FIVE LESSONS FROM A COFFEE SHOP

Today I'm diverting from my photo-laden Israel posts so we could all just sit down and have a chat, which I feel we haven't done in far too long. (Actually, I haven't posted at all in far too long. My bad.) Something I haven't officially announced on this space is that for the past three months, I've been working at a local coffee shop! Pretty much a long-time dream come true, and it's been such an enriching experience. Not only do I get to make coffees all day, but I've been able to work behind-the-scenes on the business side of things, working on design, branding, and social media. Every day on the job brings new jobs and challenges and projects, and I am loving every bit.

I am exactly where I should be, surrounded by amazing people and getting to make coffees every day (my latte art is still sorely lacking, but I'm working on it, guys). It's crazy how much God cares about us and our lives, and how He orchestrates even the smallest things. He gave me this job at the perfect time, and I've been growing and learning so much because of it. Not all of these are necessarily new lessons, but a little reinforcement from time to time is never a bad thing.

Everyone has a story.
The world does not and should not revolve around me. In the coffee shop atmosphere, people tend to linger and chat, so I've had the opportunity to have rich conversations with many of my customers. And what I'm realizing more than ever is everyone has something to say. I shouldn't be so wrapped up in myself that I don't take the time to be quiet and listen to what I could learn from them. C.S. Lewis once wrote, "There are no ordinary people. You have never talked to a mere mortal." What I am striving to do is value everyone who walks through the door as extraordinary humans who have stories and passions and quirks and abilities, to listen and invest during those precious few minutes I have with them.  

Autograph your work with excellence.
People notice when a job is done well, and they sure as heck notice when it's done sloppily. I was raised with a strong work ethic and a perfectionist for a dad (praise the Lord for both), so this one has always rung true with me. I was taught to be the first to arrive and the last to leave; to follow through to the final, smallest detail. Cutting corners was never an option. How I do my job at the shop reflects on me, on my boss, and on the Lord. I feel like Christians have a reputation for being shoddy workers, and that needs to change. We should be known as a people who excel, because that is the nature of our God. Work autographed with excellence glorifies our Creator!

A good cup of coffee is a game changer.
People come in and I can feel the tired radiating off of them. But once I hand them a steaming cup of life juice (er, I mean coffee), their whole mood changes. The eyes brighten, the shoulders lift, a smile appears. They walk out the door with a much lighter step. And I often think, what if I handed them a bad cup? What if I was too lazy to pull the shots correctly or didn't take the time to steam the milk properly? It would ruin the whole cup, the whole taste, the whole coffee experience, and my customers wouldn't leave as satisfied or revived. Perish the thought! A good cup of coffee is truly a magical thing. Can I get an amen?

People will always remember how you make them feel.
They may not remember what you say or what you do. Maybe they won't even remember how the coffee tastes (the horror!). But they will always remember how you make them feel. This is true in life, not just business, and it goes back to not treating people as mere mortals. Making people feel important and valued shouldn't just be part of my job description so they keep coming back for more coffee; it should be my intention, my heart. God has called me to love, and I want to make others feel loved. Ralph Waldo Emerson once said, "Be silly. Be honest. Be kind." That is what people will remember. I want to make them laugh, I want to make their day better, I want to leave them with kindness.

A day of rest is a gift.
Six days you shall labor, but on the seventh day you shall rest. God knew what He was talking about! As someone who has been self-employed or a freelancer most of my working life, I have never appreciated the weekend more than I do now! After a few days in a row of waking up extra early and being at the shop, I am more than ready for that glorious restful Sunday to roll around. Don't skip over this day. Rest. Revive. Gear up for the week to come. Be still. Spend time with people you love. Worship. Your soul needs it.

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What about you? What have you guys been up to? What have you been learning?

