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speak friend and enter
воскресенье, августа 15, 2004
Serendipity
Main Entry: ser·en·dip·i·ty
Pronunciation: -'di-p&-tE
Function: noun
Etymology: from its possession by the heroes of the Persian fairy tale The Three Princes of Serendip
: the faculty or phenomenon of finding valuable or agreeable things not sought for
Today was an unexpectedly delightful day! Its one of those glorious days that bring relief and joy and catharsis to months of solitude.
I woke up at 11am this morning... wondering pretty much what i should be doing today... Having submitted my thesis draft to my sups for revision, I'm enjoying a few days of respite from my main occupation of the last 3 intense months. So today was the first day in a while I did not have an agenda with writing! What a relief! And the remainder of yesterday (after I submitted) was decidedly devoid of purpose and aim, and slept it away (which is undeniable therapeutic).
Anyhoo, I got up this morning bright and cheery with no agenda much for the day, and made me a nice hot cuppa of darjeeling... lovely darjeeling (from Zabar's... if anyone's in NYC, you could help me drop by Zabar's- 2245 Broadway@ 80th Street). Its one of the nice, simple delights that warm and perk you up. You sit back on a nice old couch and, closing your eyes, you sniff the morning air and let the warm tea drift up in wafts, letting your olfactory senses take over. And you Rest. Usually just sitting there, I get to talk with God about the simple things for the day and the things close to my heart. My [rare] morning ritual. Its good for the soul...
Well, met johnk and gabi up for lunch today... finally- considering she's flying tomorrow. They really are a kooky couple. Hmm oh well, guess its good for them. So we (+kiong) hung out, had lunch, and then had ice cream. Kinda decadent. But that's about the only time I'll be seeing them soon. Chatted abit about plans down the road, obligations, liabilities, that kinda stuff. Well, at least honest, simple stuff. I do hope something clicks within the both of them, and the light will go ON. Until then, we'll just have to talk about things, stuff... or worse- fast cars, degrees, paychecks, vacation spots. Two brilliantly smart lives. Thanks for lunch today guys if you happen to chance on this entry! And think about it.
Got the car today, so after Holland V, drove down to church, and had service. Interesting service today, because sorta people who "have regularly been not going" (sic, johnk) SNL for other services all kinda converged and showed up! haha. What a time we had! Got to pray with three dear old friends I haven't seen in a while; people whom at one time i've invested time and life into. Kinda neat to see seeds growing and witness life at work, and an honor to be able (without fuss) to share into them, even after all this distance of time, busyness and ministry.
Hung out after service and went over to killiney for dinner- in the meantime, I got to return the car, receive a lift (thx!) and pick up a book from the printers. And wonder of wonders- killiney kopitiam is serving BORSCH on its menu! whaha. Thanks to chloe for pointing it out and saving me from boring char-bee-hoon. Russian borsch in a kopitiam? Amazing ain't it? I was floored.
Ordered the borsch- nothing else will do, haha. It did arrive kinda in an unexpected fashion. Served in a claypot (!), the borsch was clear (?!) and definitely lacked sour cream (!?!). Later I found out from the boss (who's a really nice, friendly, chatty fella, and particularly proud of his borsch too!) he din have beetroot, so he substituted w radish, and lettuce for cabbage, as well as some missing caramelized onions. Otherwise, it was really nice, as beef soup go. Holger commented it was authentic enough. Guess that qualifies things doesn't it? Rich, hot, aromatic beef- sides, tendons, stomache, the works! Love it! The next time I'm planning to go down, i'll give him a call first so he has time to prepare the borsch in the proper Ukrainian style. Miss carnegie deli; but killiney kopitiam now has blown my stereotype of local coffeeshops. It really has.
[on a side note: zb mentioned its been a year since we were in NYC... its odd, but I do somehow miss that insane, hectic place. Most urban settings I've been seem to sap me... NYC however, has this quirky balance of soul-less jaded city-ness with splashes of art, and life, and hope, and nice pockets of rest and reprieve. Not to mention the freedom and vibrancy of the city. It cuts both ways, doesn't it? You have nuts and then you have nuts. Wall street, Brooklyn Tabernacle, east village, time square. I'd love to be able to study or work there or just simply visit sometime. james however, is concerned i'll get sucked into oblivion by the voracity of the big apple and somehow lose myself there. Some stuff to sit on and think about huh.]
Spent post-dinner in town, due to some curious turn of events, thanks to qy =). While at borders, bumped variously into old crusade friends, all my contemporaries- one's a staff, one just went on staff, the other finished his stint and is back in school for his masters. Nice, friendly people. You can stand in the middle of borders for 10 minutes w them, and you can have the nicest, most unpretentious conversation possible. You can pick their brains and probe their hearts, and you feel safe to bare yourself too. I dunno, but this doesn't come easily nowadays. Hard to hold guarded conversations. You see grace and love and trust to share. Ha, and i also bumped into my music junior... he's a big time soloist in the local scene now, performing at president's charity concerts and other big-name events. Oh well.
In all, its been quite a day. I sit here, simply amazed at the variety and the wisdom of God's grace. Nothing planned, everything unexpected. It comes down to this- love shared truthfully, building trust. Happier than I could ever have schemed or planned, His Grace abounds in the smallest and greatest things- our thoughts, our conversations, our actions, strangers, friends, community- a Fellowship of the Burning Heart.
Now for a nice cuppa darjeeling to round off the day and to sit back on the couch to meditate on His faithfulness, my smallness, and His greatness residing in my frail frame. His grace is sufficient for me, for His power is made perfect in weakness.
