Slow Run

I think today I want to write about running.  And I don't think I can write about running without writing about the two people that have encouraged me to start running more lately... my cousins, Jenn and Connie.

In addition to signing up for my first bike race... I signed up for a half marathon in October.  I know it's not a huge deal to a lot of people who run half marathons in their sleep but it's a big deal for me... because... I hate running.  

I actually started biking because something weird happened with my hip a couple years ago... I was running and then it felt like a knife got rammed into my SI joint within the first half mile and would twist every time I ran a step so I gave up running and then took up biking because my hip didn't hurt while I was biking.  And then I have no idea what happened... oh... I think I signed up for the triathlon so I started to run again... just a little bit... but then I bought expensive running shoes because I thought it might help... it sort of helped.  But I still hated running.  At least after the triathlon I knew I could run a 5K without stopping.  That was the first time I'd run that many miles without walking.  So... 3 miles was an OK running goal.

I was running 10 minute miles and pushing myself to go faster... but finding that I wanted to quit way early... way before my 3 mile goal.  But whatevers.  Running 1 mile is better than running no miles.  

I seriously don't know what happened after that but... I think we (Connie, Jenn and I) decided to go running on a weekly basis... I'm not sure for what reason... or maybe they go running on a weekly basis and I decided to join them but our running sessions really helped change my perspective on running.  Running wasn't about going hard or pushing to go faster... it was about pacing ourselves and also... talking and enjoying each other's company along the way.  

I took this picture at the beach.  I'd done this ride many times before but for some reason a few weeks ago, I felt like God was telling me to listen to the road and slow down.  When I started running with Jenn and Connie... we ran 12 minute miles... and then 3 miles didn't feel AS torturous.  It was still torturous but not as much.  And then I think... we somehow decided to increase our mileage every week... half a mile... and then another half a mile the next week... and then next thing I knew I was running 5.5 miles.  That is running for 1 hour straight.  Or maybe "running" is a loose term.  It's jogging.

So then Jenn encouraged me to sign up for a half marathon.  And I don't know what possessed me to do this but... I signed up for the half marathon AND the 20 mile bike ride prior.  I semi knew that it would take me over an hour to ride 20 miles... and then to run for potentially 2 hours and 45 minutes... 13 miles... but... I did it.  I paid for it.  And now... barring any injuries... I'm gonna do it.

My times with Connie and Jenn have been super precious to me.  When I moved out to Pasadena for work... I was so lonely... I felt so cut off from church community... it's such a rare thing for people in Orange County to want to venture out into the San Gabriel Valley and driving back to OC after work would take me 1.5+ hours... I just didn't have the capacity to do it when I was starting my new job.  So I went to the gym a lot.  And then one day I think I may have had a depressive meltdown and Connie invited me to go running with her at the Rose Bowl.  Maybe that's how it started.  Whatever or however... my cousin reaching out to me was an answer to prayer.  I could vent to her about work because we're both in the medical field... similar enough to understand each other's work situations but different enough so that we both had different stories to tell.  It was more than just running... it was therapy... it was community... it was accountability... it was love.  And a good workout.  I love multitasking.  Our weekly runs are something I look forward to.  They're soul-nourishing.  I learn so much from just being near them.

This past month though... I've had to run on my own.  Due to circumstances sometimes outside our control... we weren't able to run together for the past few weeks.  So I had to learn how to run... without community and accountability... all by myself.  And it was hard.

I've been opting to run on the treadmill because... it's safer than running outside.  I still haven't explored much around where I live.  And also usually when I get out of work it's been dark... except today.  Today I got out of work and it was still bright so I decided to take advantage of the daylight and run outside.  And I'm glad I did.  The past few weeks have been so crazy... too many things going on... I've needed some time for myself... to unwind... to just think.  Running by myself helped.  I found this on the sidewalk and it made me feel like God left this love note just for me to find today.

Even though this is kind of unrelated... or maybe it isn't... but this past Sunday, our pastor preached on Isaiah 61.  The line that stood out to me from this set of verses was "for the display of His splendor".

Isaiah 61

The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me,
    because the Lord has anointed me
    to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
    to proclaim freedom for the captives
    and release from darkness for the prisoners,[a]
2 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor
    and the day of vengeance of our God,
to comfort all who mourn,
3     and provide for those who grieve in Zion—
to bestow on them a crown of beauty
    instead of ashes,
the oil of joy
    instead of mourning,
and a garment of praise
    instead of a spirit of despair.
They will be called oaks of righteousness,
    a planting of the Lord
    for the display of his splendor.

