Turkey Day=34 Days...

...the time in which I will be on the road (or rather in the air) again traveling, but until then...

So as most all Americas sit down for a scrumptious meal with family and/or friends today, we devote time to sharing what exactly it is for which we give thanks. Yes, to many who have not experienced an American Thanksgiving celebration, the food seems to be the focal point. Even with the traditional gathering being half the normal size at my parents' this year, we still had all the homemade trimmings: turkey, stuffing, cranberry sauce (both whole and jellied), candied sweet potatoes, biscuits (a few burned and sacrificed, as per our usual holiday accident), cauliflower with cheddar cheese, and choice of dessert: cranberry-cherry pie or pumpkin pie served with a generous dollop of fresh whipped cream. In all reality however, I think it is more or less the excuse to gather: a great meal, or two or three, to gather friends and family in order that we might give thanks for all that we are grateful. What better, more enjoyable way to do so?

As I give thanks for the enumerate blessings bestowed upon me while I watch the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade followed by the Packers @ Lions game, I am ever-aware of those things which remain elusive yet for which I am eternally grateful. *Let us toast to just that!*

Editorial

A Thanksgiving Toast

Sitting down with friends and family today, there will be thanks for the steady currents, flowing out of the past, that have brought us to this table. There will be thanks for the present union and reunion of us all. And there will be prayerful thanks for the future. But it’s worth raising a glass (or suspending a forkful for those of you who’ve gotten ahead of the toast) to be thankful for the unexpected, for all the ways that life interrupts and renews itself without warning.

What would our lives look like if they held only what we’d planned? Where would our wisdom or patience — or our hope — come from? How could we account for these new faces at the Thanksgiving table or for the faces we’re missing this holiday, missing perhaps now all these years?

It will never cease to surprise how the condition of being human means we cannot foretell with any accuracy what next Thanksgiving will bring. We can hope and imagine, and we can fear. But when next Thanksgiving rolls around, we’ll have to take account again, as we do today, of how the unexpected has shaped our lives. That will mean accounting for how it has enriched us, blessed us, with suffering as much as with joy.

That, perhaps, is what all this plenty is for, as you look down the table, to gather up the past and celebrate the present and open us to the future.

There is the short-term future, when there will be room for seconds. Then there is the longer term, a time for blossoming and ripening, for new friends, new family, new love, new hope. Most of what life contains comes to us unexpectedly after all. It is our job to welcome it and give it meaning. So let us toast what we cannot know and could not have guessed, and to the unexpected ways our lives will merge in Thanksgivings to come.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/26/opinion/26thur1.html?em

Sign in to Recommend Next Article in Opinion (21 of 30) » A version of this article appeared in print on November 26, 2009, on page A38 of the New York edition.

Patience is a Virtue...

Yes, but is it really worth having all of the time?

I am amused by the number of times I have found myself pondering patience the past few days, and, subsequently, I am currently in a deadlock. Patience is a wonderful virtue to have mastered. Or so the saying goes. But, with mastery, is it not implied that one should not only know when to have/practice patience but also know when to throw caution to the wind, forget about keeping emotions in check, and go at life with wild abandon? I mean, plans are great. And being patient tends to yield more beneficial results than the alternative. I should know: most of my life reflects arduous planning and perseverance and not becoming frustrated at obstacles; however one cannot know the future nor does "perfect information" truly exist and being fastidiously patient can be rather predictable and boring. So, every-so-often, is patience not a virtue for which it is not worth waiting (at least statistically speaking.)?

Buzz's Bench

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sjJS7Bo7iQc&feature=channel

SHOUT!!!!

One last shout out from MU Class of 2009...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FtozdeVGEWE!
The video quality is not the best ever, but this is stellar!!
(And, yes, I can be spotted every now and again.)
=D
"Seniors 2009 - We're OUT!"

Switching Parts...

So I am sure you have experienced the thrill & greatness of a new hair cut. Not just any-old trim; removal of split ends; or cutting of bangs. But a brand-new styling. You arrive at the stylist's/barber's/etc. with a few pictures of the "do" you are going for; have the image of the soon-to-be new-found glory of the fresh cut and style emblazoned in your mind's eye, when your beautician innocently asks..."So how do you part your hair?"

"Uh...ummm??? Good question. NO. GREAT question!...How DO I normally part my hair?" races through your mind. "NORMALLY, I have a comb in my hand. And my hair is wet. And, I do not really THINK about it...my hair just kind of falls into place."

