Funny the Way It Is (If you have a sick, twisted sense of humor)

Everything is crazy. I know that sounds dramatic, but it's fairly true. One of my classmates died the other day. Haiti is completely and utterly devastated. And the weird thing is, my life is normal. While millions of people are suffering, I'm sitting in a warm house with plenty of running water. The things that annoyed me the most today were the tweets I saw from kind people who were reminding me to pray for Haiti. I did my homework and ironed my clothes like everything in the world is fine. It seems like the world should stop when something terrible happens, but it doesn't. I think I read that in a book one time. Honestly, I'm completely numb to all of this. I can't imagine the pain my classmate's family is in. I can't begin to fathom the horror of what the Haitians are facing.

I went to the girl's funeral. I don't know why exactly. I didn't know her at all. I just thought it would be a good place to think. And it was. I sat near all the yuppies (strange word, but it works I guess) who normally only cry when odd hick boys break their hearts. But they cried over a girl they wouldn't have given the time of day to if she were still alive. I'm not trying to be insensitive. I'm just saying.

It seems like everyone I know (and millions of people I don't) is having a hard time. The past few days have been draining. Oh so draining.

"Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze."-Isaiah 43:1-2. Love those verses.

Much Love,

Marissa

Winter

(I thought this would be a good day to post this, since today is a snow day for me. Even though there is literally only about one small patch of snow at my house. No complaints, though. It gives me a chance to read Don Miller's new book, which is pretty excellent).

Springtime is pretty delightful. The weather is pleasant. School is almost finished. Spring sports at school -baseball, track, and tennis- are the best. The baseball team has really cool bats that make this awesome metallic sound when they come in contact with a baseball. I just love it.

Summer is okay. I always make good memories of camp and vacation and such. There's a lot of time to think and sleep and do all those things that can't be done during the school year. However, it can get boring and it's usually pretty toasty. Also, people aren't huge fans of wearing clothes in the summer, which is gross.

Fall is nice, and the weather's not bad, but when I think about the autumn, I always think of school and band and football games. I never really have very pleasant memories of those things.

And then there's winter...

I love winter. Not love, of course, but I like it a lot. One of my favorite things about winter is the trees. Very few of then have leaves, and they all look like silhouettes against the perfect winter sky. Bare trees make me deliriously happy. They look so old, like they were here before Twitter and Facebook and iPhones and motor cars and all those things. I become a regular Henry David Thoreau this time of year.

Winter makes me feel so poetic and philosophical. I would love nothing more than to just sit around, reading and writing and questioning the meaning of the universe. All those quaint things -like coffee shops and poetry and art museums- that usually feel a bit cheesy and desperate, seem so beautiful in the winter. The world looks so dull and dreary, and that forces me to seek out and search for beauty. It's funny how the revolving of a planet can make everything so different.

I've also recently realized that I really like cold weather. Granted, it's rarely very cold in the south, but when it is, I definitely enjoy it.

And then there's hockey. I've only actually been to one hockey game, but that one game was pretty rad. It's a sport on ice, people. What's not to love? Like. What's not to like?

Winter just feels almost perfect to me.

:)