Room With a View (of the post office)

I have a place to live! I talked to my new landlady today, and I got the apartment I wanted. It's a small one bedroom apartment in a big old house downtown. It's on the 2nd floor, with a big bay window in the living room, and cool tiling on the wall in the kitchen. There is almost no counter space, no dishwasher, no washer and dryer (laundromat here I come), and no air conditioning, but I love it! The landlady seems really nice and careful about who she rents to, which is encouraging. It's also within walking distance of work and near the bike/running path. Walking distance is really good, as gas is getting really expensive, and it will help me stay active, despite having a desk job. I'm a bit worried about the no air conditioning, but the current tenant says that there's a good cross breeze, which is good, and I can get fans too. One less thing to worry about! God is good!

God Loves Broken People

That seems crazy. And I don't know why He loves us, but He does. I think that God cares not about our issues but how we are seeking Him through our issues. How we react to Him within our issues. Whatever they are. Whether it be mental illness or heartache or loneliness or addiction or pride or whatever. How in tune with Him are we? How much do we want to serve and know Him? That's all that matters. God loves broken people.

EDIT: (Reflections from an interaction in a coffee shop.)

Transitioning

I have a few minutes to kill before I head out for the bus. I came on campus to be productive, but that did not happen. I have a meeting with a professor about a paper tomorrow, and then a lunch date with a girl friend. Then class, then home. I am almost done, and it is very difficult to focus on school type things. I'm very over it right now. I really dislike transitions, and I am caught in one right now. I am trying to find a place to live right now, and I'm hoping that this next trip yields something possible, as it will be difficult to go up a third time. I have some better leads this time, I think, though 1 is completely out of my price range. I can't wait until classes are over and my work is done. Then I can focus on moving to the dale. I'm going to miss my friends here, and it's hard to transition from the people here to thinking about connecting and reconnecting with people up there. It will take time. It's been 2 years. Things change. People change. I've changed. But it will be ok. I really feel like God is directing me back there, so it will all work out. We'll see what's ahead.

We're dealing with two devils who both want to rule hell.

Title quote from Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys (about Hitler and Stalin)

I am taking a "materials for youth" class, which is about literature and materials for children and young adults, and the most recent project we finished was on nonfiction sources for children/students. I read books and online sites about resistance during WWII, which is a topic I know something about and find interesting. This time around, however, I was struck by how much WWII was also very much a fight between the communists and the fascists. Most of the resistance organizations were politically or ideologically driven, and many of them were communist or socialist organizations. It is slightly disconcerting, especially as I know a bit about how bad the communists and Stalin were. People in the east especially were caught between two evils: Hitler or Stalin. There was no good choice. Most people, however, do not realize how big a player the Soviets and communists were in the war. We allied ourselves with them, and it can be hard to admit that one of our allies was, I believe, worse than Hitler. Also, most people don't know about the Great Purge or of Stalin's atrocities. He was responsible for millions more deaths than Hitler. With all the atrocities and genocide that has happened and is still happening, it is sad that most people only know about Hitler. Hitler is the ultimate bad guy, and the other bad guys get a pass. What about Stalin or Pol Pot or what's happening in the Sudan or Libya or Burma? Maybe it's because we can only handle so much bad stuff at once. We are not God. We can't handle it all. Frankly, I'm not sure how God stands it. He sees everything. All the good, but also all the bad.

Just some thoughts.

I have to finish a big paper this week. I'd really appreciate prayers, as I'm really struggling with getting going on it.

Apartment Hunting

I just got back from the dale. Dad and I went up to look for apartments, and though I found one maybe, I'm still going to keep looking. Sigh. I was really hoping to find something when I went up today. I don't really have time to go back up. Oh well, it will all work out, but I would appreciate prayers.

I have a lot to accomplish this week/month. I really need to kick into gear. Final push and then I'm done! Cannot wait!

The reality of going back to the dale is setting in. I am going to miss B-town, even though I didn't think I would. I'm going to miss my friends and the ethnic restaurants and the public library. I am looking forward to being a part of HFMC again, my new job, and finally being able to invest in the community. It's just weird that I will finally have a "real" job and be established and settled. Even though I know the community and people there, it will still be hard to adjust back. It will be good, but it will be hard. I'm going to try to have a plan to survive the winter and beat the blues. :-)