4 They will rebuild the ancient ruins
    and restore the places long devastated;
they will renew the ruined cities
    that have been devastated for generations.

My life has been transformed and change for the display of His splendor.  I spent some time thinking about this on Sunday and also during my solitary run today.  God takes the brokenness and the ugliness of our lives and exchanges it for beauty... for freedom... for abundant life.  Exchanging my worthlessness for beauty... reminded me of those thrift stores that sometimes will take your old clothes and give you credit to get something else in the store.  I've never done it before.  Mostly, I felt like I didn't have anything of worth that anybody else would want... and I also maybe didn't want someone else's old stuff... but what if what God does for us... is to take EVERYTHING we have... yucky stuff... stuff that we bought for cheap... things that are out of style or even broken, stained, old, nasty, smelly, gross... and gives us brand new Lululemon or Gucci or Versace or Tory Burch or whatever it is that you think is awesome stuff.  Who else would do that except for a God who loves us... who has an abundance of riches and blessings just waiting for us to exchange the rags that we put on everyday because that's all we're used to or that's all we've grown accustomed to doing?

Why do we stay in rags when we could be taking our rags to Jesus to be exchanged for things people would invest a lot to attain... precious things... like love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness and self-control... it just doesn't make sense to want to stay living in bondage or rags when God has chosen His people for so much more... Riches in eternity but also glimpses of it here on earth.

I'm still not sure about how this relates to my running journey but... usually this is what happens when I start running.  I want to quit after the first half mile... but I don't.  I keep going.  I hit one mile and I feel like... WHAT IN THE WORLD... it's only been one mile?!?  But I keep on going.  Once I hit two miles... I tell myself... just get to 3... just hang on until 3... and then when 3 hits... I say... well maybe you can do 3.5... and then 4... and then 4.5... and then 5... and then the treadmill shuts off at 1 hour so I haven't really pushed myself beyond that on a treadmill... but somehow after the 3rd mile or so... it doesn't start to feel AS bad.  It's not runner's high as much as it is... runner's "I-don't-mind-as-much-as-before".  I thought that I might try to hit the 6 mile mark today but the sun was setting and I didn't want to be caught out in the dark without any flashy lights or reflective whatever-whats-it since the streets here aren't very well lit.

Running still isn't too fun but I signed up for this half marathon so I hafta train for it otherwise it'll destroy me.  I can't expect to go from running 3 miles to running 13 miles without putting in the time and effort it takes to get there.  Just little bit at a time... and I'll get there.

So thank you for reading... and thank you to Jenn and Connie for encouraging me in life and in running and in helping me train for this milestone.  And thank you to fitbit for having crazy workweek challenges with friends which encourages me to go for a run so I don't get behind in my stepcount.

Anyway... I'm learning and growing this month.  That's all I have to say about that...

love,
Tiff

climb

I've been biking more lately.  When I first started biking, I remember when 15 mile rides were exhausting.  I still remember when 30 mile rides (no hills) was exhausting.  And then the flat rides became OK.  It was more a matter of how long I could stay in the saddle and how fast I wanted to push it.  Roads aren't always flat though.  Long, flat rides... the safest path is a river trail.  It's protected from cars... it's pretty darn flat and you usually end up at a beach somewhere.  It's nice.  But there's so much more to biking than staying on a river trail.

Biking on normal roads... you'll inevitably come across some hills.  It takes a lot more power to bike up a hill... and a lot more energy.  Hills wipe me out like no other.  Sometimes I feel like I'm biking so slowly, I might just fall over because it feels like I'm hardly moving at all.  Sometimes I do have to stop and rest.  It's... a necessary challenge though.  In order to be a better cyclist, I had to learn how to climb.

I'm learning to climb better as a cyclist.  I'm training for a big bike ride at the end of April.

I'm also learning to climb as a person.  I'm training for... life... to go a step farther and higher than I was before... to be more and more like Jesus than I was yesterday, last week, last month... last year.

It's painful.  There are moments when everything aches... when the burn is so bad, it feels like another muscle contraction is impossible... but the one thing I've been learning lately is... that even though every fiber of my being FEELS like going further is impossible... my heart is stronger than I think it is.  I don't feel my heart very often... but it beats and it beats and it beats.  All my training is for my body to catch up to where my heart already is.

