lauren laughs

i have a lot of work to do, and a lot of distractions too. every time i sit down to read homework in my room, i can’t help but think of how i need to pack, etc. luckily, i have my escapes. this weekend’s escape was richmond. carolyn and i drove down and back together, which provided ample girl time and reflection. priceless. i crashed at chez chris, which is as comfortable as my favorite jeans with holes worn in them. (this is because chris is special.) i had the place to myself most of saturday, except for scout (the dog) who slept at my feet or rested her head on my lap as i read and typed, read and typed. lovely. i also got to see colin and meet nancy, both of whom are fabulous and eerily similar.

sunday i went to church and had brunch with carolyn, her mom and grandmom… and of course molly. this picture of the three (or four) of them totally cracks me up. perfect timing.

so, the paper i was working on this weekend will eventually talk about the role of religion (not just faith, but dogma and all) in society… civil society. along those same lines, kinda, eric’s blog today is excellent.

i never update phos at work, but i have a few minutes to kill before i head to class, and i’m reading the serenity prayer (it’s on a note card on my desk so i can look at it frequently). most people just refer to the first part, but the prayer in it’s entirety is quite special, so i’ll share.

God grant me the serenity to accept the things i cannot change,
courage to change the things i can,
and wisdom to know the difference.
living on day at at time;
enjoying one moment at a time;
accepting hardships as the pathway to peace;
taking, as He did, this sinful world as it is,
not as i would have it;
trusting that He will make all things right
if i surrender to his will;
that i may be reasonably happy in this life
and supremely happy with Him forever in the next.
amen.

~reinhold niebuhr

i’d say that sums it up…

last night i ate a dish that roohi’s mom prepared. it was delicious… but there were these little black things in it that looked like olives. i ate one, it was kinda spicy. a few minutes later i ate another and then asked, “what are the black things?” as my mouth caught on fire… “don’t eat those!!!” too late. i had a warm feeling in my chest the whole rest of the night… and then through the morning, since i ate the other half of my smothered burrito for breakfast. i’m going to miss mexican food in benin.

farhan and roohi just bought a new house (you have no idea how happy this makes me) and some of their family came in town to celebrate and bless the new abode. pictured are me, phopho and phopha (that’s urdu for farhan’s dad’s sister and her husband)… who i love and had not seen since departing karachi in august. my dad was in town for easter, so he got to sample the paki-food and culture as well. it was really fun to walk in saturday and find the living room set up just like a typical seating arrangement in pakistan. blankets and pillows for people to sit on the floor and a row of chairs against one wall. f&r probably didn’t think twice about it, but it was a nostalgic moment for me. little touch of pakistan in b’more.

i’ve been asking myself this question for the past couple weeks. i think roohi’s nose piercing is beautiful, and i’d like one like it. i kinda doubt i could pull it off, though. for example, this picture of celia, me and alicia, taken last night at a w&l function at elkridge club. can i have a nose piercing and still wear pearls with the girls? because i would. this is when i wish i were more ethnic, for lack of a better term. while roohi looks natural with her nose pierced, i’d likely look like a punk, which i’m not.

ray the wonder fish has done it again. not only did he surpass all our expectations in surviving as the office mascot for over a year, changing colors occasionally, and warming our hearts… but friday he shocked us all when i found little fishy eggs covering the rocks of his bowl. yes ladies and gentlemen… he’s a she.

i tend to think of myself as a very easy going, not angry, pretty forgiving person. i’m a people pleaser. and getting angry doesn’t please people too much. but recently i’ve found that i’ve been harboring some anger, without even knowing what or who i’ve been angry about. i have a tendency to gloss over hurt rather than dealing with it.

but this doesn’t lend itself to forgiveness at all… in order to forgive, i first have to acknowledge the hurt and walk through the accompanying feelings. i don’t need to lash out, but i don’t need to ignore my feelings either.

so don’t let the sun go down on your anger (ephesians 4:26), but do let yourself realize your anger so you can forgive.

got this from my friend joost. clearly i have a lot of traveling left to do. i included australia since i’ve already bought tickets for a trip there in may. i’ll add benin soon…

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