I knew it was important

I know, I know. I said things like "What would you ask Wednesdays," and here it's Wednesday and I'm contemplating a "What would you ask Thursday." Roll with me, people. I was totally going to answer Joey's question from a few weeks ago, but then I looked at the calendar. I'd been feeling all day like there was something important about September 22 but I couldn't put my finger on it.

Then the internet came to the rescue, per usual. I've been following Molly Piper's blog for a while now and while I don't know her personally, I've been so touched over the years to read her stories. Molly is Abraham Piper's wife, and Abraham is John Piper's son, and I read John Piper's stuff... so yeah, I mean, Molly and I are clearly just two steps away from being BFF's. Clearly.

But September 22 is a big date for her. Her baby girl, Felicity, was stillborn that day three years ago. Molly has written a lovely tribute over on her blog and even though I've never even been pregnant, I've still been so edified by the experiences she shares of grieving and leaning on the Lord and trusting Him even when it's difficult.

And today is the first ("official") day of fall. This means coziness and bonfires and honeycrisp apples and crunch leaves. And no more daily bullying from the sun. I hope. Also, six years ago, Lost premiered, so see, I was right. September 22 is a very important day, indeed!

Here's some trivia that you probably won't care about but that makes me laugh (at myself). When ABC first started promoting Lost, I remember scoffing at the TV and rolling my eyes. I mean, really, how long could they be lost on an island before people got bored of the whole thing? Srsly, it was doomed to fail as far as I was concerned. And now? Now, my friends, I am just one DVD set away from owning the whole series. The only reason I've held out this long is that Christmas is coming up. Wink, wink, nudge, nudge.

Happy September 22, all!

This is why I'm still single

Random fact of the day: I figured out why I'm still single. You know how everyone and their mom is doing that doppleganger thing on Facebook? I was bored, so I went to www.myheritage.com to find out which celebrity I most resemble. The results were catastrophic, and very telling of my marital status. After all, what (straight) respectable male would want to be the father of this person's babies:



YUP. Apparently, my #1 celebrity match is Elton John. Who is not even in the same gender pool as me. Ah, well. The mystery as to why I have never, ever been on a date is finally solved, my dear Watson!

Hearing Aids: Oh man. If I ever forget how much I love J-Pipe, all you have to do is wave this little morsel under my brain. Even though it's about not wasting your cancer, I think most of the points apply to other illnesses and disabilities as well. The ones that stuck out to me the most:

1.) You will waste your cancer if you do not believe it was designed for you by God. (I am going through a season where I'm struggling to wrap my head around this. This part of my theology used to come so easily - we suffer because Jesus suffered. Creation groans as a woman in childbirth. The best is yet to come. I get it. But for this season, it would appear the Lord has some more He wants to show me because I can't seem to let it go. I've got to know more about this strange concept of suffering being good and not just allowed by God, but designed by God. Isn't that so not what the world would say? I marvel at that.)

3.) You will waste your cancer if you refuse to think about death. (Ok, hearing loss doesn't carry a mortality rate, but I think we will waste everything if we do not think about death and the life beyond this one)

5.) You will waste your cancer if you think that "beating" cancer means staying alive rather than cherishing Christ. (I don't plan to "beat" my hearing loss. I can't. What I try to do instead is develop some sort of worldly platitude like, "I won't let this hearing loss get me down; I'm going to be awesome and prevail in spite of it. I'll show them." Whoever "them" is. But that's all wrong. None of that matters if I'm not cherishing Christ)

7.) You will waste your cancer if you let it drive you into solitude instead of deepen your relationships with manifest affection. (Oh, ouch. Ouch, ouch, ouch. This is what I do, oh, 99% of the time. So, ouch)

8.) You will waste your cancer if you grieve as those who have no hope. (I've said that I don't think I have or will ever stop grieving on some level for losing my hearing. But that's wrong. It wasn't mine to begin with, it was God's, so how can I grieve for what was never mine? And I do have hope - in Christ. I look forward to the day when I can hear and join in with the multitude around the throne and proclaim, "Worthy is the Lamb who was slain.")

In other news: Honestly, I'm just here to kill time before Lost comes on. Before the final season of Lost comes on. Ohhhh, the anticipation is running rampant in these here parts!

I have a decision to make in the next few months... my lease is up in July but I have to give the leasing office an answer by May. Stay here for another year? Move back to the city? Stay in the same area but a different residence? Get a roommate or go it alone? Decisions, decisions. What kinds of living experiences have you had?