hope...

Living with Hope Optimism and hope are radically different attitudes. Optimism is the expectation that things-the weather, human relationships, the economy, the political situation, and so on-will get better. Hope is the trust that God will fulfill God's promises to us in a way that leads us to true freedom. The optimist speaks about concrete changes in the future. The person of hope lives in the moment with the knowledge and trust that all of life is in good hands. All the great spiritual leaders in history were people of hope. Abraham, Moses, Ruth, Mary, Jesus, Rumi, Gandhi, and Dorothy Day all lived with a promise in their hearts that guided them toward the future without the need to know exactly what it would look like. Let's live with hope.

during the last few days, hope has risen to the surface.

the possibilities of employment have become a bit more tangible.
some bills waiting to be paid have been sorted out for a bit longer which helps the stress level on my shoulders.
a friend from boston treated me to coffee and a chat this morning which helped to provide perspective and brought a wave of encouragement and a listening ear to allow me to process all the blessings which have fallen upon me in the short time I have been in dallas...
one of my favourites things is connection, new or by way of reunion.  in the just over a fortnight that has found me in this metropolis, chats have occurred with friends from so many of the life chapters in my storyline...
arkadelphia.
bulgaria.
germany.
fayetteville.
colorado.
boston.

I am sat full of
awe.
thankfulness.
hope.

the Lord's plan for us is good and intentional.

^10-11 This is God’s Word on the subject: “As soon as Babylon’s seventy years are up and not a day before, I’ll show up and take care of you as I promised and bring you back home. I know what I’m doing. I have it all planned out—plans to take care of you, not abandon you, plans to give you the future you hope for.

¹² “When you call on me, when you come and pray to me, I’ll listen.

^13-14 “When you come looking for me, you’ll find me.

“Yes, when you get serious about finding me and want it more than anything else, I’ll make sure you won’t be disappointed.” God’s Decree.

(jeremiah 29.10-14~the message.)

a day to day journey continues in my life in transition.
I am fairly certain in each of our lives, there is some sort of shifting and/or pocket of unknown.
at times, it all is just a bit more full on than other times.
may we all pray and plead for hope over those corners (or all encompassing parts) of our lives.

cheers,
kb.


















{photos via: http://www.pinterest.com/kbrynk/}

unknowns.

questions.
more questions than answers at the minute.

tangibles to reveal the sense of humour and the intentionality of the Lord are ever present, though.
do you have those "little things" that just make you smirk and struggle to suppress a smile?
maybe not everyone needs these divine run-ins, but I assure you, I certainly do.

as I write this post, I am sat in a starbucks in dallas, tx at a communal table side-by-side with others on their respective computers working on the to-do lists which call their attention.
an irishman sits to my left.
the corners of my mouth struggle to stay even as I hear him chatting on the phone.  he has just finished a meeting with his assistant with whom he interacted quite cheekily.
as I overheard what he said to her and noticed how he leaned in across the table to chat, I wondered if they were perhaps a couple.
then, I heard his accent.
and, it all made sense.  oh, the cheeky irish.
and, it is decided...
barring this bloke deciding to sit here for the whole of the afternoon, I will sit and find things to do to simply be in the space where my ears allow me to soak in some of my uk home.
lovely.

ok, onward to the update, as requested...

as I mentioned, dallas is the locale I am within at the minute.  a dear friend asked me to spend the first couple weeks here helping her sort out her world as she is working to launch her latest dream... a business that is not quite ready for details to be revealed here, but I will tell you it is to do with community, food, and intentionality of experience.
I am honoured to help play a part in this roll out even in a small way.  when it is time to set it all in motion, I will be sure to help spread the word here,
so stay tuned...

this ask from a friend to spend a bit of time in dallas, I feel, is on purpose.
the last several posts have had me mentioning the reality of my 'unknown' column being miles lengthier than my 'known' column of my life list.
not too terribly much has changed.

my network of people here is bigger than I had realized.  many friends from university days, and even my life spent abroad, happen to be located here.
my favourite aunt and uncle live here, and I love getting to spend more time with them.
a couple of job prospects are in the works, as of today, about which I expect to hear back the end of this week or the beginning of next.

so, I am hopeful.
a bit in the dark.
a bit sad, as I miss boston and my friends there.
and also peaceful, mostly down to the very real facts that I feel I am doing all I know to do at the minute to improve/advance my situation.

hope the january cold that is encompassing most of us finds you drinking warm beverages and wearing layers of your favourite wintry clothing.
cheers,
kb.

{photo via: http://sunshineandpearls.tumblr.com/post/36794080352}