It’s a lazy day, with the chirping birds and the clouds covering what yesterday was a bright blue sky. As I lie on my bed, hearing the passing cars, I’m realizing just how much I love my life.
Last weekend I started putting pictures on my wall. Though it started with only a few, it has taken over the empty space in recent days, slowly creeping further. There are easily over 100, taped together and overlapped in a giant collage of color.
I used to scrap book, taking pictures and ticket stubs, pasting them to pages and putting them on a shelf. People say that a picture is worth a thousand words, but I never saw the story that mine would make, instead I left them to collect dust on my bottom shelf.
Sometimes, I just need a reminder of what has happened, and where I’ve been. Some days, when the clouds rule the sky and the rain falls, I forget. From my bed, now I can see the story, in bits and parts before my eyes.
Overwhelmingly, I am thankful. The pictures make me giddy. They remind me of the goodness I’ve seen, and the adventures I’ve been on. Mostly, they serve as a reminder that God is good, and that He always has been. Life is precious, and there is so much good in it.
There are thousands of stories in these images.
I love the array of places, people, and cultures represented.
My sister in a Halloween costume when she was maybe 10.
The grandmother whose eyesight was miraculously healed.
There’s the picture of my favorite African pastor, Moses.
My Wisconsin Badger football stadium: Camp Randall.
Friends from around the country, and the world.
There’s the picture of my family at Disney Land.
Giggling roommates from my house at college.
The woman who taught me to love history.
Or the smiling Cambodian schoolboy.
The house I grew up in back in Cali.
Lions, elephants, zebras.
The Brooklyn Bridge.
A high school dance.
Buddhist monk.
Sunsets.
Visually reminding myself of all of this has been a joy in the past week.
My soul is at peace here. Everything is just…good. It’s utterly fabulous. My apartment is wonderful, my roommates are great, my job is exciting and entertaining (though also a lot of work). I’m settling into a routine and a rhythm that I haven’t had in a long time, and I love it.
Joy.
There’s not a better word for it. I am filled with joy. And I am beyond thankful that I’m here. My life, currently, and up until now, is amazing. I love it. It's filled with laughter, friends, and beauty.
#Jesusdidit.
I'm moving websites and will no longer be blogging here on the World Race page!
New blog at jennamalinen.wordpress.com.
Click HERE to go check it out.