And out sputters, "On this side."
"I think?!"

And, inevitably, once you have returned home to stare in the mirror for a few brief moments you realize that, in fact, you used to part your hair on the opposite side.

Greetings from Galveston!

Well, this year, for the first time since I have been at Marquette (during the spring semester), I am not attending MU Crew’s Spring Break in Oak Ridge, Tennessee. Upon returning from my year in Germany, my younger sister proposed spending our spring break holiday together and venturing down to Galveston, Texas, with a few friends. The alternative, while equaling relaxing, would have lacked sun and the chance of a “true” (stereotypic-American) spring break experience. (Plus, the price tag was rather affordable.) So, of course, I agreed.

Now, our week is nearing its end, and, besides the fact that I have done little work on my term papers or the case study I had packed, the week has been wonderful. The six of us have enjoyed the sun, sand, swimming, and sightseeing here on Galveston Island to its fullest.

Today the temperature struggles to reach the fifties and it was raining when I awoke at 08:00, but, never fear! We have alternative plans for our last day on the beach…we are going to explore the island a bit more and tour the Strand District and Galveston’s Victorian Homes.

The Sarah Party

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00hg592
If you are a Sarah (or any other variation or the name), you should check this out while you can.
=D

Knock, Knock, Knocking on my Desktop!?!?

So it has been 5 months and 19 days since I returned to the U. S. and 6 months and 25 days since I had my last lecture in Germany, but I still find myself drawn to knocking on my desk top or the nearest hard surface at the end of a presentation or a guest lecture. Sometimes I catch myself as my curled hand gravitates towards the desktop. Other times I only notice when the rapping of my knuckles resound a much crisper applause than the multitude of polite clapping hands smattering their thanks/approval/appreciation/etc.

Just yesterday I caught myself knocking after a guest speaker's presentation, while the rest of the class clapped and it got me thinking. In university in Germany, it is common practice for the pupils to knock at the end of every lecture as a sign of respect. However in most of my lectures, many pupils carrying on full-blown conversations, send SMS messages to the universe, pass notes, and generally do not pay much attention to the professor and the professor just trudged on with the presentation. Here, however, if the disruption amongst the students reached even a fraction of that level, most of my professors would stop the lecture and reprimand the inattentive members before proceeding any further. And there is no knocking or clapping at the end of a typical lecture nor a bell, merely a collective, preemptive packing of book bags. So, with that, is knocking the equivalent of paying attention during lecture? Should they be cross-culturally synonymous?

So Help Me God.

Four simple words. Four very powerful words. Four words that admit weakness yet simultaneously exude strength. Four words that are not constitutionally included in the Presidential Oath of Office yet still traditionally thrive.
So help me (and our nation) God, for our future is bright only in His light.

The Race Is On...

So the semester has begun and there is no doubt that it has started at a fast pace. It is an exciting time, yet filled with challenges...the economy is not easy to hide or ignore, especially not when studying four different aspects of economics this semester, actively looking for an internship and full-time-post-graduation position, and trying to generate funds and save for the last little stretch of my undergraduate degree. And that does not even factor in a full course load, (essentially) a 24/7 job, and all else that comes with striving for balance in ones life.
Good thing I love it all!!!! =)

Honduras

So I am here...we are all safe...and keeping REALLY busy. Please check out the MUGBB blog for further details as I am writing it and do not have much time to write more than that at the moment. Peace & Love!!

Einen guten Rutsch ins neue Jahr!! (Happy New Year!!)

So the New Year is two-days old now, and the busy-ness (& business) has begun!!!! In about an hour Marquette University's Global Business, Medical, and Water Brigades will be meeting to pack a school bus with supplied-filled suitcases and then depart for Milwaukee's Mitchell International Airport to begin our week-long missions in Honduras. Each brigades has put countless hours of effort into preparations for our trip. Regardless if it is a seasoned-veteran (MUGMB), a green-novice (MUGBB), or a rookie (MUGWB), our true test begins shortly and only the Lord knows what this trip will bring for those we are setting out to help and/or enable in hopes of a more prosperous and self-sufficient life. Only the Lord knows how those of us affiliated with Marquette and participating in this venture will be affected by our pending journey. If this trip is any indicator of how the next year will go, right now all I can think it is going to continue to be amazing, rather unpredictable, exciting, a bit nerve-racking, exhilerating, challenging, brimming with life, and busier than ever. All I can say is..."Bring it on!!!!" & "God has blessed me."