This past month has been about aligning my actions with my mind and my heart.  I've been doing a lot of soul and heart cleaning.  I've asked God and also my friends to search my heart and challenge me... and walk with me as I align my life.  It's been so fruitful and productive, but it is a "climb".  What helps during a climb is to remember what you set out to do and also enjoy the flats and descents... and use the momentum you gain during the easier parts to propel you into the next climb.

Sorry it's vague.  There's too much going on simultaneously.

I wanted to write out the stories of my friends... my "butt wipes"... this year.  The next friend I want to write about is my friend, Jenn.

The story of Jenn is one of my favorites.  Even though all my friends' stories are my favorite, hers is a favorite among favorites.

I met Jenn maybe 5 years ago.  At the time, I was working night shift as a RN on a unit which required me to work every other weekend.  It was extremely difficult to go to church on Sundays when I worked a 12 hour shift the night before and had to go back to work at 6pm for another 12 hours.  Once in a VERY RARE while, I'd get a chance to switch with someone else and I had a Sunday night off during a work weekend.  When that would happen, I would drive to church straight from work and either hang out at McDonald's for an hour or so or take a nap in my car... go to service and then go home and sleep.  It was on one of these rare Sunday services (that I showed up in scrubs) that I met Jenn.

I never like sitting alone at church but at this particular church, I almost always sat alone.  Jenn sat next to me, introduced herself, and we began talking.  I found out she was from San Francisco and she was visiting her parents in LA.  That day was the first time she was visiting that church.  Providentially... I was going to be making a trip up to SF in a few weeks so we exchanged contact information and I told her that since she came to visit my church on her visit to LA, that I would go visit her church on my visit to SF.  She even offered to pick me up wherever I was staying and take me to church with her.  Even better.  I wouldn't have to look for her OR sit alone for any part of that visit. I also have a hard time figuring out the public transportation system in SF.  If I decided to drive in SF (which I NEVER do because it scares the jeepers out of me) I can't parallel park for the life of me... and even worse... parallel park on a hill.  People who drive me places... definitely hold a special place in my heart.  I felt deeply touched by her offer.  I couldn't wait to take her up on it.

The time came for my trip to SF and I was staying with a bunch of friends who don't go to church.  We'd stayed out late the night before so I figured that I'd wake up early, go to church with Jenn, and be back in time for us to all go have lunch together.  As things would turn out... another friend came over, woke up the entire house and was going to take us all out to breakfast.  I somehow didn't feel like making more trouble for everyone so I went with the flow of the people I was visiting and visiting with and I told Jenn I wasn't going to be able to go to church with her that Sunday.  I was really disappointed.

I was so disappointed (in myself) that I sent multiple texts to her... a week later... and even months after I'd come back from that SF trip... apologizing for not being able to go to church with her and letting her know I'd make it up to her somehow.  After one of these seemingly random texts... Jenn responded and told me that I could make it up to her by hanging out with her in LA because she'd actually moved down here for work.  Oh crazy.  So we met up.

This was the first real conversation I had with Jenn... and I spent most of it talking... she spent most of it listening.  I'm pretty sure I asked her how she ended up where she was at and it took her about 10 minutes to tell me.  When she asked me the same question, I think I talked for maybe 3-4 hours almost nonstop... telling her about my life story... about... God... about Anderson... and after listening to me talk for that long... she finally spoke and told me that she had just moved to LA, she missed her friends in SF, she was having a hard time finding new ones and then I texted and she responded.  She said she felt like God heard the cries of her heart and answered through me.  I was so unbelievably touched.  And to think that it all happened because I felt guilt and shame and decided to send a random text.

We'd end up hanging out every few months after that.  We talked about life.  We talked about relationships.  And then before I knew it... she was moving back to SF... and seemingly suddenly... was getting married.  I thought to myself... this girl moves fast.  One minute she's in SF, next minute she's moved to LA... next she's back in SF... and next she's getting married.  Craziness.  I normally think pretty darn hard about whether or not I want to fly up north to go to a wedding... especially a wedding where I know nobody but the bride.  This wedding also wasn't easily accessible... it was way inland... NOT in the city... almost impossible to take public transportation there.  I think I also didn't have a smart phone.  Driving in SF PLUS driving somewhere without GPS... freaked me out like no other.  But Jenn was so nice.  She arranged a ride for me.  One of her friends would pick me up in SF, drive me to the wedding, and then drive me back.  I was touched once again that she would take the time to arrange this for me.  If I was even slightly on the fence... her act of service to me was so moving that I knew I had to go.  And I'm so glad I did.

