Flowers & Fans

After I attempted to cut my bangs this evening {society will have to tell me how I did}, I sat down in my bed, camera in hand, and started taking snapshots of the things around me. It was in these snapshots that I was reminded that beauty dwells in the everyday, in the things we become accustomed to seeing and experiencing, in the things often forgotten.

I started this blog in June 2011, and my goal was to either find, create, or experience beauty each day, and then write about it. It was to intentionally put me into a posture of thankfulness, where I would end up waking up each day, in search for beautiful things. I yearn to be in that place again.

So, with these snapshots. Here are two of my favorite:

{In the photo above, I see all sorts of things which represent the beauty in my life: dried flowers from my first week with Abe, an empty photo frame (yearning to be filled), candles which evoke peace of mind, and a mug of water (because it's always more fun to drink out of a mug!)}

{This is my bedroom fan...it is loud when it runs, but I appreciate it's consistency, at least! One of my favorite parts of this photo is the small green dot on the right side...isn't light amazing!?}

As I was taking these pictures, it dawned on me: "I am appreciating beauty, and it feels so good!" 

I hope to start to see the beauty in everyday things again. 

Thank you, Lord, for this gentle reminder of your love and goodness.

Gamble-ing

Today was such a good day! There were many things to be thankful for. That's what I love about this blog...as a writer, I am always thinking of stories to document, which necessitates that I live in a posture of gratitude!

Anywho, today I saw my wonderful friend and Sister-in-Christ, Christie Gamble. This lady is beautiful, supportive, wise, caring, and brilliant. We talked for hours over coffee this morning at Panera, and it was so refreshing to my soul.

Christie has been one of my closest friends since our freshman year of college at Biola. She even got me interested in Torrey{because, for some reason, watching a friend stress out about reading a million books and writing long papers was enticing lol}, which turned out to be one of the biggest blessings in my life.

Please, join me on a quick trip down memory lane:

The Biola Fountain Adventure of Freshman Year!

{...insert four amazing years of abiding friendship here...}

Senior Year! Isn't she lovely??

Lord, thank you for Christie Gamble. Thank you for her kindness, conscientiousness, wisdom, grace, dedication, and humility. But, for right now, I thank You for simply putting her in my life. :) 

Perspective

You know those days that challenge you to take a new perspective on your life? Well, today was one of those days, and I am incredibly thankful for it.

For the past few weeks, I have been working part-time at a lovely retirement home, doing various jobs for HR and Administration. My current project is updating the files of all of the residents of the facility. Among other documents, this includes organizing their Injury Reports, Death Reports, and Obituaries. I had many somber and silent moments today when I realized that a resident had died the day I flew to England, and another had died the same day a good friend got married. Every day, people are born, die, and get married. We live our lives, and often times forget that there are billions of other lives happening around us.

Not all of the residents I am reading about have passed away; many are still alive and living in the home right now! These men and women were born in the early 20th century, and most have served in WWII as either soldiers or nurses. It was amazing to read about the lives of these men and women, and the sacrifices they made for their families and country. For example, I was saddened to read of a husband who died thirty years before his wife. To go that long without your best friend! It was amazing and startling.

One major result of working at this Retirement Home is that I have grown ever so much in gratitude for my youth. Friends, let us embrace our youth! Go dancing! Run in the rain! Create things! Be wise, but be brave to try new things. One day, you will no longer be able to do those things, your memory may begin to fail you, and you won't be able to do the things you once did. Instead, you will be in a new phase of life, where you can sit and read the paper each morning with no worries about what to do after. You can scoot across your living room, with curlers in your hair. You can tell young students about what life was like 50 years ago.

Dancing! Walking! Young! Old! They have it all! 

Tonight I embraced my youth. I hung out with good friends, ate delicious food, walked around, looked at amazing art, and listened to bands trying to sound like Journey. {For those in SoCal, I went to Brea Fest...it was fantastic!} And I appreciated every moment of it, because I knew that each moment was precious.

Life really is precious. God has given us the opportunity to spend each moment here on Earth in pursuit of Him, and for those who love Jesus Christ as their Savior and Lord, that pursuit never has to end. We can spend eternity with Him! So, in light of eternity, my friends, savor every moment.

Lord, thank you for those who are youthful. Thank you for those who are aged. Thank you for showing me both ends of the spectrum in one day. Let me live each day in pursuit of you, until the very end.

