24: A Year of Firsts

 

 

With my 25th birthday coming up in just a few weeks,  it struck me that summarizing this past year's events would be a useful exercise.

 

Momentous and mundane were the happenings of my 24th year, and many of those events were first-time experiences.  Below several will be highlighted:

 

1) I celebrated my one-year anniversary as a teller at my credit union job (working with finances had never before occurred in my life).

 

2) With my brother, I performed the Disney duet from the film, Tangled, called I See the Light, whilst singing with our contemporary, a cappella group at a posh, evening wedding...such fun!

 

3) On November 1st, I went out on my first date.  Jacob asked me out when I had completely lost my voice from a nasty cold, which bewildered, yet delighted me.  The guy is from my community chorus, and although we had a great time, he is an agnostic, so we have not gone out since.  But the Lord gave me boldness to share both my testimony and gospel truth with him-may he come to know Jesus in all His wondrous beauty.

 

4) The 3rd of November also witnessed the first time I totaled a vehicle, my 2005, Hyundai Accent!  God protected my brother and I, who were in the car, as well as the passengers of the three other cars involved.  That was quite the growing-up experience.

 

5) Joining World Team Tennis for the first time, after playing the sport off and on over my life was a blast, and my team, The Avengers, qualified for the summer 2013 nationals playoffs!

 

6) This past year also was also a gift from God in that I was blessed with some of the best health I have had since a young child!  The circumstances were truly miraculous. :)

 

7) I finished the first draft of my novel, The Family Tree, after five years of crafting.  Now to tackle editing 101.  Having purchased my first laptop, a Widows 8 HP Intel, hopefully this process will move along far more efficiently than when I haunted the local library.

 

8) Being of a theatrical persuasion since a wee thing, but unable to pursue that gifting for various reasons, God saw fit to allow me to be in not one show, but two!  Rodgers' and Hammerstein's Cinderella and a revue of Broadway's Little Women were the fabulous shows, and this next week, I plan, Lord willing, to audition for the complete, Broadway version of Les Miserables, with the role of Eponine as the foremost aspiration!

 

9) My siblings and I celebrated our first year living in the home we renovated and purchased...what a stretching this has been, but so worth it.

 

10) Last, but most essentially, Jesus has been answering my heart's desire to give me a radical love for Him, to which nothing else will compare.  As He is captivating me more, Satan has been attacking me with renewed fury, but Christ has defeated Him and my sin: I am free! I am my Beloved's and He is mine. :)

Thank you for 24 years of life, Lord...conform me more into the image of Your Son and use me to the fullest to spread Your love and truth throughout year 25!

The Masquerade: A Poem

The other night, I was inspired to craft the following poem.  From start to finish, it took me about forty-five minutes, and I only wrote one draft, so it may be a bit of a "jewel-in-the-rough".  Feel free to share any feedback!

The Masquerade

She slips on the ethereal gown trimmed with lace,

Levitates before the tall mirror whilst peeking at her face;

After arranging her tresses with a tuck and a pin,

Next she dons the masque that hides the view to within.

To be noticed, yet unobserved-both she desires,

Craving love, yet without exposure, to this she aspires.

For concealed beneath the sequin-flanked frames

Is a heart disfigured by antagonizing shames.

Her mother, a harlot, her father, a rogue,

The life she has led is one only bought-when in vogue.

No person of honor would treat her with grace,

If they grasped the history behind her veiled face.

Yet as the young woman falters by the door,

The royal prince, espying her, does come to the fore,

He gently guides her to the center of the room,

And with a deft motion sets her cheeks in full bloom.

As the evening progresses, her complexion fades to gray,

For she knows the consequences she will face the next day.

The prince, who has remained by her side,

Queries if she would not depart, but bide.

Tears overcome her clouded visage as up she does start,

Begs she for mercy, for she is black of body and heart.

Her sovereign, turning away, hides his own face-

Then whispers, "As I have received, let me bestow-grace".

"My liege, art thou mad?" cries she,

Her pallor beset now by a crimson sea.

"Nay", he replies, "but to look upon the Crucified

Is to utterly know my sin is rectified".

And taking hold of her masque, he speaks,

"Your and my shame He has covered with His cloak,

He will be your righteousness sure

If you cling to His Word-which makes you pure".

The next instant her masque clatters to the ground,

For what was once lost, had now been found!

Dolor succumbs to tears of joyous peace,

As she had been embraced by Love that will not cease!

~Finis~

The Derring-Do of Dating Dudes

Check out this thought-provoking article: http://artofmanliness.com/2008/01/16/stop-hanging-out-with-women-and-start-dating-them/ .

