life is...

dear world wide web,

have we met?

it has been so long since we have last spoken that sometimes it is as if i do not know you.

but this is what i do know: life - is a beautiful mess. life is one big chance. life is constant change. life is a risk. life is leap of faith. life is faith.

life is love. life is lonely. life is laughter, hurt, pain, confusion, miraculous.

life is... well, i know a lot about life. but there is a LOT that i don't know about life. for me, life is a rollercoaster of emotions and events, highs and lows, heartbreaks and joys beyond compare.

somedays i long for a life sitting on a wooden dock,with barefeet, overlooking a quiet lake, somewhere a few miles outside of a quiet town, full of quiet - but not boring - people. far away from glossy magazines, health care debates, shiny cars, and bright lights. but most days, i am at peace with my life, fully satisifed knowing that a higher power has brought me to this, and will get me through, this life.

life of late is full of antibacterial soap, potty accidents, chattering children, and alphabet songs. when i'm not at work, i am one step behind in work emails and half-marathon training. my life is full of long distance friendships, occasional dinner dates, church gatherings, runs through the park, and the occasional weekday visit with my mom and the dog.

i don't want to get started on the break-up of jon and kate of the famous tv show "jon and kate plus eight," but lately the tagline for their show has been bouncing around my head. they talk of their 8 children, (and by no means am i comparing my small, selfish life to theirs - they are far busier, without question) but they talk of their 8 children and then pictures of those children flash on the screen and jon & kate's voices say: "it may be a crazy life, but this is our life."

and i wonder: how much do we actively take charge of the life we have been given? granted, as Christians, we would be more correct to say "this is a crazy life. but this is God's life" because we are dedicating our lives to Christ... even still - how often do we boldly claim to love, to be responsible for, to be thankful for, our lives?

that dock near the lake on a sunny day sounds really great sometimes. but for now, i acknowledge my life is a mess running in three thousand directions. but it is the life God has given me, and it is such a life!

thank you for sharing it with me, world wide web & friends. i hope to be back to visit more often.

love,
courtney