Sunday, January 31, 2010

S-l-o-w-i-n-g Down

It's been a busy week....and sometimes I come to the end of a week and wonder, "How did I get here?"

How is it already Sunday?
How is it already the end of January?
How is it that it's actually 2010 already!?! (I could of swore I was just listening to Prince's Tonight I'm gonna party like it's 1999 and wondering what that would be like ...sheesh!)
Where did this week, month, year, decade go?

Sometimes I just need to slow down...not necessarily in what I'm physically doing, but in my mind and thoughts.  My mind has a tendency to race through life, and when I do that, I run the risk of missing all the great things happening along the way.  I need to slow down enough to really savor the many moments that make me smile and pay attention to the things that make living this life so worth-while.

Slow Dance

Have you ever watched kids on a merry-go-round,
Or listened to rain slapping on the ground?
Ever followed a butterfly's erratic flight,
Or gazed at the sun fading into the night?

You better slow down,
Don't dance so fast,
Time is short,
The music won't last.

Do you run through each day on the fly?
When you ask "How are you?", do you hear the reply?
When the day is done, do you lie in your bed,
With the next hundred chores running through your head?

You better slow down,
Don't dance so fast,
Time is short,
The music won't last.

Ever told your child, we'll do it tomorrow,
And in your haste, not see his sorrow?
Ever lost touch, let a friendship die,
'Cause you never had time to call and say "Hi"?

You better slow down,
Don't dance so fast,
Time is short,
The music won't last.

When you run so fast to get somewhere,
You miss half the fun of getting there.
When you worry and hurry through your day,
It's like an unopened gift...thrown away.

Life isn't a race,
So take it slower,
Hear the music,
Before your song is over.

- David L. Weatherford

Saturday, January 30, 2010

Good Eats - Bistro 7

So it's restaurant week in Philadelphia! That means time to hit up the really expensive restaurants for some good food at a reasonable price :) I wasn't able to get reservations to a restaurant I've been trying to go to for awhile now, but Bistro 7 came in as a good substitute....a small intimate restaurant with simple, tasty cuisine.

BISTRO 7
7 North 3rd Street
Philadelphia, PA 19106-4506
(215) 931-1560




"Bistro 7 is an elegant, food-first American BYO bistro located in the heart of Philadelphia’s historic Old City section. Chef/Owner Michael O’Halloran (formerly of Fork and the White Dog Café) relies on a network of local, organic farmers for the pristine ingredients that form the basis for his eclectic American bistro dishes, and the ever changing menu reflects the best that the season has to offer"

Wednesday, January 27, 2010

Adele - Chasing Pavements

Listening to some real soulful music tonight. . .
Love the sound of her voice and the song:

Tuesday, January 26, 2010

Patient Encounters

A couple days ago on a busy workday, I had a 23 yr-old patient come in for a routine eye exam.

He looked a little rough around the edges, didn’t crack a smile, and clearly wasn’t interested in engaging in any sort of conversation when I attempted to make small talk.

About halfway thru the exam he suddenly speaks and asks,
“How old are you anyway?”

I look up from writing my notes, probably appearing slightly annoyed by the question and hesitantly answer, "I’m 30."

At which he says, “you look like you’re 23 or something.”

I started laughing…..he still didn‘t crack a smile.

At a time where I’m feeling every bit my age, and contemplating the expectations I have and haven’t met in my life, I needed to hear that on that day.

Yes, age is but a number...and lately I’m being reminded that it’s not about HOW LONG I’ve been living on this earth, but HOW WELL I’m living on this earth.

Didn't think this kid would give me something to think about, but he did.

Nice kid.

Saturday, January 23, 2010

Remembering 2 years ago today...


I'm waking up with the sun shining brightly through my window on this beautiful Saturday morning, and I think...what could be more fitting of a tribute than a beautiful day for a beautiful man that we lost 2 years ago today.


A loving man who truly came to serve his church.
A man who personified the words humbleness and graciousness.
A man of few words, but of larger more poignant actions.
A man who loved and led his family by example.
A man, who in is his short time in Philadelphia, impacted lives more than he probably ever imagined.

As painful as that time was when we lost him suddenly, I thank God for allowing us to come across a soul who so clearly loved the Lord.

