Nothing but Smiles

Image from here

I apologize for my absence from blogging.  My only excuse is that I've just been busy!  But busy in a very good way.  I'll give a full update over the weekend, but for now I just feel the need to add to my list of things I'm thankful for.  So here it is...

I'm thankful for...
121) Weekend trips with just the girls
122) Freshly picked apples
123) Raspberries, yogurt, and granola....I'm thankful for each separately, but together thay are delicious!
124) Cool, crisp mornings
125) Beautiful sunsets over Lake Michigan
126) Clif Energy chews....they are getting me through these insanely long runs!
127) Having fun weekend plans when the week isn't even half over
128) Giggling until your stomach hurts
129) Old mix cds for road trips
130) New music from my favorite artists

Live Sweetly :)
Rachel

P.S. I'm getting closer to reaching my goal of $1,000 for the Special Olympics.  I have until the Chicago Marathon on 10/10/10 get there.  All donations are greatly appreciated.  Please visit my fundraising site by clicking here: http://www.active.com/donate/sochicago10/RDavis500

Friends

I prayed for you before we met,
not knowing who you'd be.
I asked the Lord to send a friend.

Image from Juan_MiguelR

One chosen just for me.

I asked that they'd be Godly,

with wisdom of His ways.

A friend to help and guide me

in the troubles of these days.

So often in life, we need someone
to listen while we talk.
Someone who will not condemn or judge,
but encourage us as we walk.

The narrow road we choose to follow
may sometimes make us stumble,
but to have a friend to catch our fall,
teaches us to be humble.

When I asked the Lord to send a friend,
though many came and went,
He gave much more than I ever asked,
for you are the friend He sent.

~Anonymous~

I'm thankful for...
116) Seeing a movie on Sunday afternoons.
117) Clif Energy Bloks.
118) When my sister's come to town.
119) Popcorn at the movie theatre.
120) New music.


Live Sweetly :)
Rachel

Baptism Sunday

My name is Rachel, and I was baptized in Lake Michigan today.

After calling myself a Christian for over two years, today was the day that I finally decided to show this publically to my friends, family, and church.

Today was a day of celebration, hope, and love.  What happened today is a true testament to the power of God's love and grace...and the transformation that His presence has had on my life.  Those who are close to me know my testimony of what brought me here today.  I'm so happy to say that my life has been forever changed.

Thank you to everyone who has played a part in getting me to where I'm at today.  I could have never gone on this journey alone.

I didn't take many pictures, but here's a brief slideshow of my baptism:

Slideshow design generated with Smilebox

"May your unfailing love rest upon us, O Lord, even as we put our hope in you."
Pslam 33:22

I'm thankful for...
86) Times when the love that surrounds is palpable
87) Everyone who woke up early to celebrate with me today
88) My church home
89) Pedicures
90) Smilebox slideshows

Live Sweetly :)
Rachel

Happy

Happy is...

     1. Characterized by good luck; fortunate.
     2. Enjoying, showing, or marked by pleasure, satisfaction, or joy.
     3. Being especially well-adapted; felicitous: a happy turn of phrase.
     4. Cheerful; willing: happy to help.

Here's what has made me happy over the last year...

Free picture slideshow made with Smilebox

I'm thankful for...
81) The people in my life who make everything better
82) Lazy days off of work
83) Seeing a matinee on a too hot summer day
84) Aloe vera gel
85) Selling things on craig's list

Live Sweetly :)
Rachel

New Job, New Outlook on Life

A week ago, I started a new job, which explains my absense from the blog world.  Over the last few weeks, my life has been full of surprises. 

Four weeks ago, I was feeling at a loss....confused about what was going to come next and wondering about whether or not any of the changes I wanted would ever happen.  My patience was being tested.  Thanks to the wonderful women in my small group, I was reminded that I needed to just trust in God's timing for it truly is the best timing.

