Salem

 

 

This picture was taken in Salem, Massachusetts in 2008, my mother and I took our annual roadtrip to the East Coast. Salem is a very interesting town, one I’d been wanting to visit for a long time and hadn’t gotten around to it. Its a very historical town, lots of dark history, you may remember reading about it in your history books and its relationship to the famous Witch Trials. I highly recommend reading about it, this kind of stuff really facinates me. Wikipedia does a nice job of explaining it and splitting up the different aspects of it between religion, social affects, political affects etc. Check out this link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salem_witch_trials and really…READ IT! :0)

If you want to watch a film about this instead of reading it, which isn’t what I recommend as a cop-out but I do love movies and don’t mind if you get a craving for a cinematic adventure so you go rent this decent film: The Crucible .

Go ahead, get smarter!

Cheers!

kvandeway

Northern Plains…

I have been sitting at my desk for the majority of the day. It was the first day of the Autumn Semester for us mid-western college students. I got myself all oriented into my Math and Psychology class, syllabus’ on the wall to my right books on the shelf to my left and the Golden Compass, my laptop, sitting straight in front of me. It feels all great and exciting now, but there may come a time once I’m getting to the busiest part of the semester that I wish I weren’t sitting here flanked by all these things. I do feel blessed to be sitting in front of an open window, looking out on Peace River Acres and all the loveliness it encompass’s. The flower picture above is one I took from the garden at dusk today. After sitting and thinking for most of the day I wanted to get my hands on the camera and light my creative side up again. This is one of the results:)

You can see the rest of the flower pictures at www.flickr.com/kelseyvandeway

I’ve been blessed by great new people this summer. The Revolution college group has been an answer to a long time prayer. I have community in my life, my family is now extended beyond Devall Road and it has been made even more colorful. I love talking about Christ, Life, Faith, People, Emotions…how ‘regular’ we are hehe ;0) The allowance that is given for each of us to be ourselves, thats what makes this group so colorful and alive! God is faithful, it turns out He was the one waiting on me all this time…

You know, I don’t choose to go to school because its the American thing to do, or because its what you have to do to get a high paying job. I choose to go to school because I believe God would be proud of me for expanding my knowledge, exercising the mind He gave me, living in a well-rounded fashion. I love to learn, I love to grow and I love to mature. I don’t mind the growing pains all that much, but the definatly seem crappy when I’m going through some of them. Life is to be lived to the fullest for Christ. He’s worth it, I’m worth it and so is each person in the world. I firmly believe that:)

Cheers!

kvandeway

Facing West

Man, what a totally beautiful evening I’m enjoying. I drive home along a cement road, with cement walls on either side of me, the noise of cars cruising past, telephone polls, wires, lights, buildings all around me. I know I’m getting closer to home when I start to see green! Trees, grass, smaller buildings, fewer noises, bigger yards, little country side roads and I can finally feel the breeze. I see the leaves moving and swaying to the rythm of the wind, I hear the birds chirping cheerily, I see the grass glowing in the setting sun and the flowers starting to fall back asleep for the night. Evening is a wonderful thing. It promotes all sorts of wonderful: de-stressing, slowing down, shedding the tension of a busy day, kicking your shoes off, putting your comfy clothes on, pulling your hair back and wiping that make-up off. You make up a glass of your favorite beverage, sit back in the whicker on the porch and realize that you have several hours before life has to start again. This time, after 6 o’clock in the evening, is yours! Shut off the cell phone, log off of your email, turn down the radio and the television and go to your bookshelf, scan through the titles at your leisure and pick our your favorite book or one you’ve been hoping to read. Nows the time to start it, tonight is your night. You are allowed to say no to the commitments pressed upon you because you are off the clock. Friends counting on you to party? They’ll live without you for a night. Work calling about a problem they just can’t solve without you? The problem will still be there tomorrow and so will you. But tonight, no siree, tonight is your night. Kick back and observe the life thats being lived around you. Look at how tall and gorgeous the flowers are growing, the colors are brilliant! Look at the garden thats filling up with veggies as we speak, is your mouth watering yet? Look at the grass thats thick and lush, waving freely in the breeze. Look at your loved one, look him (or her) in the eyes and learn the different flecks of color that you’ll find. Listen to them hum or tell you about their day. Listen to their dreams of the future and goals for tomorrow. Don’t forget about all of this ’stuff’ that we find ourselves to busy for. This is what makes our lives liveable! This is the meat of life, the part of it all that makes it barable to go on when we feel exhausted or stretched to thin. There is so much goodness out there, if not in your grasp already, within your grasp if you take a step towards it. Don’t be afraid to be joyful. Its a good thing. Its a wonderful thing.

Life is meant to be lived. Life isn’t meant to be survived. Take what you have and mold it into the best it can be, God’s there for us for a reason. When we don’t have the tools to do this, thats when we call upon Him to be the Master Craftsman. He’s pretty handy at it if I do say so myself.

Get out there, pick some flowers..take a hike!

.:.Cheers!.:.

kvandeway