I never knew there was chicken in this soup?!

Hey there friends,

I know that I usually start these blogs with some long-winded, semi-humorous intro... but not tonight. Tonight, I have a headache and I have a date in Dreamland in about a half hour. Therefore... I'm gonna just jump right into this proverbial pool and get my blog on!

I'm eating chicken noodle soup because I'm not feeling too great tonight. That's what usually happens when the weather changes. Stupid seasonal allergies! Right as I lift my spoon to slurp the first curly noodle, I laugh... because isn't it just funny that chicken noodle soup has become the be-all-end-all of American medicine?? I don't really like chicken noodle soup, but yet at the first sign of being under-the-weather I crack open a can and slurp up it's medicinal goodness. You have a headache?? I'll get you some soup. Awww, he broke up with you?? You need some soup. Oh, you lost your left Achilles tendon in a freak roller skating accident?? I'll whip up some soup. I'm wondering what it is about this soup that makes everyone head for their pantries and who first chose chicken noodle soup to be the food of medicinal value. I am also realizing we should be grateful that whoever it was didn't choose cow tongue and a little upset that he didn't choose Pizza rolls.

So, God has been doing amazing things in my life lately. Without going into some drawn out soapbox about exact moments and experiences, I'll tell you that, lately, I have been realizing how blessed I am. Noticing the daily things, ya know? Sunsets, phone calls, lowered gas prices... the little things. When you look at all that, it is soo easy to see that the essence of our God is love. Honestly, I've been fearful that the amazing ability to recognize "the little things" will somehow escape me and I'll wake up a bitter, jaded 22 year old girl who wants nothing to do with swingsets or milkshakes. I've been fearful that the joy I've found in all the "little things" would somehow disappear, but it hasn't and I'm beginning to think that it won't. It's like riding a bike. Once you get it, even if you stop for a while, you won't ever let it go. On top of that, I'm starting to realize that somewhere... rooted deep within that joy... is something incredible planned for my life. Something that, even if I tried, I couldn't fathom on my own. Something that, no matter how much I wish or how anxiously I await, will be executed only in God's perfect timing. The best thing about this joy I'm finding, is that it is accompanied by an amazing sense of peace. Peace that let's me know I'm gonna turn out just fine. Peace that makes letting go of the comfortable a little less painful and makes embracing the unknown a little more comfortable.

I wish that peace for you.

Love in the little things~

Tempa