bekahcubed

Categories Everyday Life, Faith, Thankfulness

Surprise Friendship

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She sat at the end of the table in our Advanced Nutrition Counseling class and asked good questions. Most of the girls (and the one guy) in the class were familiar faces. She wasn’t.

When I went down to my adviser’s lab for lunch, she was there. Dr. J is her adviser too–and she was TA-ing for one of Dr. J’s classes.

We grew acquainted over meals and meetings and sharing teaching horror stories.

Towards the end of the semester, she started asking questions and our friendship grew a bit deeper. She prefaced her questions “I know this is a kinda personal question, and you don’t have to answer if you don’t want to, but…” I couldn’t help answering.

When I walked into Statistics this Monday and saw her sitting in the back row, I could have cried with relief. I needed something, someone, anything, anyone to keep my mind busy, to keep me occupied. Chante provided the perfect relief.

I knew she knew there was something going on, but she didn’t press. We talked school work and TA-ing and thesis. We looked forward to seeing each other again on Wednesday.

I didn’t want to do anything today–and thankfully, I didn’t have to do much. Just Statistics. I stopped and waited while she finished at the water fountain and then walked with her into class.

After class, we got to talking about this and that. Life, and all that entails. I knew the question would rise sometime–the conversation we’d started before break. I was ready to share when the question came.

Chante listened to me, encouraged me, patted me on the back. “That’s amazing, Rebekah” she told me. “That’s good. You’re growing, you’re learning, this has been a good experience for you.” She reminded me to not lose heart in prayer, to keep pouring my heart out before God. She laughed with me at my jumbled emotions, and told me I needn’t be afraid to cry.

And so I did. She told me she admires me, admires what God’s doing in my life. And she told me I’m in her prayers–and have been since we first started discussing the topic.

We said goodbye and I walked back to my car, tears rolling down my face.

Thank you, Thank you, Lord, for the unexpected blessing of a surprise friendship. Who’d have thought that I’d find such a precious sister, so dear to my heart, in the musty halls of Ruth Leverton? And who’d have dreamed we’d find ourselves in the same class this semester–just when I needed a friend?

God thought it. God dreamed it. He arranged the class time, arranged the news, arranged the mood, arranged it all–and blessed me with a sister at school.

Categories Everyday Life, Thankful Thursday

Thankful Thursday: Coulda been much worse

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Today I’m thankful that it coulda been much worse.

  • I coulda mistakenly bought $25 worth of unnecessary groceries instead of $5 worth.
  • I coulda budgeted 1/2 hour too little time to set up my lab instead of 5 minutes too little time.
  • I coulda broken my leg when I fell on the ice/slush today instead of just getting the left leg of my pants soaked through.
  • I coulda had a half dozen students upset that I missed half of my “office hour” when my meeting ran late.
  • I coulda not been able to get to class in time, instead of having to park at a meter in order to get to class on time.
  • My adviser coulda completely shot down my thesis proposal instead of just telling me to find a theory to tie it to.
  • I coulda been completely overwhelmed by the physical and emotional events of this week, but God’s grace has been all sufficient.

It coulda been much worse, but it wasn’t–and for that, I am thankful.

And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 2 Corinthians 12:9

Categories Books

From my readings…

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“Simonson was one of those people, chiefly of a masculine type, whose actions follow the dictates of their reason and are determined by it. Novodvorov belonged…to a group of people of a feminine type, whose reason is directed partly towards the attainment of aims set by their feelings, partly to the justification of acts instigated by their feelings.”

~from Leo Tolstoy’s Resurrection

Discuss.

Please.

Categories Technology

Life, Facebook-ified

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When you spend fifteen minutes discussing emoticons at dinner…
When you debate the relative merits of “Live Feed”, “News Feed”, and “Status Updates”…
When conversation includes telling everyone else what your Facebook status is…
When you learn of your friends’ friendships, dating relationships, and engagements via Facebook and consider a “Facebook official” relationship more real than one that is not “Facebook official”…

Life has become just a bit too Facebook-ified.

Do you remember the days before Facebook?
Do you remember when if you wanted to catch up on somebody’s life, you’d call them?
Do you remember when you used to spend hours talking with actual people without a keyboard mediating?
Do you remember when you didn’t know what each of your “friends” ate for lunch and (horror!) what color bra they’re wearing?
Do you remember when you used to actually laugh out loud, rather than just “LOL”?