Musings, anyone? :)

My Cinderella Experience

Last night, I saw a limousine...including the interior. :)

For several years, my family has been very close to an Italian family from Ohio, whom we have affectionately labeled: "The Italian Mafia" (they refer to us as "The Irish Mafia, but we diverge from the point of this entry).  Last Thursday, the mother and eldest daughter arrived in town for their annual/bi-annual take-over of our home, and the festivities commenced.  Little did I know that months before, they had planned to surprise my sisters, mother, and myself with our very first limousine ride!  On Sunday, as we were dressing for the day, which would culminate in church, they both encouraged us to take our dressing up a notch, which we readily did, suspecting nothing, for they already dress tastefully.  We purchased various snacks at one point, which I assumed to be the mother's personal craving.  As we stepped into our home church meeting, the ladies quipped, "Did we miss the memo?" due to our coordinating black/brown dress theme.  Twice my mom had mentioned our friends' being the Mafia and warned everyone to beware, little realizing the depth of her injunctions.  Two hours later, as the sermon was wrapping up, the door bell rang forth, causing the home owner to investigate.  I assumed some random neighbor was there, and re-focused on the message.  Some moments passed, and soon I observed that our two friends were now by the entry, whispering.  A moment later, my mom and sisters were beckoning me to come, saying, "We are leaving".  Dumbfounded, I hurriedly assembled my belongings, and tripped to the door.  There, on the curb, gleamed the jet black limousine guarded by the chauffeur, who stood at attention to hold the door open for our entry!!!  In utter shock, I stumbled down the steps to Bruce, who assisted me into the luxurious interior.  Sparkling apple cider, water, and soft drinks perched upon the many cup rests, and the three snacks we had bought earlier were tastefully arranged in bowls!  After much laughing and explaining, our friend, Mrs. C., began playing the upbeat CD she had brought, and our mysterious journey unfolded.  Rapid picture-taking, giggling, and pure joy illuminated the dim atmosphere within, and it was no time before we arrived at a local theater (which happened to be my final and correct guess of our destination).  After turning in the tickets our friends had purchased for us, we settled down into a packed, elegantly-designed music hall.  Moments later, the group appeared on stage.  Thus began my very first experience with the a capella, men's group, the Straight No Chasers!!! :)  Every harmony was immaculate, each singer's dance move in sync with the others' motions, and the excitement palpable.  Immediately our group of five was swaying to the beat of various oldies, newer tunes, and original pieces brought to life.  Being a musician involved in several vocal venues, it was even more of a delight to absorb all the mastery flooding my eyes and ears.  They created instrumental sounds employing only their bodies, and one of them even did the splits.  America's Most Talented, anyone? ;)

At last the concert drew to a close, and after we awarded them with two, standing ovations, we emerged from the theater, radiant and with minds set on one of life's essentials: Sheridan's Frozen Custard.  Bruce picked us up promptly, and soon our friends treated not only ourselves, but him to the delights of the season.  Before he dropped us off that night, he shared that in his about 25 years of chauffeuring, none of his passengers had ever bought him anything.  You gotta love that Italian Mafia. :)

I imagine that the emotions that surged within me during this evening were as close to what Cinderella must have felt as she, transformed from her servant's state, was borne to the ball where the Prince awaited.  Now, if only my prince had materialized, one of my many nicknames would have proven itself accurate! ;)

The two-fold moral of the story is as follows:

1) If in doubt, always dress up (and have your hair French-braided, if a woman).

2) It doesn't hurt to keep up good relations betwixt oneself and those sly, fun-loving Italians. ;)

Amo la vida dolce! :)

A Disturbing Tail

 A couple of years ago, during one fine evening, I screamed bloody murder, though no murder occurred. It was only a practical joke. My sister, Katie, called me to come investigate something under her bed, and I took the necessary precaution: "Is it a spider?" She assured me that it wasn't. Upon peeking under the bed, I was startled to see a furry lump that strongly resembled a mouse. We had good reason to believe it was a rodent, as we occasionally hear them attacking our insulation in the ceiling. After conferring together, we fetched one of my brother's handmade, fiberglass swords and Katie proceeded to drag the U.F.O. (Unidentified Furry Object) out from under the bed. During this time I droned on and on about how silly the little girl was who had shrieked during a scary scene in National Treasure: Book of Secrets. Suddenly, Katie cried out in terror, threw the object at my head, and the blood-curdling scream I let loose was so deafening that the rest of the family heard it two floors down, and my dad remarked: "That can't be good." Katie, who was laughing hysterically, would have perished from the many dagger wounds I had given her while glaring, if it had been possible.  It took me a few minutes to stop shaking, and then no words could describe my humiliation upon discovering that a puppet lion had caused me such a fright!  Katie had not known what the object was until she had retrieved it from under the bed, but then she had fun with it and gullible me, boy howdy! 

The moral of this pathetic tale is this: never belittle young, screaming girls, and then scream just like one!