Rockstar Renee

I was just sorting through old pictures and found this one which was from my first days on the ship. Looking at it brought a rush of feelings of newness, the exciting and scary beginnings of being surrounded by a whole community of people from all around the world who didn't know a thing about me, or I them.
Who was I going to befriend, who would be my tight knit group of home away from home family. My roommates faces were comfortably familiar at that point but I had no idea to what extent I would get to know them, and how comfortable I would soon become with them, like sisters. Pictures like these give me so much excitement for the years to come, just thinking of how much I've changed, how much less insecure, all the close friends I've met and exciting experiences I've had. I can't even imagine in ten years time what my thoughts will be when looking at a picture from now, it's really so interesting thinking about it.

I love him!

Part of my love for christ is stemmed from his passions. I love that he cares so much for widows and orphans. I love that justice and mercy is talked about so much and so passionately in the bible. That in Isaiah it is said that true fasting is to loose the chains of injustice, set the oppressed free, share your food with the hungry and provide the poor wanderer with shelter, clothing the naked and not turning away from your family, and in James it says religion that God our father accepts as pure and faultless is to look after orphans and widows in their distress. I can't say enough about how beautiful this makes Jesus to me. I love him.

learning to slow down

Life is an extravagant drink rich in taste, that I all too often gulp down forgetting to savour the flavor. I look back at the past few years of my life and they whip by like a tree viewed from inside a speeding car. I've felt a little sick lately about this. How will I learn to stop gulping down years. As I look out my bedroom window right now I see beautiful trees with sun rays filtering through the stained glass leaves. How do I sip that. I won't have this view much longer. Why don't I even know what those trees are called? I've lived here for almost 3 years and I don't know what the trees outside my window are called. I just don't seem to know how to make my home really home, I always have this feeling of temporary living. I do have a few bits of treasured memory to pack and take with me, hanging my laundry to dry in the sunshine, with the cool breeze blowing my apron to one side, redwood expanse all around me. I am also very people oriented so little pieces of my heart belong to so many people, the years have quickly passed by but my love for all the friends I've made have not. And I have learned so many things in my few years living in this community. I didn't even know that I love to write until I lived here. I didn't know how passionate I could become for west african dance. I didn't know how to knit, I didn't know how to cook, I was a lot more disorganized and I didn't know the beauty of goals. My next goal will be to learn how to slow my life down, stop floating above my days but live inside of them.

autumn: a poem

Orange is everywhere, yellow washed streaky, worn thin orange. A reflection of sunset, everywhere I go. I look up thinking of this beautiful color and ... yah there it is, in clothing, paintings and coffee shop walls. What better way to start off autumn, this breezy cool, petting zoo, pumpkin patch weather. Leaves ever gently floating. Fiery red, purple, yellow, floating and laying wet cold on the thirst quenched ground. Sipping tea in favorite cozy knitted sweaters that hug softer than a grandma, warm as the color orange.

Inspired

Today I am feeling inspired by beauty and creativity. I have been looking through blogs and have this overwhelming urge to give a stand up applaud to everyone who does what they love and lives there dream. I don't just mean the photographer who travels the world but also the mother who fits time in when she can, to work on her novel, like my friend Rae. Tonight we wet to our west African dance class and she brought all three of her children. She practised in the corner of the room as much as possible while also keeping full attention on her kids. Bravo Rae I love ya.

Curry

About 2 years ago I became the cook in my community. I didn't even know how to cook at that point, not really. I have always had a desire to learn though, especially cooking from scratch. Now I do everything, from legumes to soba noodles. Grocery shopping is the best because I always feel so proud when going through the check stand. It's basically tons of fresh produce, bulk goods like beans rice and flour and other various yummy healthy stuff. So anyway, all that to say the other night I did an eggplant curry, and I made my first curry powder from scratch

These are the spices being toasted(looking like bird food)

and then ground