fandoms_make_friendships

1.5 miles again. Definitely finding it harder to get up that incline than I should, but now that my legs aren't sore (yesterday was a rest day, Sunday was mostly a rest day), the best way to address that is to start hitting the cemetery hill, for some more intense cardio in smaller doses.

Due to the fact that I'm sleeping till midday, work makes this hard, but certainly by the weekend, if I don't report running in the cemetery, call me on it!

mildred_of_midgard

Every day, it's something.

So just as my wife and stepdaughter's prospects of staying with someone (for a couple of months) to save on expenses has fallen through, my prospects of living with my best friend to save on expenses are dimming:

My friend says googling indicates the law considers the roommate a subtenant even if he's not on the lease, doesn't pay rent (he does pay internet and I think contributed to the installation of the mini-split AC/heater), and only lives there part-time. This means he can't be evicted without cause, nor have the rent raised, except under specific conditions that aren't met here.

So now, instead of informing him of his last day in October or November, we're down to strategizing how to ask nicely and offer money for best chances of success, and I'm back to looking at properties on Trulia.

sparowe

"Distractions"

Acts 5:12a, 14-15a, 16b-20, 25-26, 27b, 29-32 - Now many signs and wonders were regularly done among the people by the hands of the apostles. ... And more than ever believers were added to the Lord, multitudes of both men and women, so that they even carried out the sick into the streets ... and they were all healed. But ... filled with jealousy, [the chief priests] arrested the apostles and put them in the public prison. But during the night an angel of the Lord opened the prison doors and brought them out, and said, "Go and stand in the temple and speak to the people all the words of this Life." ... And someone came and told [the council], "Look! The men whom you put in prison are standing in the temple and teaching the people." Then the captain with the officers went and brought them, but not by force, for they were afraid of being stoned by the people. ... And the high priest questioned them ... But Peter and the apostles answered, "We must obey God rather than men. The God of our fathers raised Jesus, whom you killed by hanging Him on a tree. God exalted Him at His right hand as Leader and Savior, to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins. And we are witnesses to these things, and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey Him."

This whole story cracks me up. The chief priests discover that crucifying Jesus has not stopped the movement He started, much to their surprise and jealousy—so they throw the apostles in jail. God lets them out by miracle and sends them straight to the temple, where they start preaching about Jesus again—and somehow the chief priests utterly miss this—where are they meeting, that they didn't notice? And when they do find out, they ignore the miracle completely. Well, I suppose they couldn't keep their dignity if they stopped to ask about it.

It looks like the apostles didn't say anything about the miracle, either. Peter just goes straight to the point and preaches the Gospel to the court: "The God of our fathers raised Jesus, whom you killed by hanging Him on a tree. God exalted Him at His right hand as Leader and Savior, to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins."

It's easy for us to get distracted by the showy bits of God's work—by miracles, visions, mountaintop experiences. But Peter knows better than to focus on that, now. He focuses on Jesus. Because that's who it's all about—Jesus, who is God Himself come down from heaven to become a human being, to give Himself into suffering and death for our sake. Jesus, who rose from the dead and has become the Source of everlasting life for everyone who trusts in Him. Jesus, who loves you and me so much that He continues to speak to the Father on our behalf, keeping us safely in God's family until the day He comes back and we are with Him forever.

There is no God like this one, who loves people so much He gives us Himself, and makes us His own. Peter's got it right. Who cares about miracles when we can have Jesus?

WE PRAY: Lord, give me Yourself forever—and take my heart in return! Amen.

This Daily Devotion was written by Dr. Kari Vo.

Current Mood: thoughtful

mildred_of_midgard

On a more cheerful note, two pieces of humor:

Back when I started studying geology last year, I focused on igneous rocks, which are so far my favorite. Thus, the word "igneous" came up a few times at the table, and my wife joked that it always sounds to her like a bad thing, like "igneous behavior." She pronounced this in a very haughty, disapproving voice.

By analogy with "ignoble" or "ignominious", apparently.

So "igneous" has come to be an inside joke for something we disapprove of.