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WHY I WILL ALWAYS KEEP TRAVELLING

Well, here I am, home once again after my second international adventure within a year. I returned to my beloved England, explored the beautiful country of Wales, and had the incredible opportunity to spend two weeks in Israel (for those of you who didn't know... surprise!). My mind is whirling at everything I've done, all I've seen, everyone I've met and interacted with, and everything the Lord has shown me over the past two months. I never would have guessed I would be able to come back to England so soon, the place I love so much. And then to go to Israel as well? Jesus is too good to me. I have so many pictures and posts to show you, but honestly I am still processing it all. I haven't even been able to go through all my photos from Israel yet, just bits and pieces at a time.

Before my first trip to England in 2014, I had never been out of the country, never straying too far from my hometown. Now I've been to England, Scotland, Wales, and Israel (and if it counts, I've walked around outside the Geneva airport and gazed upon the Swiss Alps), which may not sound like much, but it's hopefully just the beginning. Because the more travelling I do, the more I am convinced the travel life is the life for me. And here are five reasons why...

travelling is knowledge.

Travel is one of my chosen forms of higher education. When I travel, I am learning every day. I am meeting people who are not like me, encountering foreign cultures, discovering history, immersing myself in newness. It is a massive, hands-on learning experience. Each person is different, for me I would choose touring Edinburgh Castle or walking along the Jerusalem wall or poring through Westminster Abbey over studying textbooks any day.

travelling is humbling.
I fall into the trap of getting comfortable in my own bubble and forgetting there is actually a world out there. My way is the only way, right? I don't need to change! This perspective shifted drastically once I stepped outside America. There are thousands of people and cultures around this globe, each of them unique, each of them bringing something different to the world. I don't know everything. I don't always know the right way. I still need to learn. Going to Israel, my first visit to a non-English-speaking country, put me in an extremely vulnerable position, as I was completely lost regarding the language, etiquette, and society. I had to be willing to grasp as I went, to follow, to be confused. Travelling urges me to be quiet, observe, and learn.


travelling is bravery.
Travelling brings out my brave side. I will try just about anything. Case in point: I have a terrible fear of the ocean, yet I splashed around in the water at Tel Aviv beach. Which sounds totally lame, but for me it was a big deal! (Though the sinkholes around the Dead Sea? WHO SAID THAT WAS OKAY.) Just the adrenaline of being in a new place, a new country, a new everything, pushes me to be adventurous. I challenge myself to conquer that fear, to strike up a conversation with that stranger, to reach out, to be fearless. I'm no longer satisfied with what's easy. I'm ready to branch out and be bold, even with something small like stepping foot in the ocean.

travelling is adventure.
Let's be honest.... travelling is just plain fun. The excitement and unknown thrills me down to my fingertips. Walking the streets of Jerusalem? Eating new foods? Jumping on trains and catching flights? Stumbling upon hidden gems? Snapping photos in front of Buckingham Palace? Yes, please.

travelling is trust.
I did not know what it meant to trust God before I booked an international flight and took off across the world by myself. True, I was going to stay with friends, but it was my first time overseas and I was alone, stripping away everything familiar, everything safe, everything comfortable. I researched what I could, but honestly, I had no clue what I was doing until I was in the middle of it. It was overwhelming and a lot to take in, and I could not have done it without Jesus. For the first time, I truly put my everything into His hands, trusting Him to protect me and guide me through His will. In a lot of ways, my solo travelling experiences have helped me discover what it truly means to be a follower of Christ, to fully submit and surrender to Him, and for that, it will always be a precious experience.

I am so thankful I've been able to live the travelling life, and I am eager to see where this new year will take me. I'm sure any of you travellers would agree with me. But for those of you who haven't made it far beyond your hometown, I would strongly encourage you to pack your bags and just go. Learn. Grow. Listen to what God has to teach you. Be changed. Explore. It's worth it.

What have you learned from travelling? Where have you been? Tell me your stories.

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HAPPY HAPPENINGS

You know those times in your life when you have been praying for something, and all the sudden it just falls in your lap and you think, "Whoa. Did not see that one coming. But how cool is this?!"