Something to Celebrate

I love living in a posture of thankfulness. It makes it hard to be grumpy!

Today I have many things to be thankful for. Should I write about the beautiful sunset I saw on my drive home from work today? Should I write about how I am thankful to even have a job to drive home from? Or should I write about the fact that today is my parent's WEDDING ANNIVERSARY??

I think you know where I am going with this:)

That's right, folks. Today is the day that my parents, Thame and Suzi Fuller, got hitched. Since then, they have entered the ministry, served the Lord and their community in multiple churches, raised (and are still raising!) three kids, all the while teaching me what a marriage should look like.

Look at these crazy kids swing dancing at Downtown Disney! :)

Now, please don't misunderstand me. My parents don't have a perfect marriage. But no one does! However, they do have a relationship that daily seeks to honor each other and God, and that's something to be thankful for. They love and respect each other, and make decisions together; that is something I really appreciate.

I wish I could have found some of their wedding pictures! My mom's hair was so long....and my dad's....well...let's just say he hasn't changed that much over the years. ;P

My mother has taught me to take action and stand up for myself. My father has taught me to love and respect myself, no matter what anyone says. Together, they have taught me to be a lady.

Thank you, Lord, for my parents, their marriage, and the ministry they do TOGETHER for You.

R-E-S-T

Hello friends!

It has been a long time since I last posted on my blog, but I feel like it is time to resurrect it. The purpose of this blog is to remind myself {and whoever reads it!} of the small yet beautiful gifts God gives me each and every day. Ever since graduating from college a couple months ago, my life has been on a roller coaster, and I often times find it difficult to be grateful.

A couple of years ago, when I was going through a real tough time with things at home, this blog gave me hope. Well, the Bible gave me Hope, but this blog gave me a conduit to articulate it. I would wake up each morning, filled with wonder at what I could be thankful for that day. It was such a marvelous blessing in the midst of trial.

So, here I am, a college graduate, working my way through relationships, jobs, finances, and a completely different pace of life. It is time I make my Daily Offering once again. :)


Today's offering is simple: I am so incredibly grateful for a good night's sleep.

I have not been sleeping well recently, and it wasn't until last night that I was able to go to bed at a good time and wake up early to start my day. I woke up thanking God for genuine rejuvenating rest, something I have been deprived of for a while. I was able to make a yummy breakfast, read my Bible, and work on the various tasks I had for the day {one of which was meeting up with a friend at California Adventure! -- difficult stuff, I know ;)}. With out a good night's rest, today would have been simply draining; instead, it was energizing!

Lord, thank you for rest.

Psalm 30:5

Hello friends.

This past week has been a doozy for me. It has been an emotional, physical, and spiritual roller coaster, and, as a result, I have decided to start my blog up again. It is such a healthy discipline to find joy in every day things.

Already I find myself looking for things through out the day that I can thank God for, and it's so much better than moping around! Try it!

Anyways, this past Sunday I was a Scripture Reader at my church, and I was providentially assigned to read Psalm 30 in front of the congregation. Not only were the words of this Psalm coming from my mouth, but they were the cry from my heart as well. Below is what I read:



[Joy Comes with the Morning]
[A PSALM OF DAVID. A SONG AT THE DEDICATION OF THE TEMPLE.]
[30:1] I will extol you, O LORD, for you have drawn me up
and have not let my foes rejoice over me.
[2] O LORD my God, I cried to you for help,
and you have healed me.
[3] O LORD, you have brought up my soul from Sheol;
you restored me to life from among those who go down to the pit.
[4] Sing praises to the LORD, O you his saints,
and give thanks to his holy name.
[5] For his anger is but for a moment,
and his favor is for a lifetime.
Weeping may tarry for the night,
but joy comes with the morning.
[6] As for me, I said in my prosperity,
“I shall never be moved.”
[7] By your favor, O LORD,
you made my mountain stand strong;
you hid your face;
I was dismayed.
[8] To you, O LORD, I cry,
and to the Lord I plead for mercy:
[9] “What profit is there in my death,
if I go down to the pit?
Will the dust praise you?
Will it tell of your faithfulness?
[10] Hear, O LORD, and be merciful to me!
O LORD, be my helper!”
[11] You have turned for me my mourning into dancing;
you have loosed my sackcloth
and clothed me with gladness,
[12] that my glory may sing your praise and not be silent.
O LORD my God, I will give thanks to you forever!
(Psalm 30 ESV)

"Weeping may tarry for the night, but joy comes with the morning". This struck me the most. To weep and to have joy are to be human. It is OK to feel both emotions, even at the same time. It is OK to both be sorrowful and joyful simultaneously, even though you feel like you shouldn't, or that it doesn't make sense. It's OK. It's OK.