Well, last week I was looking at touristy places in Europe that we could meet up at in future years, and I read aloud from Wikipedia that such-and-such a hill was made of igneous rock.

My low-energy, out-of-shape wife: "All hills are igneous. A hill is a very igneous thing to do to a person."

I'm still laughing.

(I, of course, am lamenting that I'll be leaving a hilly neighborhood for a "flat-as-a-pancake, biker's paradise!" neighborhood, to quote a real estate agent on Trulia. How am I supposed to get in my daily hill reps??!)

*

I like backrubs. Backrubs are awesome. I will miss them.

My wife likes to give silly backrubs: I have been a piano, a samba drum, a hippodrome, and many other things while her fingers dance around according to her whim.

A couple days ago (we've been trying to fit in as many as we can before the end of the month!) she announced that what she was doing was an arpeggio.

Later on, she was doing something similar, and my unmusical self asked, "Is that an arpeggio?"

Her: No, these are horses! But if I were playing the piano, this would be a trill, not an arpeggio.

Me: I'm sorry, I need to learn to tell trills, arpeggios, and horses apart!

Me: ...Which is now a sentence that has been uttered in this house, lol.

mildred_of_midgard

First my stepdaughter breaks a tooth and is in a lot of pain. Then her mother talks her (she's agoraphobic and generally phobic) into going to the dentist, because broken tooth extractions are super easy, barely an inconvenience!

Well, no one had reckoned with her giant roots, nor with the fact that the broken tooth was adjacent to an impacted wisdom tooth that was pressing on it. "This tooth is my brother, and I'm not letting it go!"

It took 30 minutes to get the tooth out, and another 30 minutes to dig out all the residual roots. Stitches were required. By the end, she was shellshocked.

In addition to her obviously much greater suffering and my wife having to try to manage the situation and to accompany her, this meant that my week consisted of a lot of "Can you take her? She's going tonight/tomorrow/Monday?" (with constantly postponed appointments bc agoraphobia), "Can you get her meds from the pharmacy?", "She might need to go to the emergency room", and "She thinks she has an infection."

*

Then the plan was for them to stay with my stepdaughter's grandmother for a month or two after they arrive in Brazil, to save money while they look for an apartment. So Murphy's Law dictates that elderly grandmother suddenly gets hospitalized last week, she's going to be in the hospital for a while while they figure out what's going on with her, she will probably need surgery, and she will probably be post-op, with lots of people coming and going and probably staying over, when my wife and stepdaughter arrive in Brazil in 10 days.

So now there's the inconvenience and expense of scrambling to find an Airbnb, and then the pressure to find an apartment as soon as possible after arriving, to cut down on the Airbnb expense.

*

Then, on Saturday, when I was coming home from my 8-mile geology walk, still on the phone with my friend working out living arrangements, I came up the driveway to find my wife on her e-trike heading out to cancel her gym membership (which has to be done in person) and pick up her daughter's meds.

She interrupts me.

"There's something wrong with the bike!"

She pedaled around in the parking lot while I inspected it.

"Yeah, looks like you've got a flat."

Of course this is the first time this has happened, so neither of us has any idea how to change a tire.

So that's why immediately after my hike Saturday, I had to head out again to the pharmacy, while my wife watched YouTube videos on how to change a tire and tube, ordered spare parts, and asked around the neighbors to find out who had a pump we could borrow.

And now I'm going to have to watch the videos she found and learn how to change a tire, because she's completely overwhelmed, struggling with a depression flare-up (guess why!), and "Technically I'm an engineer (software engineer)" (said in the same tone of voice as "Technically, I'm a doctor (PhD in dead languages).") I am a bit more savvy than she is, though I still intensely dislike anything that requires me to work with my hands and pay attention to what I'm doing.

And, of course, we still have to figure out how to sell this bike on short notice.

The one spot of bright light is that she was able to cancel her gym membership over the phone. I'm still skeptical that in a month they'll be like, "What? No, you have to come in person!" but maybe it will work.

