Musings from Minnesota (4)

Marriage.

initially, the “real” reason for this whole trip up north was to be the best man in my friends craig and shawn’s wedding. i’m definitely in a season of my life where many friends are getting married and it has been really incredible to see all that god has been doing in the lives of people i love.

one of the things that has made this wedding so special is that i have known both craig and shawn separately for at least 6 years. craig and i met the summer before my senior year of high school on a bwca canoe trip and shawn was a counselor at camp the summer after my freshman year of college.

i’m amazed at how these two people that i have known for so long have become so bound up into each others’ lives that they have now become one.

a-mazing...

Musings from Minnesota (3)

different.

i’ve changed. it’s more than just having a nice tan or short hair for once or the fact that i say y’all with regularity or that i now have a cell phone. i’m different than i used to be.

people ask me lots of questions now. trying to peel back the layers of intrigue, trying to understand who i’ve become. i’ve had the chance to hang out with family and friends quite a bit (much to the chagrin of my introvertedness) and everybody seems quite confused as to who i’ve become.

most people have known me as an athlete, or a student, or an assistant program director, or as a child... the thing is, i don’t really fit those molds anymore. i guess it’s hard to place someone when they no longer fit into the kind of life you knew them to live.

more people seemed concerned with what i’m going to do next after mississippi, then want to understand what my life is like now. almost as if this part is just a fluke or and aberration to how the rest of my life will be lived. this has started to bug me. mississippi is the life that i choose to live now and for now, it’s all i shall know...

Musings from Minnesota (2)

Minnesotans.

most minnesotans have a very distinct accent. if you’ve ever seen the movie “fargo” or watched the “red green show” or spent much of any time with a minnesotan, you come to realize that, more often than not, we talk pretty funny.

for some reason i’m more towards the accent-challenged end of the spectrum, but i’m still amazed after spending a few months in the deep south just how rampant quality minnesota accents run up in this neck of the woods.

the best part about all this is we minnesotans tend to like it this way. “sven and lena” jokes just don’t have the same ring to them without the long o’s and flat a’s. and nothing beats listening to a bunch of old farmers swapping stories in town while drinking coffee and eating rusks.

there’s another peculiarity to minnesotans. my peeps are just so doggone nice all the time.

it’s so hard to take a drive and rock out to music because you spend all your time waving. every house you pass, people going for a walk, even cars passing in the opposite direction. everybody waves, with a smile even. i’m so out of shape i’m gonna need rotator cuff surgery before my break is over.

another example of this crazy niceness is the pleasant conversations that spring up everywhere. when i lived in chicago i couldn’t get anybody to say three words to me and got plenty of nasty looks for trying. then i moved to mississippi and if i happened to venture a simple question of “how are you today?” i had to block off 40 mins just to hear the short answer. minnesotans seem to have perfected the art of pleasant conversation: not too long, not too short, but just right. goldilocks would love it here.

i’m not gonna take the time to go into the peculiarities of the way everybody fights to hold doors open or the way people will literally pull over and stop so you can pass them, or the other things that make us just plain weird (i have an image to keep and expectations to keep low ya know), but if you ever get the opportunity to trek on up to the northland you may want to jump at the opportunity (but don’t forget to pack your bug spray)...

Musings from Minnesota (1)

gravel roads.

it has been a long, long time since i’ve so much time on gravel roads. even though they are bumpy and dusty and often times under-maintained (although, compared to half the roads in gulfport, they’re looking pretty great), there are many, many benefits to gravel.

for instance. if you happen to be traveling on a gravel road, chances are very, very good that you are out in the middle of the country and there are no vehicles (and most importantly very few cops). not that i’m saying i ever intentionally break the laws of the land, just that less drivers means more open road for me.

when in the country and on gravel roads, there is also a looser interpretation of all postings (speeds, stops, etc.). signs with white borders tend to become optional and this greatly speeds up the commute.

corners. there is something amazing about taking corners on gravel roads. no matter how hard you try, you often squeal the tires and kick up rocks all over the place. eventually, you quit trying to not spit rocks and start trying to see how many you can give wings to. if you couple this with enough acceleration, there is even a little bit of fish tailing that takes place... no snow necessary.

i really don’t know why people complain about them so much. they’re actually quite enjoyable and freeing, really. so next time you find yourself staring down some gravel, rev that engine, lets some rocks fly and enjoy the ride (but don’t forget of course to roll up your windows first)...

Come.

Come, O Holy Spirit

Come open us to the wonder, beauty, and dignityof the diversity found in each culture, in each face, and in each experience we have of the other among us.

Come, fill us with generosity as we are challenged to let go and allow others to share with us the goods and beauty of earth.

Come, heal the divisions that keep us from seeing the face of Christ in all men, women, and children.

Come, free us to stand with and for those who must leave their own lands in order to find work, security, and welcome in a new land, one that has enough to share.

Come, bring us understanding, inspiration, wisdom, and the courage needed to embrace change and stay on the journey

Come, O Holy Spirit, show us the way.

drip. drip. drip.

so i realize that i’ve been kinda sporadic on the whole posting thing as of late... the marbles upstairs have been pretty scattered and not much has been coming together into anything real concrete. i think that in time words will come again, but for now i’ll just be content to let things percolate and see what drips down (hey, if it works for coffee why not my brain)...

sign me up

gnomes and snakes

and we all thought that they were completely harmless...

gnomes and snakes

the one thing i dislike the most about sanding drywall: white boogers...

God be in my head and in my understanding.
God be in mine eyes and in my looking.
God be in my mouth and in my speaking.
God be in my heart and in my thinking.
God be at mine end and in my departing.

Sarum Primer, 1527