New Year's Reflections and Road Trip Fun
Every New Year brings reflections and fun. Mine was no exception!
Good times in GA and SC!!
I went road tripping to Atlanta, GA with Alicia (my good friend from my Bible study) to see her college friends, Big Dave and Lauren. In Atlanta, we watched the peach drop on NYE, went to the Georgia aquarium, played darts, and learned some new dance steps and turns for the hustle and swing, and experienced a town that has almost as many golf cart paths as regular streets (including special parking at various stores!). Big Dave was in all his glory - he was the only guy with 8 lovely single ladies on NYE!! So much to do and so little time!
We left for South Carolina to return Dave to his home in Beaufort - a great cozy and quaint home about 4 blocks from the water. The palmetto trees and spanish moss made you feel like you were in another era. It was breath taking and I think I am in love with that area. Not to mention that while we were there we never wore a coat, we went to the beach, walked around with our shoes off in the ocean, climbed to the top of a light house (164 stairs!),
And we couldn't resist having a little K fun - Yep, Big Dave (sneekily) signed me up to sing Patsy Cline's Walkin' After Midnight - and after much resistance from me, thankfully he was also kind enough to sing it with me. I have never done karaoke before, but now I can scratch that off my life's to-do list. I might even do it again some day. ;-)
I also learned about the Gullah culture and language of the sea islands and low country of SC - a culture influenced by the plantation and slave days. The plantations that were on the islands were so well protected and isolated (there were no bridges in those days to get from island to mainland) that the slaves just remained there once slavery was over and they recieved their land during emancipation, the strong african culture remained - complete with a creole language and traditions. Today, women are the community leaders among the Gullah and are the ones to interact with the government and speak up for their community.
There is not enough words to express how much fun Alicia and I had with Dave and Lauren. Hopefully the pictures do it a little bit of justice! Hopefully the grandiose plans we made to meet up in Chicago in June for a cooking class will materialize!!
Reflections:
Everyone knows that I talk of going, living and serving in Africa, Latin America, Alaska, you name it. I want to live a life where I let God work through me and I concider that to be the "greatest adventure" possible.
I am enthusiastic about my future. I talk about it. They are "my plans." Apparently when I talk about these plans, others think there is no room for them in my life - that these plans make me unavailable for future "stuff" (relationships, etc).
During my travels around Atlanta, GA and Beaufort, SC this week, I was confronted by someone about this. I can't remember the exact statement made but it was something to the effect of "You have your life so mapped out, how does another person [specifically a significant other] fit into it?"
That comment hit me like a ton of bricks because it is the exact opposite of what I desire for my life. When asked later what my top 3 desires for my life are, I included having a family. You need a significant other to do that and according to the person I was talking with, I do not communicate that I am willing to make room for another.
My 14 hour drive home from SC made me think "What have I done? How did I get here? Do I have two conflicting desires? Have I been communicating to others (ok, potential romantic interests) that I have no room for them and their plans in my already well planned out life?
That scared me because it is not what I truely want. I realized that I do this on purpose for two reasons:
1) I am just trying to communicate a Godly desire of going where He calls. I have no idea where that will be, but that I am not tied to the American dream that blocks my ears from hearing where he wants me to go. Maybe he wants me right here, maybe he wants me in Africa. I don't know, but I am trying to surrender to where ever that is.
2) I say these plans with such force and conviction to build a wall of protection around myself. I render myself unavailable. I seem to be saying that my plans are made, therefor they should not bother pursuing me. If they don't pursue, I can't be rejected, and therefor I cannot be hurt and dissapointed.
God's plans for my life, where ever they lead, would not and should not block out others. My plans, however may try to prevent me from rejection and hurt. And I know better than anyone else, I run as fast as I can away from rejection and hurt, even if it means that I have to settle for less than my ultimate hopes/desires.
So where do I go from here? I have no idea - but if you the reader have some Biblical wisdom, I sure could use it. I know that it is good to have a mate, and I deffinitly want that aspect of life, not just the traveling missionary adventures.
I hope your NYE was as good as mine and that we will have a year that will challenge us and grow us closer to how God wants us.