Things keep happening so much!

sparowe

"JOYFUL"

That very day two [believers] were going to a village named Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem ... Jesus Himself drew near and went with them. But their eyes were kept from recognizing Him. And He said to them, "What is this conversation that you are holding with each other as you walk?" And they stood still, looking sad. Then one of them, named Cleopas, answered Him, "Are You the only visitor to Jerusalem who does not know the things that have happened there in these days?" And He said to them, "What things?" And they said to Him, "Concerning Jesus of Nazareth ...." (Luke 24:13, 15b-19a)

Picture these two believers, so earnestly explaining all about Jesus' suffering and death, to Jesus Himself, not recognizing Him at all. How did they miss the nail holes in His hands?

And what of Jesus? Why does He let the confusion go on for hours until He breaks the bread for dinner—and vanishes, as they finally know Him?

I think it was joy. I think it was love and happiness and a sense of humor, as Jesus enjoys an afternoon relaxing with two people He loves, who are stubbornly refusing to believe He's alive again. They won't trust the women's testimony. And so Jesus gets to exercise His sense of humor, hiding His identity, teaching them what the Bible says about Him—and waiting for the truth to dawn.

This is the kind of God we have, One who loves us so dearly that He dies and rises again for us—all so He can enjoy, not just an afternoon, but all eternity with us, His people. And it starts today—now—for all of us who trust in Him.

WE PRAY: Lord, draw me closer to You every day, and bring me to know You indeed. Amen.

Lenten Devotions were written by Dr. Kari Vo.

Current Mood: thoughtful

mildred_of_midgard

At this rate, I might actually finish this set of posts about the last adventure before the next adventure starts! I think there are only 3 more installments to go, and one doesn't have pictures (converting to a DW-friendly format is the single biggest holdup).

After capturing the elusive dolphins on camera, I took a nap that I badly needed. I had stayed up late on my balcony enjoying the waves in the dark and then woken up early to watch the sunrise and frolicking dolphins from the same balcony.

My friend went off to enjoy the grounds of our fancy Hawaiian ocean resort hotel.

When I texted him that I was awake and ready to go exploring, I got this amazing text back:

Very good! Do you mean here or check out and go elsewhere. I'm hanging out with a mai tai at the saltwater lagoon and almost finished, but can hang longer if you are wanting to walk the grounds.

Remember, our fancy Hawaiian ocean resort hotel came with a private saltwater lagoon and complimentary mai tais! (Because it was 10 am and he had to drive, he got a non-alcoholic one.)

I read this text to my partner later and she laughed at the "mai tai at the saltwater lagoon" part. Luxury!

So we enjoyed the lagoon and the grounds for a bit, then we went for ice cream and hiking.

( Here is the lagoon )

As we were driving along the coast toward the ice cream place, we saw this spot by the coast where the ocean turned this amazingly gorgeous color, which I decided to call cerulean after my favorite crayon as a kid.

( Read more... )

It's that blue streak right along the coast.

My friend and I kind of really wanted to go there, but we had a flight to make and I had already picked out our hiking spot.

So we drove on and got our ice cream at Gypsea Gelato. We sampled several flavors, and the tom kha turned out to be the best. It's a Thai flavor made with ginger, lemongrass, coconut, and turmeric. (Remember, as we established in installment 6, my favorite ice creams are herbal.)

So after we sat on the bench outside the strip mall and finished our samples, we shamelessly went back inside ten minutes later. "We're back! We want more ice cream!"

I got a PINT of tom kha. Considering we had checked out of the hotel and had a flight to make, and we were in Hawaii, known for its warm climate, I had to eat it pretty immediately. That was my lunch. You will hear no complaints from me.

So what we did was we drove along the coast toward the hiking spot I had picked out, while I ate ice cream. As we approached, I realized we were directly opposite the cerulean water.

"Omg, I hope the trail goes all the way to the beach!"

I ate more ice cream in the car (I had a whole pint to finish! and it had been sitting in a freezer, so it was pretty solid and hard to get a plastic spoon into), while my friend started hiking. As noted, I'm a much faster walker than he is, so we knew I would catch up quickly.

After getting about halfway through the pint, I put the rest in the plastic bag, looped the bag over my arm, and started hiking. Every so often, when I got ahead of him, I would stop, take out the ice cream, and eat some more while I waited for him to catch up.