As I've mentioned before, my family is currently in a huge transition phase, and life has felt somewhat disheveled. We're finally settling in to a new normal, but I'm still finding my feet. What I want to do, where I want to work, how I can be involved in ministry... The opportunity arose two months ago when Grafted Magazine (a work I greatly admire and have been following since its inception) announced they were looking for writers for their blog writing team. I was instantly interested. I thought and prayed and mentally debated for several hours. My mind told me I was too busy, but I felt so compelled to apply for the position. I slept on it that night, and the next morning, my decision was made. No excuses. I'm gonna do it.

Once I received the online application from Grafted, my excitement level had risen quite substantially. Alas, only mere minutes after the application arrived, my internet decided to go on holiday. I panicked. Maybe it's a sign and I shouldn't be- NOPE I MUST DO THIS. It turned out to be a humorous day I laugh about now. Just in case nothing came of it, I hadn't told anyone I was applying, so I kept my impatient waiting for the internet's return to myself. The end of the day approached, my internet was still down, and Grafted sent out an announcement that they were being flooded with applicants. I finally took action, making a mad dash to my grandparents' home to borrow their wifi. I'm sure my mom was wondering why I was suddenly so busy with computer work that I needed internet RIGHT THEN.

With my application submitted, all I could do was wait. Eventually I received an email saying I had made it through the first round! That was the first time I thought, Hey, this might actually happen! I filled my family in on the news and then waited some more.

A phone interview, many prayers, and several weeks later, I was accepted onto the writing team for Grafted Magazine. I was so happy I couldn't stop smiling. For several months, I had been praying for both a way to use writing in ministry (beyond this little blog of mine) and some direction after a confusing season, and those prayers were answered. And I couldn't be more thrilled. After having a video chat with the stellar group of people I get to work with, I feel so privileged to be a part of this team of young people who are so bold in speaking the truth of the Word.

I'll be popping up on the Grafted website about once-a-month-ish if you're interested in keeping up. And do be sure to visit the website or follow @graftedmag on Instagram to check out all the fantastic work going on over there. My first article will be published on the Grafted blog this Sunday, May 24th!

UPDATE: My article has been published! Read it here.

interview with an author

So I have a loverly blogging friend out there named Ashley. We met over a year ago through mutual blogging friends (how is the blogging world so small??), and since then I've grown to love this girl in so many ways. She's funny, exuberant, and passionate. And she's also a writer, which is cool all by itself, but what's even cooler is that her novel, Becoming Nikki, has just been published!! How fantastic is that! Ashley is in the midst of a blog tour promoting her novel, so of course I was happy to host her for a day. You can find the rest of her blog tour locations here, or you can just sit back and enjoy my interview with this sweet girl.

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Hello there, my lovely friend! Do pull up a chair and make yourself at home. Tea? Coffee? While I pour, tell me all about yourself....

Whyyyy, thank you! I'll have tea. I'm picky about my coffee, preferring to put heaping spoonfuls of hot chocolate mix in it. :D

Whale, I'm Ashley. Rather unique, if I do say so myself. I love to write, read, sing, play the piano and violin, hang out with my friends and siblings, and watch movies (and re-watch movies). I'm more of a tomboy than a girly-girl, although I swing between the two as often as my mood changes – which is, unfortunately, often. I'm also a fangirl, which adds a lot of drama to my personality. :)

Here's your cup of tea, m'dear, and I'll try to ignore what you said about coffee. ;) So when did you begin writing, and why?

I began writing – really writing – when I was ten years old. I read the American Girl Magazine almost religiously, and, one day in September, I decided to enter a writing contest. The contest was based off a picture prompt, and I wrote the story in a few days, then had my mom type it up and send it in. The story was about a young girl who saved her father, the President of the US, from being taken captive by terrorists. It was called The Greatest Adventure of the Summer, and, to this day, I am so grateful for the wonderful people at American Girl who made sure that it DIDN'T. GET. PUBLISHED. (And it never will, unless I get as famous as Jane Austen and it's published in a volume of my early work, much like Love and Freindship (sic). Heaven forbid.)

