February 27, 2009

It's Friday morning. This week has flown by, but when I think of all that God has done, it seems much longer than just 5 days. I feel more and more drawn to make each moment count. Whether that means to be busy physically, slow down enough to interact with people, or be still to listen and just enjoy God's presence. During this time of focusing on the economy and thinking about being good stewards of our finances, it can be a reminder to be good stewards of the precious gift of time that God created and has given to us. I know that I have to remind myself of that often. And it's not a goal to achieve once and for all, it's actually a day by day journey. His plans for us on any given day are unique to each of us and to the circumstances He has allowed for those moments.

Yesterday was such a busy and very good day. It started off with a trip to the concierge/office of my building to pick up some boxes that were sent to me. I was asked about my role as a missionary here and if I would be interested in helping to coordinate a new endeavor to get the tenants of our building involved in some social justice ministry. This would include donating clothing and other items to give to the shelters and centers, volunteering time to serve at these places as well as at a hospital, working with some of the kids in the neighborhood, etc. I cannot tell you how excited I am about this opportunity!!! God has laid it at my feet and answered so many prayers in this one adventure. After I return from AR I'll be talking with Amelia to plan and coordinate this new plan. This is huge for me.

Well, the boxes I picked up were filled with hundreds of socks that the kids at my home church in AR had collected and sent here for us to give out to the homeless. I'm spreading them out among the places that can use them. This may sound like a simple thing to do, but a clean, new, soft pair of socks is a wonderful gift for someone who does haven't much and doesn't often get to clean their meager collection of clothing. Happy feet in NYC is a really big deal!!

I really enjoyed the food at the Indian restaurant yesterday. I had plenty of time to get there so I took extra time to enjoy the view from the buses and to walk in areas I haven't been before. (I also missed one of my stops and went further than intended, but it was a treat to get to do that. I got to see so much.) The restaurant we chose had a buffet and I got to try a little bit of many dishes. Each had a wonderful flavor. With the exception of some fried items, I could eat almost everything cooked 'Indian' style. We were in the Murray Hill area of Manhattan. This particular neighborhood is nick-named 'Curry Hill' because of the abundance of Indian restaurants and stores. The fragrance in the air was heavenly!

I always enjoy my time with Jenny and our culinary adventures. We walked back up Lexington Ave and chatted and decided to walk through the Waldorf Astoria. I was taking pics, but got more involved in chatting than picture taking, but it was really pretty inside the old hotel.

I ended up walking the rest of the way home because the bus just didn't seem to want to follow my schedule. I stopped by Whole Foods and got some nuts and fruit. There was some good deals on grapes and blackberries and blueberries. That made up for the price hike in my favorite nut and dried fruit mix. Good food at some good sales. Yay!!

I rushed home and packed up some socks and headed to Coffeehouse to help serve dinner with my some great workers. Thursday nights are some of my favorite volunteer opps. It was good to get home and put my feet up and I actually went to bed before midnight again! I got a good workout of walking all over. I'm glad the weather is getting a little more accommodating to being out.

Off for my next adventure, aka God's plan for today!