blessed.

Today I ventured into the USA for a retreat in the state of Washington. The radio said there was a 45 minute wait; they were wrong, if you entered the line off of 264th; it took me about 5 minutes! The boarder guard was great; he smiled; commented on my passport photo- what a sweet heart; and had regular, non threatening conversation with me. That made my day, as crossing any country's boarder can be nerve wracking.

I went straight to the outlet mall, as Jody discovered impending holes in the seams of her jeans; a new pair is in order. The Gap was the destination, and it was successful! (new jeans for $23US) This is where my education started. I asked the till girl where the closest grocery store was, as I was in charge of bringing the soy milk. At the cost cutters across the street. This is where I learnt that Mt Vernon has a very large mexican population. Half the store is filled with Mexican food (canned, bulk, dried, fresh), Piniatas, and staff that have a strong spanish accent. Needless to say lactose-free, and condensed milk are not soy. I needed to ask them where the next store was, in hopes that they are what I am used to.

I found Fred Meyers. I am now in love with Fred! He, one, knew what Soy milk actually was, and two, the mexican section was a lot more proportionate to the size of the store. I found what I came for, and then continued on my journey.

About two hours after leaving home I got to my destination where I retrieved my text books and proceeded to study in the sunshine, for the next 2.5 hours, where I now reside from, and from where I currently type.

Do you find that there are moments that we take for granted and then complain about, where there is really no need to do so? Do we tend to take life, houses, cars, food, friends, family, God, everything for granted? I believe we do.

I am do not have a large income (at this point), yet I am rich; I still am able to find ways to enjoy the simple things in life: time, sunshine, silence, friends.

No matter how bad off we think we are, remember that we still have breath, life, time, and a God that cares about everything you care about; He cares about you.

... blessed.