The Little Things Count

So, the last couple of times I have spoken with family, we have finished the conversation saying, "see you in Ireland," or "see you in a couple of months." You see, my husband's family will be traveling to Ireland in a few weeks, and we are accompanying them on this potentially invigorating yet relaxing vacation, and after just seeing my family, I am not sure when I will be able to make the trip to Philadelphia again.



But is that what it has really come down to? "See you in Ireland?"

I long for the days when family was all together in one place...When I knew exactly what was going on in their lives...When I was there when they got their license, when they got ready for the prom, and when they needed comforting. Coming from a large family, and marrying into another large family, it is hard to keep on top of what everyone is doing. (Thank goodness for blogs though!!!)





It was easier then. If you had a problem with something one of your siblings did you could tell them face to face. Now you hear it second hand. And you wait as long as you can to tell them how you feel in person, and then you end up not being able to keep it in, and blow up at them over the phone (never a good thing!!). Or you aren't there to share in the joys and the laughter.





It is harder now to disagree with something my parents or sisters are doing. It is easy for them to reply, "You don't know, you aren't around."

I find that now I pray more and deeper for my sisters/brother and sisters/brothers-in-law. I pray for things that may or may not be happening, thinking God will create some sort of soft barrier around them, protecting them from harm and temptation.






And although it is hard, I am trying to tell myself not to worry, but it is hard to buy into the phrase, "what you don't know can't hurt you."

And since time with family is becoming more and more limited, I am praying that God uses the time that we do have for his glory, that our relationships will be strengthened, that we will learn to love and tolerate eachother more, and that we will respect eachother as we change and grow.

I am often reminded of Mother Theresa's words (since my old boss used to say it at least twice a week), "God does not call us to do great things, he calls us to do little things with great faith." And so, we do these little things, we pray the small prayers, and we initiate the tiny conversations, believing that they will sprout into something bigger, something beyond our control, and relationships will be healed and strengthened...Despite distance and age.

(p.s. Pictures don't necessarily correspond with thoughts above or below them, and I apologize in advance to those family members who do not appear above.)

Just got back from a fabulous weekend with friends and family. College friends traveled from all over the East Coast to my parents house outside Philadelphia, PA. Great times watching the NCAA lacrosse games, eating, talking, did I mention eating??? Wonderful to see how everyone is "growing up," hear what is happening in their lives, and learn what they are going to be doing for the next couple of months.

Needless to say, this weekend also tired me out. Hope you all had a wonderful Memorial Day weekend. More posting this week....

Lacrosse: Past and Present

Everyone always thinks of baseball as the all-American sport. What very few people know is that lacrosse was most likely America's first sport. Lacrosse, a native-American sport, was actually first used as preparation for war.
"Legend tells of as many as 1,000 players per side, from the same or different tribes, who took turns engaging in a violent contest. Contestants played on a field from one to 15 miles in length, and games sometimes lasted for days. Some tribes used a single pole, tree or rock for a goal, while other tribes had two goalposts through which the ball had to pass. Balls were made out of wood, deerskin, baked clay or stone."

Only after a Jesuit missionary in 1636 documented the Huron tribe playing lacrosse, did Canada and the US pick it up. And two hundred and some odd years later, lacrosse was being played at colleges and universities up and down the east coast. And to this day, it is still making its way across the U.S. to the west coast.

"New York University fielded the nation's first college team in 1877, and Philips Academy, Andover (Massachusetts), Philips Exeter Academy (New Hampshire) and the Lawrenceville School (New Jersey) were the nation's first high school teams in 1882.

The first women's lacrosse game was played in 1890 at the St. Leonard's School in Scotland. Although an attempt was made to start women's lacrosse at Sweet Briar College in Virginia in 1914, it was not until 1926 that Miss Rosabelle Sinclair established the first women's lacrosse team in the United States at the Bryn Mawr School in Baltimore, Maryland."

What is most fascinating is that until the mid-1930s, men and women played by virtually the same rules. Can you imagine that today? I don't think that I, at 5 foot 4 would have been asked to play a sport of such roughness, or would have lasted that long playing it. On second thought, bring it on.

So why bring this all up??? Well, it just blows me away that lacrosse is in a way becoming the all-American sport. Players play for fun, for competition, and for the love of the game. They don't play for money. And, it is bringing together dads and sons, moms and daughter's all across the U.S.

This weekend, thousands gather for the NCAA men's lacrosse championship in Philadelphia, PA at Lincoln Financial field. I will be there, along with my husband, college friends, sisters, brother, dad, and mom. Yes!!! The whole entire family. We are all coming together to watch this spectacular game.

The sport of lacrosse has had an impact on both my husband and I. We both played it growing up, in highschool, and then in college...Becoming captains of our teams. While we were dating during college most of our conversations revolved around lacrosse specifically, how we played, team politics, and obnoxious coaches.

Lacrosse also brings something bigger, it brings association, friends, and networks. The world of lacrosse is still small that once inside you have a lot more acquaintances and contacts than you would have first thought. I still haven't fleshed this all out, but I believe the lacrosse community is unique.

