Just Listen

When things get crazy, when the hum and buzz of the all day, stressful usual becomes overwhelming, the first thing to go seems to be the quiet.

We get so worked up about what's coming next, the music we want to listen to or the YouTube video we want to share p, that we don't realize how much is going around us. We also forget to take the time to just breath, and just listen. 

I've mentioned before that one of my favorite author is Sarah Dessen; she's just one of a kind, writing coming-of-age stories that make the reader stop and think about how they would handle the situations thrown upon her characters, or if they have ever been one of her characters. 

One her novels focuses upon the concept of music, and how different people hear different things.  Her protagonists, Anabelle and Owen constantly fight about the different kinds of music they listen to.
Owen, opened minded, constantly looking for a musical enlightenment, and Anabelle is just trying to stay afloat, and not say what's below the surface. 

To make a long story short, and just ruin the entire story for you, Anabelle finally reaches the point where she can talk about what has happened after she listens to Owen's last CD. The CD is blank, which she believed to be the entire point, and even though it wasn't Owen's, it was the author's. 

The point is, sometimes we need the silence.  There is times where we need to be alone with our thoughts and feelings, and listen to what they are telling us. That's how we stay healthy as human, and sane as a Christian.

Remember the story of Elijah, how the wind blew and mountains shook, but God was not in the storm, nor in the earthquake.  Instead, God was in the most gentle and quiet of breezes, whispering in the prophet's ear, and caressing his face.

How can you possibly hear the breeze if your ears are covered with headphones, and your face is hidden behind your laptop?

Stop, and just listen. Enjoy the quiet, even if it's just your six minute drive to school in the morning. Say hi, say I love you, tell God thank you, and also listen.

Totus tuus,

LeAnn 

My Favorite Book

Along For The Ride by Sarah Dessen 

It's finally winter break! After weeks of prepping for finals and juries, it's all come to a close.  I now have four weeks of "free time".

Immediately after arriving home, unpacking and re-organizing my room at my parents house, I picked up one of my favorite books, Along For The Ride by Sarah Dessen.

The novel itself is girly, so girly in fact, that the original design is bright pink.  It's a coming-of-age novel about an eighteen year old girl named Auden.  Auden decided to spend the summer with her dad, step-mom, and newborn sister.  Throughout the novel, Auden goes on a "quest" of sorts to experience the childhood she never had.  Breaking curfew, going to the prom, having a food fight, and visiting a bad club are few of the things on her list.

While learning how to have fun, Auden learns other lessons along the way.  She discovers that people really do have the potential to change.  She learns that there is more middle-ground for women than her mother let on; you can like to ride bikes, read Shakespeare, and manage money, all while still looking for that perfect pair of jeans.

Auden is accompanied by a great cast of characters who teach readers that there is more to people than their past.  Eli, Maggie, and Heidi all guide Auden through her summer before college, helping her to realize that there is more to life than academics, and more to people than we can know in a first introduction.

"So I decided to just relax into it, bumpy and crazy as it might be, and try for once to just go along for the ride."

Over your winter break, I challenge you to read a good book. Maybe even this one?

Totus tuus,

LeAnn