God of Wonder..

Remember back in the day when you'd wake up early Saturday morning, get all snow-suited up and head out for a full day's worth of snow-building/shaping/running/dancing/throwing/eating/loving fun? And when the sun started to set and your little fingers were so frozen you they'd no longer bend, you'd run into the warm house to change into some cozy pjs and mommy would have a steamy cup of hot cocoa with marshmellows waiting for you.

Remember back in the day, when you learned to drive. And then it snowed for the first time. That was the day I came to understand why the grown ups always stayed inside.


I LOVE winter. Waking up to trees frosted over, a blanket covering the world..it just amazes me, the things God created. I never really, really thought about the 'no two snowflakes are alike' thing. Honestly, think about it..how many snow flakes does it take to cover a 1X1 ft area 1 inch deep? Thousands at least, right? None of those look alike. Now multiply that area by a million (or whatever insanely large amount equals the total snowy surface on the planet..) None of those look alike. I thought, they dont really know for sure that not a single identical pair has ever existed. Maybe true. But isn't that just putting limits on God? I think I do that more than I'll ever realize. Nothing is impossible with God. He created snow. He has crafted every single flake that has fallen and ever will fall out of the sky over all the earth.

How awesome is our God?!

"Have you entered the storehouses of the snow or seen the storehouses of the hail, which I reserve for times of trouble, for days of war and battle?

What is the way to the place where the lightning is dispersed, or the place where the east winds are scattered over the earth?

Who cuts a channel for the torrents of rain, and a path for the thunderstorm,
to water a land where no man lives, a desert with no one in it,
to satisfy a desolate wasteland and make it sprout with grass?

Does the rain have a father? Who fathers the drops of dew?

From whose womb comes the ice? Who gives birth to the frost from the heavens when the waters become hard as stone, when the surface of the deep is frozen?"
Job 38:22-30

The Rise and Fall of America

I'm sure our founding fathers had grand plans for the little chunk of land they called America. A freedom they'd probably never known, a new start. I don't imagine the first Americans had much to speak of, but they got by just fine. We became a very powerful and rich country, based on things like God, family values, perhaps even morals.

Fast forward to today. Wal*Mart. My morning started off with a thought; "Have I gone completely insane?" Here I am waking my sleeping babies up long before the sun is expected to make an appearance. "It'll be quick, no one will be crazy enough to actually get up for this.."

As I turned into the parking lot, I saw the mob of chilly people waiting for the doors to open. The crowd overflowed the entryway and spilled out in a thick line all the way back to the garden center. Other drivers were actually passing me as I waited for the car in front of me to let a load of eager shoppers out. They got out, the car started driving, and people were still passing us. I got inside the door (the food center door wasn't nearly as crowded) and only had to wait a minute or two for the 'doors' to open.

I went for bath towels. I could hardly get to them until someone kindly let me through (after about 5 minutes of me trying to get across the aisle.) I then ventured to the Christmas section to get new ornaments. On the way I got ran into twice, had two or three close calls and had to wait for about 10 people to move out of the center of the aisles so I could even get passed them. I was cut off by a few impatient customers but finally got the items I was there for and made it through the check out in record time.

My point: people are totally ridiculous! I cannot even imagine the crowds at places like Macy's or Old Navy or Target! People get up at (or stay up till) the wee hours of the morning so they can pack into the electronics/home/holiday department like sardines all the while pushing, fighting and in my case, ramming (note slight exaggeration for dramatic purposes) others in order to make sure they get the biggest and the best for the lowest prices. They are rude, impatient, greedy (people stuffing everything they see into the cart just incase they want it, if not they stuff it on a random shelf later) and this is what defines us as Americans. It's sad, but very true. We like stuff. We love to spend money (even when we don't have money to spend) on things we do not need. The guy in front of me at the check stand had what he wanted and was talking to a friend, saw a calendar and the friend said 'its only $7.88' and the guy in line replied 'ah why the hell not' and got it.

I cannot understand how all these companies are going under, how our country is in trillion dollar debt when all we do is buy, buy, buy! There is something wrong with this equation.

Off to bed, I must rest up so I can go eat waaay too much turkey..again..ahh, America the beautiful!