Back from blogging oblivion

I just heard a voicemail from my mom, saying: “I haven’t heard from you this week and you haven’t been writing on your blog, so I figure that you are either really busy or depressed.” It is disturbing how mothers know the inner workings of our souls so well, even when we say nothing. Or, perhaps, I am just not as mysterious as I imagine myself to be. It is most likely a combination of both. This week has been sad. Admittedly, I am prone to melancholy; it is that deep, reflective part of me. Again, I am probably not as deep as I imagine myself to be, but I do feel things pretty intensely. Or, I avoid feeling things until they overwhelm me. So it is with my grandma’s death. It seems to have really just hit me this week. I don’t like it. Even more, I hate this whole death thing…and how, with each new person who dies, it brings up memories of all the others who have gone before. It makes me feel better to know this is not how things are supposed to be. God created a perfect world, with no death or sin. We chose what we wanted—to follow ourselves, really—and death and distance are the consequences. Through Jesus, it doesn’t have to be this way. There is a bridge; He is the bridge. Somehow, the consequences are still present, but they aren’t eternal anymore. Death does not have the final say—though it still speaks in a shrill, hateful voice. I struggle to keep that in mind, because death appears (and feels) so final. Appearances can be deceiving, as we all know, so it best to not place all of our proverbial eggs into the basket of how things appear. Easier said than done.

There is a highlight to my week of sadness. I have discovered the most amazing website: www.netflix.com. First of all, you get a free two-week trial period. How can you go wrong with a free trial period?! I found this site late Monday night and by Wednesday, I had movies waiting in my mailbox…and they were the top movies on my list (you get to make a list of movies that you want to see and they send them to you in chronological order). The movies come in this totally cool envelope, where you tear off one section to open it up and then it becomes the package you mail the movie back in (postage paid)—very ingenious. As soon as you send your movies back, they send the next ones on the list. The best part is you that you can keep these movies as long as you want. This is a great system for someone like me, who is “due date” challenged (ask the Columbus Metropolitan Library, if you don’t believe me). You might ask: Why not just go to the video store and rent a movie? First of all, I don’t even know where the closest movie rental place is (and, really, what’s closer than your mailbox?). Secondly, this system is much more cost effective since you can rent unlimited movies for one monthly fee (you can pick from a range of monthly options). Thirdly, they have an amazing selection (i.e. they have everything) and are never out of movies. Lastly, did I mention how cool the envelope is? Since I didn’t get around to watching my movies (“The Devil Wears Prada” and “Sky High”) until last night, I only put them in the mail this morning. We will see how fast the turn around time is, but I expect great things!

That is about as much as I can think of to share, other than this. I am a big fan of THE SIMPSONS. Trust me, I can defend this love on a theological level…so just give me a try! Anyway, at the beginning of each episode, Bart is seen writing various statements on a chalk board, as a form of punishment. In the last episode I saw, Bart was writing: “My butt does not deserve a website”. For some reason, I found that really funny. My butt definitely deserves its own website! I’ll have to look into that.

I think I am back, my blogging friends. It is time to stop moping and brooding and start reflecting significantly on life again. Although, I do have a youth lock-in coming up this Sunday night…so that might just kill me! Pray for me!