Tuesday, December 26, 2006

gifts...

don't know if anyone read my super long entry from Dec 18... but I've been thinking a lot lately about the gift(s) that God puts in each one of us...

and if any of this strikes a cord with you... or speaks to where you're at in your life...
then here's something you should read that was written by my friend Mike. no, really... read it... what else are you going to go do right now anyway? go check out some more stupid clips on YouTube? you have 3 minutes... i know you do... so take it.

Hope everyone had a very Merry Christmas! much love, k.

Monday, December 18, 2006

it's late...

you know how sometimes the things that are obvious to you are simply not to other people? like when someone you know is extremely talented or gifted in one area and they don't see it? well, i realize that can be true with myself too.... and so tonight i asked Rebecca if there was something that she could see in my life that maybe i don't or don't pay enough attention to that she might see as a natural thing... something that i could/should do... a path or direction i could go... that would be more natural for me. there are special unique things that are in each individual life that is a part of their own unique dna... and some people never make use of their uniqueness... they never use their gift. never flex that muscle or go that direction... i do not want to waste what i've been given.
and i will not. i will not be one of those people. well, Rebecca's response was thought provoking... and as she mentioned, to NOT do what God has gifted me in... would be wrong. why run from the things that God has put in you? it's funny because i hear stories about people who spend their lives going one direction and then one day they decide to step out and do something totally different- do the things that God put in them. be one of those people... start small if you want... but START. start moving in the direction where your gifts lie... those things are in you for a reason. and it's your duty to share them... right? i feel like i'm already using some of my gifting... i'm not sure what it's going to look like 40 years from now... but at i'm going to start working it more... and more.
i dare you to ask one of your closest friends if there's something they see in you that maybe you don't (or don't want to see). don't ask your smart-a friend... ask the one who really knows you... the one you can talk to about anything.
side note: have i mentioned that i love music? man, i'd love to work in music in some capacity... geez... (YES, i'm listening to music right now.) maybe i can have 2 jobs... yeah, i think that's what i'll do... totally do-able...

have you ever truly tried to put yourself in someone else's shoes? have you ever imagined what it's like to be them, look through their eyes at what they're looking at, step on the ground they walk, eat the food they crave, smell the scents in their life, feel their hurts, feel their joys, depend on the money they depend, sing the songs they sing, drink what they drink, hear the songs they hear, feel the passion the feel, cry their tears? sometimes when i read things, i try to imagine myself as that person...
but in real life, imagining yourself in another person's shoes can also help you understand them...
i say this because on saturday night i went to eat a local restuarant where they have been serving some of the best
specialty sandwiches and deli-type food in tulsa since 1965. yes... since 1965... almost 42 years. well, i'm guessing that many of the patrons we shared our meal with on saturday night may have very well been coming to this restaurant for these 42 years. and i tried to put myself in their shoes...
went with my dad, mom, & grandmother. at first it seemed as though we'd walked in on a special dinner for the elderly... and then i saw the elderly gentleman sitting on the stage playing his keyboard and singing the tunes from his younger days. wow. talk about walking into someone else's world. we sat down and ordered. and then the gentleman started playing and singing "It Had To Be You". and several of them started singing along... and they sang and they sang and they sang. and they sang. they sang the entire time we were there... and i sat there and watched and listened and tried to put myself in their shoes. i was honored to be eating with them on saturday... they were awesome. i imagine that many of them go there every saturday night... or maybe they travel back and forth to their favorite local diners... but they stick together and they dress up and they remember together and they sing their songs... and they laugh... and they sing. there's something special about this specific generation... their songs are different... and when they're gone... a part of their songs will go with them... because no matter how much we try to put ourselves in their shoes we don't have the memories associated to the songs that they have... the first time they heard "It Had To Be You"... the world was a different place then. not only that but think about what a night like this would be for a group of people who were from the hippie era... what about the punk rock era? i have a feeling that the music from these other generations won't have that same warm
nostalgic feel... they'll have feeling... but not the same!
my grandmother started singing along a little bit... and i could tell that she was loving it... and i tried to put myself in her shoes... and i could see why she was loving it...
they were still singing when we left... maybe i should frequent there more often on saturday nights... call me a romantic... but i think they're cool.

my sweet brother, Jared, graduated from OU this weekend. i'll post a couple pics soon. but my pillows are calling my name right now... much love... k.


Saturday, December 09, 2006

5 things...

Steph tagged me to share "5 things that you don't know about me".

okay, if you know me at all… you know that I’m open book… so I really had to think to come up with 5 things that people wouldn’t know about me… had to go way back… to childhood stuff… so here you go:

1. when I was a little kid (like 4ish) and my parents used to take us on road trips, I would stare out the window the whole time… looking intently at each street sign we passed… looking for Seasame Street… I never found it…
2. when my brother was about 5 and I was about 9ish, I punched him so hard that it knocked the wind out of him… and it scared me SO BAD that I never hit him ever again (not with my full strength anyway).
3. My first pair of Nike shoes played a big part in a terrible incident that left me hanging upside down from the fence in our yard… by my shoelaces. (yes, please, take this time to imagine little me dangling upside down by the shoelaces.)
4. One of my favorite meals as a kid was baked beans & dogs heated up in a skillet w/ some mac-n-chesse on the side. Hhmmmm… actually…. that sounds really good right now… ☺
5. The first memory I have of going to the movie theater… was to see Annie. And I loved it… loved the music. Yeah, give me a break… I was 3…

Speaking of childhood… today one of my childhood friends is getting married. Wow, not sure I’m ready to go to this wedding… I hope I don’t have to be escorted out… I just might be crying my eyes out on this one. It’s weird to feel like you know someone… even though you really don’t know the most recent things in their life. I know the boy in him from our innocent days… the boy from tree climbing days… from baseball in the summer… from teenage years… and struggles… and we were close… soulmates. We used to write each other letters. Getting letters from him was one of my most favorite things in life…
I’m looking forward to seeing him tomorrow… and being at his wedding.

Friday, December 08, 2006

just elfing around

thanks to Steph, i have a fun little jig for you... enjoy this Merry Christmas dance... from me to you.