Wednesday, January 20, 2010

Houston Trip / Good Eats

It’s been a great past few days visiting with some dear friends in Houston along with 2 friends from Chicago and New Jersey. It’s hard to believe it’s been 5 years since we graduated from optometry school and that the 4 of us (our little grad school crew) are all doing our different things living in 4 different states. But despite time, distance, husbands, kids, etc., we have remained as close as ever and have consistently met up once a year to catch up…and when we do it’s just like old times.



So although we had all these great plans to see the sights of Houston, a lot of times we would end up just sitting, eating, and talking for hours, which is usually what happens when you get 4 girls together who haven’t seen each other in awhile! It also fit in nicely with our new mantra in life which we decided was “we just want to be fat and happy”…forget about this whole optometry business…haha :)

So that brings me to the food in Houston, good places we ate at and worth mentioning are :


Uptown Sushi
Zushi Fusion Cuisine

1131 Uptown Park Boulevard
Houston, TX 77056-3227
(713) 871-1200




We also walked around Rice Village, a cute artsy part of town, and had a great lunch here before heading off to the airport:

La Madeleine
Country French Café

Rice Village
6205 Kirby
Houston TX, 77005
713-942-7081




Good times!

Friday, January 15, 2010

He Is - Mark Schultz

Listening...loving...overwhelmed by the words and the message...

Thursday, January 14, 2010

Good Eats - Zahav

Dinner last night was at Zahav, a relatively new restaurant to Philadelphia serving authentic Middle Eastern/Israeli cuisine.  There's a reason it was named #1 in Philly Mag Top 50 restaurants of 2009; the food was delicious and the bill didn't break the bank!

Zahav
237 Saint James Pl · Philadelphia
215-625-8800

Wednesday, January 13, 2010

Vision

The eye really is a beautiful creation.

When I look in to examine all the intricate structures of the eye, I sometimes forget that there’s a soul looking back at me.  That patient is a person, sitting in my exam chair, whose past experiences and relationships significantly color how they see and perceive the world.

Vision is so much more than just 20/20, it’s about processing what you see against what you know.

Sunday, January 10, 2010

What do I know?

Nothing for sure, that’s the short answer.

I feel like more and more I’m becoming a person I don’t recognize or at least am not comfortable with at the moment. I’m not saying it’s a bad thing, but I definitely feel like I’m at a crossroads in life. Things I’ve held to be true and certain of myself, seem to no longer apply or have drastically changed.  I wonder shouldn't I be getting surer of myself as I get older or is that a myth that everyone perpetuates? Do significant doubts and questions inevitably occur with every new season or transition in life?

When I entered my mid-twenties I distinctly remember starting to become comfortable in my own skin. I thought “Finally!”, I no longer feel like an awkward shy teenager riddled with insecurity and doubt.

But these days, it’s different. These doubts are not superficial as of my teenage years, but delve deeper into the core of who I am.

What do I want?

What will I stand for?

What won’t I stand for?

How am I living?

What are my desires and how do they differ or coincide with what God has clearly shown me to be good and true and right?

In the past two years for reasons I have yet to fully understand, these questions about myself have been popping up. The one saving grace though is that as I do become unwound and unraveled, my depravity reaches for things that are not of myself (because they no longer exist or are certain), but for the one thing that I know to be true, God himself. 

Truthfully.....at the moment, it feels like this is the only thing I know to be certain.

Saturday, January 9, 2010

Movie Lines

Okay, so the source of this quote isn’t the greatest, but I like it anyways =).  I happened to catch a mid-morning matinee today and in the previews for upcoming movies, Ashton Kutcher (don’t laugh) appeared in a scene with this line:

"Love is the only shocking act left on the planet."

I like the quote, I like it a lot.

Friday, January 8, 2010

Quotable Quotes

To regret one's own experiences is to arrest one's own development. To deny one's own experiences is to put a lie into the lips of one's life. It is no less than a denial of the soul.
-Oscar Wilde

Thursday, January 7, 2010

Spring Reminder

I took this shot with my cell phone a couple months ago because it was too pretty to pass up.



Just a reminder of spring and newness and life amongst the bitter cold of today.

