Brain Dump

This is outside of my usual realm of posting, but this just keeps rolling around inside my head.  I don't know what to do with it...so I am writing about it here. 

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People are so amazing. I've been thinking about it a lot lately.  Sometimes I am in a large group of people and I just look around and am so in awe.  Everyone has their story...their strengths, their weaknesses.  Everyone's path is different.  Everyone knows different things, understands things in a different way, brings a different set of skills to the table.  When I look at someone and imagine their story...it just amazes me. 

I was at a meeting last week with a group of people who work to make sure another Exxon Valdez oil spill never happens.  It's a citizens advisory group.  Many of the folks who serve on the board were here in Prince William Sound when it happened.  They were involved in the clean up, in the aftermath.  There's a lot of emotion there.  As I looked around the table at this meeting I was struck by the amazing lives these people have led.  Yet I am sure none of them would categorize themselves as amazing or their lives as remarkable.  Yet I assure you, they are.  So are you.  So am I. 

I've thought about this as I've walked around town, walked through stores, driven to town, met with my bible study, our PTA, and my group of friends.  My heart is raw for humanity.  For the human experience.

We get lost in the what seems so ordinary--the dishes, the vacuuming, the laundry--the minutiae of daily life.  Yet who of us is where we thought we'd be 10 years ago?  Few, I imagine.  Life is full of unexpected twists and turns--when we take the time to look at other people's lives we can see it.  We can look past their ordinary to see their remarkable. When I do that, when I just sit back I am so touched by people's humanity.  We all have our hurts, our broken parts, our strong parts, our gifts.  We are all human, with human hearts.  We all feel passionate about things, love things, committed to things.  We are all different, created by an amazing Creator.

I am not sure where this all leads me, except to a heightened awareness of them and their stories.  It makes me reflect on my story so far and wonder what my story will be in 10 years.  What my daughters' stories will be.  I can hardly wait to find out!