Good escape

Mile long: 812

What do you do when you have thoughts you can't express and emotions you can't handle just now? Why, you go to a Switchfoot concert, of course.

You know, the kind of show that is loud - really good and loud - like, you get to sit right beside the speakers and feel the bass drum pound in your chest and the buzz of the electric guitar drowns out the sound of the people singing along, including yourself, so you can sing and yell as loud as you want and feel swallowed up in the life of the music.

Because it takes on life and sweeps you away - it warmly throbs in your head and it rushes over the audience in forms of dancing, swaying, and waving.

The lead singer walks through the aisles among the fans and sticks the microphone in the faces of passionate sing-alongers, to invite them into the life of the music with him.

And you hope he doesn't come your way because you don't want to be spotlighted, but you do want to be known - desperately want to be known within this mass of bodies by someone in some small way.

And the guitarist on your side of the stage looks up and makes eye contact with you, and then holds your gaze long enough to tilt his head, nod, and give you a small smile - not the flashy, flirty, cocky smile of rock stars, but the smile of someone who just read your eyes, knew where you were at, and dedicated this song to you.

So since you're on the edge of tears you go ahead and rock out as hard as you possibly can and shout out the lyrics of hope and life that this band is known for.

Because even though you don't feel full of hope and life, the lyrics remind you of the truth, and you have to proclaim it no matter what.

Here's to you, Switchfoot. Thanks for a good escape tonight.

One, Two, Three

Mile log: 806

Yesterday, Pam and Andy got married. Such a blessing to be in their lives and a part of their wedding. They had a cord-braiding ceremony, based on the verse in Ecclesiastes that says, "A cord of three strands is not easily broken," and they asked me to write a little something to explain/express that concept. So here it is... 

“One, Two, Three”
from Ecclesiastes 4:9-12

by C.L. Chandler

for Andy and Pam Leeper, 9/28/13

Two are better than one…

If either of them falls down,

One can help the other up          

-              So I commit to love and support you

                to be constant, gracious, and strong

when you are weak.

When you stumble and fall,

I will lift you up again.

When you cannot find your way,

I will shine the Light for you.

When you forget who you are,

 I will remind you of the truth.

Two are better than one…

If two lie down together,

They will keep warm                     

-              So we commit to serve each other

to compliment and enrich
both of our lives.

Let us lie close together to stay warm.

Let us lean on each other to gain courage.

Let us walk in step together to discover

the joy in the journey.

Two are better than one…

Though one may be overpowered,

Two can defend themselves      

-              So we commit to work together

                as partners, to fight for what is sacred.

What the enemy tries to steal, we will protect.

What he seeks to kill, we will rescue.

What he wants to destroy, we will defend.

Three are better than two…

And a cord of three strands

Is not quickly broken                     

-              So we commit our lives to Christ

                who is greater than us,

and makes us complete in Him.

Please weave us into Your glorious plan

so we will trust You.

Intertwine our lives tightly into Yours

so we may not be loosed.

Precious Jesus, bind us together

so we cannot be undone.

Pseudo-roomies and colliding stories

You know those moments when different pieces of your story collide? Like, when your parents visit your apartment, or your neighbors meet your co-workers for the first time... or when your roommates meet your childhood best friend... How about when two current roommates finally meet each other...? 

You know about the "Women of the Hobbit Hole" - Emilee, Brie, Hannah and I - but there are actually two more official pseudo-roommates in our lives now - Mary and Beth. They are both kindred spirits (I keep finding more of those around here), funny, kind, quirky, authentic, and easy to be with. They both grew up on farms with multiple incredible brothers and strong Christian roots. They both love to sing and soak up meaningful relationship, and while one sports cowgirl boots and the other rocks red lipstick, you can tell they have the same Father, by their love. 

They are "pseudo" because they only live with us part-time, a couple nights a week, a few meals scattered throughout, cuddle sessions, movies, and deep, late-night talks. We shuffle beds and make up couches to fit everyone in (the Hobbit Hole has a massive pantry but limited sleeping space), so we don't really have room for them to live here full-time. But until recently, they had never actually crossed paths... Mary leaves on Wednesday mornings, Beth arrives on Wednesday afternoons, and thus they pass each other like those elusive ships in the night. 

Last Saturday, Mary invited us to the Bluffton Free Street Fair (which is very much like Autumn Leaves Festival in Mt. Airy, for those of you in NC), so Hannah, Brie, Beth and I decided to go together... and thus, Mary and Beth met. Aren't they cute?!

Mary and Beth

 Actually, the whole weekend was a beautiful traffic jam of colliding stories.

Bluffton is Mary's hometown, so we got to meet some of her friends at the fair and got a bit of a "tour" of her story... homesteads, fields, her school, all with sweet Mary-memories attached. The next day Hannah and I went to Defiance, Ohio, to have lunch with Emilee's family... which was awesome, and getting to know her kind and generous and hilarious parents explained a lot about our Em. :) That night Brie's brother came to visit, which is always a treat for us, and he got to mingle with our local friends and family for a couple days.

I love when stories collide... like when the teens and ladies from NC came to visit, when Anna joined Hannah and I on our adventure, and when my friends here go home to NC with me. It means so much to me to share the different parts of my life with people I love, because I feel like it is a way for them to know me deeper. And whether it's in British Columbia, Oregon, Florida, North Carolina, Bluffton, Defiance, Fort Wayne or anywhere else in the world, it's fun to dive into other stories too, to know people I love even more.