The trail did indeed go to the beach!

( Kiholo Bay )

Then I was leaning down to point to the rock and explain about the lava formation to him, using what little knowledge I managed to acquire and retain about geology last year.

( Look, it used to be lava! )

I pushed away what I thought was a piece of driftwood that was in my way. Then I had to push it again when pointing at something else, and then I realized--

"Omg, it's an animal!"

We both startled in alarm, then realized it was dead. Eventually my friend identified it as an eel, and I said I thought perhaps it had been buried in anoxic conditions and become mummified.

You could see the belly had been ripped open and the dried-up bowels were spilling out--possibly how it died. Being a slight biology geek (not a particularly knowledgeable one, but always on the lookout for cool stuff*), I took half a dozen pictures. Here are two. Caveat viewer if a mummified eel will bother you.

( Really most sincerely dead )

* Except insects/bugs, I have a squick. I wish I didn't, and maybe it will go away someday. It's definitely easing up--I was able to sit through a lengthy work conversation last year about eating cicadas without getting distressed, like at least one of my coworkers did.

sparowe

"GOOD NEWS!"

Now on the first day of the week Mary Magdalene came to the tomb early ... And she saw two angels in white ... They said to her, "Woman, why are you weeping?" She ... turned around and saw Jesus standing, but she did not know that it was Jesus. Jesus said to her, "Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking?" Supposing Him to be the gardener, she said to Him, "Sir, if you have carried Him away, tell me where you have laid Him, and I will take Him away." Jesus said to her, "Mary." She turned and said to Him, ["Teacher!"] Jesus said to her, "Do not cling to Me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to My brothers and say to them, 'I am ascending to My Father and your Father, to My God and your God.'" (John 20:1a, 12a 13a, 14b-17)

Of course Mary is crying. She thinks she has lost Jesus forever, and she is heartbroken.

But then Jesus calls her name: "Mary." And she recognizes Him! Of course she grabs Him—hugs Him and won't let Him go! I would, too. But Jesus says to her, "Stop clinging to Me, for I haven't ascended to the Father yet." There will be plenty of time for clinging to Jesus in the future. Right now, there is work to do. "Go to My brothers," Jesus says. Tell them the Good News!

And she does. And we do, too, every time we tell the story of Jesus to someone. We tell them how God loved us so much He became our Savior through His death and resurrection, setting us free to be God's own children.

WE PRAY: Dear Lord Jesus, thank You for dying and rising to bring us home to God in peace. Amen.

Lenten Devotions were written by Dr. Kari Vo.

Current Mood: thankful

mildred_of_midgard

For once.

I did an 8+ mile (exact distance not known) geology hike today (okay, my friend called just as I was arriving at the geological phenomena, so I didn't do any geology, but I went to the spots!), followed immediately (10 minute rest stop?) by a 4 mile walk to the pharmacy and back. (ETA: That's 4 total, 2 in each direction.)

There was even a fair bit of scrambling on this hike, although admittedly I went easy on my knees on the worst of it.

My knees held up, my ankles held up, my legs held up, my feet held up! My feet were starting to hurt around 12 miles, but that's expected, and I think maybe somewhat better than last year. My glutes even held up! I've been noticing lately that they haven't been bothering me for short walks, and I hoped that would translate to long walks. And it did!

My legs held up in the sense that they were still moderately sore and tired from the last week of running, and they're sore and tired even just walking around the house, so when I set off, it was kind of slow going at first. But I warmed up, and at the end of 12 miles, they were feeling noticeably stronger than at the beginning. I think I could easily have done 18. Then, after a few hours of rest at home, I went out just now, did a mile+, felt really good and restless, and really wanted to keep going, but it's 10 pm and I shouldn't.

I'm hoping my legs stop being sore this week, I can hit the cemetery hill, and next weekend, I can do a proper long forest walk. There are two nice forests about 6-8 miles respectively from here, that I never get to because the walk there and back is kind of long and boring (4-5 hours in transit), and historically my body has not held up for 12-16 miles of boring walking *plus* forest hiking. It would help a lot if I could get up to doing a 6 mile run, a 2-3 mile forest hike, and a 6 mile run home. That's been one of my running goals, which I've never achieved, because I inevitably get injured once I work up to running 5 miles.