A few days after I reached my low point, I received word about a job opening.  I sent in my resume.  Less than a week later, I had interviewed, received a job offer, and put in my two weeks notice.  This new opportunity was a huge answer to prayers, and probably the most direct answer to prayer that I've ever experienced.  I had been waiting for almost a year for a new job or new opportunity to come along.  I had put myself out there in so many ways, and I didn't understand why nothing was working out.  I was confused and impatient.  I was beginning to doubt that He was even paying attention.  

Now at the end of my first week at my new job, my doubts are gone.  Everything happenned so quickly and the timing of it all was too perfect for it to be anything but God's work.  I'm so grateful for everything, and I'm so looking forward to seeing how my life changes and develops as a result of this new job.  I'm feeling so positive about the future, and I'm couldn't be more ready for it to start.

Thanks to everyone who has been there for me as a friend along the way.  There are times when my strength comes from those who are close to me, and I am truly the luckiest person in the world.

I'll be sure to get back to blogging regularly.  With my new job, I'm more busy during the day, so my posts may be more few and far between....but I'm beyond grateful that I'm being challenged at my new job, so if blogging has to take a back seat for a while, I'm ok with that. 

I'm thankful for...
61) Hot summer days
62) First dates that are so good you don't want them to end
63) Sweet text messages in the middle of the day
64) Blue painter's tape...it just makes painting so much easier.
65) Trashy reality tv...it's my guillty pleasure
66) Public transportation...it's good for the environment and saves me from driving in traffic
67) Kraft macaroni and cheese. so yummy!
68) Ribs from Smoke Daddy
69) Park Community Church
70) The lakeshore path.  Aren't we so lucky to have that all along Lake Michigan?

Live Sweetly :)
Rachel

image from New Wine Today
 

Thankful

I realized that I forgot to list 5 thankful things at the end of my music post yesterday. Silly me!

So, here are 10 things to add to the list!

I'm thankful for...
51) Reality tv shows that provide great entertainment
52) Emergen-C, it's really helping me out at the moment
53) When God reminds you in big ways that he's working on it
54) Facebook wall posts from old friends
55) Blue painter's tape...it makes the job so much easier!
56) Pre-marinated frozen chicken from the store (I always forget to plan ahead and marinate, so this solves that problem)
57) Chicken flavored yellow rice...yummm!!!
58) My small group...these ladies are the loves of my life.
59) My memory foam contoured pillow
60) Flat shoes, and I'm so glad they are in style at the moment.

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.

Phillipians 4: 6

Live Sweetly :)
Rachel

Summer To Do

I recently read a blog entry from A Soft Place to Land about making a summer to do list.  This blogger made a list for her kids so she has ideas to fill the sometimes long summer days.  I figured that although I don't have kids or many long summer days to fill, I better make a list of musts for this summer.

So here it is!  I'll keep you updated on my progress as the summer moves on.

Summer 2010 To Do:
-train for the marathon
-play at least one full round of golf
-spend a lot of time at the beach (both North Ave and Michigan City)
-go to Lollapalooza
-see at least 2 free concerts at Millenium Park
-go to one of the Movies in the Park
-have a drink on the roof of The Wit hotel
-spend a day at Great America (anyone want to go with me?)
-finish my office to closet transformation
-go to Old St. Pat's block party
-go to the Taste of Chicago since the music line up is pretty good
-see the fireworks at Navy Pier
-go to the boat races on Kankakee River for Labor Day
-mini golf
-grill out...a lot.

That's all I can think of for now.  I already have some of these things in progress or in the works (Lolla tickets have been bought, closet has been cleared out, heading to Millenium Park next week for Vivaldi's four Seasons).  This summer is going to be GREAT!!

I'm thankful for...
41) Friends who have grills because I am lacking one
42) the guy at Sherwin Williams who was very helpful today
43) my friend, Kate, who is showing me how to refinish furniture
44) the color turquoise...I just love it (and it will be the color of my new office!)
45) rainy days during the week and sunny days on the weekend

I hope you all are having a glorioius day!

Live Sweetly :)
Rachel

image from Thai Jasmine

Happy Long Weekend!

Thank goodness!  A 3-day weekend is upon us.  I hope that everyone has a wonderful and relaxing Memorial Day weekend.  My goals for the weekend include:

-spending lots and lots of time outside
-not using my car unless completely necessary
-enjoying food and drinks with friends
-getting my closet cleared out for my closet-to-office makeover (Remember when I blogged about this?  It's becoming a reality! Pictures to follow)
-taking advantage of some Memorial Day weekend sales
-relaxing....aaahhhh

Happy Memorial Day!

I'm thankful for...
16) Long weekends that leave me refreshed and rejuvenated
17) Omelettes from the Crate & Barrel cafe
18) Beer gardens on warm summer evenings
19) My cat, Babs, who loves to cuddle
20) When my nails actually grow a decent length and don't break

Live Sweetly :)
Rachel

The Thousand Gifts

This morning I woke up feeling frustrated…annoyed…a little disappointed. I hate waking up that way, especially after coming off of a really fun weekend.

The heat in my apartment made me mad. The radio wasn’t playing any good music, so I turned it off in a huff. Someone cut me off driving to work. Traffic was…well, traffic. My back hurts because I slept funny. And even though I feel like I’m trying to make changes…everything just seems to be the same.

Ok. Now that I got that off my chest…

When I got to work this morning, I did a quick run through my google reader while drinking my cup of coffee. And it just so happens that the theme of some of my favorite blogs on this unusually ungrateful morning was…thanksgiving. The first blog entry I read was titled The Treasure of Thrown Away Food written by Lysa Terkeurst at (in)courage. Somehow through the web that is the internet I made my way to an entry from the blog a holy experience titled The Thousand Gifts…and this was probably the fourth blog entry I read that focused on gratitude.

image originally from blackcat1996

Ok. I get it. The message is clear. God is teaching me a lesson…and it’s a reminder that I clearly need. What happened between yesterday and today that made me so ungrateful? I woke up this morning feeling down about everything I don’t have, rather than being grateful for the many gifts I’ve been lucky to receive.

I have a job. I have amazing friends. I have a loving family. God has granted me another day to live on this earth and spend time with the people that I love so much. I don’t want my view of this world to be clouded by ungratefulness for even another minute.

So, with that, I’m going to start my own list of gifts. From here on out, I’m going to add to my list of things I’m thankful for at the end of each blog entry. The goal will be to get to 1,000 gifts...but hopefully by the time I get there the act of gratitude will be so addictive that I won’t want to stop.

I’m thankful for…
1) Being awake and alive on this glorious morning
2) The flowers my sister sent me for my birthday that are still blooming and beautiful after over a week.
3) Going to concerts with my music loving friends
4) Beautiful days at the beach
5) Emails from the renegades

Have a glorious day!

Live Sweetly :)
Rachel

25

For those of you who don’t know, I celebrated my 25th birthday last weekend. The thing I love the most about birthdays is that it’s a day where you are reminded of how much you are loved. It’s like all of the love you feel over the year gets packed into one day, so by the end of the day my heart is just bubbling over. Thank you to all of my family and friends who made it a very special weekend.  I'm reminded every year how lucky I am to have you.

Each year, I usually do some self-reflection in the days preceding my birthday. This year I feel like I’ve done a lot more than usual. 25 is a pretty significant number. It’s a quarter of a century. I’m officially in my mid-twenties. I’m half way to 30. I’m officially an adult. College ended 3 years ago. I graduated from high school 7 years. I’ve had my license for almost a decade.

Time has literally flown by.

