Bits

• I spent all weekend studying interesting things by a sunny window in Caribou, enjoying the scent of SPRING (it's been in the 40s and 50s!!!), laughing with friends, and listening to Deb Talan. Pretty freaking perfect.

• This week is Missions in Focus week... so awesome (I wish I'd gotten my act together to join the committee- they're so cool... anyway, I'm pumped for the events). I got a tiny bit emotional-ish in chapel today. I was listening to the speaker talk about how important it is to "go, whether it's across the street or across the sea"... but when he talked about the need for world missions, it suddenly occurred to me that I live with people whose families chose to do that. Numerous people in my life have spent their childhoods all over the world because their parents felt God was calling them to use their gifts overseas, and they followed Him. Pretty cool.

(This emotional moment prompted a text of, "Hey, your parents are missionaries!!" to a few friends. Responses ranged from, "Hey... you're right!" to "Yayuh!" to "I'm not in chapel, what are you talking about?")

• I had my first spasm of grief over HNGR today. A long, good conversation last night left me feeling like I understood myself and my friends a tiny bit better. This morning I was thinking how I was excited about that and the thought occurred to me that I only had three more months to use said understanding... of course, the next thought was HELLO THAT'S RIDICULOUS. Friendship is friendship, six months is six months, I'll be back and loving people is... loving people! With or without a picturable time frame.

That said, though perhaps my phrasing it to myself (I actually literally thought the sentence, "Oh... that was a spasm of grief!!") was just a tad dramatic... up to now has been mostly just excitement- or, if negative feelings, it's been fear over being there or worry over the logistics of coming back. This morning was the first time it hit me in a present, emotional way- I am leaving things. Relationships, people, places, that are important.

• Pandora.com alternates between being really addictive and really annoying. It's an online radio station and a great thing- you just put in artists you like and they play you similar music, whole full songs (free and legal!). However, after you listen to a "station" for a few days you notice they basically play the same 15ish songs over and over. And the "free" part only lasts as long as your self-control (which I'm sure is their point). So it's provoked me to fall in love with and quickly invest in a few new favorites...

• Which are: Joshua Radin (love "Closer" and "Everything'll Be Alright"). Kris Delmhorst ("Broken White Lines"- sooo beautiful). The Wailing Jennys ("Beautiful Dawn"). And Joe Purdy ("I Love the Rain the Most"). Yay for mellow music. Pair them with some Weepies and Matt Nathanson and Emily is a happy, chill musical girl.

• Way more importantly... Phil Rizk, a Wheaton 04 alum who was doing peacemaking work in Egypt was taken into custody yesterday by the Egyptian Secret Services. If you know anything about the Egyptian Secret Services... that's not good news. Please be praying for him and his family.