Yours, Jess
Good times in GA and SC!!
I went road tripping to Atlanta, GA with Alicia (my good friend from my Bible study) to see her college friends, Big Dave and Lauren. In Atlanta, we watched the peach drop on NYE, went to the Georgia aquarium, played darts, and learned some new dance steps and turns for the hustle and swing, and experienced a town that has almost as many golf cart paths as regular streets (including special parking at various stores!). Big Dave was in all his glory - he was the only guy with 8 lovely single ladies on NYE!! So much to do and so little time!
We left for South Carolina to return Dave to his home in Beaufort - a great cozy and quaint home about 4 blocks from the water. The palmetto trees and spanish moss made you feel like you were in another era. It was breath taking and I think I am in love with that area. Not to mention that while we were there we never wore a coat, we went to the beach, walked around with our shoes off in the ocean, climbed to the top of a light house (164 stairs!),
And we couldn't resist having a little K fun - Yep, Big Dave (sneekily) signed me up to sing Patsy Cline's Walkin' After Midnight - and after much resistance from me, thankfully he was also kind enough to sing it with me. I have never done karaoke before, but now I can scratch that off my life's to-do list. I might even do it again some day. ;-)
I also learned about the Gullah culture and language of the sea islands and low country of SC - a culture influenced by the plantation and slave days. The plantations that were on the islands were so well protected and isolated (there were no bridges in those days to get from island to mainland) that the slaves just remained there once slavery was over and they recieved their land during emancipation, the strong african culture remained - complete with a creole language and traditions. Today, women are the community leaders among the Gullah and are the ones to interact with the government and speak up for their community.
There is not enough words to express how much fun Alicia and I had with Dave and Lauren. Hopefully the pictures do it a little bit of justice! Hopefully the grandiose plans we made to meet up in Chicago in June for a cooking class will materialize!!
Reflections:
Everyone knows that I talk of going, living and serving in Africa, Latin America, Alaska, you name it. I want to live a life where I let God work through me and I concider that to be the "greatest adventure" possible.
I am enthusiastic about my future. I talk about it. They are "my plans." Apparently when I talk about these plans, others think there is no room for them in my life - that these plans make me unavailable for future "stuff" (relationships, etc).
During my travels around Atlanta, GA and Beaufort, SC this week, I was confronted by someone about this. I can't remember the exact statement made but it was something to the effect of "You have your life so mapped out, how does another person [specifically a significant other] fit into it?"
That comment hit me like a ton of bricks because it is the exact opposite of what I desire for my life. When asked later what my top 3 desires for my life are, I included having a family. You need a significant other to do that and according to the person I was talking with, I do not communicate that I am willing to make room for another.
My 14 hour drive home from SC made me think "What have I done? How did I get here? Do I have two conflicting desires? Have I been communicating to others (ok, potential romantic interests) that I have no room for them and their plans in my already well planned out life?
That scared me because it is not what I truely want. I realized that I do this on purpose for two reasons:
1) I am just trying to communicate a Godly desire of going where He calls. I have no idea where that will be, but that I am not tied to the American dream that blocks my ears from hearing where he wants me to go. Maybe he wants me right here, maybe he wants me in Africa. I don't know, but I am trying to surrender to where ever that is.
2) I say these plans with such force and conviction to build a wall of protection around myself. I render myself unavailable. I seem to be saying that my plans are made, therefor they should not bother pursuing me. If they don't pursue, I can't be rejected, and therefor I cannot be hurt and dissapointed.
God's plans for my life, where ever they lead, would not and should not block out others. My plans, however may try to prevent me from rejection and hurt. And I know better than anyone else, I run as fast as I can away from rejection and hurt, even if it means that I have to settle for less than my ultimate hopes/desires.
So where do I go from here? I have no idea - but if you the reader have some Biblical wisdom, I sure could use it. I know that it is good to have a mate, and I deffinitly want that aspect of life, not just the traveling missionary adventures.
I hope your NYE was as good as mine and that we will have a year that will challenge us and grow us closer to how God wants us.
Yours, Jess
posted by TENN at 6:43 PM
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