I don't have a scriptural reflection today. This is about 70% due to laziness, but 30% due to the fact that I just want to talk about my weekend. So here we are.
I had a great weekend. I didn't really have any exciting plans going into it, and truth be told, I was a little miffed that I didn't go away to some beach or amusement park with friends because, well, I didn't have many available friends who could go away with me. And I couldn't go away, anyway, because I had commitments both on Saturday evening and Sunday morning, so that was that. So, because of my work commitment on Saturday evening, my boss gave me the day off on Friday, which was a pleasant surprise. I then spent all of Friday afternoon basking in the sun in my backyard. It was like going to the beach, except no outrageous parking fee and no messy sand everywhere. It was quiet, and it was sunny...just what I needed.
Saturday was equally relaxing as I spent most of the afternoon walking and enjoying the weather, and then I spent Saturday night at the concert that I went to for work. It was a fundraiser for the mission trip we're organizing, and though it wasn't our fundraiser, the kid organizing it really benefited from us being there to represent the organization, so we went. It was in Connecticut and it was a bit of a long night, but it was worth it because it brought in some much-needed money for the trip. So, Saturday wasn't as bad as I was expecting it to be.
Sunday morning, I donned my Dutch Reformed hat and drove to Readington, NJ to the Readington Reformed Church. I gave a little schpiel about Camp Warwick, and then stayed later during fellowship to answer questions, pass out brochures, and pretty much pimp out my favorite place in the entire world. I can't work there this summer, it will be the first summer in 15 years that I haven't gone there, so the least I could do was help promote it to kids who can go there. So, it was an early morning, but not a bad experience at all. I am always so grateful for hospitality and kindness from strangers. I felt welcomed at that church, like I was part of their family. The simplicity of many of the Dutch Reformed churches in the tri-state area is something that I really appreciate because it reminds me so much of my mom's church. The chipped paint in the bathrooms, the cement floors in the fellowship hall, the lackluster numbers of the women's guild meetings, and small attendance during summer worship...these aren't really positive aspects of a church community, but, you know, it's simple. And authentic. And the people who are there really go because they love their church. And that's something that I see as a real strength in Protestant churches. They don't go out of obligation or because they'll feel guilty if they miss it. They go because they want to. It's a beautiful thing.
Anyway, I went home Sunday night to have dinner with my family. My mom decided to cook since she wasn't working (a rarity these days), and she was planning on making spare ribs. Not my favorite meal, but really, I was grateful to have a dinner. Here's the catch: my family isn't great at time management. A big dinner will easily take hours to make, and it won't get served until 9:00 or 10:00 at night. At that rate, we should just move to Italy or Spain. We would fit in well there. So, dinner was super late partly because our outdoor grill is broken so everything had to be made inside. Little annoyances like that sometimes get me down, but upon hindsight, the dinner was great and my parents were really happy that I came home. So, it was a good day.
And Monday turned out to be awesome. I decided on a whim that since my sister had off from school, we would go into the city and go see the Harry Potter exhibition in Times Square. It had gotten fantastic reviews from a lot of people, but even if it had gotten bad reviews, we probably would have still gone. When it comes to HP, I'm a bit of a lifer. I've been pretty dedicated to it since I was thirteen. I went to book release parties. I went to national film release parties in NYC, I went to midnight showings on opening night. I've read the books at least 4 or 5 times each. When I say I like Harry Potter....I mean I REALLY LIKE Harry Potter. So, going to the exhibition was a bit of a reminiscence for me, too. And it turned out to be awesome. There were literally hundreds of authentic costumes and props used for the movies. Some of it was interactive, but since they were all actual props and costumes, we weren't allowed to take pictures or touch anything. Which was fine, really. I was just happy to be there. My sister might have been even happier than I was. Harry Potter has always been something we've bonded over because I read the books to her when she was younger (possibly against her will). So, it was really nice to spend the day with her and experience that together.
It was a good weekend. I didn't do anything extravagant, and most of the fun stuff happened by chance. This weekend reminded me to appreciate the simple joys in life. Sunshine on a hot summer day, a family dinner that comes few and far between, and the simple joy of reliving a fun pastime with other Potterheads and bonding with a sibling. These are things that make me smile, and I am grateful that God gave them all to me this weekend.
This job has me complaining a lot. I'm not proud of it. But I admit that I'm a complainer. I don't always see the blessings in my life, and I don't always show gratitude for what has been given to me. My mom even paid for the trip to the city yesterday. And she offered to cover my first month's rent in August because my job doesn't begin until September. I am so, so lucky to have a family that supports everything I want to do in my life. I am grateful to God for them, even if I don't always voice it.
So, that's the reflection for today. Enjoy the simple things, and show some gratitude for the little blessings along the way. Mischief managed!
Peace.
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