He trusted that Aslan was the right, and knew that the witch could only be wrong. His belief and trust made the turning point for the rest of the book. He led the children and the Prince to safety, because he didn’t loose faith.

Sure, you might say, he’s a character in a book. Point conceded, he is just a character in a book. But people, real people, C.S. Lewis himself, faced some pretty terrible stuff. Death, heartbreak, atheism, blood. In fact, if you read Lewis’ biography, you’ll see, he wasn’t just some idyllic smart guy who sat elevated above all the pain and horror of this earth. He faced more than his share of hopelessness and grief. But at one point in his life, he chose to believe no matter what, and just look how that decision has impacted literally millions of lives.

A favorite song of mine, I Believe in Love, by Barlow girl, says,
“I believe in the sun, even when it’s not shining. I believe in love, even when I can’t feel it! I believe in God, even when He is silent! I believe!”
It may seem like I keep harping on that belief thing, believing that God will pull you through no matter what, but if you don’t have that hope, even if you owned the world, you wouldn’t have anything. Think about it.

Hanging in there,
~Triss

Keeping Up with My Vehicle Factory Warranty

Ok, as hard as this is to admit, I am really bad about keeping up with my vehicle factory warranty. To tell the truth, I have ignored at least four second notices that it has run out. Since the company has only called me about four times, then I assume that there is something wrong with my phone, obviously I keep on missing the first warning. I’m not entirely sure whether they just automatically re-up me or not, because I haven’t answered and they keep on calling.

I know I ought to be better about this; you would be surprised to know just how many thumb bicycles are stolen or crashed every year. Also, they have lousy transmissions. So I know that I should be more careful about this and not rely on the company to just charge my account.

We as Americans often take these warranties for granted. We assume that the companies will give up on us ever responding to their notices, and take care of the problem themselves. But when we do so, we risk so much, just think of all the awful catastrophes just waiting to pounce on our thumb bikes and leave our poor thumbs in the lurch, without any transportation; Having to rely solely on all the other body members to get them to their yoga class. Don’t have a thumb bike? Well don’t forget that your ring finger has a football game to attend as well. It is always important to make sure our fingers get enough exercise in this day and age when fast-food is predominant.

Your fingers aren’t involved in sports you say? Well do yourself a favor and don’t vote for Obama, who is trying to finalize a law saying that Water Buffalos should count as vehicles, much to the chagrin of the Society for Animal Prevention or SAP, (not SACP, since the cruelty part has become a given) and therefore must have individual warranties.

It is a well known fact that everybody has a Water Buffalo.

Anti-Stress Attitude

I don't have much to write today that will be of any consequence to any but myself. It's almost midterm, and it will be amazing if anyone has the time enough to read this post, but I wanted to post this verse anyways.

Hear my cry, O God;

Attend to my prayer.

From the end of the earth I will cry to You,

When my heart is overwhelmed;

Lead me to the rock that is higher than I.

For You have been a shelter for me,

A strong tower from the enemy.

I will abide in Your tabernacle forever;

I will trust in the shelter of Your wings.

Selah

Psalm 61:1-4

One of the reasons I chose this verse is to remind us that God is a higher rock, He isn't going to move or be budged, and we have the assurance that He will always love us and take care of us.

The other reason is this; I have wondered, sometimes whether, when king David says "I will" do something, he might not be trying to assure himself that he would do it more than anything else. Because, as neat a dude as David was, anyone who reads the Psalms can see how very human he was. To trust in the shelter of God's wings is easier said than done. Yeah, you try it for a day, for a whole day, and kudos to you if you can fully trust in God for more than half of it without a single doubt or worry.
Maybe David is having some doubts too, and is trying to talk himself out of them, turning his mind from the possibility of failure, which, with God's help can't really happen, on the other hand, there are many definitions of said. Not only that, but by swearing to do so, he was held accountable by God. Fortunately for him, God is merciful.

I think too often, the failure that we, as Christians, are worried about, is one that might be caused by our failing to hear God correctly. Man, that's tough, how do we know whether it is God we are hearing, as apposed to our own imaginations? But God is a higher rock, He prepared for all eventualities, and even knows what we shall do before we do it, be it following Him and trusting Him completely, or sometimes going the wrong way. We can't fail, we can mess up, yes, and we need to try to be better, but God will love us even when we do mess up.

We need to trust in God, more than we trust in the "possibility" of failure. To set our minds on what we have to do, but remember that what we have to do, we have to do it trusting God. Remember that our failures can only be that by the world's standard, and nothing that will really kill us. On hard days we need to think, "I will do this, what've I got to loose, He'll love me anyways."

