...words fail me

i just found out tonight that the brother of one of the girls i graduated from high school with died this afternoon in a car wreck. the family's car was side-swiped by a semi as they were driving to north carolina. he was thrown from the car, and flown to a hospital where he died in surgery. he was a sophomore in high school.

our lives on this earth are so fragile. God promises us nothing in regards to the next day. i know at this point all the carpe diem stuff may seem a little bit cliche, but how much is there each day that i should be doing but don't. that i put off with intentions to do it the next day. i've come to a point in my life where i take the next day for granted. death and hardship never comes to mind. i never think "this may be the last time i have to speak with this person or share the gospel with them." i don't take advantage of most of the opportunities i've been given. so much of my life is lived in a go-with-the-flow manner. i live in fear of being too different, of offending people, and in doing so, i hurt not only myself, but them. i lose so many opportunities to reach people and be their friend, usually because i'm so wrapped up in myself and my problems, which are truly insignificant. i spend so much time playing therapist to myself that i fail to notice the struggles of others.

-----

Come now, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we will go into this or that town and spend a year there and do business and make a profit." You do not know about tomorrow. What is your life like? For you are a puff of smoke that appears for a short time and then vanishes. You ought to say instead, "If the Lord is willing, then we will live and do this or that." But as it is,you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil. So whoever knows what is good to do and does not do it is guilty of sin. (James 4:13-16)

thanksgiving

thanksgiving is on thursday (as it is every year) and i figured i'd take a little bit of time to think about what i'm thankful for. it seems slightly cliche i suppose, but i know it's something i don't think about very often, so here goes...

i'm thankful for my God and Savior Jesus Christ and for His sovereign mercy and grace, without which i would be nowhere; for my parents, i love them so much and am so thankful for the influence they've been on my life and for the way they raised me; for my brother and sister, you guys are amazing, this may sound bad, but i'm so glad that you guys went away to college because it made me appreciate you so much more, i love hanging out with you guys, you're awesome. i'm so thankful that God chose to put me at the university of oklahoma. when i think about all the people that i've met as a result of being here, i know that my coming here was no accident. i am so thankful for God's sovereignty. it gives me such a peace in my life.

november

i have to say, i love it when it's warmer than usual in november (even despite the rain)

i had much fun wading in the puddles down the sidewalk today. i stopped, rolled up my pants legs, took off my shoes and socks and carried them in my hand all the way back to the dorm...it was a great experience, 4 stars at least. in fact, it's probably one of my favorite things to do right now (the other being skipping class...need to work on that)

wanted

from joel's away message:

WANTED:
Female voluteers. Must be single, reasonably attractive, and of average height.
Must be proficient in: Cleaning, Sandwich-making, Spanish, and Classical Greek.
Conversational skills essential; must be well-versed in the works of Sophocles, Tolstoy, and Shelley.

Apply online with our bodacious and free application, or call Joel or Chris, 487-1967

what would i do without those guys...

friends

i just have to say how amazingly blessed i am by friends. there is no other way to put it. i am so thankful that God chose to put the people in my life that he did. each and every one of you guys means the world to me and i am so glad that i met you.

and for all of you that i have neglected this semester, i am truly sorry. i am still working on learning how to be a good friend. it's been a process, this learning thing. something i never really realized took work, but i am realizing it now. i have to say, it's made those friendships so much better and more dear. God is teaching me a lot about myself this semester and it's been tough, but for all of you who have been there for me when i've been a horrible friend, i am so thankful. i love you guys.

my eye...

ok, quick update on the ol' eye. it has now turned lovely shades of purple and green (see below) i have gotten even more comments about "you look like you're wearing eye makeup, you should do the other eye"...and there is still string sticking out of my face, but since the swelling has gone down, there seems to be more string available for sticking-out-ness.

i think i'm supposed to go in on sunday to have them take my stitches out, however, i don't really want to go back to the hospital. any volunteers for removing them?

the love of God

just a little something from rich mullins:

Joy and sorrow are this ocean
And in their every ebb and flow
Now the Lord a door has opened
That all Hell could never close
Here I'm tested and made worthy
Tossed about but lifted up
In the reckless raging fury
That they call the love of God
-The Love of God

man, i love that song...

emergency room

yet another email published again in blog form...

hey guys,

since some of you were probably curious about what happened (if you had any idea that something happened), i went to the emergency room yesterday (tuesday) to get stitches near my eye. i was playing basketball, tripped, fell, and apparently hit my head. when i was talking to one of the ladies at the desk at the hospital, and she was asking about what happened, i told i had hit my head or slid but that i didn't remember (meaning i wasn't sure exactly how it happened, she started asking if i passed out and getting freaked out about memory loss. i had to specify that i wasn't sure on the details, not that the entire incident was unknown to me. anyhow, the experience overall turned out to be pretty interesting, between the staff at the gym (i think about 8 of them came over, but only three really did much...) and then they insisted on taking me out to the car in a wheelchair. i felt really really stupid to say the least.

aside from being completely embarrassed, the experience was almost fun. not a whole lot of pain (only annoying thing is my peripheral vision is slightly impared due to swelling), got to hang out with some cool friends, what better place than an emergency room, right?

so, there you have it, a slight update on my life...see picture for more details. not too much blood, but it sure felt like it wouldn't stop. kind of confused me why the blood from my (i thought) bloody nose was coming from my eye...

anyhow, i am doing well. but sleep calls to me now. hope all of you are doing well.

-emily

a picture says a thousand words, right? here you go: