First Snow (In Which I Take Pictures of Red Things)

I like the color red. Or maybe it is more accurate to say that some red livens up things and makes them look cheerful. Therefore, as I walked and took pictures, I only ended up taking pictures with something red in them.

Snow's Early Arrival

My sister has decided that she really wants something called a "wallflower" for the basement. It is an air freshener that works really well and she hopes that it will mask the rather potent smell of my brothers body spray. It smells great on him in person, but it should have a label warning against the choking fumes that fill the basement every morning.
Thus I have begun keeping tabs on sales and specials at Bath and Body Works where they sell these wallflowers. Today an advertisement popped up with the fragrance Snow Apple Mint. Now, generally I find fragrance names somewhat melodramatic. Nothing like the difference between "Exotic Coconut" and "Creamy Coconut" to make you give up entirely. Or how about "Moonlight Path"? What is that supposed to smell like? Whatever the case, I can usually come up with the idea that that thing or situation would smell like something. But Snow? Snow doesn't smell... Sure, other things smell when you have snow. I associate the smell of snow with wood and sap because that was always on my snow gloves from having hauled firewood as a kid. But that is not typical.
I also object to the fragrance name because snow, apple and mint sound like a very strange combination. What are these people thinking?

Community

Universities gather people together in the same stage of life and experience (generally) and puts them all in the same bale. But afterward everyone is threshed and beaten. The grain of who each person is mixed in with people from other parts of the field. Some grew near the edge with the weeds. Others weren't fertilized the same. A few were near the path and barely escaped being eaten by the birds.

And while this metaphor breaks down at a certain point, I have come to realize that after some life is lived it is hard to find others at the same point in that growth. It is hard to build community when my life experience is so wildly different from most people I know. Getting to know people is hard and complicated.

I had a friend visit this week. One of my dearest friends, Katie lived with me for 2 years in the ME. She and I talked for hours and hours and hours. We never ran out of words before we ran out of energy for speaking. We didn't even just talk about our time in the ME. We know each other's hearts.

I have come to be so much more thankful for the friendships and community that God has given me over the last years. It wasn't always easy, no... but God provided kindred spirits and fellowship. He will do so again.