So, I hope you all have a wonderful Memorial Day weekend. I will be thinking of all of you (praying that you have safety and relaxation), and you can picture me sitting in the stands of the Lincoln Financial field cheering on the teams (and I am sure, eating and drinking!!! What would a lacrosse game be without beer and a grill?).

Trust Fall

"Our Lord trusted no man; yet He was never suspicious, never bitter, never in despair about any man, because He put God first in trust; He trusted absolutely in what God's grace could do for any man. If I put my trust in human beings first, I will end in despairing of everyone; I will become bitter, because I have insisted on man being what no man ever can be--absolutely right. Never trust anything but the grace of God in yourself or in anyone else." (Oswald Chambers)

Oswald Chambers may sound rather harsh. Don't put your trust in anyone??? But I believe that what he is showing is that we must never trust anyone or anything above the grace of God. '

It is hard, but right now I am putting my trust in God, more than in my surroundings or to some, reason. I am trusting God that he will use me in my new job. That he will shine through my new responsibilities.

Started my new job today. To many (even my husband) it doesn't make much sense. Go from working for a very powerful man, to working as an excecutive assistant. Go from walking a block to work, to driving downtown in traffic. But something feels right. Something feels exhilirating because, I finally feel like I am truly trusting God. I am trusting that I will be able to use the gifts that He gave me to glorify Him. It feels like I am in a constant trust fall, the kind that you used to do at camp and in preseason. I am standing on the ledge with my hands crossed on my chest. I am leaning backwards and praying that Christ will catch me.

Capitol Hill Classic

This morning I ran the Capitol Hill Classic, a 10k that weaves through the streets of Capitol Hill, around RFK stadium, down the House side of the Capitol, and then up Capitol Hill to the finish. It is a great neighborhood run with lots to look at. This morning was HOT! And the sun was out in full view, making it harder to look forward without squinting.

Last year they only had two water stations, at the 2.5 and 4.5 mile mark. The same today, except they had the brilliant idea of setting up hoses around several turns. At one point I ran through a sprinkler and took off, the water cooling off my steaming arms and forehead.

I have always run races to finish, not really keeping my time. But I was inspired by the Running Chick to keep my time and pay more attention to my body and how it was feeling. So, here is the break-down.

The first mile was a pitiful 9 minutes. Although, I would like to blame some of it on the slow walk across the starting line and the first hundred yards because of all the people. So, I decided to speed things up. The second mile was much closer to where I was aiming, an 8:20 minute mile. The third was fairly close, around 8 minutes. Then, I kicked it up a notch, feeling really good, and probably just running through another water hose. My fourth mile was a solid 6:30 minute mile, fifth was around 7 and I finished up the Hill with an eight minute mile. It was definitely faster than I have ever ran a race, and gave me a lot of confidence for the upcoming marathon. My legs were tight after running up the Hill, but the quarter mile to the finish line definitely stretched them out.

I am starting to really love running and feel that I fit in with all the "running buffs" now. There is a sense of collective suffering during the race, the steady breathing, the spitting, the pushing eachother to run harder, faster. But there is also the collective joy at the finish line, you can hold your head up high, you congratulate eachother, you finished something together.

Transitioning

I am currently going through a job change. I wrapped up everything at my old job on Friday...although I still need to go in this weekend, finish up a few things and grab a box of my belongings.

So much time and energy is put into jobs, into relationships with coworkers, and into working hard. I feel like it will take some time for the old job to wear off and the new job to feel real.

The above picture is the view from my roof. The Capitol is actually a lot closer than it looks. I love this picture...it epitomizes how I felt walking to work everyday in the Senate, working for our country, working for the red, white, and blue.

It will be strange living on Capitol Hill but commuting downtown to work...I have heard that the private sector is a much different world. I am hoping it is much more conducive to having a life.

So this is my transition weekend, as I move from one job to the next. I am already starting to learn things about myself and what makes me happy, content. Soren Kierkegaard said, "Life must be understood backwards; but... it must be lived forward. " This Monday I am moving forward to a new experience, a new office, and new people. I can't wait!!!!

What Does Your Tivo Say?

One of the blogs I check diliegently has a post on how you can tell a person by what is on their bookshelf. That got me to thinking, you can probably tell a lot more about someone by what is on their Tivo settings as well. Well, here are mine (since my bookshelf is way too big and includes way too many categories):

Friends- Records 7pm and 11pm shows

American Idol- yes, I vote every week. Go Carrie Go

The OC- Is that really so bad?

24- This is real life right?

Dwell and Barefoot Contessa- My weekend fix.

Your Private Island- One can dream.

Catherine Averil Rotzell Mancini

I must share with you a picture of my beautiful neice. She is truly adorable!!!!
I told Tim that we can't have children now because they will never be as cute as Cate.

Revisiting our Past

This past weekend my husband and I drove to our alma mater for family graduations. We had a wonderful, and somewhat relaxing weekend with family and friends. As we drove around the North Shore of Boston (and we did a lot of driving) we revisited a lot of memories. We drove by past houses, favorite restaurants, and where we had our engagement dinner (photo above).