I remember those days, and I miss them.

Remember when Facebook first came out and you spent hours procrastinating homework while spying on all your friends?
Remember when said spying meant you had to actually click on their name and visit their page, where you could read what they had written and write a comment?
Remember when you started to get tired of Facebook, realizing it was a terrific time waster?
Remember when you started checking Facebook less and less frequently?

I remember those days. But then Facebook changed.

Now the progression has changed. People don’t grow tired of Facebook and log off anymore. Now they’re inundated with constant stimulation in the form of a feed of some sort. They’re offered countless opportunities for procrastination through games and “boxes”. They don’t have to actively stalk their friends anymore–they can do it without even thinking. Just log in and stay on.

You don’t need to talk to people anymore. Just Facebook chat them.
You don’t need to write a letter. Just send a Facebook message.
You don’t need to catch up on the news. Just check your news feed.
You don’t need board games or card games, just play on Facebook.
You don’t even need to send gifts anymore, send a cow or a cactus or a cupcake on Facebook.

I miss my life before Facebook.

But I doubt I’ll ever get it back.

So I do what I can to take advantage of Facebook’s strengths while minimizing its negative qualities.

I get status updates but not “news feed” or “live feed” items. I don’t need to know what you’re playing or whether your relationship status has changed (unless you tell me).

I turn off e-mail alerts so I have to actually log on to Facebook in order for it to inundate my life.

I choose to not add applications or join groups (generally speaking).

I don’t do the “poking thing” (except for my little sister and my out-laws).

I don’t give people birthday greetings on Facebook.

I try to be judicious about “liking” things–and never write *dislike* under someone’s status update.

I don’t do the “copy and paste” status update thing. I love Jesus, I want a cure for cancer, and I support the troops, but I’d rather not post meaningless drivel on my status.

I don’t tag people in notes. If they want to read what I’ve written, they can come find it. If I really want them to read what I’ve written, I can take the time to let them know personally by sending them a link or telling them about it.

I try to keep Facebook from taking over my life.

But that doesn’t mean it doesn’t try just as hard to resist my defenses. Facebook is an everyday companion. It loads every time I open my internet browser. I don’t check it that often, but it’s open in a tab. Because it’s open, my friends see that I’m “online”. My tab starts blinking when a friend wants to Facebook chat. And while I generally ignore it, I’m still sucked in on occasion (thankfully, my friends know that I don’t like the chat feature, so they tend to NOT open up chat communications.) People still send me invitations to groups, causes, and games. Most of the time, I decline.

But like it or not, my life, too, has been Facebook-ified.

Categories Following Christ, Thankful Thursday

Thankful Thursday: A Sovereign God

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Today I’m thankful that the following are true:

  • “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.” (Hebrews 13:8)
  • Every good and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.” (James 1:17)
  • “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.” (Proverbs 3:5)
  • “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.” (Matthew 6:33)
  • “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. And you will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart. I will be found by you, says the Lord…” (Jeremiah 29:11-13)

God is good. He is trustworthy. He is sovereign. His plan for me, whatever that is, is for His glory and for my joy. I can trust my life, every part of it, to His hand, knowing that even if things do not go MY way, God is working all things in my favor.

“And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover, whom He predestined, these He also called; whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified. What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?” (Romans 9:28-32)

This Piper video, which I discovered via Buzzard Blog, serves only to reinforce my hope in God’s sovereignty.

Join with me, if you will, in singing “Great is Thy Faithfulness.”

Verse 1:
Great is Thy faithfulness, O God my Father
There is no shadow of turning with Thee
Thou changest not, Thy compassions they fail not
As Thou hast been, Thou forever wilt be.

Chorus:
Great is Thy Faithfulness,
Great is Thy faithfulness
Morning by morning new mercies I see
All I have needed Thy hand hath provided
Great is Thy Faithfulness, Lord, unto me.

Verse 2:
Summer and winter and springtime and harvest
Sun, moon, and stars in their courses above
Join with all nature in manifold witness
To Thy great faithfulness, mercy, and love.

Verse 3:
Pardon for sin and a peace that endureth
Thine own dear presence to cheer and to guide
Strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow
Blessings all mine with ten thousand beside.