But even without the running, I've been to the closer forest a few times, I know now to bring my spiky massage ball on 13+ mile walks and give my feet rest breaks, I've got a geology podcast for the boring parts (admittedly I cannot listen to a podcast for 4 hours in one day, but it helps a lot), and I think it might be okay at least once in the near future.

Anyway, it's good to know that while I lost all my running stamina, I didn't lose all my walking stamina. The key is to be able to do a 16-mile walk without trouble, and I think I can still do that.

The stretch goal is to work up to 30 miles (with trouble) before moving to LA, and if my feet cooperate, it's still a possibility, when I had been thinking that it wasn't.

mildred_of_midgard

Not quite finalized, but I talked with my friend today, and things are looking good!

He's preparing to tell his roommate that he needs to be out by October, and if the roommate haggles, conceding as far as November. But it sounds like a foot may be put down for no later than November.

Either October or November works for me; any later than early December, and it doesn't work financially, weather-wise (driving a U-haul cross country through some dicey weather), or really in terms of spending most of the academic year at UCLA.

October is slightly better for me: if we can do one trip before the October 24-25 conference, then I don't have to fly there, fly back, drive there. We can just drive there. And I don't have to pay for a month's expensive rent here in November. But if the roommate pushes for November, then darn, I guess I'll just have to enjoy another month in my favorite place I've ever lived at the best time of year. :D

Also! When I texted with my friend last week, it was all about how he'd love to do a national parks road trip this year, but he's too busy until October.

When I talked to him today, I used the magic words: "Glacier National Park" and "possible snow and road closures in October," and he was all, "Oooh! Glacier! That's the number one place I want to go! I bet I can make this work in September." See, he had a trip planned to Glacier some years ago, but it got cancelled, and he's still disappointed about that.

So now we're on for circa September 5-September 18: Minneapolis to Glacier to Yellowstone to (maybe) Grand Teton to Crater Lake. And that's enough time to make spontaneous detours if we want.

If all the parks (or any of the parks) are shut down because DOGE, then, we agreed, just driving around the surrounding areas will be gorgeous and fun too! One of our most amazing road trip experiences was post-Yellowstone, just driving through Wyoming, and it was one scenic overlook or geological phenomenon (complete with informative plaque) after another.

So it's all about motivating him properly.

Similarly, last summer, I mentioned to him that my partner and stepdaughter might need to leave the country, and if so I would like to move in with him. He was all, "That would be great, but I'm not sure if I'm willing to kick out my roommate over it."

Then I took him to Hawaii in November, and suddenly when I mentioned living together, he was all, "Yeah! That would be great!" No mention of roommate.

And now he's all, "Yeah, let's do it."

Anyway, I haven't finalized any plans on my end, because he's enough of a pushover that his unwanted roommate may still win this round, but it's looking good! He was brainstorming ways to fit the sofa bed in. ("If it doesn't go through the front door, I bet we could hire someone to lift it over the balcony with ropes and through the sliding doors!") And also "I will help my roommate look for a place to get him out sooner!"

At some point, I will blog about why I want to spend most of the next academic year in LA, but that is a future post. For now, enjoy the knowledge that my nebulous future is solidfying in some pleasing ways.

mildred_of_midgard

Lol, I did it again. "I can't think of the English word, so let me put 'Nachlaß' into Google Translate and ask it how to say what I'm trying to say in my native language." So far this has happened with Lehen (fiefdom), Wappen (coat of arms), and Nachlaß (estate--not the kind you live on ("Gut"), the kind you leave to your heirs after your death), where I could think of the German word and for the life of me, could not think of the English word.

selenak, even if I can still only write emails in one language, you should be proud!

mildred_of_midgard

1.5 miles. (Today Google Maps tells me it's 1.7 miles, it used to say 1.3 last year, I'm rounding. Someday, if I keep this up, I'll get a Strava watch, but not while I'm trying to save money.)

I noticed I was struggling more, and I wasn't sure why until partway through the run, when it occurred to me that I thought I was moving slightly faster, and that might be it.

On the last leg of the run, a young woman crossed the street in front of me. When I turned the corner, I realized she was jogging in the same direction as I was. Having something of a competitive streak, I eyeballed our respective speeds and decided I was sliiiightly faster, but not fast enough to pass her before I got to my driveway and turned in.

So naturally, I put the pedal to the metal and did pass her well before the driveway.

I think my competitive streak is good for me, because pushing forced my heart rate and breathing up, and if I want to improve my cardio before the cemetery, I need to be doing more of that!

I swear, I need someone slightly in front of me and slightly slower or slightly faster than me on all my runs.* I would never have run that fast at the end of my run without the dopamine hit of closing the gap, and then the triumph of watching her glance behind her over her shoulder, then move to the side to let me pass.

[* I discovered this in high school on the one day they let us run with the boys in gym class; none of the girls were ever anywhere near me, but there were some boys in front of me on that day. They should have had us do that more often! I could have been much faster/better!]

Then the hard part is maintaining that speed until the driveway, so she doesn't catch up again and I don't look like an idiot. ;) I often find that if I can channel my desire not to let people see me quit, I will push a little bit harder, and then sometimes that helps get me through a slump and back into a rhythm. A little pushing at just the right time can go a long way.

Just waiting for the slight hamstring soreness to fully go away before I go back to the cemetery. Then it's going to be all about how many loops, aka hill reps, I do.

ETA: Oh, and I've started timing my runs. I shaved a full 40 seconds off my run today: 15:24 instead of 16:04. (Both rough estimates; I don't always take my phone out of my pocket at the exact same point in the driveway.)

sparowe

"TURNING THE WORLD UPSIDE DOWN"

After these things Joseph of Arimathea, who was a disciple of Jesus, but secretly for fear of the Jews, asked Pilate that he might take away the body of Jesus, and Pilate gave him permission ... Nicodemus also ... came bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about seventy-five pounds in weight. So they took the body of Jesus and bound it in linen cloths with the spices, as is the burial custom of the Jews. Now in the place where He was crucified there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb in which no one had yet been laid. So ... they laid Jesus there. (John 19:38a, 39-41, 42b)

What a day this is! The Son of God is dead. How can that be? The Source of life, about to be laid in a tomb?
And by whom? Two respected members of the Jewish council, the very group that condemned Him! Pilate must have been amazed. And at Passover time, too, when handling a body guarantees they will not be able to participate in public worship for the rest of the week! But they don't care.

Normally caring for Jesus' body would have been a task for women. But Joseph and Nicodemus have taken this service on themselves, the last gift of love they can give Jesus. Who cares about gender roles?

Jesus whom they loved is dead, and their world has been turned upside down. Nothing else matters to them. At least, until their world gets turned right-side up, on Sunday morning—when the women in turn take over the men's job and preach Good News to the disciples.

WE PRAY: Thank You, dear Lord, for turning my world right side up by Your death and resurrection. You have saved me and everyone who trusts in You. Amen.

Lenten Devotions were written by Dr. Kari Vo.

Current Mood: thoughtful

mildred_of_midgard

1.5 miles. Once my legs stop being sore, I think my cardio is ready to start doing a single cemetery hill loop. And experience shows that if I do those almost every day, in a sustainable manner, I can work my way up pretty quickly. So hopefully I start being able to do some proper runs in May.

Crossing everything for NO. MORE. INJURIES!!!

(Ball of foot continues to show noticeable improvements every 2 months. Ankle will let me run and walk, even if it twinges sometimes when I'm crouching down. Knees are wildly inconsistent, but let me run at least. Not sure how they will feel about long walks, since they didn't even like Monday's 4-mile walk. But maybe they will heal! Debating whether to do a geology hike (~7 miles) tomorrow when on the phone with my friend. The weather will be lovely and warm.)

sparowe

"FINISHED"

After this, Jesus, knowing that all was now finished, said (to fulfill the Scripture), "I thirst." A jar full of sour wine stood there ... When Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, "It is finished." (John 19:28-29a, 30a)

It was now about the sixth hour, and there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour, while the sun's light failed. And the curtain of the temple was torn in two. Then Jesus, calling out with a loud voice, said, "Father, into Your hands I commit My spirit!" And having said this He breathed His last. (Luke 23:44-46)

Such short and simple words: "I thirst." "It is finished." Jesus was at the point of death, and He could barely breathe.