I had the chance to go on a five mile run on the coast of Rockport. It was incredibly relaxing and invigorating. I kept stopping to stare out at the calm ocean and decided to run to where Tim proposed. It still takes my breath away..it is a beautiful expanse of coast,on the rocks of Rockport, off a secluded footpath, where all you can see is the ocean...and it remains unchanged.

Other things have changed however. The restuarant where we had our engagement dinner has closed. Our friend Jaime is opening her own clothing boutique Ula Blue in June. Everyone wants to know when you are having children. I am now having meaningful conversations with my eleven year old brother. And my younger sisters are cooler than me.

This weekend was a blessing, and nothing less.

The Look, The Poise, The Power

Last night at a Wine and Design Party, I sat around with several other women discussing the importance of how we look. An interesting statistic: 55% of people respond to the way you look, only 7% of people actually respond to what you have to say. We talked about the need for women to see themselves for who they are, to be honest with their bodies, and to be able to hide their liabilities and work our assets.

Did you know that you should wear certain colors depending on what kind of mood you are in, or to show certain attitudes? Wearing brown allows people to open up to you, yellow should be worn around children, orange is fun but not for work, blue hues show that you are in charge, and green is soothing and should be worn when stressed.

Last night was not about falling into the Hollywood mantra. It was more about learning to love our bodies, regardless of shape and size. It was also about learning to dress professionally, to demand attention, and to spend as little time and money doing it as possible.

A Hill staffer has started a beauty and color consulting business, She Walks in Beauty. God has truly given her the gift of a soft, sweet voice and a big heart to help women in this area. Last night we also celebrated the debue of her company, which is titled after a famous Lord Byron poem,
"She walks in beauty, like the night, Of cloudless climes and starry skies,
And all that's best of dark and bright, Meets in her aspect and her eyes."

"Like a little wind that ruffles the curtains at dawn"

"Men do change, and change comes like a little wind that ruffles the curtains at dawn, and it comes like the stealthy perfume of wildflowers hidden in the grass."

The words of John Steinbeck, who most of us remember as the author of the Grapes of Wrath...one of my longest summer reading books other than Native Son (my all time favorite book), and one I had to read at a time when I would rather be playing the Oregon Trail on my computer than reading about the awful, depressing journey of a family....but indeed his words are eloquent nonetheless.

My apartment faces a back alley where the wind whips through in the mornings heralding the sun. It is comforting to know that we are not expected to change overnight, but steadily, thoughtfully, and in whispers.

My job is about to change, and I can already sense a change in myself. I woke up this morning refreshed...I bought a coffee and a Washington Post for the first time in awhile. I used to be all "newsed" out by the weekend, that all I could do was watch reruns of Friends and Barefoot Contessa. I was so tired of reading, writing, and thinking someone else's thoughts, that I forgot how to think on my own.

Yes, change is refreshing.

Sunny Days

It is a gorgeous day here on Capitol Hill. Got a good run in this morning, ran down to the Washington Monument and back up the Hill. Off to shopping, pedicure, and time in the sunshine!!!!

Guided Decisions

A lot of people in my life right now are making major life decisions...changing jobs, looking for a first job, moving, marriage...these are decisions that completely alter our daily lives.

When I graduated college I decided to do all of them at once...I got married, moved to DC, and found a new job. Needless to say I felt as though I had hit a brick wall and didn't know which way was up. This summer will mark 3 years since those trying days...days when it was hard to peel myself out of our whitewalled box apartment to meet new friends and somehow make DC home.

Past Senate Chaplain Lloyd John Ogilvie has a new book Praying Through the Tough Times. He provides a prayer for those times when we need to see the way, when major decisions are clouding our vision:

"I pray with Soren Kierkegaard, "Give us weak eyes for things which are of no account and clear eyes for all Your truth." ...Help me to look ahead to every detail of the day and picture You guiding my steps, shaping my attitudes, inspiring my thoughts, and enabling abundant living. May the vision You guide be equaled by the momentary power You provide. Give me wisdom to percieve You, diligence to seek You, patience to wait for You, a heart to receive You, and the opportunity to serve You...Direct my paths as I give precedence to loyalty to You over anything or anyone else...Amen."

Wisteria

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A quiet day, a lot of reading, and a long walk. It is Market Day on Capitol Hill and the streets are alive. The crowded Eastern Market was even more drenched with people and merchandise today. I found myself walking farther and farther away from all the people.

I found this beautiful wisteria growing up the front of a house on Capitol Hill. (actually, I found it yesterday and just had to go back because it absolutely took my breath away)

Wisteria, such a hard plant to grow, yet so sturdy. I really could not take my eyes off its beauty. Sometimes a beautiful landscape, a gorgeous garden, or single blooming flower takes my breath away...a breeze cleans out my lungs and heart, dusts off my worries, and smooths out the smudges constricting my view.

Oswald Chambers says that we should "pray with our eyes on God, not on the difficulties." And doesn't that make all the difference? We build our lives up to be more stressful than they really need to be, we worry, yet God calls us to look to him, and only him. There we find rest and strength.