Well, we all have to start somewhere! So tell me about Becoming Nikki; the story, the writing process, everything!

Becoming Nikki is what I like to call the coming-of-age of a young girl named Nikki who ice dances with her older brother, Alec. Unfortunately, that's the only thing they have in common because their relationship is just shattered. Then, tragedy strikes (dun-dunnnnnnn), and Nikki is given the chance to rebuild their relationship. (That's exactly how I explain it to people, including the 'dun-dunnnnnnnnnn,' which increases dramatically depending on how well I know the person I'm explaining it to. Ha.)

I came up with the idea after watching the 2010 Winter Olympics and falling madly in love with ice dancing. Around the same time, I had also started developing a plot that involved a sister-sister relationship that was deteriorating, and, eventually, the two fascinations merged into one. I started writing the story as my NaNo novel for Camp in 2012, finished it at the beginning of 2013, and it's been stuck in Editing Land for the past year and a half... until I got the kick in the pants that I needed (THANK YOU, Morgan and CPE3!) and finished editing it.

I still get excited about ice dancing, which is great because that means I didn't see “too much” as I researched for Nikki. :D I did SO much research. I spent hours on YouTube and Wikipedia and I even joined an ice dancing forum. It was intense. I think that's the most I've ever researched for something, besides my WWII story I did for NaNo last year. Insane, but I loved it. And no, I don't ice dance. I barely ice skate. : )

Well, don't feel bad because my ice skating skills are so rubbish we won't even discuss them here. Now, you've told me before that Becoming Nikki is a story you believe God called you to write. Why do you think that? What has the Lord taught you as you've been writing it?

Oh, absolutely. I know God called me to write it because I know it changed me. It changed the way I view relationships, especially one in particular. At the beginning, though, I didn't know that God wanted me to learn something – I thought it was for “other” people who had relationship issues. It wasn't until I was writing a certain scene that God hit me over the head and said, “This is for YOU, TOO!” And it was hard, at first, to accept the advice I was giving Nikki – to let go of old grudges and view a collapsing relationship from a completely different perspective. But I really think that it's changed the way I see relationships. There's no such thing as a relationship that is “too far gone.” You can always make the effort to save it, leaving the rest to God.

Amen! So which authors are your biggest inspirations? What else inspires your writing?

Hmm...  I think my biggest inspirations are Robert Whitlow, Wayne Thomas Batson, Jeanne Birdsall, and R.J. Palacio. (There are definitely thousands more, but I think those are the main ones.) These authors strove to write good literature – books that everyone can enjoy reading, not just those in the book's intended age range.

Other writing inspirations: Pinterest (I'm totally serious here), my writing buddies who write with me and help me out of the pit that is writer's block (LOVE you guys!), and books (often, immersing myself in good books helps fuel my inspiration). I'm so happy that I have awesome resources at my fingertips. I'm incredibly blessed.

Do you have any other novels you're currently working on?

Oh yeah. Duh. I'm always working on something. The thing I'm working on now is a novel called The Art of Letting Go, which is about a teenage girl who loses her best friend in a school shooting and has to learn to let him go and move on. It's the most depressing, gut-wrenching thing I've ever written – I cry over it SO often – and I love it.

Thanks for interviewing me!
My pleasure, love!

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Sounds fantastic, right? Buy your own copy of the book here. But wait, there's more... you can enter this giveaway on Goodreads to win a signed copy of Becoming Nikki! Be sure to head over to Ashley's blog and show her some love, would ya? Congratulations again, my beautiful friend!

masquerade

I enjoy waking up early because it makes me feel enormously productive.  |  The other morning I hit the snooze button three times and pretty much felt like a failure at life.

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Once I have made a decision, I am ready to act. Right now.  |  It is quite possible that I am the world's worst procrastinator; getting to the whole ready-to-act point takes me an eternity.

