Believe it or not, I have had this blog since July 2005. I think it goes without saying, but a person changes a lot in 3 years. Looking back, I find it funny and almost silly some of the stories I shared... but, at the same time, it's a reminder of fun times and good memories. So with that introduction, I give to you the first Top Ten Tuesday that we've had in a long, long while.

I went back to the first 2 years (05-06) that I had this blog and extracted interesting one-liners and phrases for today's Top Ten. Please vote for your favorite... perhaps the one that makes you smile, laugh, or think, "What on earth was she talking about?"

July 2005
1. She thinks that I am going through an identity crisis because I claimed to be a tree… She's probably just jealous of my tree-like qualities.

August 2005
2. That paragraph is an excuse as to why when I slammed my car door shut (with both sets of my keys IN my car), my brother made the statement, "Taryn, some days I think you are a blonde."

September 2005
3. "You 3 laugh at so many things that AREN'T funny."

October 2005
4. Her secret dream is to run away and become a professional surfer, "even though I've only done it once," she says.

November 2005
5. I'm 19 years old and I'm already showing signs of extreme aging.

6. She is capable of being the lead role in my future dramatic novel.

February 2006
7. Tracy: Taryn, if we lived in Florida right now, I would invite you to the beach this afternoon.

8. Semis on the highway. I've always thought they should have their own highway. It would solve a lot of annoyances.

9. I like to know that I am going to get fed, and better yet, WHEN it's going to happen. It's called nutritional security.

June 2006
10. “I wonder if there is a bomb attached to it,” I remarked. Kristi stood at a safe distance, and I circled the balloon, trying to eye what could possibly be attached to its string.

Well, there you have it. Vote away! Love you all, T

I started my morning in the dark hours of the dawn. Ever since I stopped working full-time at my job at the publishing company, I conveniently set my "wake up alarm" to 8 am. However, I do fill in when needed for the business, and they needed me today. So I was up at 5:25 am. Had to be there by 7.

It really wasn't too bad, actually. It's just that it's so dark out, and cold. So I decided that since my body has not seen hours so early for quite some time, that I should probably get some coffee. At Starbucks.

So I did, and it's a good thing that I did because it inspired me to add a new section to my blog.

Anyone who has ordered a cup of coffee from Starbucks may have seen the "The Way I See It" quotes on the cups. Or maybe you are an unobservant drinker and never really noticed those clever words hiding underneath the card board sleeve. Well, let me enlighten you.

"Sparking conversation In the tradition of coffee houses everywhere, Starbucks has always supported a good, healthy discussion. To get people talking, “The Way I See It” is a collection of thoughts, opinions and expressions provided by notable figures that now appear on our widely shared cups."

In case I never become a "notable figure," I'm just going to start my own "The Way I See It" section on my blog. Every week on any given day, I will post a "Way I See It" quote of my own, ready and open for discussion.

Today's TWISI is actually a steal from one source and an inspiration from another:
1. This thought was brought to the forefront of my mind upon watching this video initially posted on Rebekah's blog.
2. I actually first heard these words from Jerry Seinfeld's lips, so I can't take credit.

But it's a good point.

Here it is:

The Way I See It #1
IF the best man is actually "the best man," then why isn't the bride marrying him?

The way I see it, the groom should be "the best man" of the wedding. I mean, it's his day. He's the one who is to wed the beautiful bride. So what are we doing looking at his good pal or his closest brother and calling him the "best man?" It just doesn't really make sense to me. Actually, I am not so sure I'm real partial to the term "best man" as given to anyone in the wedding party. It doesn't seem fair. Like Jerry Seinfeld says, it should just be "The groom, and... a really good man."

Any other thoughts on this topic would be appreciated. I'm open for lively discussion. This is meant to be light-hearted and fun... so sit back, relax, have a sip of coffee, and share your thoughts. It's all about conversation-sparking.

Thanks for tuning in. Love you all.

Noteworthy: I am going to try real hard to resurrect the "Top Ten Tuesday" concept, as well. Keep coming back.

T

A couple of weeks ago, I was watching my little niece who is just over a year old. She is a very small, bright-eyed, and energetic child. Her little body can crawl across the floor faster than I can chase her, and now that she is walking, her speed is increasing all the more. Her name is Tillie. She cracks herself up most of the time, and has a continuous giggle that is contagious and precious.

However, Tillie is a spry bundle of energy and strength. If I had to forecast a gymnast from early babyhood based off of vigor, she would be in the running.

So you can imagine what bath time is like. It's full of splashing fun and lots of laughter. After the bath, there is another step: putting on her pajamas. No problem.

Well, as I did this, I discovered that there was a problem. Tillie does not sit still. She is constantly moving. As I maneuvered her arms and legs through the pajamas, she would squirm and twist and reach for anything to crawl away from the process. It was extremely frustrating and I marveled at her young strength. She was just completely resisting me in every way possible. I had to keep a constant firm hand on her. At one point I looked at her and said, "Tillie, be still." She looked at me for a second and laid motionless, only to squirm away in the next second. My point in all of this being, the process was very difficult because she was moving around and rebelling against what it was I was trying to do.

And that's when it struck me.

