Northern lights

On Wednesday mom and I are heading to Norway for my 21st in search of the Northern Lights, something I've spoken about since I was 15. We will be spending time on a cruise sailing up the coast of Norway, into the Arctic circle (cold!). We'll also be taking time out to go dog sledding, something else I've always wanted to do. Really looking forward to it! For my actual birthday we will be in a hotel where I will hopefully have Internet to do some blogging!

Ramblings of a wannabe SM

To be or not to be, that is the question. And a question to which I'm not really sure I know the answer.

The end is in sight

Second to last day of the shooting season. Not many in the bag as the remaining pheasants have become very gun wise!
Beautiful day ending with a beautiful sunset

Awakening a dreamer...

"Then comes affliction, to awaken the dreamer...."

Stories....

"Stories.

We all spend our lives telling them, about this, about that, about people.

But some,

Some stories are so good we wish they'd never end.

They're so gripping that we'll go without sleep just to see a little bit more.

Some stories bring us laughter and sometimes they bring us tears....

But isn't that what a story does?

Makes you feel?

Stories that are so powerful....

They really are with us forever"

~ Sky Atlantic advert

Smallville fanatic

Ok so I'm a Smallville fan, a big one, I'll admit. (For those who don't know, Smallville is about Clark Kent's early years. It's brilliant). I bought an external hard drive off a friend which had TV programs on it, one of which was seasons of Smallville. I made the mistake of going back to season 1, episode 1, and am totally hooked on Smallville. Again.

I'm not a fan of Lana Lang. I'm a fan of Chloe Sullivan. And I'm gutted that Clark and Chloe didn't work out (breathe Amy, it's only TV).

Anyway, there's this episode where Clark gets real sick, and Chloe reads him a letter. Call me mushy, but I just love the letter!

"I wanna let you in on a secret. I'm not who you think I am. In fact, my disguise is so thin, I'm surprised you haven't seen right through me. I'm the girl of your dreams, masquerading as your best friend. Sometimes I want to rip off this facade like I did at the Spring formal, but I can't. Because you'll get scared and you'll run away again. So I decided it's better to live with a lie than expose my true feelings.

My dad told me there are two types of girls - the ones you grow out of, and the ones you grow into. I really hope I'm the latter. I may not be the one you love today, but I'll let you go for now, hoping one day you'll fly back to me, because I think you're worth the wait."

I think that's pretty perfect.

Unconditional love.

Unconditional :: not subject to any conditions;

wholehearted, unqualified, unlimited, unquestioning, complete, total, absolute

"If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing.

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.

And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love."

It's possible that I've written this all before, but it's only because I am totally captured by unconditional love - what it is, how Jesus showed us this love, and how we need to show this love to others. The verses above are from 1 Corinthians 13, some of my favourite verses in the bible. I love the description of what love is (we have a plaque of this in our bathroom, and I make a point of reading it every time I am in there), and I love how it says that love is the greatest.

Just recently I was reading a book called "When God Writes Your Love Story", an incredible book, and through it God opened my eyes and challenged me. I have been single since the day I was born, and it is now something that I am very thankful for, as I have had no heartache and have had the chance to have a love story with my Father in Heaven. Through reading the book God challenged me to start loving unconditionally - family and friends, and most importantly, my future husband. I know some people think I am crazy, but I can honestly say that God has started giving me such a love for the man that I do not yet know; and I am now determined to stay single until I meet him. Why? Because I want to be faithful to him and I want to give him my all. I also want to spend these single years working on my character, letting God prepare me for an important relationship, and spend more time getting to know the heart of God. I read this great quote once (can't remember where, or who said it) and it went something like this "A woman's heart should be so hidden in God that a man should have to seek Him first in order to find her."

That's pretty awesome. And I want that! Sure it is hard, and God constantly has to help me, because like others, I do have a natural desire to be in a relationship, to have a family, to have that companionship; but I have come to the conclusion (which God always has to remind me of) that I would rather be single my entire life and devote every day and year to God rather than be in a string of relationships that don't work out.

That's my thoughts anyway.