Her wedding was one of the most beautiful weddings I'd ever been to.  Their wedding program was this gorgeous booklet with birds and flowers and pink and loveliness.  Along the bottom of the booklet was a timeline of their relationship... chronicling the moment they met until the moment they were to be wed.  It was so detailed.  I was even more impressed to find out that it wasn't Jenn that kept these records, it was her fiance.  He loved her so much, he took notes.  He wrote down dates of when everything happened.  To me... that showed extraordinary love.  I loved that wedding program.  There was also a verse written in English, French and Korean.  As I was reading the French... I stopped at one word... the word "submit" in French is some kind of combination word of "sous" and "mettre" which means to place under.  It does break down to the same thing in English but I read English words so fast I never stopped to break it apart and really look at it.  To submit to a husband means to place myself under.  It's kind of "duh" simple but for some reason... it stuck out to me in that moment and I never forgot the image of it.  I also listened to him speak of her... share about his hopes for their marriage... and I remember thinking to myself... "THIS is what a godly marriage looks like".  Even though I was mostly by myself at that wedding... I didn't feel alone.  I felt so washed over by the love of God being expressed at this wedding that my heart was so very full.  There were so many super memorable moments I collected at this wedding.  It was such a special time.

Jenn and I caught up a little bit after her wedding.  She told me she was moving into her house in SF and that I was welcome to visit her at any time.  I told her I would.

In total Jenn-speed-racer-fashion... the next thing I know she's pregnant and the next thing I see are her baby pictures up on FB.  And I never even got a chance to visit her before her baby was born.

Fast forward a year or so... one of my other friends told me she was getting married in SF... and she had to get married before the year ended because of some kind of cultural thing that says that two siblings can't get married in the same year.  Whatever.  This was a really good friend and I promised her I'd go.  I bought the plane tickets and then started planning my trip.  I was just about to book a hotel but I was looking at the stuff on my desk and I just so happened to see the favor from Jenn's wedding.  It was a little pot of honey.  The thing was on my desk for over a year.  I decided to take it downstairs to the kitchen where it might get used.  Maybe.  But as I was taking it downstairs... I remembered that Jenn said I could stay with her anytime so... I just decided to ask.  If she said no, I'd just book a hotel.  I actually like staying in nice hotels.  As things would turn out... Jenn said that she'd love to have me stay with her.  She'd even pick me up from the wedding AND take me to the airport afterwards.  I love her so much.  She's such an amazing friend.

I ate too many oysters the day of that wedding... I wasn't feeling very well the day after.  I decided that I'd just chill and take it easy and spend most of the day reading or being quiet... didn't need to fill that trip with lots of activities whatsoever.  Jenn and I caught up for a bit and had breakfast together.  We talked maybe for an hour or so and then it was time for her to take a nap while the baby napped.  I went downstairs to read and journal.  I can't remember if I had another day to spend there or if I was flying back that night.  Regardless... I'm pretty sure that I was only sitting downstairs by myself for less than 30 minutes before Jenn comes running down the stairs and blurts out, "I have something I want to talk to you about".  I said "OK" and I listened.  I listened to my friend pour out her heart and tell me about her daily struggles... about her first year of marriage and how difficult it was to adjust and then to adjust to the baby right after that... it was a difficult "climb" for her and she didn't know who else she could talk to about it.  Once again, she said she felt like God answered the cries of her heart by bringing me to SF right at that moment... and I knew that I was meant to be there for her in that moment as well.

I didn't know what I could do or say that would fix anything... but what I did remember so vividly... was her wedding and how beautiful it was.  I shared my memories with her.  I still remembered them as vividly as if they'd just happened... and then I knew that God nestled those memories in my heart for the very moment that I could remind my friend in the moments where she felt like she was lost in the fog of life's struggles.  It was like she was climbing alone... and at the moment when she was about to give in to the pain and the burn... that I came alongside her and reminded her what it felt like to be fresh and new... and loved.  I reminded her of the joy of that day as I saw it.  I think it gave her a little bit of hope to push on... for another day more... and then another.

I think I might have made one more trip to SF... and maybe sent another few more "random" emails to her over the past year or so... and each time she would tell me that she felt like my email or my trip came at a perfect time to encourage her.