Categories Book Reviews

Book Review: “The Stunning Science of Everything” by Nick Arnold and Tony de Saulles

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Got a child (or a father) who’s crazy about science? The Stunning Science of Everything: Science with the squishy bits left in might be just the book for you.

Stunning Science is filled with hard-core science (chemistry, physics, biology, astronomy, cosmology, geology, and more) delivered in a seriously fun way. Stunning Science includes comic strips, quiz shows, letters home, and some crazy amazing recipes.

Check out this first recipe for a hydrogen atom:
(Ingredients and extra notes omitted to avoid overly plagiarizing!)

  1. Preheat your universe to 10 billion degrees Centigrade and set off Big Bang
  2. Mix in the quarks and stir well.
  3. Cook the quarks for a split second until the strong force glues them together to make a proton. Be careful–if you mix two up quarks and one down quark you’ll be making a neutron by mistake!
  4. Cool slowly for 380,000 years, add an electron and serve.

If you haven’t figured out yet, this book is Big-Bang friendly. In fact, the Big Bang is probably found in half of the layouts. Those who are uncomfortable with the Big Bang might find this a bit too much. As for myself, I am pleased to see the topic addressed in a matter of fact way with good explanations of the implications of the big bang to life (creation of matter, heat, etc.) The big bang is currently the best theory for the origins of the Universe, and it clearly affirms the doctrine of creatio ex nihilo (creation from nothing). I am pleased to see a children’s science book focusing on this, rather than, say, evolution.

Speaking of evolution…this title includes the obligatory spread or two on evolution, but I found the coverage of evolution to be remarkably understated. While parents would want to talk openly with their kids about what the children are reading, I don’t think the inclusion of the couple of spreads on evolution should be reason to not select this book.

I was most impressed with the science found in this book–and how remarkably accurate and detailed the information is. Stunning Science doesn’t water down the facts or give simplistic explanations. It says science the way it is. My dad, on the other hand, was impressed by the humour found in this book. This title is absolutely comical. From word-play to geeky humour to occasional “bad guy gets bad stuff” and the more common bathroom humour, this book is packed with puns and more that’ll keep kids (and fathers) laughing out loud as they learn.

Rating: 4 Stars
Category: Children’s Science
Summary:A quick and humorous science of everything, from the tiny atom to the enormous universe and everything in between.
Recommendation: This title is a great bet for science-loving kids (or kids at heart). Parents might want to preview it before buying, though, to determine whether the Big Bang cosmology, discussion of evolution, and bathroom humor are within their standards of acceptability.

Categories Everyday Life

Braving the Elements

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“Wow, you’re brave,” she said as she passed me on my long trudge onto campus.

She was undoubtedly referring to my knee-length skirt and tights–and to the temperature in the mid-teens.

But her admiration (or was it?) of my bravery was misplaced. I was far warmer in my closely-fitting tights coming on to campus than in my loose-fitting workout pants coming off of campus. I was a comfortable temperature as I walked to the Nutrition offices to meet the instructor I’ll be TA-ing for this semester. Only my finger tips and ears really felt the cold.

On the way back, I felt the cold air on my legs–the air that my pants could not keep out. The fabric chafed as I walked briskly back to my car. I was COLD and UNCOMFORTABLE.

What she should have been impressed with was that I made it safely on to campus in my loafers. My black slip-on loafers look nothing if not sensible–but they’re actually the worst thing imaginable on ice, or snow, or wet, or anything with the potential of slickness.

As I confidently returned to my car wearing the tennis shoes I’d worked out in, I noticed my tracks going the opposite direction. Nearly every track includes a skid mark, as the practically nonexistent tread of my loafers failed to do its job.

I’m a big fan of skirts–I wear them from 50-80% of the time. I tend to go for a business casual look, either with skirts or with slacks and dress shoes. I wear jeans approximately twice a year (and I’m not under-stating that at all), and I wear tennis shoes MAYBE once a week (unless I’m exercising).

The skirts tend to do just fine, regardless of the weather–I just choose shorter or longer and add or remove tights as appropriate. The shoes? Not so much. Dress shoes aren’t exactly known for being warm (in the winter), and they’re not necessarily breathable (in the summer–between food and medicine, my profession doesn’t really make sandals an option). What’s more, they’re slick-soled and generally not waterproof.

