Saddle Sore

Well, now that we're all moved into our house, I can ride my bike places! I rode it to church on Sunday and again last night for a Summer Worship Committee meeting. What I didn't count on was that I didn't so much need to get my legs in shape, but my butt! I'm awfully sore riding just a few blocks, and this is with the double gel seat I put on my bike last summer when I was riding around the county roads out in Middlebury. I've also been riding my stationary bike quite a bit this winter and spring but apparently rump fitness is not a transferable skill. I think I'm going to walk instead of bike to the farmer's market today to give my heinie a break.

However, it's nice living in good, old FLAT Goshen again.

Yay!!!!!!

We found out yesterday that all our paperwork has gone through for the house. Closing is Friday! Moving is Saturday!

Will now go home and frantically clean the apartment.

Life Goes On

Well, life still stinks, but I'll try not to dwell on it too much. In an attempt last night to pray beyond, "dear God please give me a pony," or more acurately, "dear God please don't give me the chicken pox," I realized that even in the very worst case scenario I can think of, while I wouldn't like it, all that we'd have would really be inconveniences. So, while this whole house thing is stressful, I'm trying to keep it in perspective. (Operative word: trying)

Current distractions lately have been going to the sibs' performances. Last night I went to Leanne's band concert. Adam remarked at how listening to middle school band must be painful, but I replied that he was thinking of middle school orchestra. (I fully support kids learning strings - it's good! But it's also painful for a while! I know; I didn't get past the painful part in my violin lessons...) They were pretty good to listen to, though a bit loud in Sauder - someone should have closed all the curtains (they absorb sound).

Today I went to Robert's piano recital. The Community School of the Arts now does their recitals, at least some of them, with multiple instruments. It was quite interesting to hear the mix of piano (mostly), violin, guitar, and cello. I kind of wish that we'd had that kind of variety when I played in recitals.

That's all for now. Ta ta!

Still House-ifying

Well, as to my last very short, and totally unexplained, entry, I wrote it just after finding out that we couldn't close on our mortgage on schedule. In fact, at that time, three days before our scheduled closing date, I wasn't sure if we'd even be able to close at all. See, the mortgage people wanted a copy of Jeff's resident alien card, which, surprise! is late. He should have gotten it months ago....

Anyway, things have smoothed out a bit now. Jeff went down to Indy yesterday and straightened things out there. We should have an extension on our contract, so our closing will be one week later than anticipated. Life is stressful.

But...we did buy a new (pink!) car. (See it on Jeff's blog...my computer doesn't seem to like loading images now...) It's quite fascinating...

Life sucks, sometimes

...but I don't really feel like dying either. No options! Argh!!!!!!!!!!!

It's gloriously rainy outside!

It's wonderfully grey and rainy today! Some people talk about how rainy days are gloomy and sad. Sure, I can appreciate the gloom of a rainy day - sometimes a rainy day is best spent by curling up inside with a book. And I guess I'm learning that I really do need a decent amount of sunlight, after my last two winters here in Indiana. In all honesty though, a rainy day tends to cheer me up! Just the smell of rainy weather is enough make me smile most days. I have loved rain for as long as I can remember, especially when I can listen to it while I go to sleep. I walked outside to the car this morning, tired and a bit glum, but as soon as I got out into the glorious grey mist, I cheered up!

It's especially great after missing the rain all winter. Now I'm ready for a good thunderstorm! (I can remember not liking those, but I love them now...as long as I'm not driving in them.)

Thoughts on Gandhi

I've been reading some of the collected writings of M. Gandhi. I've wanted to for quite some time, as I know his teachings on nonviolence have influenced a lot of people (those that I know and some in history, such as MLK Jr.) that I respect. It's both interesting and challenging to read many of his ideas. For example, Gandhi believed quite strongly that nonviolence is more powerful than violence, but in order for it to work, people must be entirely committed to nonviolence.

Sometimes it's tempting as one brought up as a pacifist to want to try to make everyone see things our way - obviously war and violence is evil! Gandhi wrote that while he believed nonviolence to be the best way, it was pointless to try to force people into it. The only way for it to work is for people to decide that they are truly commited to it. Also, Gandhi didn't like pacifism as an excuse for cowardice; he believed people should be willing to face death, somewhat like what Ron Sider challenged the Mennonites to in the 80's, leading to the creating of Christian Peacemaker Teams.

Some quotes I found interesting, since I'm too tired to try to write more expositorially:

"Man does not live by bread alone. Many prefer self-respect to food."

"The more efficient a force is, the more silent and the more subtle it is. Love is the subtlest force in the world.

"A love based on the goodness of those you love is a mercenary affair...."

"Love is the strongest force in theworld and yet it is the humblest imaginable."