Benediction

As we share in Christ,
Let us exhort one another while we still have today,
Confident in our faith and boasting in our hope,
Attentive to the voice of our God,
And keeping our hearts free of the deceitfulness of sin,
That we may enter the promised rest,
In the revelation and deliverance found in our Lord Jesus Christ.

Execption to the Rule

It had been two years since I last was in Monroe with my family, sharing Thanksgiving together. I’d missed them.

I got to return this year, and re-visit familiar smells, accents, and stories. It felt so good to hug my Gran and Grandaddy and tell them how much I love them. My cousins are all grown up and are at the age where they enjoy taking care of my niece and nephews the way I used to take care of them.

Cousin Ian is not a teenager anymore. He lives a train ride away from me (getting his art degree at Sarah Lawrence) and we lamented how we have to travel all the way to Monroe to actually see each other. We promised we’d make an effort to change that.

His sister Claire left nyc (and the dream of acting) a couple months ago and has been frolicking in Scotland with her grandparents, enjoying her mother’s roots. I missed her at Thanksgiving, and miss her now.

It was good to see Auntie Allison. Donning a fresh scar on the right side of her face that forms a backward 7 from the edge of her eye to mid-cheek, she brings new meaning to the term “hard-core.” Her accident with the tree and the fall that broke her thumb is not enough to keep her off the bike. She’s committed to what she loves; I like that about her.

I came across a green binder with my name on it our first night there. Inside, I found all my blog posts printed out in order. My mom told me that gran takes them with her to share with her bridge club. I nearly cried. “My gran is proud of me.”

My mom’s cousin Barbara joined us this year, adding a new twist to our family traditions. She said the reason she wanted to come was because she read my post about my last Harkey Thanksgiving . I hope it lived up to her expectations. We all enjoyed her company. She got to witness the intense scrabble and board games, the clashing of rivalries in the UT/A&M game, and community naps. In honor of tradition, Uncle Matt prepared the bonfire on the levy in which we snacked on S’mores and sang every ridiculous camp song we could think of, as loud as we could.

My favorite moment of the whole weekend by far was when the entire family circled up to pray around the living room, holding hands. Before I bowed my head, I took note of what an incredible gift this was. Twenty plus people, who love each other so much, and share a strong love for the Lord, giving thanks to Him who made them family.

I’m aware this is not the norm, and I’m so grateful we Harkeys are an exception to the rule

Caught up

Studying for my NT mid-term. I cannot help but share what I'm learning: "The trinity is like a hurricane of love where the Father, through the Spirit, pours out his love to the Son. The Son takes that and gives it all back to the Father, and the good news of the gospel is that we are caught up in that!" My heart exults in such undeserved love.

Move

Sometimes your life goes lurching forward
at an intense speed and you’re left befuddled,
wondering what just happened and just how you got there.
Nothing happens slowly in NYC.
How did I forget that?

Spontaneous decisions are reckless
and risky
and can be completely irresponsible,
but the Holy Spirit doesn’t play by the rules of the logical mind.
He likes to play the game of extreme faith,
the game that tolerates nothing but big leaps

…blindfolded.

Financial District
Here
I
Come.

Dburode

The house with the blue door
Unassuming on the hill
Enclosed in glorious bursts of green and yellow
(colors on steroids)

It boasts of history
Untold stories
Heeded only in the night
Through creaking walls
And groaning floors
Shifting in rhythms
Aligning with the wind

Inhale the air
Cool and damp
Words spoken stick to mist
Breathing it in
Like tasting something
Altogether untouched

Quiet is a sound
So pure on that hill
Interrupted only by
Salty waves
Dancing below
They speak to the house
With the blue door

And the night
So dark
The white house
Camouflaged in black
And the sky

Pierced by the
Ordered chaos of stars
They perform for bemused eyes
And cry out to their Maker
The One who holds them all in place

And the moon
Smiles in the company of the speckled light

Hot Fun in the Summertime

It appears that summer has finally decided to grace NYC with its presence. After a long season of non-stop rain, sporadic thunder storms, and chilly winds, I have finally put away the jackets and jeans and pulled out the shorts and skirts that I've been dying to wear.

I forget every winter how many people actually live in this city. The first day the sun shows its face, New Yorkers emerge from hibernation to enjoy a big brunch at a sidewalk cafe, or a game of frisbee in Central Park with friends. They are confident in the colorful, trendy summer attire they've been saving in their closets for months, just waiting for that first warm day that seemed like would never arrive. This city is alive again. The New Yorkers' demeanor has changed, we are happier, kinder to one another. We made it through a very long, hard winter, and you can feel the relief and triumph in the air.

I love walking the streets of NYC during the summer and can hardly bring myself to go underground to take the subway, so I do a lot of walking and bus riding. I want to soak up every moment I can, so I can store up for the next winter, when I will think of warmer days, and warmer people.

These new days have been spent with good friends, making priceless memories. I love Sunday afternoons in Sheep Meadow. Napping on a blanket, playing cards, and merely enjoying the company of my favorite people, describes my perfect summer scene.

Last Tuesday, several friends of mine went with me to NY Summerstage for an Explosions in the Sky concert. It was pouring down rain when we arrived which lasted through the two opening acts. The ten of us hunkered beneath a tent we made with our umbrellas, which did little to shield us from the deluge surrounding us, but we laughed hard and vowed this made the experience that much more memorable. As soon as Explosions entered the stage, the clouds parted to reveal a perfect sky. Everyone cheered.

I couldn't help but close my eyes and worship as the pure sound of guitars and drums melded together into a lilting strain that rose and fell without rest for an hour and a half. I got chills as I thought about the beauty of the Lord displayed in the musical gifts of His creation. He is the Benefactor of such gifts, and He received glory from the ten friends silently bouncing and swaying to the chords, delighting in the experience together.

Ahh, summer, welcome home...

Memorial Day

I woke up at 3:30 in the morning on Monday to the loudest noise I've ever heard in my life. I often wake up in the middle of the night, heart pounding wildly, with this same thought, "it's Judgment Day," only to realize that it was a motorcycle roaring by 19 flights below, or an angry cab driver laying on his horn. This time was different. The sound was a loud crack that echoed through the streets of the upper east side. My immediate thought, after "Judgement Day," was "that was the loudest thunder crack I've ever heard. Surely the entire City will be talking about this tomorrow." I did hear multiple sirens going off, but I assumed the noise had set off every car alarm in the street. The following morning my roommate, who is an extremely deep sleeper and didn't even stir at the deafening clamor, came in from an errand to report that it wasn't a thunder clap i heard, but in fact, it was a bomb that exploded on the front stoop of our local Starbucks two blocks down. It was a homemade bomb engineered from a water bottle. Fortunately, it only shattered the windows of the Starbucks, and yet, it caused enough racket to wake up the neighborhood, at least, everyone but my heavy-sleeping roommate! Way to ring in the holiday, huh?