But He could say the important things. He could ask for the sour wine that would complete the final prophecy in Psalm 69:21. He could commit His spirit into the hands of the Father who loved and sent Him to be our Savior. And He could announce the good news to all of us standing at the foot of His cross, trusting Him: "It is finished."

Jesus' work of suffering and dying and saving and remaking us to be God's children—done, all done. The devil is defeated and his slaves set free. Even death itself is about to be destroyed—because next comes Jesus' resurrection.

And we will share in it. In His great love, Jesus has bound us so tightly to Himself that our death becomes His death, and His resurrection becomes our resurrection. We cannot be separated from Him. From now on, where He goes, we will go. Because He lives, we will live. He will be our life forever.

WE PRAY: Thank You, Father, for giving us Your Son as our Life. Amen.

Lenten Devotions were written by Dr. Kari Vo.

Current Mood: grateful

mildred_of_midgard

My friend has gotten me measurements, pics, and videos, and I *think* the sofa bed is going to fit. Hopefully into the bedroom, but almost certainly the living room. For some reason (possibly to do with $$$ ;) ), he doesn't mind having a huge bed in the living room if it comes to that!

So he's going to talk to his roommate in the next week or so. But based on our texts this evening, it's sounding like he thinks an October/November move might be doable.

I'm trying to talk him into a road trip: Crater Lake, Glacier National Park, Yellowstone. The problem is that his summer is packed full, and October is dicey when it comes to the weather in these places. We saw snow in June in Yellowstone in 2014! We had our Crater Lake trip cancelled for a blizzard last Halloween.

But we'll see.

Nothing finalized, but this is the current tentative timeline:

May 1: Wife and stepdaughter return to Brazil (this part is finalized, barring emergencies).

May - October: Me in this nice (expensive) condo, enjoying the long walks and trying to get back in shape, working on Peter Keith.

Early October, or late September if he can get the time off work: Road trip.

Mid October: Return to Boston?

October 24-25: Conference in LA that I need to be there for. Hopefully a guest lecture on pedagogy from me to my PhD program. (They have expressed interest, but no timing discussed.)

October - sometime November: Enjoy New England autumn!

November sometime: Cross-country U-Haul trip to Los Angeles.

That will give his roommate about 7 months to find a new place, which I think is reasonable. (We'll see what roommate thinks.)

If I weren't so attached to where I live, what would make most financial and UCLA sense is combining the move with the October road trip, living in LA in time for the conference, and not all this going back and forth across the country. I may end up deciding to do the sensible thing, especially if roommate doesn't need that extra month. (But walks! Leaves! *pout*)

No hard data yet, but hopefully soon. My friend and I are set to chat on Saturday, although it's unlikely to be after the roommate talk. Maybe the convo in which I talk up the many benefits will light a fire under him.

Stay tuned!

mildred_of_midgard

Tuesday: Rest day
Wednesday: Rest day
Thursday: 1.5 miles

I think my cardio improved since my last run! I feel like I was going at least as fast, if not faster, yet my chest never hurt, my diaphragm never hurt, and I didn't feel like I was struggling up the slight incline that I refuse to dignify with the name of hill. I definitely noticed it, whereas last year I wasn't noticing at all, but until today, I was struggling on it.

Soon I will be ready for the cemetery hill reps again!

P.S. Legs (hamstrings) definitely sore, though. That was some fitness drop!

