I Want to be One of Them

Do you ever have a song that just sticks with you? The more you listen to it, the more you want to listen to it, and the more you sing along, the more the words become a sort of anthem in your heart? Lately, for me, that song has been "When the Saints" by Sara Groves.

Surprisingly, "When the Saints" has been one of my favorite songs since the album came out. It immediately spoke to a deep part of my heart. That part of my heart is the part of me that wants so desperately to make something out of my life. The part of me that wants to be the kind of person who makes an impact in the world; the kind of person who leaves an indelible mark on the world. I want to be the kind of person who's life is reflected in her faith, and whose faith is reflected in her life.

"When the Saints" started out as a catchy song that I couldn't get out of my head. Now it has become an anthem, a prayer, a cry of my heart to the Creator of all I love. Curious about the lyrics yet? Here they are...

Lord I have a heavy burden of all I've seen and know
It's more than I can handle
But your word is burning like a fire shut up in my bones
and I cannot let it go

And when I'm weary and overwrought
with so many battles left unfought
I think of Paul and Silas in the prison yard
I hear their song of freedom rising to the stars

And when the Saints go marching in
I want to be one of them

Lord it's all that I can't carry and cannot leave behind
it often overwhelms me
but when I think of all who've gone before and lived the faithful life
their courage compells me

And when I'm weary and overwrought
with so many battles left unfought
I think of Paul and Silas in the prison yard
I hear their song of freedom rising to the stars
I see the shepherd Moses in the Pharohs court
I hear his call for freedom for the people of the Lord

And when the Saints go marching in
I want to be one of them

And when the Saints go marching in
I want to be one of them

I see the long quiet walk along the Underground Railroad
I see the slave awakening to the value of her soul
I see the young missionary and the angry spear
I see his family returning with no trace of fear
I see the long hard shadows of Calcutta nights
I see the sisters standing by the dying man's side
I see the young girl huddled on the brothel floor
I see the man with a passion come and kicking down the door

I see the man of sorrows and his long troubled road
I see the world on his shoulders and my easy load

And when the Saints go marching in
I want to be one of them
and when the Saints go marching in
I want to be one of them

This song has turned into my prayer. That when I am weary and heavy-laden, I turn to God. My prayer is that when I am happy and overjoyed, I find His love.

And when I finally meet my Jesus face to face, I pray that I am welcomed in as one of His saints.

I Remember....

I remember the first time I met Tim.
I remember months later when he was hired as the media intern at SOCC.
I remember the first time I wondered if he could be interested in me.
I remember our first "non" date - Donatos & Pirates of the Caribbean.
I remember Maggie Moo's after Bible study and laughing until my sides hurt.
I remember him coming over to show me his projects from school.
I remember watching The Sixth Sense and holding his hand.
I remember the first foot rub.
I remember the first hug.
I remember the first kiss.
I remember the first "real" date - Mexican and Putter's Park.
I remember the first rose - before I left for vacation.
I remember telling him I was falling in love with him.
I remember hearing "I love you" right back.
I remember the first stuffed animal, the first walk, the first trip to his parent's house.
I remember celebrating our first year of birthdays and holidays.
I remember wanting him to propose.

I remember him proposing.
A beautiful fall day. An early children's musical. A trip to Brown County, his proposal video.
The ring.
Crying. Saying Yes. Crying more. Celebrating with friends, The Lanham's and the Mitchell's. Celebratory dinner at Olive Garden. Telling Tom & Elsie. Not being able to sleep.

I remember the faces of the people I work with when we told them.


I remember planning a beautiful wedding, finding the perfect dress, having a great bridal party.

I remember getting ready. I remember trying not to cry and just wanting to see him.
I remember walking up to the doors of the church.
I remember them opening and seeing nothing but him.


I remember vows and promises, songs and celebrations.
I remember the kiss.
I remember the celebration after the ceremony, the honeymoon and more.

I remember the first year.
Now I can say I remember the second year.

Two years ago, Tim and I were married.

I love him more now than I did then, and I didn't know that was possible.


Happy Anniversary, Tim.
I love you.

Unti l Write a Real Post.

Here are some of my favorite recent web-finds to keep you busy!

More Serious....
Second Chance Blog
Smith Magazine (6 Word Memoirs)

Not So Serious....
Cake Wrecks
The Consumerist
"Blog"

How I spent the first weekend of October...

Auburn (in the middle) had NO idea we were coming to visit for the weekend. Thanks to her entire family, we were able to keep it a surprise. The look on her face when she opened the door to her apartment was PRICELESS!

Singin' in the Rain...too bad my camera decided to go crazy and over-expose this shot!

The most magical place in the world!

Mr. Potato Head ROCKS!

the Shooting Gallery!

Decades Reading Challenge DONE!

WAYYYYYY back in January, I started the "Decades '08 Reading Challenge." This weekend I finally finished the challenge, by reading Sounder by William Armstrong and Thimble Summer by Elizabeth Enright Thimble Summer replaced Invisible Louisa by Cornelia Meigs as it was unavailable in my library! So, here are the last two reviews of the Decades Challenge

Thimble Summer
This was an okay book. And, yes, I only say okay. It was an easy read, and the characters were somewhat interesting, but I was disappointed in it having read some great Newberry winners in the course of this challenge. Thimble Summer was a book that was simple, and didn't have a lot of action. Basic story: the main character finds a silver thimble in a dried creek bed and the rest of her summer goes amazingly well, hence the idea that the silver thimble is 'magic' and that it is forever going to be known as the "thimble summer."

Don't get me wrong, I didn't dislike the book, it just didn't leave an impression on me.

Sounder
I'm pretty sure I was asked to read Sounder in elementary school at some point. As I read it, it felt more and more familiar. Sounder is a short book. The copy I checked out was only 83 pages. Sounder is the story of a slave family, their dog, and how the young main character copes with life, through the arrest of his father, the disappearance of the glorious hunting dog, and the return of a very different Sounder. It is a quick book, and reads like an oral story. You can tell that the basis for the book was an oral tale passed down from people to people. Sounder is good, but again, not something I was overly moved by. The ending is fitting.

Overall, the last two books I read as a part of the challenge were my least favorite. They were short, which is why their reviews are so short. Also, they didn't really have a lot happening, at least not a lot that challenged or motivated or changed me.

So anyway, here is the list. One challenge done, one to go!


Decades 08 Reading Challenge
1920's - The Voyages of Dr. Doolittle by Hugh Lofting
1930's - Thimble Summer by Elizabeth Enright
1940's - The Twenty-One Balloons by William Pende de Bois
1950's - The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth Speare
1960's - Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O'Dell
1970's - Sounder by William Armstrong
1980's - Dear Mr. Henshaw by Beverly Cleary
1990's - The View from Saturday by EL Konigburg