strange questions

Today I was at the dentist's office for my biannual cleaning. The hygienist was chatting away as she prepared me for the x-ray.

"How old are you now?" She asked.

"I'm sixteen," I replied, as she came over with the protective vest thingy.

"Are you pregnant?"

"Excuse me?"

"Are you pregnant?" She repeated, looking very earnest.

"Uh...no?"

See that I was a bit shocked at the question, she explained, "You're sixteen, so I just have to check if you're pregnant."

"Uh...okay..."

What a mess our world has become! Just because I'm sixteen, I am assumed to have had sex and possibly be pregnant?

be still, my soul

Be still, my soul; the Lord is on thy side;
Bear patiently the cross of grief or pain;
Leave to thy God to order and provide;
In every change He faithful will remain.
Be still, my soul; thy best, thy heavenly, Friend
Through thorny ways leads to a joyful end.

Be still, my soul; thy God doth undertake
To guide the future as He has the past.
Thy hope, thy confidence, let nothing shake;
All now mysterious shall be bright at last.
Be still, my soul; the waves and winds still know
His voice who ruled them while He dwelt below.

Be still, my soul, though dearest friends depart
And all is darkened in the vale of tears;
Then shalt thou better know His love, His heart,
Who comes to soothe thy sorrows and thy fears.
Be still, my soul; thy Jesus can repay
From His own fulness all He takes away.

Be still, my soul; the hour is hastening on
When we shall be forever with the Lord,
When disappointment, grief, and fear are gone,
Sorrow forgot, love's purest joys restored.
Be still, my soul; when change and tears are past,
All safe and blessed we shall meet at last.

~ Catharina von Schlegel, transl. Jane Borthwick

thanksgiving

I give thanks to the Lord for the millions and billions of blessings he has showered me with. From family to friends, to pianos, to books, to the ability to sing, to mashed potatoes, it's overwhelming when I think about it.

But most importantly, I want to thank you, Jesus. What greater thing do I have than my Jesus? Many things compete for #1, but let me never remove Jesus from that spot. Lord, keep my eyes fixed on you. You only. Only Jesus.

Have a blessed Thanksgiving!

fuzzy logic

"Frowning takes more energy than smiling or being expressionless...so let's all frown to get more exercise!"

~My brother