There was another instance in our friendship when I came across a really old picture on facebook of us having tea together with a few other people early on in our friendship... and I commented on that picture and said that we should try to get together again sometime... and she responded that she was actually flying back and forth to LA for some personal reasons and it JUST SO HAPPENED that she'd be staying only a few miles away from where I was doing rotations that month.  God's timing in our lives has been more than perfect.  Even when neither of us were really looking for one another... it felt like God was bringing so many unrelated situations which together intricately intertwined to allow us to bless and encourage one another wherever we were at.

Just remembering the story of Jenn reminds me how much of an impact we can have on one another's lives... simply by reaching out and asking for it.  Neither of us are perfect people and neither of us are perfect friends but our moments of overlap bring my warmth to my heart.  I thank God for friends like Jenn.  I'm sure I'm forgetting a lot of things and the way Jenn sees it might be different but it was lovely to reminisce on her story.  I hope that remembering her tonight will be like a refreshing descent after a long climb... it not only refreshes me by providing a little bit of respite and relief from the hard work of climbing... but the momentum from the speed I pick up will help propel me through the next climb to come.

Anyway... I'm super tired and am REALLY looking forward to sleeping tonight... under an electric blanket... for hopefully at least 7 hours.

much much love to you all... and especially to Jenn...
Tiff

butt wipes

So I had this pack of butt wipes at my parents' house... there was only one left and it was dry.  I thought about throwing the entire package away including that one dry wipe but I opted instead to open a new pack and then put the dry one with the new ones and I knew that in a day or so... it'd be wet and usable again.

Anyone see where I'm going with this?  I'm pretty sure only a few people in this world would start a blog post with... "so I had this pack of butt wipes..."

In my last post, I wondered why I was so broken this year.  I was that dry butt wipe.  Instead of becoming useless and irrelevant tho... I think that it really helped to just hang out with my family and friends and after a while... I regained my usefulness... and was revitalized and ready to be used again.  OK.  I'm done with the butt wipe analogy now.

It's my birthday today.  :)

I took this picture because the grouping made me happy.  The ketchup label made me happy.  Biking makes me happy.  Hello Kitty makes me happy.  Pink things make me happy.  My Camelbak makes me happy.  Eating outside makes me happy.  It was just... such a great day.

I wish I had the time to catch up with all 163 (and counting) of you who wished me happy birthday on my FB wall... and a bunch more over text.  I wish that I could spread all of you out throughout the year and choose to catch up with all of you... see how you're doing... what's new... what's on your mind/heart lately...  Remember me on a day that's not my birthday... be a wet butt wipe and drop a line.  K.  I guess I'm not done writing about butt wipes.  I'm a nurse.  We're obsessed with veins and bowel movements.  Sue me.

One of my goals this year is to start writing the stories of my friends.  My friends are my wet butt wipes.  No matter how dry I feel like I'm getting... I know I can just put myself next to them and I'll start to feel like myself again.

Today... I want to write about my beautiful friend, Val.  This is how my heart remembers the beginning of our friendship.

Val and I will both acknowledge that we never would have become friends had we not met under very special circumstances.  I think we both give off an aura of... independence?  Intimidation?  Confidence?  I dunno.  But I doubt that I would have approached her to become friends and I doubt that she would have come up to me either... and I think God knew this so He had to make special arrangements to bring us together.  I think He knew how much we'd love each other and enjoy each other's presence.  He knew better than we did.  

I was new at church.  I went to this particular life group because a friend I knew in college invited me and also because she was sharing her life map that particular week.  I was blown away by the concept of the life map.  I learned more about this friend in 1 hour than I knew the entire time we were going to college fellowship together.  I decided it'd be a good thing to do one for myself... just for fun.  So I did it.  And then the life group leader sent out an email saying that there were two more weeks left in the series for two more people to share their life maps.  I emailed back and said I was willing.  It was already done anyway.  He emailed me back and told me that the last two people sharing would be me and Val.  He asked me if I had a preference who went first.  I told him I had no preference.  He said that she had a preference tho... she wanted me to go first.  So I did.

She told me later on that she really didn't want to go to life group that night.  She used to switch off with her husband... he'd go one week and she'd look after the kids and then the next week she would go and he'd look after the kids.  Since she had to share the next week, technically, this week (my life map sharing) was her husband's week to go but he pushed her to go... she pushed back... but she eventually did go.  And then she heard my entire life story.  I can't remember if we talked much after I shared.  I really don't think we did.

