Wednesday, October 6, 2010

The Recital of Events.

I've been working on a new blog for awhile now, and today, when I came back to work on it some more, I read it... changed some things... read it again... and then deleted it.

Today, I was reminded of why it is that I love to write.
I just want to tell a story. A story of significance. A story of honesty.
I want to be able to string together my day to day beings, struggles, and interactions in an eloquent way. And when all of these anecdotes make their long journey to articulation, I pray that they will point somewhere else entirely. I pray that they would point to the One who is really stringing all these things together.

I want to help someone. Not for the sake of myself, but for the sake of my God.

I am just so wildly in love with the stories of these other beings that are living around me. When I see someone, I just wonder who they are. Why they are where they are. Everyone is a story. A beautiful one.

We are stories of redemption, of adventure, of heartache, of epic success, and epic failure. Stories of love, of loss, of friendships, and of music.

The greatest things I've learned about life, love, and other mysteries (Point of Grace reference?- Absolutely.), have been from the stories of other people. Honest ones. Honesty, I believe, is the greatest teacher. It's when we all step down from our pedestals, and we realize that we are so fortunate to be creatures that experience grace. It's when we let our human struggles show, for the sake of the representation of the goodness of God. The sharing of stories is so important. Really.

It's just the brave ones who choose to write it down.

Today, this is my story:

God is good, and today I was reminded in so many different ways. Through the Swell Season's album Strict Joy (this album is beautiful in 100 different ways, it makes your heart speed up, and slow down, and gives you goosebumps at all the right times. These heartbreaking lyrics will remind you how to feel.), the smile of a familiar face, the inspiration of an unexpected conversation with an acquaintance, the keys of the piano, and the perfect breeze slightly blowing across campus.

Somedays, nothing can make you feel more alive than the wind kissing your cheeks and dancing across your eyelids.

So, my honest friends, go and live.
and may the story of your life burn brightly as you go.


(and also listen to Strict Joy. I promise you won't regret it.)

7 comments:

  1. Honesty and grace.
    You know I love it, Kins.

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  2. YEP. true, and well-written. keep after it.

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  3. Needed to read that today! Thanks for putting your thoughts on "paper" to share with us all.

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  4. Beautifully written, Kinsley - and oh so true! Not only is everyone's honest story beautiful, amazing and impactful (even the hard stuff - especially the hard stuff) it's such an honor to be allowed to listen to and enter into their story.

    Never heard of Swell Season or Strict Joy - but love the name of the group and the album and will buy it when I get chance!

    So, why exactly did you delete the new blog? Or is that too nosy of a question? If so, delete my question!

    Take care!

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  5. Been mulling over the album title Strict Joy and realized it reminds me of the title of an amazing book A Severe Mercy by Sheldon Vanauken. Strict joy/severe mercy - such oxymorons and yet so true. If you've never read Vanauken's book - I highly recommend it.

    That's all!

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  6. Lets get together after I get back from fall break (i'm leaving tuesday...). Its about time. Love blog. Also, I concur with Susan. A Severe Mercy is my favorite book in the world.

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  7. It's officially been too long since you blogged. Bring it.

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