Month: December 2013

It’s Okay Not To Be Perfect – Cookie Edition

Advent is full of anticipation and excitement, and the end of fall semester is filled with much the same feeling; although sometimes it can be hard to see through the stress of finals to the light and excitement of the oncoming Christmas.
I was having trouble seeing through the stress of oncoming testing and haze of sleep deprivation this week when God came to me in the most unexpected of places, in the baking of Christmas cookies. I had committed to making two dozen cookies to decorate for the Christmas party and to be honest was slightly dreading the time that cookie making was going to take away from my studying time. But I had scheduled it out and I was ready to make the cookies, get it over with and move on to what was really important. But things got complicated when I realized that I did not have a rolling pin or cookie cutters. But I was not going to let this stop me, I am a senior in college, I have battled finals 6 times over and an absence of cookie making tools was not going to stop me, so armed with a plastic cup and a butter knife I got to work.
As I battled with cookie dough and creating the semblance of shapes with some Christmas spirit and occasionally muttering under my breath “LCM I’m not complaining but you better not ever doubt my commitment to you”, I had a lot of time to think and most importantly breathe. And once I allowed myself to clear my head and allowed myself to think about things other than electrical engineering courses; I learned some things, like it is okay to not be perfect.
Because if my cookies are one thing they are not perfect, and since it is finals season and everyone could do with a little chuckle I have decided to share with you my Christmas cookies:

These are supposed to be Christmas trees, but they kind of look like arrows. Perhaps they are trying to point me in the direction of a better Christmas cookie.

These are meant to be Minnesota…I think they just look like they are trying to eat each other whilst wearing tiny hats.

These are stars. I think some of them look like they are dancing, I’m not sure if that is a good thing or a bad thing.

Here we have in order a stocking, a candle, a house, another stocking and a heart. I don’t have anything witty to say about these cookies other than I’m sorry about the stockings.

By the end I was kind of getting tired and the haze of sleep deprivation was encroaching on the clarity of cookie making adventures so I made some very oversized “ornaments” and another Christmas tree.

Not all of the cookies made it, some of them broke and they were delicious.

So in this time of finals take a deep breath, make cookies even if you don’t have time to, and remember that it is okay not to be perfect.

-Laura Kulm

Waiting and Watching

Looking back I see how important seasons have been to my life.  Not only seasons of the natural world, or the coming and goings of each semester, but those evident in the liturgical calendar.  Reflecting on the years it’s perfectly clear.  I came to the University of Minnesota in the season of Epiphany.  A season of growth and change and discovery where a wide eyed freshman me was exposed to everything new.  It was exciting and scary and filled with growth.  As I got a little older I moved into Lent, perhaps staying there too long, yet learning all the while.  Testing myself and wallowing in the questions of life.  Trying to figure out what this whole living thing was all about.  Thankfully Lent too past, leading me through Easter and into Pentecost, when, thanks to a LCM spring break trip to Mexico I found my passion and fire for social justice.  A passion that has tugged at my conscious ever since.  It has driven my study and direction within the design field, forcing me to question, but also learn.  And now, nearing the last semester of my college career, I arrive at advent.

Advent “is the season for mystics, for those who search the stars and the sky for signs of hope and promise in the deep blue winter… Nestled into the cold dark night, under the drape of the deep blue sky, in what ways have you been lulled to sleep?  What shooting stars and signs in the heavens might you wake up to see?  Or are you tired with watching and waiting for the coming of God?  Are you frightened or discouraged by the silence of the cold winter darkness?  As we put on the deep blue robe of Advent and light the candles to watch in the night, what might God be waking you to see?  What might you miss if you do not watch and wait?” *

This time of advent is a season for hope, for anticipation, culminating in the birth of Christ and a new beginning for us all.  It is a time of light that gathers within the darkness of winter to bring about new life.  Hope, peace, joy, and love abound in this beloved time of year.  So here I am, a senior, trying to find my way in the darkness of planning for a post graduation future, gathering little pieces of light in this time of advent.  Light that comes in the form of friends, family, and mentors, to guide me on my path to living out my vocation.  Once again it is a time in life for a new start, whether it is a new place, new faces, a new job, or a new sense of self, it is a time to start afresh.  And let me tell you, it’s scary.

In the hope for the coming of Christ we often forget about the doubt that can plague the season.  The doubt reflected in the darkness of December that surrounds us.  Doubt seeps in when trying to answer the nagging questions about the future. “What will you do when you graduate?” “Where will you be?”  “Who will you be?” Yet amongst this doubt there is hope, a hope for the birth of Christ and answers to life’s questions.  Right now this doubt is a more than a little overwhelming.  Quite frankly it’s terrifying. Yet I know, wherever I end up, whatever I am doing, whomever I meet, I will be blessed with a fresh start, a gift in this time of advent. I will wait and watch the heavens for the shooting stars of the deep blue winter sky.  I will be blessed with a new beginning and a path with another new direction to guide me onto life’s next great season.

*Excerpt from Holden Village Devotional

-Lindsey May

And then it snowed.

Please take a moment to watch this joyful video.

Now, take a step outside, breath in the snow (and the cold) and rejoice in its sheer beauty as that penguin does oh so well.

Snow and winter bring frustrated drivers, dangerous biking, and cold. Instead of biking, I’m now trudging miles to and from classes and interviews, tripling my commute times in my busiest weeks. It’s easy at this time to get wrapped up in stress and annoyance, particularly with finals closing in. But the snow invites us to slow down and savor the beauty of God’s creation as it snuggles in for winter.

To borrow the words from a friend’s status: “Snow storms. Gods way of saying hey, slow down, breathe, look around. It is advent.” -Mark

Advent is a time of expectant waiting, of preparation. It can be difficult as students to live into this season since it is one of our busiest, but I invite you to embrace those moments when you are forced to move slowly. While waiting for a bus or walking carefully across ice to class, take a second to look up at the sky and take a few deep breaths, stepping into the wonder of Advent.

-Bryna

Waiting in the Airport

This Thanksgiving, I flew from Minneapolis back home to Chicago. I love flying out of Minneapolis, especially out of Terminal 2, because it’s usually a very pleasant experience. This Wednesday was no exception. Terminal 2 is the epitome of Minnesota-nice culture: people are courteous, nobody is rude and pushy, and even the TSA agents smile. Terminal 2 is also where I saw God this week.

Everybody sees God in different ways. Some people see God when they are outside in the beauty of nature. Some people see God in the quiet. I see God when people show love to one another in chaos.

In Terminal 2, on the most stressful traveling day of the year, I saw a lot of love. I saw families reuniting. I saw a barista greeting each person as an individual, despite having tons of customers. I saw strangers chatting and bonding over the shared anticipation of a holiday with loved ones. It was a wonderful way to start my break and I am very thankful that I was able to see God in this way.