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I am elated at my total lack of a Facebook account and that I've never succumbed to getting one. So this is freedom...  |  Despite my social media-deprived existence, I'm always comparing my life to other people's, and it takes me about this long to become discontent and feel left out.

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It is my heart's desire to spend as little time on the computer as I have to.  |  I'm on my computer writing this post.

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I have as many broken friendships in my life as anyone, but eventually I'm forced to accept it, right? Life goes on.  |  When no one's looking, I huddle in a corner and weep for the irreplaceable people I've lost.

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I am a master at looking/acting/dressing confident.  |  I'm a chronic over-thinker. I fret over details and second-guess myself and over-analyze situations like nobody's business.

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The thought of turning twenty in two months is terribly exciting; is this when I become a true-blue adult?  |  I do not feel mentally or emotionally mature enough to be turning twenty in two months really I'm terrified where is my mom.

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I want God to be my sole source of strength, my all in all.  |  Without fail, I am constantly trying to rely on human weakness.




I'm really good at letting people see what I want them to see. What I've written above is not hypocrisy, because every word is true. I just have a talent for covering up whatever makes me look less than perfect and put together. So this is my attempt at tearing away my masks, revealing the other side of the truths I exude.  Here's to the beautiful and the ugly, the visible and the hidden, the real thing and the fake, the quirks Jesus gave me and the things He's nudging me to improve.

This is me. Stepping back from my masquerade.

i have an idea.

What if we finally shook off the pressure that we have to be like somebody else or dress a specific way or say certain words. What if we licked crumbs off our fingers and hugged fiercely and didn't care how loudly we laughed. What if we discarded society's impossible expectations and were brave enough to go without makeup. In public. (I'm really getting revolutionary here.) What if we actually danced in the rain, rather than simply frame those words on our walls. What if we shut off those screens that really do more to hinder than to help, and stopped substituting online hi-bye's for flesh and blood relationships. What if we actually treated those flesh and blood relationships as if they were treasures, instead of friend being nothing more than another word social media has cheapened. What if we cooked dinner at home more often and got up early just because and buried ourselves in raked-up leaf piles and maybe just didn't care anymore about being perfect. What if we stargazed. What if we spent more nights wrapped up in blankets and gathered around an outdoor blaze, the orange light glinting off our faces as we talk about Jesus and sing songs that truly mean something, until our throats ache with the passion. Really, just sometimes I wonder how our lives would be if we made it a soul-ingrained habit to embrace the simple and crave the underrated.

on the subject of holes.

One thing I've noticed about life

Is how quickly you get used to something always being there.

But the funny thing is...

You never quite get used to it being gone.

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*photos from a crazy afternoon with an even crazier girl coming soon...

it's kinda crazy, really.

You know those things in life you think you know so well until you try to define them? You stammer and stutter, and sentences that don't really mean anything tumble out of your mouth as you attempt to put meaning to such a familiar idea. Finally you have to stop and ask yourself, what does it mean exactly? It's as familiar to you as the moon, but defining it is like trying to get to the moon.

And oftentimes, the definition is something you just can't describe. More like a feeling or emotion, rather than a tangible string of words. You can taste it, like the flavors of your favourite family meal bursting on your tongue. You can see it as clearly as though it were a human being standing in front of you.

And you can feel it, because let's be honest, certain things are usually tied to some poignant memory (or more often than not, a significant person) locked deep in our hearts. The pangs of emotion, pleasant or no, knife into your soul every time, and there's nothing you can do to stop it. All those memories blind you with their abrupt appearance, sometimes they'll even take your breath away. You are filled with an intense longing to revisit that memory in real life or simply be in the same room as that person, but you're not sure why or how. You just get hit with a sudden crash of feeling, and the words to describe it just don't come. Maybe they can't. Maybe if they did, the feeling would suddenly sound cheap, the enigmatic magic of it all stripped away and scattered to the winds like fairy dust.

So anyway. That's how it is for me when I try to describe missing you.

- for emily