Tuesday, January 5, 2010

The Shack

About a week ago I finished reading a book called The Shack by Wm. Paul Young.  It’s about a man’s encounter with God several years after the brutal murder of his daughter. While reading it I thought some of the scenarios and depictions of God and the Trinity were a little hard to swallow, but I could appreciate the book for what it could convey, and for trying to break some of our natural human misconceptions on God, our character, and how God views us and our relationship with Him.

There were a lot of statements and quotes in the book that made me think and maybe might make you think too. Here are a few that stuck out to me…


*There are times where you choose to believe something that would normally be considered absolutely irrational. It doesn’t mean that it is actually irrational, but it surely is not rational. Perhaps there is suprarationality: reason beyond the normal definitions of fact or data-based logic; something that makes sense only if you can see a bigger picture of reality. Maybe that is where faith fits in.

*Life takes a bit of time and a lot of relationship.

*…we could talk about the nature of freedom itself. Does freedom mean that you are allowed to do whatever you want to do? Or we could talk about all the limiting influences in your life that actively work against your freedom. Your family genetic heritage, your specific DNA, your metabolic uniqueness, the quantum stuff that is going on at a subatomic level where only I [God] am the always-present observer. Or the intrusion of your soul’s sickness that inhibits and binds you, or the social influences around you, or the habits that have created synaptic bonds and pathways in your brain. And then there’s advertising, propaganda, and paradigms. Inside that confluence of multifaceted inhibitors, what is freedom really?

*Everything is about him [Jesus]. And freedom is a process that happens inside a relationship with him.

*You, on the other hand, were created to be loved. So for you to live as if you were unloved, is a limitation.

*I [God] don’t need to punish people for sin. Sin is it’s own punishment, devouring you from the inside. It’s not my purpose to punish it; it’s my joy to cure it.

*The real underlying flaw in your life, is that you don’t think that I [God] am good. If you knew that I was good and that everything - the means, the ends and all the processes of individual lives - is all covered by my goodness, then while you might not understand what I am doing, you would trust me.

*You humans, so little in your own eyes. You are truly blind to your own place in the creation. Having chosen the ravaged path of independence, you don’t even comprehend that you are dragging the entire creation along with you.

*To force my [Jesus] will on you, is exactly what love does not do. Genuine relationships are marked by submission even when your choices are not helpful or healthy.

*Just because I [God] work incredible good out of unspeakable tragedies doesn’t mean I orchestrate the tragedies. Don’t ever assume that my using something means I caused it or that I needed it to accomplish my purposes. That will only lead you to false notions about me. Grace doesn’t depend on suffering to exist, but where there is suffering, you will find grace in many facets and colors.

*I [God] have never put an expectation on you or anyone else. The idea behind expectations requires that someone does not know the future or outcome and is trying to control behavior to get the desired result. Humans try to control behavior largely through expectations. I know you and everything about you. Why would I have an expectation other than what I already know? That would be foolish. And beyond that, because I have no expectations, you never disappoint me.

*Forgiveness does not establish relationship. In Jesus, I [God] have forgiven all humans of their sins against me, but only some have chosen relationship.

Monday, January 4, 2010

Never Been Unloved

I have been unfaithful,
I have been unworthy;
I have been unrighteous,
and I have been unmerciful.

I have been unreachable,
I have been unteachable;
I have been unwilling,
and I have been undesirable.
And sometimes, I have been unwise,
I've been undone by what I'm unsure of -

But because of You
and all that you went through,
I know that I have never been unloved.

I have been unbroken,
I have been unmended;
I have been uneasy,
and I have been unapproachable.
I have been unemotional,
I have been unexceptional;
I have been undecided,
and I have been unqualified.
Unaware - I have been unfair,
I've been unfit for blessings from above.

But even I can see
The sacrifice You made for me, to show me
that I have never been unloved.
-Michael W. Smith

I saw this song on someone else’s blog using it to describe their past year and I thought….Yup, this pretty much sums up me and my year as well. What better time than the beginning of a new year to look back, see where you need improvement, and then make resolutions for self-improvement. Let’s be real though, I will still likely be all these things come 2011 (hopefully with some improvements). But despite all my faults, I’m glad I can’t do anything in the next 365 days and beyond, that will ever turn away the love of Christ. 

Here's to a new year.....not dedicated to a list of resolutions, but simply dedicated to growing in God's indescribable love.

And to quote the previous blogger…
From your undone, unworthy, unfaithful, but oh so thankfully never unloved blogger friend =)