a tree planted by waters...

Psalm 1:3 ...he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water that brings forth its fruit in its season whiles leaf also shall not wither and whatever he does shall prosper.

This morning I set my alarm and hit the gym. Yes, I’m on vacation but I actually like working out in the morning J Unfortunately, the gym at my hotel is under construction, so I hit the sand and enjoyed the blue ocean, white sand, and warm sun. I was taken back by the palm trees which spring up out of nowhere. Seriously, nowhere! There is no grass or flowers or dirt, just sand. I love how King David alludes to trees and water because today I saw first hand how something can flourish in a barren and arid landscape.

Water is symbolic for the word. When we are planted by water, we are planted by God’s word. Fruit and leaves are also mentioned in this scripture. Why? Because fruit is substance, seeds can be shared with others, and leaves provide shade. What a great analogy, David!

Trees are a sign of freshness and vitality. When people are hurting, dry, or tired, am I a tree to comfort from the heat and provide shade and fruit for those who are weary? I was totally convicted because lately I’ve been so swamped with work that I haven’t taken the time really be a tree. Truth be told, I’ve been so focused on ministry and serving, that I’ve been a bit dry, empty, and it’s felt a little barren. But this verse is so rad because I will bear fruit in my season. Maybe I’m not suppose to bloom right now; maybe I’m suppose to just provide shade and drink of Living Water J Either way, I am encouraged by Paul not to grow weary in doing good for in my season I will bear much fruit.

When we delight in the law of the Lord and His word, we will prosper (verses 1-3). Maybe not financially, maybe not economically, but you will be blessed emotionally and spiritually, here and in heaven.

this how we do it in LA...

I was in downtown Los Angeles this past week and was hypnotized by a group of tourists with swagger and braggadocio to make Liberace look docile. I stared out of the corner of my eye (because that's what I do when I don't want people to know I'm staring) and eavesdropped on their boisterous conversation that could be heard in their hometown (New York to be exact). I couldn't help but stare because they obviously were not from LA by the way the acted, assimilated, or accented their words. The loudest one of them all kept say, 'Cause this is how we do it in New York, son! This is how we do it!

I'm on vacation today in San Juan, Puerto Rico with my entire family who puts the FUN in dysFUNctional. We're a loud and crazy and obnoxious, but we love each other and agreed to spend eight days together with the promise of returning as one cohesive unit. There are personal reasons why we chose this particular destination, but it's with a great joy that we are going and hope to create memories on the island my grandparents were from. I will be blogging about my adventures with photos and words, so be forewarned that if I post a picture with me attempting to dance salsa with professionals and I look like a professional LOSER, I'll copy the cool kids from New York and say, 'Cause this is how we salsa in LA, son! This is how we do it!

cleaning my room...

I'm leaving for Puerto Rico in less than 2 hours and instead of cleaning my room, I'm blogging.

I get so dramatic before I leave on a trip. Whether its travel for work or a leisurely vacation, I always fear something will happen to me and leave me unable to do my mundane activities like clean my toilet with a toothbrush, run in the rain on Christmas, or dance to Michael Jackson in my underwear.

I need to clean my room in case something happens. Say someone pushes me off the curb at LAX and I get hit by a taxi. Or I get accosted by the Hindu monks because I won't accept their religious leaflets. Or a crazy soccer mom with a headset and a baby carriage wheels over my big toe, backing me into some scaffolding, which shakes loose a lead pipe, which lands on my head. What then? After the ambulance, the hospital, the funeral, and the trays of cheese cubes on foil toothpicks, someone will have to clean my room.

As of now, my bed has gone unmade and I have laundry sitting of drawer begging to be put in its appropriate place. To make things worse I decided to clean out my closet, but got bored halfway through, and opted to blog in my maid-of-honor dress from Jennie's wedding two years ago. So here I am... typing on the floor... in a black evening gown... because my desk and chair are covered with clothes that have no home in my room.

Before I end my dramaticism, I just wanted to say thanks to the crazy people who check this blog daily. Okay, okay, maybe you're not crazy, but like I said, I'm dramatic. In all honestly, I'm humbled by the fact that people visit the site, but I'm truly grateful that you do. I don't want to get sappy and start hugging my computer, but in case anything happens to me I wanted to let you know that I love sharing my daily ramblings. And if anyone wears a size 9, I will you my new pair of Michael Kors heels if anything happens to me.

I will be blogging from Puerto Rica and uploading photos, so hope you join me on the journey. But right now, I've got to put on my running shoes, clean my toilet with a toothbrush, and start dancing to Michael. Adios!