Unconditional love and grace

Se agapo, meaning I love you in Greek.
(Compliments of Manny)
 
The following is journal excerpt from November 10, 2009.

Proverbs 17:17 - A friend loves at all times.

I must work to endure certain criticism, and to not be offended.

 Some are people-pleasers, that is, their actions are motivated by pleasing others.  In some circumstances, this is also me.  I believe a person can be demeaned and still choose not to be offended or wounded, even while the offender has given them ample opportunity to feel as such.

This is unconditional love.
It is also giving grace.

And so I must learn to love.
To learn, and be thirsty to relearn this wisdom every day.
It is a practice of my faith, and testimony to who I am, and to who I am becoming.

Roseanne. Anne, Full of God's Grace.
It will always be impossible to fully please mankind.  And thankfully, all I have to do is please God - by giving grace to others and being me.

God, do give me Your grace in my weakness. I need it. And help me to freely gift it to others in turn.

I'll Bike (& bleed) for MS - For $5!

Howdy!
It's that time the 2010 bike ride for Multiple Sclerosis.  You've helped me raise $11,000.  Let's do it again!  Can you spare $5 for the cause?

Why do I do it?  My friends have MS.  They're normal people - a friend from high school, a mentor at church, my gynecologist, and a former boyfriend.  You probably have friends with MS as well.

Donations as of 7/17: $695

Help me reach my goal of $1,000.



Donate $5 for MS here.

I'm stoked to be riding 83 miles with hundreds of friends through the Willamette Valley and the Columbia Gorge.  We'll camp, eat, laugh, and pedal our bikes a long way.


I have been training with a Canadian archeologist Simon, a Latin DJ Beto, a great friend from church Jordan (Brubaker), Salem's bike club, and my old friend the BMX rider Chris.  I clocked just over 100, which is not nearly enough to consider myself in shape for this ride.

We biked through strawberry, poppy, wheat, and bean fields, to Mac's in Silverton and played a game of pool, in pouring down rain, dark of night, and intense sun, to my Mom's and to friends' houses, to Scio and Mt. Angel, past old red barns and country homes, and have enjoyed the succulent smells and intense sunset views of the Willamette countryside.  I am blessed indeed.


Donate $5 for MS here. 

Throughout, I've relished in my Oregon experience and treasured my friends.  I always walk a bit funny after each ride.


Most recently:  I crashed my bike.  On a flat road, biking really slow (thank God!)  I wasn't holding the handlebars and twisted my body hard right.  The bike followed.  And my wound is healing nicely.

If I can bleed for MS, can you donate $5?  :)


I'll let you know how it all turns out.  If I finish the MS 150 ride, awesome.  If I don't, I will have had a blast, helped you give to those with MS, enjoyed my friends and the Oregon countryside, and the whole event will be worthwhile.

Donate $5 for MS here.  

Warning:  Graphic Photos of my bike wounds below.  ----------------------------------------

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Mighty Max M. - My new kid friend

Every so often a gem of a kid crosses your path.

... Usually when I work in my aunt's yard, I encounter snakes, slugs, thorns, deer, muddy grass, my unruly hair, bugs, and rain.  Today was no different.  That is, except that Max crossed my path.

Max and three other boys were playing in the creek in the woods behind my aunt's house.  One of the boys told him that he was annoying and they didn't want to play with him.  Max announced that he would take the entire land on side of the creek.  He seemed triumphant, but I wanted to stick up for him.

20 minutes later I was pruning on the side yard and Max noticed me through the trees.  HEY!  he said.
We ended up chatting for several hours.  Max, turns out, is 9 and in the third grade.  Max is a nerd.  Nerd, nerd, nerd.  He says it all the time.  I asked him why.  "Glasses!  All nerds have glasses.  I have vision problems."

What a decisive answer.  Well, I could not disprove him within our immediate surroundings; I wear glasses, and I am proud to say that I am a nerd.

So I told Max that it's great to be a nerd.  I'm glad I wasn't cute in high school, and I'm glad I studied a lot.  I told him to read.  I told him that's how he can get ahead in life.  "I know."  Throughout our conversation, I tried to drop maxims and comments that would remind him of his self worth and encourage him.  "I know."  Well, gee, I guess I don't have anything else to say to that, either.