There were many years where I felt like time wasn’t moving fast enough for me. I was always waiting for the next thing. In elementary school, summer could never come fast enough. In middle school, I couldn’t wait to be in high school. In high school, I couldn’t wait to be in college. And although college was a blast and I had so many unforgettable experiences, there were definitely times when I couldn’t wait to start my adult life. We spend all of the years leading up to 25 preparing to arrive at this point, and now I’m here and can’t help but think, what’s next?

The scary and exciting thing about the coming years is that I don’t know what’s next. The way that I choose to live the days, months, years that I am blessed to be here on this earth is completely up to me.

I have a lot of hopes, dreams, and goals for the future. Most of them are out of my control, but thankfully He will lead me in the right direction. And while I wait to see what happens as my plan unfolds, there is one thing that I’m sure of….I’m going to spend my time sharing the love that has been given to me.

Live Sweetly :)
Rachel

Sleeping Beauties

Random Fact #51: I love babies.

If these don't make you smile, then I don't know what will...

You can find a whole slide show here.  Aren't they sweet?  I wish I could sleep as peacefully as they are every night.  I wonder what they are dreaming about.


Live Sweetly :)
Rachel

50 Things

50 Random Facts:

1) I love turquoise/teal/blue-green.
2) I drive a red Ford Focus.
3) I have a cat named Babs.
4) I'm 5' 10".
5) I wear a size 11 shoe (except for when I love a pair and try to squeeze into something smaller)
6) I've had 3 nicknames in my life: Rachie, RachD, and Rach. 
7) I wear contacts and I'm practically blind without them.
8) I'm running the Chicago marathon on 10/10/10 for the Special Olympics team (Donations appreciated.  Please click here.)
9) I used to play piano and wish I still did.
10) I lived in Versailles, France for my junior year in college.
11) Je parle francais.
12) I've worked as an architect for Crate & Barrel for almost 3 years.
13) I live in the cutest one bedroom apartment in Roscoe Village.  I'm a little biased.
14) White Christmas is my favorite Christmas movie.
15) I love going to concerts.
16) When I'm hungry, stay away.  It's about the only time I'm ever in a bad mood or dead to the world.
17) I love to travel.
18) I was really quiet and shy as a child.
19) I donated my hair to Locks of Love a year ago.
20) I ran cross country in high school.
21) I have two sisters, who are 26 and 23, and a brother, who is 17.
22) I was born in Tampa, Florida.
23) I love doing interior design.
24) I design invitations for fun.
25) I'm crafty.
26) I straighten my hair every morning.
27) I have a jewelry closet full of fun costume jewelry.
28) I like jeans from the Gap the best.
29) I love wearing drapey tops.
30) I like wearing heels even though I'm already tall.
31) I've never dated a guy under 6' 3".
32) Red wine and dark chocolate are my two weaknesses.
33) Breakfast is my favorite meal.
34) I've been to Greece.
35) My birthday is May 15, 1985.
36) I go to Park Community Church.
37) Lilacs are my favorite flower.
38) I love to bike ride along Lake Michigan.
39) Kingston Mines is my favorite place to go out in Chicago.
40) I tried out for America's Next Top Model, but didn't make it.
41) I really like Italian sausage.
42) I'm becoming a real golfer this summer.
43) I love to cook, but prefer recipes that involve 5 ingredients or less.
44) I've been skiing twice in my life.
45) I love going for long walks with friends.  More for the great conversations, than the exercise.
46) I love Michigan.
47) I'm really good with kids.
48) I own all of the Harry Potter movies.
49) I took Latin dance lessons two summers ago.
50) I love to eat peanut butter straight from the jar.

Live Sweetly :)
Rachel

A Golden Afternoon

Remember the scene in Disney's Alice in Wonderland when Alice is singing along with the flowers?  If you don't, at this point in the movie Alice is no more than a few inches tall.  Alice stumbles upon a bed of flowers, and they welcome her to the garden with a song.  Unfortunately, the scene doesn't end well once they realize that Alice isn't a flower and might actually be a...WEED!  But, the song is lovely and it's one of my favorite parts of the movie.