P.P.S. ~~Geometry~~ Geology studies via podcast continue, especially during the post-run walks.

sparowe

"WITH US ALWAYS"

Now as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and after blessing it broke it and gave it to the disciples, and said, "Take, eat; this is My body." And He took a cup, and when He had given thanks He gave it to them, saying, "Drink of it, all of you, for this is My blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins." (Matthew 26:26-28)

It reassures me to see how carefully Jesus has planned for the comfort and strength of those who love Him. This is the night before His death, and how they will need His help to get through that time! And so He gives them one last gift of love—He gives them Himself. Here, in the broken bread and the cup of His blood poured out for many—here, we have Jesus Himself, to be our strength and our hope. Even death cannot take Him from us; He has promised to be with us forever (see Matthew 28:20). And in Communion, we have Him most intimately—in a form we can handle, taste, and touch. And He uses this gift to forgive and strengthen us.

I don't know what the disciples thought of it at the time. They had not yet seen Him nailed to a cross, giving up His life so that we might be forgiven, remade, and restored to God. They had not seen Him risen from the dead, standing with us alive and joyful, now the Source of life for all of us who trust in Him. But we have seen these things through the Gospel of the Lord; and so we treasure His gift of closeness and love.

WE PRAY: Dear Jesus, thank You for giving us Yourself. Amen.

Lenten Devotions were written by Dr. Kari Vo.

Current Mood: thoughtful

sparowe

"GIVER"

Standing by the cross of Jesus were His mother and His mother's sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. When Jesus saw His mother and the disciple whom He loved standing nearby, He said to His mother, "Woman, behold, your son!" Then He said to the disciple, "Behold, your mother!" And from that hour the disciple took her to his own home. (John 19:25-27)

At this point Jesus has very little left that belongs to Him. His reputation, His freedom, and His safety are all gone. His disciples have scattered. Even His clothes have been taken from Him.

But one thing remains. At the foot of Jesus' cross stands His mother, along with His disciple John. Jesus doesn't want either of them to be alone with their grief. And so He gives them to each other.

It comforts me to see the care Jesus takes, to make sure both of them have a fellow believer to be with them. Jesus could have left John to find his own way—could have left Mary to the tender mercies of His unbelieving brothers. He does neither. Instead, He creates a new family of love out of the two of them.

This is so like Him, isn't it? It's not enough for Him to give us life, joy, salvation, forgiveness, and peace through His death and resurrection. No, He has to give us even more—the love and support of one another in the church, of which He is the Head. And He says, "By this all people will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another" (John 13:35).

WE PRAY: Thank You, Lord, for meeting our needs. Amen.

Lenten Devotions were written by Dr. Kari Vo.

Current Mood: touched

sparowe

"PROMISE MAKER"

One of the criminals who were hanged railed at Him, saying, "Are You not the Christ? Save Yourself and us!" But the other rebuked him, saying, "Do you not fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? And we indeed justly, for we are receiving the due reward of our deeds; but this Man has done nothing wrong." And he said, "Jesus, remember me when You come into Your kingdom." And He said to him, "Truly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in paradise." (Luke 23:39-43)

Even on the cross, Jesus got no peace from being abused. Both of the men He was dying with yelled at Him (see Matthew 27:44). But then one man had a change of heart. "Stop that," he says to the other man. "We deserve what's happening to us, but this Man hasn't done anything wrong." I'm not sure how he figured that out—had he met Jesus before, back in the days when both of them were free? Or was he just judging based on Jesus' behavior on the cross?

Whatever it was, he now looks at Jesus and says, "Remember me when You come into Your kingdom." I have no idea whether he actually believed in Jesus' kingdom, or whether he thought he was humoring a crazy man—pretending to believe in order to comfort Him. But it doesn't matter, because Jesus took His words very seriously: "Truly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in paradise."

What a gift for Jesus to give a dying man—and one who had no reason to expect God's mercy! But because of Jesus, he would receive it. This man would be with Him in paradise, forgiven, saved, and full of joy—walking with Jesus in His triumph. Because Jesus was not returning home by Himself—He brought at least one man along with Him, the firstfruits of His victory over death and the devil. This man would be the first of countless others Jesus is bringing home to His Father as the fruit of His death and resurrection. And you and I will be among them, too.

WE PRAY: Dear Savior, bring me home to You also, when the time is right. Amen.

Lenten Devotions were written by Dr. Kari Vo.

Current Mood: thoughtful

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