Sketches and Crafts

"Your identity determines your activity, your activity does not determine your identity."

My identity should be in Christ and not in myself and definitely not in what I do. Well that is an incredible relief actually. I dont have to strive for that myself. And if I do choose to put that burden on myself anyway, then I am not showing Christ to those around me the way that I should.
I do not want to give in to the lie that focusing on myself will make me happier or that I should compete with other women to win the title of "beautiful" or that I must strive to maintain some "adequate" level of self confidence for the rest of my life. And I do not want to become a middle aged women who has overdone hair and makeup, is still upset about looking old and is overly concerned with trying to be some sexy trophy wife thing.
I want to be a peaceful spirited women filled with the Lord's contentment and joy and peace and pouring that into other people, centered in God' s grace and truly seeing myself as that beautiful woman that God made me, not worried about my external appearance or how "exciting" i am coming off as, or whether or not my husband thinks I am prettier than the chick passing us on the sidewalk. I am praying about this- i am far from attaining it.

"The opposite of sin is grace, not virtue." -Philip Yancey

Marmie from Little Women

"I want my daughters to be beautiful, accomplished, and good; to be admired, loved, and respected; to have a happy youth, to be well and wisely married, and to lead useful, pleasant lives, with as little care and sorrow as God sees fit to send. To be loved and chosen by a good man is the best and sweetest thing which can happen to a woman, and I sincerely hope my girls may know this beautiful experience. It is natural to think of it, right to hope and wait for it, and wise to prepare for it, so that when the happy time comes, you may feel ready for the duties and worthy of the joy.
... not that they would marry rich men merely because they are rich, or have splendid houses which are not homes because love is wanting. Money is a needful and precious thing- and, when well-used, a noble thing- but I never want you to think it is the first prize to strive for. I'd rather see you poor men's wives, if you were happy, beloved, contented, then queens on thrones, without self-respect or peace."

I am reminded of myself

"I was born with an enormous need for an affection and a terrible need to give." -Audrey Hepburn

"I don't need a bedroom to prove my womanliness. I can convey just as much appeal fully clothed, picking apples off a tree or standing in the rain." -Audrey

If I were a person that photographers wanted to take pictures of, I would want it to be not because I exhibit stereotypical appeal, but because I exude joy.

Letter to Liz Gilson

"...We are doing good- drenched in Christmas spirit. Yes, we still LOVE our church oh my oh my we love it so much. These people are so genuinely loving and giving and Christ-seeking. God is good. I have been reading up on social justice lately- As in I'm reading like 4 books at once: "Everyday Justice: The Global Impact of Our Daily Choices" by Julie Clawson, "Investing for Change:Profit From Responsible Investment" by Landier and Nair, "Fields of the Fatherless" (concerning caring for orphans) by Tom Davis, "The Wounded Heart: Hope for Adult Victims of Childhood Sexual Abuse" by Allender, and Isaiah, plus I'm keeping up with campaigns like Love146 and NotForSale and Joyful Heart Foundation and RAINN and Equal Exchange.com. I feel like I am in an intense and pivotal point in my life-journey and I am excited about it. I just hope that it doesnt fizzle out like lots of my spiritual spurts have in the past. God has placed in me a desire to love people- especially the broken and the oppressed. I just have to figure out how to do it and pray that the motivation doesn't wear off due to delayed action and that my new found humility doesn't get trampled by a new (and stupid) kind of pride."


READ THE POST BELOW TOO. I WROTE THESE TWO AT THE SAME TIME.

Why would a company become more environmentally friendly or humanitarian?

Gallup polls revealed that 65% of Americans would like to see major corporations having less influence and only 18% of Americans have confidence in big business. I agree with the majority here- I do not trust many big corporations, which are too often driven by money-hunger, but I like them better than big government. I like how Julie Clawson, author of Everyday Justice, put it, "I don't oppose capitalism or necessarily think any other system would work better, but I find myself disturbed by economics without ethics."
One may deduce from the above statistics that Americans might demand more gov control over corporations, but that is not the case. Rather, as explained in the book, Investing for Change, the majority does not believe that "the government should further regulate business or industry" thus showing that "ppl don't view gov intervention as the way to make large companies more responsible." I am glad for this too. It is up to the consumer/investor to harness the power of demand to influence companies rather than depend on further government regulation. Government regulation has often merely driven companies to other nations where sweatshops are legal and environmental codes are laxer, thus worsening the problems and removing the woes from consumers' eyes. By the consumer-driven change method, competitive businesses will be more inclined to adopt a more socially responsible approach whether they are based in America or elsewhere. We consumers just need to inform ourselves and put our purchasing power to work.

Useful resources for informing yourself: Everyday Justice by Julie Clawson, Not For Sale by David Batstone, Investing for Change by Landier and Nair, http://www.equalexchange.coop/ , http://free2work.org/home , http://notforsale895.corecommerce.com/cart.html

good songs: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nsSUr7ChMPI&feature=player_embedded#! , http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M9Yasgzjc0w , http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P5AkNqLuVgY

my fortune cookie says, "Happiness is not the absence of conflict, but the ability to cope with it." I like what Greg Matte said better, "Joy is not the absence of crisis, but the presence of Christ."

The grocery store found my journal.

It is officially winter now, but here is a journal entry from the once lost but now found fall journal. November 19:
I like rakes less than leaf littered lawns. Right now, my back yard is smothered in orange and the historic village in yellow. I often stare from the store porch and smile.
I like sunny days when the translucent yellow leaves glow overhead and turn the forests into light sources.
I like windy days when gusts send leaves stampeding down our village streets passed trees redder than stoplights. And when bigger gust wrench stragglers from their branches and create leaf blizzards!
Most of all, I like sunny windy days when an occasional gust scoops leaves up into a glowing yellow torrent, swirling them about in a 10ft tornado. I stopped to watch one today. When I crossed an old village street, the wind first tried to pick up my gown then launched 100s of unraked leaves into the air and danced with them. I watched then twirled too on my way to my station.