Thank you, Lord, for the beautiful life you have given me. Yes, there is and will be pain, but let that not overpower the abundant reasons for joy that are present in my life, as well. Allow me to bless you and the others around me.

Little Did She Know...

Oh, powerful and omniscient third person perspective. How I love thee. 


Little did Rebecca Fuller know that when she found her assigned seat on her flight from Long Beach to Seattle that it would be taken by a three year old. Little did she know that the three year old's father would say, "Would you like an aisle seat, instead?" and that Rebecca would end up sitting in a different row in a seat she had no power in choosing. Little did she know that all of these small and seemingly inconsequential happenstances weren't so inconsequential after all!

[insert awkward transition from third person to first person here]


I absolutely adore flying. I love taking off, looking down at the cities as they get smaller and smaller, soaring over the clouds and marveling at the beauty of God's creation, and then landing at an incredibly scary yet somehow safe speed. It's all so glorious.

All that said, though, I have to say that my absolute favorite part of flying is the opportunity to talk with the person next to me. I have had so many fascinating conversations with what I like to call my "flying buddies", that I always hope that they will be willing to talk, too. Usually they do. And, boy do I have stories that I could share! But this is neither the place or the time for such stories. I am writing to share one story in particular; a story that the omniscient third person voice knew of all along.

Imagine my pure joy when I sit down in my newly and unofficially assigned seat and start making small talk with my flying buddy that I would hear an English accent in his response! My flying buddy was from the UK! From the moment he opened his mouth, I knew this would be a great flight. Jonathan is his name; an early thirty-something bespectacled man whose Ph.D. is in something impressively scientific that I cannot even remember (he's a genius when it comes to chemistry, that I can tell you). If I were an omniscient third person perspective for Jonathan, I would say something like:

Little did Jonathan know that when he sat down in his seat that he would soon be accompanied by a inquisitive American girl who would ask him all sorts of questions about life in the UK. Little did he know that he would even find himself enjoying the conversation, too. 


The first thing I told him after I found out where he came from was that I was going to Cambridge this summer. I felt that it established my ethos as his conversation and flying buddy. He was impressed, so I knew I was in. He was mine for the next two hours. It was time to ask all of the looming questions I had about life in the UK.

Our flight went like this: while watching hilarious episodes of the Big Bang Theory on TBS, we would chat during the commercials. Here are some samples from our conversation...a medley, of sorts. Enjoy, and maybe even giggle to yourself as you read. That's always fun. :)

Me: So, do you guys have football over there?
Jonathan: Well, yes, we have football, American football, and Aussie Soccer. 
Me: Oh, yeah, that's right! You call soccer, football! Which totally makes sense. What were we Americans thinking? 
Jonathan: I don't know. 


Me: OK, so my co-worker, Carri, tells me that we should put milk in our tea (she went to Oxford for a year), but this morning, my professor (who lived in Cambridge for a year) told me that we should put cream in our tea. Who is right? What do you put in your tea?
Jonathan: Oh, milk, for certain. Cream is much too thick. You might be thinking of Creamed Tea, though. 
Me: Creamed Tea? What's that?
Jonathan: Oh, it's what we drink during Tea Time. 
[insert massive smile on my face here]
Me: Tea Time?? When does that happen?
Jonathan: Oh, around 4 o'clock. 


Me: So, what's it like living in a Monarchy? You know, as opposed to a Democracy?
[yes, I asked him this question. I was curious!]
Jonathan: Haha, well, I think daily life is the same for you as it is for me. The Queen doesn't necessarily do all that much. 


Jonathan: Well, it was nice to meet you.
Me: Yes, it was! I hope you have a Merry Christmas! Wait, do you say 'merry' over there, or 'happy'?
Jonathan: *thinks for a moment* We say 'merry'.
Me: Oh, because in Harry Potter, they say 'happy'. OK. Well, then, Merry Christmas!
Jonathan: Merry Christmas to you, too. 




Oh, omniscient third person perspective, you're so cool.