I promised some good news awhile back, didn’t I? Before Tars gets too upset with me, here it is:
The Good News:
I pulled off a 4.0 this semester! If asked about my grades after midterms, I probably would have said that I’d be happy if I could pull off three Bs and a C. I’m proud that I was able to turn them around.
The Better News:
I finished my Associate in Arts degree and I will graduate with high honors (requires a 3.75 – 3.99 cumulative GPA). I never imagined that when I started going back to school.
The Best News:
I was accepted into nursing school, and I start next week! I’ve already gone through orientation, and now I’m just trying to get all my ducks in a row. Expect to hear more about it soon
Holiday In Your Heart
by Jaxia @ 3:11 pm on December 8, 2006.
Xerox is in the holiday spirit! They set up a website to send FREE postcards to U.S. military personnel who are currently stationed overseas. You can pick out the card and the message. They print it out and take care of the rest! What a great opportunity to show them our appreciation!
Do You Hear What I Hear?
by Jaxia @ 5:32 pm on December 6, 2006.
I know I haven’t been around much lately, but I’m studying like crazy for my finals. I’ll be done with all of them by the end of the day on Tuesday, so expect to hear more from me then. Oh, and I have good news to share so be sure to check back! Woo!
Let It Snow
by Jaxia @ 11:25 am on November 30, 2006.
Yesterday, the high was in the 80s. Today? It just started snowing!
Stay safe and warm
Thank You
by Jaxia @ 9:20 pm on November 23, 2006.
I didn’t write this, but I wish I had.
All up and down my street I can smell stuffing and spices. It’s quiet outside, and very still. There’s little traffic today. The air is warm but autumnal. This little warmth is a grace note between one measure and the next. Winter hasn’t come yet, but it’s on its way. This is the last of the harvest time. A time to let ourselves be filled and renewed.
Grace.
What an odd thing.
We speak of “saying grace,” of being “full of grace.” Dancers have it, poor losers don’t. It can be both mercy and charm. To be full of grace can mean to have the indulgence of God, to be sanctified and elevated through some mysterious and luminous inner quality. It can also mean simple thoughtfulness. It is the wedding of mercy and wisdom. It is care. We practice it when we are charitable to others. We experience it in our lives in moments of clarity and understanding; when a kindness is done to us undeservingly, or when, after an undeserved ill turn, we find acceptance after all. Forgiveness? Surely that.
All I have sought this year is grace. The grace to accept change and responsibility. The grace to let things pass from me that need to pass, let things die when it is time for them to die. Where I have done wrong, and I have done it, I have prayed for the grace to make amends, but I am not graceful. I have prayed for the deeper grace of understanding, and been answered with more questions than I know how to ask. I have harrowed the dead soil of my heart with only the good graces of others to sustain me.
In the end, it is not something I can hold, but only something that comes to me, passes through me, a state of existence. I have dug deeply into myself, given of myself, hoping to find it, and found that it isn’t something I can keep by holding it. Only by giving it away.
If we reap what we sow, I have sowed better seed than I believed I possessed, for I’ve reaped the rewards of better friendship than I deserve. My friends, my family, they are whatever grace I possess, and I am sorry I don’t often have the words to say it with all the grace it deserves.
But I am grateful for it.
For all of you, I wish comfort. To those returning to family, and to those separated from it. To those who will be gathering in, and to those who have nowhere to gather.
For everyone nursing new lives, new projects, new loves through the shadowy part of the year, I wish banked hearth-fires and tight bonds. Cherishing what we have doesn’t make it last one whit longer, but awareness of it is a rare gift. That’s grace, too. Allow it.
For those mourning loss, separation, or absence, I wish you comfort and peace. That which dies feeds new life. We cannot pass through such holocausts unchanged, but we can trust that the raw and burnt bones of our inner landscape will, someday, be clothed once again in new green. One of the mysteries of grace is that it is true regeneration.
A few of you have, over the past year or two, become more dear to me than my own hands, or the work of my hands, and when it comes to saying it I’m as dumb as any beast in the field. But I’m saying it now. Thank you. I have so little to give back, so little to weigh against so much gratitude and hope. So little to give back in return for what you give me.