I always think of this song on days like today...and lucky for us, I think we'll be having a golden morning, afternoon and night! Please have a listen. The song is sure to bring a smile to your face if the sun hasn't already done so.

If you'd like to listen to the song, click here.

If you'd like to watch the cartoon version, click here.

Enjoy!



Live Sweetly :)
Rachel

Dreaming of Paris

Last night, one of my favorites (and travel buddy), Amanda, came over and we starting discussing plans for our European vacation coming up in a month.

Thankfully, both of us want to park at a cafe for our Parisian afternoons and look something like this...

And if it happens to rain one day, we'll look like this...

And once we get to Spain to visit another favorite, Chris, we'll be here...

I can hardly wait!

Live Sweetly :)

Rachel

Balance

Every so often I have found myself in a place in life where I’m in transition. Things are changing and I feel a bit off. Life feels like it is lacking…balance.

When I start thinking about all of the things I have to keep up with…family, friends, faith, work, play, volunteering, hobbies…I get a little overwhelmed. When I add to the mix the goals I have for my life, the changes I’d like to make, and what I need to do to make those changes, my head feels like it might explode.

But then I pause...



Take a deep breath…



Gaze up into the clear blue sky…




And I remember that I don’t have to worry because God is on my side.

Image courtsey of nikki.jane

In the coming weeks, I’ll be making some important decisions that could change the course of my life. This has come as a bit of a surprise since I may be moving on to something that was never a part of the life plan I imagined as a child. But as I’ve said before, God surprises you with opportunities, relationships, and gifts when you least expect it. And oftentimes these surprises are something you may have never expected in the first place.

In the past, I’ve often found that big choices turn into a battle between what my stubborn self wants and what I think He has planned. It becomes a game of weighing each side and finding a balance between me and Him.

I have to come to terms with the fact that ultimately my life is not in my control. I have to trust that everything will be taken care of. I need to listen to where I am being called.

After gazing up into the sky and remembering that He is holding me in his hands, life doesn’t seem so overwhelming.  And I realize that I don't need to find that balance anymore…because He will always tip the scale.


Live Sweetly :)
Rachel

Bare Branches

I read the following story from a blog that I follow titled (In)courage .  Everyone can relate to the story of being broken but then being brought back to life by God's grace.  I know that I certainly can.  So, I'm going to share an entry from (In)courage today, rather than write my own because this is something that is too important not to share.  And please follow this blog if you are as inspired as I was.

Bare Branches from (In)Courage:

Three and a half years ago my life fell apart.

In one emotionally draining [understatement] week, I lost it all.

My best friend.
My ministry.
My church home.
My peace of mind.
My understanding of where life was going and what the next day/month/year would even look like.

Something died that week.

Do you know that feeling? I think we all do at some level, right?

The realization that, in a moment, so many things housed in the TRUTH category can be ripped out and put in the THAT'S WHAT YOU THOUGHT category.

Painful. To date, the most painful experience I have ever known.

And though details would make this a juicy story and a real tear-jerker, I've never written about it and I won't.

But. What I will tell you about is how God used that experience to change my entire life.

As Bible teacher and author Beth Moore says, "God allows wounding in your life so that He can bring healing."

And that statement, my friends, can have permanent residence in the TRUTH part of your heart.

In the few months after the total destruction of the life I knew, God began to speak to me of His love. At first, my reply was, "Uh. Yeah. Are You serious right now? Cause hello! You just allowed my life to FALL-A-PART. I'm supposed to label that as LOVE?!?"

[Cause sometimes a sarcastic tone is all I can muster. Forgive me.]

I went to a new Bible study during this LOVE season. My heart was broken and in all honesty, I felt a bit lost in my own skin. So anytime someone invited me to something involving God, I went.

The leader passed out a drawing, a tree with a girl standing in front of the trunk, to each of us. The goal, she said, was to add leaves to the tree with words representing all the ways God is using you in the world, yadda yadda blah blah blah. I stopped listening.

