brights brighter.
20 Jan 2012 21 Comments
in life abundant. Tags: five-minute fridays
i was standing in the lunch line in the cafeteria at estes hills elementary school the first time i heard the word ‘vivid’. my friend jessica laughed and said, ‘you have such a vivid imagination, mary.’ i don’t remember what i had said but i remember having to ask her what that word meant. we were waiting for our teacher to escort us back to our sixth grade classroom.
when i think of the word vivid, i think of what she said to me that day.
bright. creative. colorful. wild.
i think of laundry detergent making our brights brighter and our whites whiter. sometimes i wonder if my clothes will ever hurt my eyes when i pull them out of the wash because of the plastic promise made.
i think of all things made new and fresh and pure and clean and holy.
our brights brighter and our whites whiter.
when i first got sober, i remember going on a hike and feeling like i was seeing color for the first time.
the beauty of god manifest through creation was brighter.
and i was made whiter.
today’s prompt:
vivid.
Jan 20, 2012 @ 07:04:18
okay, so i’m going to use different words than i usually do
that was amazingly well-written. soul-shining. the heart of who you are came right through the screen and touched mine.
i love God. and i love that He makes us clean.
thanks for always keeping it real, and i’ve been praying for you and how you’re feeling these days.
steph
Jan 20, 2012 @ 07:15:40
Steph…
Not just because of how you encourage me, but because of who you are…I am so glad to know you.
Thank you for this.
I am doing MUCH BETTER, thank you for asking. Waiting for my anti to get settled in, have been mostly numb, but I know it will balance out.
Love you.
Jan 20, 2012 @ 07:14:25
Very nice piece! I enjoyed reading.
Jan 21, 2012 @ 20:10:44
thanks! xo
Jan 20, 2012 @ 07:28:30
Beautiful direction on the topic! When I first got sober…that was my experience as well. The world became beautiful place, I was seeing for the first time Thank you for that memory!
Jan 21, 2012 @ 20:12:34
i didn’t know we had that in common, eileen! i love hearing that it was your experience, too. commonalities not differences.
Jan 20, 2012 @ 08:47:05
Fresh. Clean. Pure. Brighter. Vivid. Amen!
Steph
Jan 21, 2012 @ 20:12:48
love you. xo
Jan 20, 2012 @ 08:57:53
i took this photo this morning, and i think it must have been for you. all things new, indeed: http://followgram.me/shoutlaughlove/584467089_2185113
the ones with vivid imaginings are my favorite sort of friends:) you are holy and beloved.
Jan 20, 2012 @ 09:05:41
Dang, Suz! It’s not coming up on my phone and I’m heading out of town to work for the weekend. Can’t wait to see it! Thank you for taking it for me!
Jan 20, 2012 @ 09:07:02
Nevermind! It just opened AND I LOVE IT! So cute and fun! Thank you, thank you! xo
Jan 20, 2012 @ 09:02:00
All those Sweet Valley High books gave me such a broad vocabulary
And the desire for a twin sister named Elizabeth. And to be blond.
Jan 20, 2012 @ 09:04:13
Ahahahahhahahhahahhahahahaha
Jan 20, 2012 @ 09:42:00
Wonderfully shared. I remember you as a vivid individual in college, and I appreciate how in all that you’ve experienced you still maintain all the positive connotations of that word.
Jan 21, 2012 @ 20:13:15
oh, roni.
thank you, friend.
xo
Jan 20, 2012 @ 09:46:55
Vivid
It’s crazy how one little thing can trigger so many vivid memories. One moment and all those memories can come flooding back so vividly. But, the thing that takes me back to those moments the most is music.
I Hope You Dance by Lee Ann Womack. This song takes me back to my eighth grade graduation.
Party Rock Anthem.
This song was played a lot at my high school football games this year. I will always hear this song, and think of jumping around with my friends in the freezing cold!
Divine Romance by Phil Wickham.
During my sophomore year of high school, I had an amazing mentor. Every Sunday evening, she would open her house up to all of the sophomore girls in our church’s youth group. We would sit on her big comfy couch, get SunChip crumbs stuck in between the cushions and just talk about life, faith and God. Sometimes she would make us all put our cell phones on her kitchen counter and each find a little nook to sit in and spend 30 minutes alone with God. She would play Phil Wickham songs on her laptop while we spent our time with God, but we all loved to hear Divine Romance. I remember her telling us that she wanted this song played at her wedding. Two years later, she got her wish, and I almost cried sitting in that pew listening to this song at her wedding.
Send Me Out by Fee.
This was the last worship song played at camp my senior year. We had all had an emotional weekend, but this song left me feeling refreshed and encouraged. This song was stuck in my head for weeks after I got home from camp.
Hold My Heart by Tenth Avenue North.
During the weeks and months after his diagnosis, this song was playing on my iPod a lot. During the road trips to and from the hospital where he was receiving his chemotherapy, I would look out the window and let these words pour over my heart and soul.
Jan 21, 2012 @ 20:15:49
tay-tay, i love that this word brings up so many great memories associated with so much good music! songs do that for me, too. i don’t know the phil wickham song, but i am going to find it now! xo
Jan 20, 2012 @ 13:07:32
This is beautiful. First, wow, great memory! Isn’t it funny how you have snipits of memories like that?
Second, becoming sober is, absolutley, God’s greatest unveiling of the beautiful clarity of his vivid world (at least to me).
Jan 21, 2012 @ 20:17:01
SO well said, kaitlin.
and thank you!
xo
Jan 20, 2012 @ 14:03:17
Beautiful ~ Vivid thought. Thanks for sharing…
Jan 21, 2012 @ 20:18:11
thank you!
xo