Even to those of you I don’t know: you are the reason I speak into the dark. This is the only way I will ever meet so many of you, but I am glad to have found you here.
When I think about it, it’s profound. This is all the time you will ever have, and yet you choose to spend a little of it with me.
A well-known fact of grace is that at times it comes even to the undeserving. Thank you for that.
by naamah_darling
Slang
by Jaxia @ 10:41 am on November 22, 2006.
How is it that I know Canadian and Aussie slang, but not Southern slang?
| Your Slanguage Profile |
| Canadian Slang: 75% |
| Aussie Slang: 50% |
| Prison Slang: 50% |
| British Slang: 0% |
| New England Slang: 0% |
| Southern Slang: 0% |
| Victorian Slang: 0% |
What Slanguage Do You Speak?
Christmas Already?
by Jaxia @ 3:00 pm on November 16, 2006.
I heard the first Christmas song of the year on the radio today. Isn’t it a little early for that? I’m still in shock that Thanksgiving is right around the corner.
With Love
by Jaxia @ 7:12 pm on November 5, 2006.
From the first day I met SK, I was amazed by her compassion and kindness. I kept trying to peek behind the curtain, because I couldn’t believe that anyone could be that genuine. As much as I am ashamed to admit it, I was skeptical in the beginning because I thought that people just weren’t that kind without ulterior motives. Somehow, she managed to get through to me, and I saw the truth represented not only in her words, but in her actions as well.
Eventually, I met SK’s family. I finally understood how she came to be this way. She is surrounded by people who embody generosity and grace. As I’ve mentioned before, her family created such an amazing tradition of service that it was recognized when a school was named after her grandparents.
On Tuesday, SK’s grandfather passed away. I wish I could have known him better, but his legacy continues in the thoughtfulness of his family and all the lives he touched. He was a great man, and will be missed.
Marketing 101
by Jaxia @ 1:51 pm on October 27, 2006.
You see a fabulous girl/guy at a party. You approach them to get their telephone number. The next day you call and say, “Hi, I’m fantastic in bed.”
That’s Telemarketing.
You’re at a party with a bunch of friends and see a fabulous girl/guy. You have one of your friends approach them, point at you and say, “She’s/He’s fantastic in bed.”
That’s Advertising.
You’re at a party and see a fabulous girl/guy. You get up, straighten your clothes, walk up and pour them a drink. You open the door, pick up their bag after it drops, offer them a ride, and then say, “By the way, I’m fantastic in bed.”
That’s Public Relations.
You see a fabulous girl/guy at a party. You approach them and say, “I’m fantastic in bed.”
That’s Direct Marketing.
You’re at a party and see a fabulous girl/guy. They walk up to you and say, “I hear you’re fantastic in bed.”
That’s Brand Recognition.
I’m Waiting
by Jaxia @ 4:27 pm on October 24, 2006.
SK and I went to Houston this weekend and spent some time with my nephews. They are getting so big! The youngest one will be 4 in a few days, and the oldest will be 5 in December. The birthday boy loves to go to the bowling alley, so that was our first stop. It was only the third time I’d ever been bowling, and SK’s only been a handful of times. I had a lot more fun that I thought I would! With a few strikes and spares each, we managed to get a few decent scores (although I’m sure they would have been lower if we bowled without the bumpers!). It was a quick trip, but it was nice to see them.
Thanks for all the well-wishes about my anatomy and physiology midterm. I’m pretty happy with how well I scored. I didn’t do as well as I’d hoped on my second test in statistics, but I still have a high B in there. There’s still hope! I can earn extra credit in government if I spend eight hours helping a political campaign. I need to make some phone calls to see what options are available.
As for nursing school, still no letter. I did confirm that they have the right address on file, so who knows where it went. There is probably a warm bird’s nest with lovely new wallpaper that reads ‘accepted’ or ‘rejected.’ The admissions office said that there are several people who did not get their letter yet, and now I have to wait until Nov 4th. If I still don’t have my letter by Nov 4th, they will tell me my status if I go into the office.
On the geeky side of things, Firefox has made their latest release public (Firefox 2 Release Candidate 3). I still need to install IE7. I updated my forums again. Several of you mentioned problems with the other ones — These should work much better. Check em out!