~Triss

Sooooooo... Talk like a pirate day. Why do we have a talk like a pirate day? Why not a "talk like Jane Austen" day, or a "talk through a straw" day, or a "whip-out-that-amazing-aussie-accent-guaranteed-to-sweep-unsuspecting-girls-off-their-feet" day? (Unless you are a girl) But seriously, who started this? Or, what about a day in which everyone has to talk as much like Andy Griffith as they can? The possibilities are endless (hmmmm....type in nothing but italics day?)!!!!

Would you give away prizes for the person who wore the most period costume? Would H-E-B decorate for the holiday with giant multi-colored straws suspended from the ceiling? It beats the Back to School theme!

Anyhow, this hearr blogger's gotta go gaet to work. And maybe get 'nother Big Orange drank!

Yours very argh-illy,
~Triss

This Thought #1

This Thought is sort of a question, something to think about the rest of the week:

Why is it easier to trust unseen fears than a seen and proven God? For that matter, why is it easier to trust seen fears as apposed to an omnipotent Savior?

~Triss

Making Moments, Without Kodak…

A girl tip-toed out of the house with her family, her mother, father, sister and brother were all there. She felt the excitement tingling through her as she listened to the whispered inquiries and answers of her siblings and parents as they tried to decide how many blankets to bring.

They didn’t have to whisper, the girl didn’t have to tip-toe, there was no one who could be awakened by their midnight antics, it just felt right. The little family crept around the corner of their house and piled the blankets onto the old trampoline, climbing on after them. The few clouds covering the moon were an odd brownish-grey color and the whole sky was bathed in an eerie light, but the girl felt safe.

The family cuddled up under the fuzzy brown electric blankets, and five pairs of sleepy eyes gazed up at the wide purple heavens, void of stars aside from a faint few around the horizon. As they watched the wind blew the sparse cloud-cover away from the moon, revealing a brilliant orange orb with just a hint of shadow nipping at its edge. What was happening? Why was the moon that weird color? It was a lunar eclipse, the girl had never seen one before.

They watched until the moon was again free of the shadow and lay there, still, a little longer…

She felt so full, of what? Everything. Of wonder and happiness, and contentment. A million emotions swirled round her, she wanted to laugh, but she didn’t. She felt scared but still drawn in amazement. She wanted to cry but she didn’t, and she marveled at the conflict of feelings within her. She was very happy, yes, but it wasn’t the happiness that comes with an ice-cream cone or a birthday gift, she certainly wasn’t bouncing off the walls, she just was, that’s all. She knew she was safe and loved that night, and she also knew that there was a God. She looked up in the sky and saw him through the wild glory of his creation. She felt his presence through the peace and joy that reverberated between her family and all around her…

Years later, that night is still a treasure remembered to the girl, the family grown by one and decreased by another, beginning to go it’s separate ways. She has seen more than one lunar eclipse since then, but that one night still stands out in her memory as one of the best times in her life.

The moment was not expensive, it did not take hours of preparation, it was not a stressful indulgence, it just was. You don’t have to be a millionaire to enjoy life, you don’t have to be popular or lead your class. The only requirements are that you love God and live for Him with all of your being. You can have a moment without Kodak. So stop and smell the roses, take time out, in the middle of your busy lives to wonder and acknowledge the glory of God in the wind, or the bright reds and yellows of Fall leaves. Live so that you won’t have any regrets.

~Triss

Storms

I have never understood why people tend to give their bad experiences in life the picture of a storm. They say things like (to quote a flair) "Don't tell God how big your storm is; tell the storm how big your God is."

True, some storms can be very destructive, but they can be healing too. Is this just another reflection of how humans tend to focus on the bad things instead of the good?

So storms are scary. Guess what? It's ok to be scared, and inspired, and exhilarated. There are so many things about storms that remind me just how awesome God really is, especially when I remember that the freakish power I'm seeing is hardly the smallest fraction of His own infinite strength. Storms help me remember that God isn't "cut and dried." I think C.S. Lewis said it best, "He's not a tame Lion."

The Bible says, "For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities-his eternal power and divine nature- have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse." Romans 1:20

The saying that "life is not about waiting for the storm to pass, it's about learning to dance in the rain." Has a lot of truth and sense to it. We need to be careful that we aren't so afraid of the lightening that we don't let ourselves be refreshed by the cool water. We can't put up walls against all people because a few have hurt us in the past; we have to realize that sometimes loving hurts, that loving is worth the losing.

The other day I watched an interview with a guy who had been hit by lightening when golfing. The thing about him that struck me most was that he didn't seem to recoil from storms even after he had been seriously injured during one.

It's amazing how many people can watch a storm and hear the rolling thunder without recognizing the reality of God. Something as scientifically and creatively designed as storms are at the same time that they are so incredibly unpredictable cannot possibly be the product of a freak accident explosion in space.

Storms can be seen as highly unpleasant sensations that you pray will pass as soon as possible, or they can be translated as the epitome of life. You can cower under your circumstances with the single goal of getting from point A to point B, or you can dance through them with all of your heart.

~Triss