The Leaping Rabbit Turns One! (Almost)

April 27, 2010

Anyone wanting to contribute a real cupcake to celebrate this milestone ... feel free.

This blog is just about to celebrate its first birthday. As I approach this milestone, I am taking time to consider what this space is and what I would like it to be:

  • I want to share the beautiful things I find. Oftentimes, these are stories that ring true and stories that keep me turning the pages to find out what happens next. Other times, they are songs, poems, or good food. When I experience something beautiful, I want others to know about it. Beauty is for sharing.
  • I want to spark your creativity. Sometimes, I read a book and get an idea for a poem, or I read a poem that conjures up an image that I want to draw or paint. Other times, I notice a friend exercising their creativity, and I think, “They’re being creative; why can’t I?” Whatever your creative medium, I hope I can offer some inspiration.
  • I want to encourage you in the fight to be creative. It takes an effort to make things; it’s much easier not to make anything at all: not to write, not to draw or dance or paint. I write to remind you that your creativity does matter.
  • I want to practice sharing my creative work with others. I could hide my writing and art and never share it, reasoning that it’s not good enough to share. But that is not what creativity is for. It is meant to be shared. I write this blog to be vulnerable and to share the gifts I have, knowing that nothing I write is perfect, but it still needs to be shared. I hope that by doing so, I can encourage you to share your creativity with others too.
  • I want to tell you something true, sharing what I’ve learned from my own experience. This means being honest, which is also a good practice. It means making sure that what I write lines up with the truth about Jesus, the truth about people, and the truth about life. I don’t know it all, but I’ll try to share what I do know.

Thanks for sticking with me as I head into year 2. I am grateful for each person who has taken the time to read. You encourage me.

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Posted by Elise

April 16, 2010

One of my favorite characters is Madeleine L’Engle’s Vicky Austin. Vicky makes sense to me; I see myself in her. In  A Ring of Endless Light, 15-year-old Vicky says,

If I’m confused, or upset, or angry, if I can go out and look at the stars I’ll almost always get back a sense of proportion. It’s not that they make me feel insignificant; it’s the very opposite; they make me feel that everything matters, be it ever so small, and that there’s meaning to life even when it seems meaningless.

I know just what Vicky means about the stars; it’s the same way I feel when I’m at the beach. Especially when I’m at my favorite kind of beach – a vast stretch of sand running north to south, and to the west nothing but ocean for as far as I can see. I love to watch the rows of waves cresting and crashing and slowly spreading onto the sand. Next to the ocean, I feel tiny and vulnerable … and deeply loved. And that is exhilarating; it makes me want to laugh and play.

Last weekend, Jeremy and I drove down to the Oregon Coast. We played all weekend, running, jumping, tossing the Frisbee, throwing the baseball back and forth. At times we stopped and stared at the waves; then we played some more.

I love how awe and wonder are so closely related to play. It makes me think that God must be great, and also good. Powerful, and also loving.

As I was running through the waves this weekend, this song came to mind. It is one of my favorites. Enjoy.

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Posted by Elise

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