What I’ve learned from braving the elements in business casual? It can be done, but choose your shoes wisely. If I don’t have much walking to do, but it’s really slick outside, I’ll often choose something with a spike heel. The spike provides more grip than most “flat” soles–and still allows me to walk pretty quickly. If I have lots of walking, I consider flatter to be better, but I have to take it slowly so I don’t slip.

I’m thinking what I need is a pair of business casual cleats for winter. Does anybody know where I might find some of those?

Categories Homemaking

Grocery Shopping Experiment

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“Never shop on an empty stomach.” Or so the saying goes.

Penny-pinchers say you’ll spend more than you want to. Dietitians warn that your food choices might be less than stellar. I would add that you might spend more time in the store than intended.

It was supposed to be a quick trip to the store. I’d been running errands all afternoon–and then I popped in to the gym for a (relatively) quick bike ride (Yay for starting to train for the big ride!) By now I was tired and hungry and just wanted to get home–but I had my little list that I really wanted to get taken care of while I was out and about.

My list?

  • Fresh fruit
  • Lettuce
  • Celery

My purchases?

See for yourself.

Grocery store purchases

  • Bananas
  • Apples
  • Oranges
  • Celery
  • Lettuce
    AND
  • Green onions
  • Acorn squash
  • Avocados
  • 2 bags of cheddar cheese (on sale)
  • 2 bags of mozzarella cheese (ditto)
  • A bag of tortilla chips
  • A bag of Fritos
  • A tin of sardines in mustard sauce
  • A can of salmon
  • A bottle of Tabasco sauce
  • A bottle of ketchup
  • A box of mozzarella cheese stick snacks

The results of this little experiment?

Cost of shopping trip
Items on list cost $4.93
Items not on list cost $21.12
I quintupled the cost of my shopping trip by shopping on a empty stomach! Yikes!

Food choices
A number of my impulse purchases were of high nutritional quality (but then again, I’m a dietitian who happens to adore food). But then I still did make some purchases that I never make when I’m exercising self-control and wise shopping practices. Case in point? Frozen mozzarella stick snacks. I never even VISIT the processed freezer food section of the store. But today I thought, “You know, I would love to have some mozzarella sticks”–and since I was in the store, I just went ahead and got them. Then there’s the Fritos–which ostensibly were for with the chili I was going to warm up when I got home. But I opened the Fritos and started digging in before I was even out of the grocery store parking lot. Um, yeah.

Time
I didn’t calculate this exactly, but I’m pretty sure I picked up the items on my list in less than 5 minutes. My overall shopping trip took over 20. And, if it hadn’t have been for all those extra impulse purchases, I could have paid with the cash in my purse (instead of having to run out to the car to get my bank card, which I’d left in my gym bag.)

Based on my experiment, I have decided that “they” are right. It’s best to not go grocery shopping on an empty stomach.

Categories Following Christ, Thankful Thursday

Thankful Thursday: Truth

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Thankful that amidst the whirl of feelings and thoughts and hormones (yes, big girls have those too!), Truth is steadfast.

Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life” (John 14:6)–and “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever” (Heb 13:8).

He is Truth, and He is unchanging. Steadfast, immovable, a rock on which to build my life.

Many a time in the past several weeks, I’ve been reminded of Proverbs 14:1 “The wise woman builds her house, but the foolish pulls it down with her hands.” I so long to be a wise woman, one who builds my house–but I am reminded even today of how that house is to be built.

In Matthew 7:24, Jesus said “Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock.” It is only if my house is founded on the rock, the foundation of obedience to Christ, that I can build a house that will stand.

So, Lord, give me grace to fix my eyes on You beyond the many things I would be tempted to focus my gaze upon. Give me grace to hear Your word above the word of my own mind or my own heart. Give me grace to be obedient to Your direction, whether my heart and will agree or not.

I recognize that unless You build my house, all my housebuilding labor is in vain (Ps 127:1). So, Lord, I ask that you would work in me to will and to do Your good pleasure, building my home on the truth of who You are and what You have spoken.

Thank You for the wise friends and counselors who continue to remind me to turn my eyes towards You, You who are Truth.