Remember when we were kids and Christmas was a time without conflict? Or rather, you were blissfully unaware of conflicts of any sort and could just bask in the glory of Christmas? I miss those days. Christmas is still my favorite holiday, but it just hasn’t been the same. Who knew personality conflicts, idiosyncrasies, and stubborn pride would be magnified this time of year? Getting people together and making everyone happy is like dodging punches and bullets in the wild wild west. I pray that I don’t become one of those people who treats Christmas like a gauntlet, because that would suck.

I’ve always wondered about Lonely Planet. My suspicions started in Florence, Italy. The writer of the aforementioned volume swore his life by this one little gelato shop near the train station. He recommended the specific flavor of the gelato and espoused it to be ambrosia. I trekked all over Florence just for this gelato and ended up tossing ¾ of it in the trash. It was so bad that no one with normal taste buds could ever deem it good. It was watery and chalky, everything a diet shake should be and a gelato should not. That experience lead me to one conclusion: the writer did not personally try the gelato.

Then it was the highly recommended hostel in Costa Rica, whereby a permanent resident of the hostel followed us and opened up his long, black, trench coat to us while mumbling god-knows-whats, revealing the myriad of illegal drugs he had in his trench coat pockets. That coupled with the manager of the hostel washing his baby’s butt smeared in fecal matter over the common kitchen sink was the last straw.

And then there’s this: http://www.thomaskohnstamm.com/ , an ex-Lonely Planet writer ratting out the less professional practices of the guide book industry, specifically, Lonely Planet. While I am certain that there are those diligent writers out there trekking on for our benefit, I can’t help but wonder, do (some) travel writers go to hell?

Note: The guide books that I relied upon were all the most recent editions released at the time, purchased weeks before the trips.

I miss having a strong, wise, spiritual leader that I can just call when I'm having a meltdown. They are predicting rain on my wedding day. All I can think about is, "Please God let it be warm and sunny!" When what I really want to think about is, "God, thank you for this blessing, because no matter what happens I will be married! Rain or sunshine!"

See, that's the bigger picture. I know it, but I don't feel it. Please God, help me not to just pray for sunshine.

Thanksgiving

She has been in pain for so long. The cancer has invaded her lungs, her abdomen, and into her bones.

“Hallelujah,” she says as she wakes.

She fights off the cold and the nausea. Every bite of food a triumph and every sip of drink she takes a victory.

“Hallelujah,” she exalts. “Every morning is a blessing of a new day.”

“Hallelujah,” she praises in tears, “when I am in pain, I have morphine to stop the hurt, but where was this luxury when He was nailed to the cross?”

"Send some rain, would You send some rain? Because the earth is dry
and needs to drink again. And the sun is high and we are sinking in
the shade. Would You send a cloud, thunder long and loud? Let the
sky grow black and send some mercy down. Surely You can see that
we are thirsty and afraid. But maybe not, not today. Maybe You'll
provide in other ways, and if that's the case . . .

We'll give thanks to You with gratitude for lessons learned in how to
thirst for You. How to bless the very sun that warms our face, if You
never send us rain.

Daily bread, give us daily bread. Bless our bodies, keep our children
fed. Fill our cups, then fill them up again tonight. Wrap us up and
warm us through, tucked away beneath our sturdy roofs. Let us
slumber safe from danger's view this time. Or maybe not, not
today. Maybe You'll provide in other ways. And if that's the case . . .

We'll give thanks to You with gratitude. A lesson learned to hunger
after You, that a starry sky offers a better view if no roof is

overhead. And if we never taste that bread.

Oh, the differences that often are between everything we want and
what we really need

So grant us peace, Jesus, grant us peace. Move our hearts to hear a
single beat between alibis and enemies tonight. Or maybe not, not
today. Peace might be another world away. And if that's the case . . .

We'll give thanks to You with gratitude, for lessons learned in how to
trust in You. That we are blessed beyond what we could ever dream
in abundance or in need. And if You never grant us peace. But Jesus
would You please."

------- Nichole Nordeman

Miss you aunt Rita, thank you for being an example of thanksgiving.

The Weight

"He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you?

To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God."

---- Micah 6:8

I took an oath today. Over the past month I am constantly amazed at how much power this position has and the weight of that responsibility is heavy. May I never forget what is required of me.

Anew

It's been awhile since my last blog and all is well. Very well.

I've got my dream job. It's strange, despite all the blood, sweat, and tears of getting there, I still can't beleive I got it. But I have elected to be thankful instead of wondering when the other shoe might drop. I love working again, despite the massive traffic jams and the 11 hour days.

I am missing traveling more now than I have in a long time. The walking, the exploring, the million different everyday ways to expand the horizon. I've been especially missing Prague of late, perhaps that's the honeymoon destination.

Jean Blogger, ESQ.

The day has come! As of this time tomorrow, I will be able to dish out legal advice and put the letters "ESQ." beside my name! I'm gonna be a full fledge attorney y'all!