Sisterhood.

(From left to right: My little, Emily. Me. My other little, Lauren. And my grand-little, who's name is also Lauren.)

I think that I will ultimately miss one thing about JMU when I graduate in about a year and a half: sisterhood. The friendships I have made here are eternal and still growing. I can't wait to see what is in store for my friendships while I am still here. But I will be so extensively heartbroken when they aren't going to exist in my everyday life as a "real adult." Sigh.


Ecclesiastes 4:9-10:"Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their work; If one falls down, his friend can help him up. But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up!"

God is love?

Language fascinates me.

When I say the word "blue," what do you think of? Well, I would assume that you would think of the color. But, that single word does not encposs every capacity of that color. There are light blues, dark blues, aqua blues, robins-egg blue--I could continue on forever. That single words shares an understanding, but does not hold a particular meaning.

Meanwhile, through the Russian langauge, a difference is regonized. "Goluboy" means light blue. "Siniy" means dark blue. So, when they say those colors, there is an even more condenscesed and concrete meaning behind it.

This sort of relationship between langauge and understanding is visible everywhere. All the time.

If I said "dog," do you think of a golden retriever puppy, or a yappy Chihuahua? Again, a general understanding, but not a mutual one.

If I said "rain," do you think of a single rain drop, or an intense thunderstorm?

Language is just as much a necessary tool, as it is a hinderence. Sometimes a lack of words causes the goal to come to a mutual understanding to become impossible. Sometimes no amount of language will help someone understand what you are talking about.

It is a fact: words will never truly encompass everything that needs to be said. There will almost always be at least a small difference in understanding.

Regardless of how much you describe your pain, your doctor will never truly understand what you are feeling, unless he were to physically feel the pain himself.

Regardless of how well you describe the visual scenes in a movie you saw on Friday night, your friend (who hasn't seen the movie) will not be imagining the same image in their mind, until they physically see the movie themselves.

Regardless of how descriptive you are about the taste of Vegemite, no one truly undersands it until it touches their tastebuds.

Language is needed. But language is limited.

Recognizing this, I look at the verse 1 John 4:8 "Whoever does not love, does not know God. God is love."

Let's think about this for a second. God is love. God is love?

What does "love" mean to you? What does the physical word "love" represent for human beings?

To me, it means many things: caring, compassion, friendship, empathy, etc. You know, all the cliche definitions of love.

But, let's think about it this way. What does the physical word "love" represent to God?

I have no idea. God's langauge and the English language are so vastly different, that the possibility of us TRULY understanding God's love is slim to none.

God has so much love. It is more love than we could ever comprehend in our itty-bitty human minds. God had to shrink down the understaning of his capacity to such a tiny little word in order to give us humans even an elementary understanding: "love." Can the actual word "love" really represent everything God has to offer?

Of course not. The reality of the vastness of his love can not possibly be represented in the English word "love."

I have no idea if this post is making any sense at all, but I hope it resonates with you a little bit, like it has with me. I've been thinking a lot about this lately. Mainly because I am learning about the foundations and use of language in my classes, and I can't help but think about how relevant it is with the language between us and Him.

I think one of my biggest flaws in my independence. Yet, it is one of my biggest strengths.

Confusing, I know. It is a contradicting concept for me too.

I have this notion embedded in my brain--somewhere deep down and hard to find--that doing things on my own terms is the most beneficial way to approach things. And yes, I am that girl that just silently takes on the responsibility to do everything on my own in a group project. But, I mean, is that really okay?

Is it okay to assert my independence to the point where I completely shun any assistance at all?

Independent woman = cool beans. Independence dependent woman = not so cool beans.

Does that make any sense at all?

I have become so dependent on my independence that I essentially lack any room to let other people in.

My dependence on maintaining my independence is something that I have recently become painfully aware of, and it is something that I am longing to change.

I don't want to be THAT girl that can't ask for help. I don't want to be THAT girl that can't appreciate the assistance offered by the people I am closest too. And I most certainly don't want to be THAT girl that offends other people with my independence.

Alright, Taylor. Let's work on this. Starting now.

Lately,

I've been obsessed with the following:

1. Anthem Lights (a.k.a. cute singing Christian guys. Enough said.)

2. My wonderfully goofy sisters:

3. This classic throwback:

4.  And this song that I forgot existed, but is one of my absolute favorites:

Muddin'

I did a mud run last year and I had oodles of fun. So I was really sad when I had to miss the one they were having at home. 

But family did it, so I figured that I would at least do the honor of letting the entire internet look at their lovely, muddy faces.

They stayed relatively clean for a little bit.

I would like to point out how beast my littlest brother, Bear, is. Seriously. Look at him. Half of these obstacles are as tall as he is, or require steps larger than his legs. Props, little man. 

This is Conman's track-star face.

Again, Bear is walking in mud that comes up to his waist and chest. Shew.

Victory! Mmm, I'm sure that tastes absolutely delicious.

It's Love.

And just one more thing I needed to share. Are these not the most awesome shoes you have ever seen? I am simultaneously providing a small child with shoes and showing my Duke Dog pride. Oh. Yes. AWE to the SOME.

I'm So Nature-y.

Like most other things in my life, I tend to have moments of "OH MY GOSH I LOVE BLOGGING" to moments of "Eh, I have nothing to say." So, I apologize for being absent, if anyone actually reads this little bloggy of mine.

Updates? I. AM. BACK. AT. SCHOOL. And I am so happy. Delaware is, just, not where I fit in. Yes,  it is my home. And yes, I love it. But it is not somewhere that I feel like I truly have a "place" or a "purpose." I am one of those people who needs to be doing something all of the time, and whatever I am doing needs to have a legitimate purpose. And sorry to say, but serving at a local family restaurant every day doesn't really do much for me.

Do you want to know the coolest thing I have done since being back at school? Hiking to a waterfall. The picture doesn't do it justice. It was bigger and prettier, and there was a river flowing beneath me at the bottom of the large rock I am standing on in this picture. It was simply beautiful (regardless of the three mile hike and pouring rain).

I, just, really had a lot of fun. (P.S. Photo credit goes to my lovely roomie Rachel).