Mixing the Old with the New

Lesson in the Every Day

The past few weeks have been an exciting mix of the old with the new. Much of my time was spent working at Panera Bread, which is a place where people either seemingly stay forever or quit within a few weeks. The way it looks right now I might be one of those forever people. It has been amazing to catch up with regulars who I have now known for almost three years, and who, even with a counter between us, have played a roll in who I am today. The good ones continually have encouraging things to say, and the less than fantastic customers stretch me to love the image of God that each person holds inside them. I am re learning lessons that I forgot since I left customer service and I am learning new ones about understanding that the people I see in my lines are ones that I know nothing about, and to respond to them appropriately means to simply try to make the moment we are sharing the best it possibly can be. You never know the trials a person has been through in their life, and until you do, you have no authority to be angry. True anger is rooted in truth, so seek to understand the truth about each person.

Shea's Visit

Two weekends ago Shea was able to come and visit me in Indy after her trip to Canada. We had 5 extra family members staying in the house from out west. She was able to meet the Trey's and some other family members she had yet to meet. She has almost met all the brothers and sisters. A pretty daunting task from an outsiders point of view I imagine. Following this overwhelming familial experience was a Saturday with our friends Joseph and Will down town Indianapolis. We ate at the famed YATS, one of my favorite eateries, and we had a good walk in the Mass Ave area. It was so good to get to catch up with old friends for the day.

Seth's Wedding and Dancing(Best read with a British accent)

Last week I was able to attend my cousin Seth's wedding. It was amazing to see someone so stoked about life and spending it with someone he loves so much. It was because of that I realized I needed to dance, and dancing was exactly what I did. I am always hesitant to get on a dance floor, but there is something special about getting out there with some family and simply going hard. Free-style dance fights, YMCA, Electric Slide, Cupid Shuffle, the list goes on. Forgetting about what you or anyone else thinks about you and living in a moment is when the best memories are to be had, and that was another incredible memory added to my life. Cheers Seth. 

A Little Art with your Life Lesson

During much of my free time in all of this I took time to work on some art, primarily a coffee table. This coffee table was created with the idea of mixing the old with the new. It is my sort of take on the pallet craze that has infatuated pinterest viewers across the nation. Life should be a mix of evaluating the old habits and doctrines we think are necessary to keep things in the world right. We should not be afraid to get rid of the things that are unnecessary, while searching for new ways to express the things that are necessary. The ideas of old can be as foolish as the newest ideas. The only difference is the newest ideas don't have time to prove their human nature, so take a risk and try something new. Somehow this table helped me to process that, and what I got was a mixture of the old with the new. The top is block wood from pallets cut down to 3" x 3" squares. The shelf is old pallet wood. The rest of the table is painted and clear coated pine. This table is on display wherever Shea is living, but you can get an idea of it from the pictures. 

Frankfort and New Friends

Finally, this past weekend was an incredible adventure to Frankfort, IL to visit Shea. The weekend started with a trip to Marion to attend Shea's dance recital with a load of good friends. Shea gets the pure joy found in dancing more than anyone I know, so it was awesome to get to watch her in her element. We then stayed until 12:30 visiting with Katie, Colton, Will, Nicole and various other visitors. We quickly realized that this was a worth it sort of mistake, because our hang out session was followed by a 3 hour drive to Frankfort. I ate candy to stay awake. Shea got mad at awful drivers to stay awake, but Shea, Colton, Nicole and I made it back. On Sunday, we went to Naperville, IL to visit Macayla. We went to the best Mexican restaurant I have ever eaten at. I was so hyped eating my quesedilla. This was followed by Cookie Dough Creations which was a place where you get a scoop of ice cream topped with cookie dough. Pretty crazy right? Monday was bitter sweet, with the departure of Colton and Nicole. We then got to hang out with Alex and Mark for the afternoon, as well as later on at night. At dinner I finally got to meet Shea's older sister, Amanda. Dinner was followed by my first viewing of the Lion King. Throw tomatoes now, but I don't get the hype. Tuesday, I was able to meet Shea's friend Hannah, and Shea and I wrote a new song that, with a little divine help, may actually get recorded. Here's to hoping. 

I am now home beginning to prepare for my coming tour. It will hold a host of new interactions, experiences and relationships. I also know that during this time I will miss my loved ones, so my prayer at this point, which I hope you will join me in praying, is that I can learn to be present knowing that my cause is for the Kingdom of God. It is exciting, and I hope to be able to write more often so my posts are less like a family news letter from grandma, and more like a blog post. Until next time, stay sweet.