I stared down at my tree. And it looked just like me. Bare. Empty. Dead.

My eyes began to focus and see something coming out of the limbs. I grabbed my Raspberry Crayola marker and began to color.

There, in the empty, in the death, in the absolute absence of life, was L-O-V-E.

Can you see it?

When everything was pruned away, there I was, standing under the tree of His love.

Today, if life seems to have thrown you more curve balls than you can even fathom, if all that was true yesterday is suddenly false, if you are broken in the deepest of places,

I'm asking God to draw near to you.

Because somewhere in your bare branches, He is writing His love to you.

by Annie Downs, Annie Blogs


Live Sweetly :)
Rachel

Time

A few days ago I was emailing with a good friend of mine and we were both lamenting about some things that we want but don’t have. During this conversation, I said something that hit me like a ton of bricks after I hit send...

“It’s a weird spot to be in…wanting something because you know in the future

that it will be the right thing, but coming to the realization that it might not be

what you need right now.”

There are a lot of things that I want…a great job that I’ll love going to each day, a home on the water, a man who will be a loving husband and life partner, an end to global hunger, world peace.

Thankfully, God has blessed me with so many things in this life, and ironically, I never even knew I wanted a lot of those things. He surprises you with opportunities, gifts and relationships when you least expect it. And I often surprise myself with the choices that I make as I grow and mature.

One big lesson that I’ve learned is that everything happens for a reason. The timing and placement of those opportunities, gifts and relationships are all a part of my…actually, His plan. And this timing is different for everyone with no one plan being better than the other.

All we have to do is have faith, be patient, and believe because He is looking out for us.

As the old saying goes,

Yesterday is history,

Tomorrow is a mystery,

But today is a gift,

That’s why it’s called the present.

From here on out, I’m going to do my best to be present in the present, focus on the now, and stop worrying about the future…

…because the time I have to be here truly is a gift.

Live Sweetly...and God Bless :)
Rachel

Holy Hugs

About a month ago, I was blessed with the opportunity to begin serving for GRIP Outreach for Youth as a coach for a program called SLAM. SLAM is held weekly on Monday nights for at-risk youth to come and spend an evening in prayer, fellowship, learning about the gospel, and sports. It’s a huge honor to be a coach, and even in this short amount of time, I can already see transformation in the lives of these kids…and in me.


Last weekend, one of my SLAM girls was baptized. To celebrate and show support, another coach and I piled in a car with 4 other girls and drove to the way south side of Chicago.

As we rounded the corner of 45th and Princeton, we came upon a church called Fellowship Baptist Missionary Church, otherwise known as “The Ship” to its members. I felt like a fish out of water for a few reasons, but mostly the look and feel of this church was nothing like what I’m used to. Well, the look wasn’t that different. It was a brown brick building with some stained glass windows and a big door that lead into the sanctuary. The inside had rows of pews that formed a semi circle around the altar and there were pews behind for the choir. The feeling, though, was different and it struck a chord with me.

This church had ENERGY. The people were EXCITED. The pastor spoke with outbursts of PASSION. The choir sang from deep within their SOULS.

I was amazed and delighted by this difference. The feeling in this church was contagious. I found myself standing up, clapping and dancing along with the opening song with a chorus that was so simple, yet so powerful….

LORD...YOU ARE AWESOME.

Listen to a version of this same song here.  It's called Awesome by William Murphy.

This first song was followed by a few others, and then the pastor was introduced. Pastor Jenkins made his way up the aisle with roaring applause from the congregation.

My first thought was, “Why don’t I cheer on and encourage our pastor’s as they take their place at the podium? Why don’t we exalt the church leaders for sharing God’s word at my church?”

Shortly after this thought, Pastor Jenkins said, “Thank you all for coming to join us at The Ship today. We’d like to welcome all of our newcomers. Would all of you first timers stand up so we can welcome you.”