The following week, it was her turn to share her life map.  At the beginning of life group, we'd share our highs and lows for that week.  Her high was that she happenchanced upon a pair of tory burch flats for an amazing deal.  I'd recently bought a pair and so I knew what a big deal it was to get a pair for that price... and I think I was the only one who got excited about it with her... so we bonded initially... over a pair of shoes.  It was the first of many moments we'd share together.  She shared her life map and then I knew her entire life story.  We'd both endeared each other onto each other's hearts.  Instant friends.  This woman understands and speaks the language of my heart.  It was a God thing.  Undoubtedly.

Val's work gave her one weekday off per week.  My work/school schedule also gave me a lot of weekdays "off".  We decided that we'd do things together on our mornings off.  We'd get lunch.  We'd get boba.  We also shared a love for half & half.  And chirashi bowls at Ootoro.  And shopping.  And hiking.

I'd only known Val for a couple months at most at this point.  We went hiking and I was sharing a dilemma I was working through.  I had switched life groups because I wanted to avoid leading and avoid taking up responsibility... I just wanted to sit and do nothing and be a bump on a log.  Is that an idiom?  I wanted to be an unused butt wipe.  Val stopped me right then and there.  She told me that in the short time that she's known me, she'd already sensed God's calling for me and God's calling was not to hide, but to share and lead.  I'd never really met anyone who had the boldness to share something like that pretty much right after meeting me... until Val.  After she said that, my heart and brain pretty much stopped in its tracks.  It was one of those moments where time stood still and I still remember that spot on that trail when she called me out on my stuff and set me back on a path of obedience.  As if bonding over shopping, Cuban food, Nordstrom's, massages, pedicures and boba wasn't enough... this woman had nestled herself into my heart.  Friendships like this only come from God.

I'd visit Val at work whenever I'd run my errands at the mall.  We'd meet in the shoe section at Nordstrom's.  Probably wasn't the best idea ever.  I think I've bought 5 pairs of athletic shoes from Nordstrom since meeting Val.  I brought her lunch once.  We had a little picnic in the mall one day.  It was a sweet memory.  We'd run errands together and catch up.

This one time... someone in the life group told us that he was about to become a father in a couple weeks.  And I'm not sure how it happened but I had an inkling that we should throw them a baby shower... I probably told Val... and the darn thing snowballed and I think that the way things ended up, we had less than a week to turn my inkling into reality.  In one day, we went shopping, we built a diaper cake, we made a collage thing... and a gift basket.  We made cake pops.  I remember thinking as we were doing this thing together that... Val and I work really well together.  It was almost... exponential productivity when we worked together on something.  1 + 1 = 5.  Man... it was so easy it barely felt like work.

When Val moved into her new house... it was on the way home from work.  I remember once... I was driving home from work and I started crying.  I was crying so hard I could barely see straight.  I thought about who I wanted to see in that moment and only one name came to mind.  I wasn't sure if it'd be OK.  I know I don't usually like people coming over almost unannounced.  She's a better friend than I am for letting me do it.  I was coming close to Val's exit.  I made the quick decision to exit the freeway and made my way to her house.

I don't know how it was possible but God worked it out so that Val and I could talk that night.  I'm sure Val prioritized me... over her husband and kids... and I know what a big deal it is to do that.  I was in serious turmoil over a situation and I was flailing.  I was confused.  I was hurt.  I was frustrated.  Val took the time and she heard me.  She heard my words but she also heard the things I never said.  She knew me and my character well enough to help me sift through my emotions, sift through my confusion, and point me in the direction towards obedience once again.  Spur of the moment... who else but the Holy Spirit could empower her to do that?

We don't always get a chance to see each other that often now that I'm so far away and her house isn't on the way home from work anymore, but every chance we do get, we pick up exactly where we left off as if no time had passed at all.  I am constantly amazed by the quality and depth of friendships I've developed in recent years.  People I've barely met... sometimes seems like I've known them my whole life.  I know I'm forgetting a lot of things and I am certain I am not doing justice to the masterpiece that God did in both our lives, but I'm thankful for Val.  Whenever I think about how easily we could have missed out on becoming friends... the timing of it all... I am amazed anew at the miraculous ways God worked in both of our lives to spur one another on... to love and good deeds.

Here's to Val... one of the wettest butt wipes in my pack.

Love,
Tiff