Jairus' Daughter

Memorial Day

I went to Arlington National Cemetery yesterday to pay tribute on Memorial Day.  I saw the President lay a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, and heard his magnificent speech.  And I learned that, to the future of our nation and the furtherance of our ideals, our rememberance of the sacrifices made is as vital as the sacrifices themselves.

Our fellow sardines at the ceremony were some Mormons from Chevy Chase.  They were really nice.  One of them had saved my friend Joanna from being man-handled by a creepy guy in the rush to find a good standing spot.  So we all went out to lunch together (us and the Mormons, that is, not the creepy guy).  Why do Mormon boys have to be cute?  That doesn't help me out at all.  Anyway, they invited us to a dance in two weeks, but I'll be playing the harp in Alabama right around then.  Darn.

Whoa.

"Did you go see that movie... what is it... Remax?"

Oh, Mom.  (sigh)

Yes, I went to see the Matrix on Thursday.  Opening night.  I had been looking forward to it all week.  I even rewatched the first one twice to make sure I was fully prepared to view the sequel.  :)  It was gooooood.  The one beef I had with it, however, was that it seemed to get a little too caught up in its own hype, displaying scenes for mere visual gratification, rather than their relevance to the story.  I get bored in long fight scenes; I must be acutely susceptible to sensory overload or something.  I'm going to see it again this weekend, though.  Once is never enough.  ;)

Ho-hum

I seem to be low on motivation these days.  The word rut keeps floating around my brain.

Speaking of ruts...  I learned about a new one recently.  Well, new to me, that is.  The rut I'm talking about is the one underneath the stone covering the entrance to the tomb where Jesus was buried.  Apparently, the stone rolled along a track dug into the ground, and rested in a trough at the tomb opening.  This "rut" is what held the stone in place.

The Jewish leaders who had advocated Jesus' death wanted the stone to stay in that rut.  They petitioned Pilate, who told them to "make the tomb as secure as you know how" (Matt. 27:65).  If there was going to be a (contrived) resurrection, they were going to prevent it.  Essentially, to this end, they did everything humanly possible.

But the maximum human effort is no match for God.  His messenger shifted the stone, stunned the sentries, and set the scene for the empty tomb to be discovered.  And, make no mistake, it was already empty.  The stone, even while held stationary by the rut, could not hold Jesus.  His glorified body had vanished, leaving the burial dressings still folded in their characteristic pattern.  This is what His followers saw, and what caused them to believe.

So even if I am in a rut right now, I know that Jesus is still moving in my life.  Despite the efforts of the world (including my own) to keep me rut-bound, God still has the power to move my listless self and reveal the evidence of what He's been doing all along.

Empty Nest Syndrome

My mom to me:

"I've always worried about you.  I worried about you when you were swimming around in the womb...  but at least I knew where you were!"

Sing for the Cure

Hey everybody, come out and support my friends as they support the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society:

Who are you and what have you done with my parents?

Yesterday was upside-down and backwards day at the Hill home.  To start with, my parents bought a car.  Yes, they actually spent money on a car.  For those of you who know my parents and the cardboard-box-on-wheels that they currently drive, I will give you a second to regain consciousness.  ...  Yeah, they bought a Mazda Tribute, silver, and it is shweet!

So we go out to dinner to celebrate their new car and my new acceptance to grad school.  The usual place is too crowded, so we drive around a little bit, and my dad--my DAD--suggests the Peking Gourmet Inn.  Now, my dad has very simple tastes, which is a nice way of saying he only likes about 5 things.  I have never in my life seen him consume even one cubic centimeter of Chinese food (or Mexican food, or any other kind of interesting food for that matter).  But apparently, unbeknownst to me, he has been to the Inn a few times for office gatherings and has worked up an immunity to the dreaded Chinese food.  He likes it.  He actually likes it.

At this point I'm trying hard not to have a coronary after my parents getting a cool car and my dad liking Chinese food all in the same night (and this not long after their buying a [gasp] *DVD player*).  As we cruise around in the new Hill-mobile, my mom turns to me and says, "See, Meredith?  We get cooler as we get older."  Hm, this bodes well for me.

Yippee Skippee!

Got my acceptance letter from ODU!  I'm officially official!

(Does a happy dance.)