Cori, the other SLAM coach, and I look at each other with wide eyes and slowly stand up. As if we didn’t stick out enough already, now we had to stand up?!? We were both a little nervous. Pastor Jenkins says, “We thank the Lord for bringing you here today. We hope to see you come back again. Everybody, before they sit down, make sure that they get a HOLY HUG!”

Immediately after I look around and see countless pairs of arms wide open ready to give me a hug and welcome me to this church. I was touched. I was no longer an outsider. I had no reason to be nervous. I was welcomed into this church family.

Even though I’m lucky to already have a home at Park Community Church, I plan on going back to The Ship every so often. I don’t want to lose the ENERGY, EXCITEMENT, and PASSION, and I want to feel those things in the depths of my SOUL.

I also want to give lots of HOLY HUGS.


Live Sweetly :)

Rachel

Sweet Things Sunday

This Sunday's sweet thing is friends. I have the best friends that a girl could ask for, and it became clear how lucky I am when I had to pick between pictures to put on today's post. So, here is a random sampling of the special women who I am lucky to call my friends.

"Friendship is the golden thread that ties the heart of the world."

John Evelyn

Live Sweetly :)

Rachel

Who Should I Cheer For?

A little over a week ago, I had the opportunity to spend and evening with my cousin, Sam. Sam is a sweet 6 year old boy who I have been lucky to watch grow up since he lives in one of Chicago’s neighborhoods that isn’t to far from me.

On this particular Friday evening, Sam’s parents were juggling responsibilities between the two kids…and on this particular evening, Sam’s mom and dad were committed to waiting in line all night out in the cold at one of Chicago’s local park districts in order to get Sam at the top of the waiting list for a baseball league (which is supposedly the best in the city). Sign up began at 10:00 am on Saturday morning, and my uncle learned after a failed attempt last year that parents begin lining up the day before to secure their child a position. Raising children in the city hasn’t always proved to be easy for my aunt and uncle, but they are dedicated to making sure that their kids will still have the same experiences as children in the suburbs even though it may require a larger effort on their part. Through this, they are showing their kids how much they love and care for them, and Sam is a true reflection of this…

When Sam was over, I convinced him to watch the opening ceremonies for this year’s Winter Olympics with me. Of course it took a little negotiation, and we agreed to first watch an episode of his latest obsession, The Pink Panther.

Between the old cartoon (which Sam thought was hilarious…I love having my apartment filled with the sound of a child laughing) and the start of the opening ceremonies, the video for the 25th anniversary of “We Are the World” had its world premiere, which you can see here.  Since the song was redone in order to raise money for Haiti, footage of the earthquake’s aftermath was intertwined with footage of the talented artists and celebrities.

I found myself wanting to rewind the video to see which musicians, singers and songwriters were featured. I wanted to make sure that my favorite artists were a part of this awesome collaborative effort. However, Sam was just sitting there with his jaw dropped.

Part way through the song, Sam asked, “Rachel, why are those people standing on top of their homes?”

I said, “Well, their homes were ruined by the earthquake so they’re standing on what’s leftover.”

He then says, “Oh…there are people who have to live like that?”

Trying to use this as a teaching moment, I say, “Unfortunately, Sam, there are people in the world who aren’t as lucky as you are. There are people in the world who don’t have clean water to drink, or food to eat, or even a nice home to live in. We are very lucky and we need to thank God everyday for everything that he’s blessed us with.”

He says, “Yeah, you’re right.” Then after thinking for a minute, Sam looks at me with a furrowed brow and says, “Rachel, I’m not sure who to cheer for. Should I cheer for Haiti or the US?”

I was surprised at Sam’s sweet and thoughtful question. After watching the countries walk out, we realized that there was no one from Haiti participating in this year’s Olympics, but Sam’s question had me asking myself a question about my life…

…who am I cheering for?

Colossians 3:23

Live Sweetly :)

Rachel