Main Entry: ser·en·dip·i·ty
Pronunciation: -'di-p&-tE
Function: noun
Etymology: from its possession by the heroes of the Persian fairy tale The Three Princes of Serendip
: the faculty or phenomenon of finding valuable or agreeable things not sought for
Today was an unexpectedly delightful day! Its one of those glorious days that bring relief and joy and catharsis to months of solitude.
I woke up at 11am this morning... wondering pretty much what i should be doing today... Having submitted my thesis draft to my sups for revision, I'm enjoying a few days of respite from my main occupation of the last 3 intense months. So today was the first day in a while I did not have an agenda with writing! What a relief! And the remainder of yesterday (after I submitted) was decidedly devoid of purpose and aim, and slept it away (which is undeniable therapeutic).
Anyhoo, I got up this morning bright and cheery with no agenda much for the day, and made me a nice hot cuppa of darjeeling... lovely darjeeling (from Zabar's... if anyone's in NYC, you could help me drop by Zabar's- 2245 Broadway@ 80th Street). Its one of the nice, simple delights that warm and perk you up. You sit back on a nice old couch and, closing your eyes, you sniff the morning air and let the warm tea drift up in wafts, letting your olfactory senses take over. And you Rest. Usually just sitting there, I get to talk with God about the simple things for the day and the things close to my heart. My [rare] morning ritual. Its good for the soul...
Well, met johnk and gabi up for lunch today... finally- considering she's flying tomorrow. They really are a kooky couple. Hmm oh well, guess its good for them. So we (+kiong) hung out, had lunch, and then had ice cream. Kinda decadent. But that's about the only time I'll be seeing them soon. Chatted abit about plans down the road, obligations, liabilities, that kinda stuff. Well, at least honest, simple stuff. I do hope something clicks within the both of them, and the light will go ON. Until then, we'll just have to talk about things, stuff... or worse- fast cars, degrees, paychecks, vacation spots. Two brilliantly smart lives. Thanks for lunch today guys if you happen to chance on this entry! And think about it.
Got the car today, so after Holland V, drove down to church, and had service. Interesting service today, because sorta people who "have regularly been not going" (sic, johnk) SNL for other services all kinda converged and showed up! haha. What a time we had! Got to pray with three dear old friends I haven't seen in a while; people whom at one time i've invested time and life into. Kinda neat to see seeds growing and witness life at work, and an honor to be able (without fuss) to share into them, even after all this distance of time, busyness and ministry.
Hung out after service and went over to killiney for dinner- in the meantime, I got to return the car, receive a lift (thx!) and pick up a book from the printers. And wonder of wonders- killiney kopitiam is serving BORSCH on its menu! whaha. Thanks to chloe for pointing it out and saving me from boring char-bee-hoon. Russian borsch in a kopitiam? Amazing ain't it? I was floored.
Ordered the borsch- nothing else will do, haha. It did arrive kinda in an unexpected fashion. Served in a claypot (!), the borsch was clear (?!) and definitely lacked sour cream (!?!). Later I found out from the boss (who's a really nice, friendly, chatty fella, and particularly proud of his borsch too!) he din have beetroot, so he substituted w radish, and lettuce for cabbage, as well as some missing caramelized onions. Otherwise, it was really nice, as beef soup go. Holger commented it was authentic enough. Guess that qualifies things doesn't it? Rich, hot, aromatic beef- sides, tendons, stomache, the works! Love it! The next time I'm planning to go down, i'll give him a call first so he has time to prepare the borsch in the proper Ukrainian style. Miss carnegie deli; but killiney kopitiam now has blown my stereotype of local coffeeshops. It really has.
[on a side note: zb mentioned its been a year since we were in NYC... its odd, but I do somehow miss that insane, hectic place. Most urban settings I've been seem to sap me... NYC however, has this quirky balance of soul-less jaded city-ness with splashes of art, and life, and hope, and nice pockets of rest and reprieve. Not to mention the freedom and vibrancy of the city. It cuts both ways, doesn't it? You have nuts and then you have nuts. Wall street, Brooklyn Tabernacle, east village, time square. I'd love to be able to study or work there or just simply visit sometime. james however, is concerned i'll get sucked into oblivion by the voracity of the big apple and somehow lose myself there. Some stuff to sit on and think about huh.]
Spent post-dinner in town, due to some curious turn of events, thanks to qy =). While at borders, bumped variously into old crusade friends, all my contemporaries- one's a staff, one just went on staff, the other finished his stint and is back in school for his masters. Nice, friendly people. You can stand in the middle of borders for 10 minutes w them, and you can have the nicest, most unpretentious conversation possible. You can pick their brains and probe their hearts, and you feel safe to bare yourself too. I dunno, but this doesn't come easily nowadays. Hard to hold guarded conversations. You see grace and love and trust to share. Ha, and i also bumped into my music junior... he's a big time soloist in the local scene now, performing at president's charity concerts and other big-name events. Oh well.
In all, its been quite a day. I sit here, simply amazed at the variety and the wisdom of God's grace. Nothing planned, everything unexpected. It comes down to this- love shared truthfully, building trust. Happier than I could ever have schemed or planned, His Grace abounds in the smallest and greatest things- our thoughts, our conversations, our actions, strangers, friends, community- a Fellowship of the Burning Heart.
Now for a nice cuppa darjeeling to round off the day and to sit back on the couch to meditate on His faithfulness, my smallness, and His greatness residing in my frail frame. His grace is sufficient for me, for His power is made perfect in weakness.