So often, we as children of God are so much the same. The Lord has a task that He wants to carry out in us. But we are so distracted. We look every which way, we squirm, we move around, we are out of focus, we rebel, we see a better alternative, we try to do things in our own strength. All the while, the Lord has His hand on us, and every once in awhile, we feel His firm hold. That's when He says, "Child, be still." Do we hear him? Do we listen? Do we obey?

I eventually got the pajamas on Tillie. But it wasn't easy. It could have happened a lot more efficiently and effectively had she cooperated.

Are we cooperating with God? Are we continuing to look at Him for our answers and then obeying Him when He speaks? It's the goal. And we aren't always going to be 100% perfect with it, but in the end, we will be used so much more effectively for the kingdom of God if we just obey. If we just "be still" and listen. If our hearts are right, He will eventually fulfill the work in us that He has set out to do... but oh, how much more beneficial it can be when we just let Him work without restraint. Don't push away. Don't squirm. Don't resist. Just be still.

Tonight I went to the AC nursing home in Morton to sing praises with the young to the old, and with the old. Words cannot describe the renewed perspective that it gave to me. As I looked out into the room at the beautiful faces of the elderly, it brought an instant joy and smile to my face. I love them, and they exude wisdom by just sitting there.

One lady in the front row had on every shade of green possible from head to toe. Her shirt had colorful buttons all down the front. I love that. She sang with joy.

A man in the middle sat, and I watched him during one of the songs. Ever so softly, he clapped his hands to the rhythm of the hymn as we sang. He was feeling the music. I had to look down, then. It brought tears to my eyes.

Another late-arriver sat himself in the front row and grabbed a hymn book. He was dressed in a plaid shirt and had gray crocs on his feet. As we finished up one song, he said, "Well why don't we sing 'The Solid Rock' already," he suggested.

"Good idea," I heard a voice behind me say.

It was. At one point we sang "When the Roll is Called Up Yonder I'll Be There." I paid special attention to the words because I saw excitement on everyone's faces. Suddenly I decided that I was ready. I'll share the last verse:
"Let us labor for the Master from the dawn till setting sun,
Let us talk of all His wondrous love and care;
Then when all of life is over, and our work on earth is done,
And the roll is called up yonder, I’ll be there."

I wanted to be there. At 22, I wanted to be there now. Then it hit me, as I looked across at the sea of aged faces, that they do, too. They want to be there so badly. Look how many years more they have lived than I. How many seconds, minutes, hours, days, and years of wisdom they had accumulated far surpasses my measly 22 years. Yet we all have the same goal in mind, and it made me excited to think that someday, we will all be there together.

After the singing, I talked to a man who I had been watching during the singing. He word a plaid shirt, hat, and glasses, and sat somewhere in the middle. I wanted to meet him. He was very friendly and asked me about school. So I told him I had been done for a year and filled him in on my life's happenings. He offered me wonderful advice and was a true encouragement to my current endeavors.

It seems as though my posts lately have focused a lot on the very, very young, and the old and the wise. There is much to learn from both.

Love you all!

T

I was tagged. And as luck would have it, I'm a "random facts" junkie. So here
are the 7 random facts:

7. My office walls are purple.
6. I currently have a fettish with sock monsters.
5. I strive for and prize authenticity.
4. I'm not a fan of mushrooms.
3. Three things that will always bring a smile to my face: sunny days, coffee, and chocolate.
2. I believe that everyone is beautiful. Our pretenses often hide the ability to see it.
1. Fingerless gloves rock.

I'm tagging Tasha, Caitlin, and Sarah.

I'll be back in a couple days with a thought I've been wanting to post for awhile. Love you all.

T

Last night during a sermon, I heard the phrase, "If only we could be old before we were young."

Think of the amount of wisdom we would have already acquired. Every once in awhile, I'll have the thought "what if I started life at the very beginning with the knowledge that I have gained up until this point?"

Imagine the perspective. I look back to as little as 3 years ago, and I am astounded at how much growing has taken place in that small time frame in my own life. You live and you learn. Different stages of your life teaches you different lessons, yet there is an overall gradual process of evident growth that takes place over time.

We start out as children, often with big faith and big curiosity. Tonight I was in a restaurant and overheard a little kid ask, "Why is there painting on the wall?"

The mother answered, "It's there for decoration."

"Why do they need decoration?"

Every answer is greeted with another question, and the one-word inquiry of "why" is a popular exploration. Children never tire of learning, as everything is a new discovery.

Yet as I now write about the innocence and preciousness of a child, I can't help but smile and know that this is the way it is supposed to be. If we went into childhood with all of the wisdom we have after a well-lived 80 years of life, what would become of our rich curiosity, active imaginations, and delightful questions? It's all part of the process. In fact, as we get older, we seem to lose that sense of wonder. It suddenly becomes unfashionable to be one of innocence. That genuine character that can spring only from the feet of a young kid is covered up and masked more and more by society. We would learn much to study a child. We all live in this world, yet younger babes that are more fresh and have not been drowned into the sea of societal pressures and image-building have a healthier glow, one that is authentic and real. One that has not yet been faded, covered, or masked by what face society tells us we must show. Children smile when they are joyful, cry when they are sad, and tell you the truth in no uncertain terms.

It seems as though there is a certain "wisdom" in our childhood that quite possibly comes full-circle by the time we are old. So my original statement of "if only we were older before we were younger" is an interesting thought and would certainly bring us an new perspective, yet I must conclude that in order to get there, we must first begin at the faith of a child.

Love you all!

T