2013 in a nutshell.

i will be forever changed by the people i grew close to 

and the moments we shared in the past 365 days;

i couldn't be more grateful for the year 

that will always stand as a mile marker in my life.

my favorite part about christmas?

that we take the time to sing praises 
about the night our Savior entered the world.

my second favorite part about christmas is

the fact that it comes back every year.

happy december 25th.

(or december 26th, depending on which side of the globe you are currently residing on ;)

it's been real logan.

staying here an extra week after the semester ended was fun and all,

those ten inches of snow you threw at us in one night was quite an eventful surprise,

but now i'm grateful to be on my way home.

home for two weeks.  home for christmas.

joy to the world.

and maybe that's what it was like in the stable on the eve of that first christmas.

He came softly, quietly, and humbly

into the world.

to bring his sufficient grace and his slivers of peace 

to people that were broken and hurting
to people that needed something more to keep from falling apart.

to people that would call out His name,

people that would be patient and willing to listen for His subtle response.

they had to be working to see the sign of His come.

they had to seek Him, they had to come unto Him

to feel of His sweet glory and comforting affection.

the Lord is come,

sing in exultation, 

born is the king

Jesus Lord, at thy birth.

maybe that's what christmas has really meant all along.

a sliver.

you're screaming, drowning, helplessly calling.
you feel frustrated, confused.
your thoughts and vision a tangled mess.
your passionate heart stepped on
and stomped upon.
the insides of your cheeks chewed from worry.
you hold your breath,
under your skin is blue and bruised.
weeks of sub-conscience abuse 
rise to the surface.
doubt and giving up come frequently.
nothing can cure.

He allows you to suffer.
as long as you can bare,
He lets you be pushed to your limits,
to the edge of your breaking point,
to where you can't take it any longer.

and then

 He brings peace.

it may come in just a sliver,
sometimes He does it that way.
but it comes--
you feel it shimmer again.
and that sliver may be all that is needed
to lift up your tired eyes
and work up the bravery
to take a little, tiny step in 
the direction of progression.

words from the wise.

if in the things you are doing, 

you aren't doing them very good--

give yourself a break,

at least you're doing them.