~Object 24~ Stairs

He made his way up the stairs slowly.  One, two, three...thirteen, fourteen, fifteen.  He counted all the way.  He was tired and wished he had taken the elevator, but he didn't have time to wait for it.  A long day at work had drained him of his desire to bound up the stairs, two or three at a time, and it was now all that he could do not to curse the many steps.  But as he slowly made his way to the top, his thoughts cleared.  By the time he reached the top he was quite glad that the elevator hadn't been an option.  There was something about climbing stairs that made him think, every time.

He smiled as he stepped off of the last step, now ready to conquer the world, to face any challenges that may come his way.

---------------

She took them two at a time.  She knew them so well.  There were fourteen of them; she knew this.  The hall light had been turned off hours ago and it was pitch black, but she didn't need the light to know where she ought to place her foot next.  There would be a pile of things that someone should have put away on the left hand side, so she walked on the right.  She avoided the top two steps because they creaked too loudly, and her siblings were asleep.  As soon as she reached the top she remembered that she had left something downstairs...and so down she went, again.  This always seemed to happen, but she didn't mind.  She had some work to do before she would let herself sleep, so she sat on the top step with her computer and a mug full of forgotten tea, slowly becoming lukewarm.

She could have sat on the couch downstairs, and nobody would have minded, but she liked sitting on the stairs, they made her think better.  Her brain seemed to come alive when she was sitting there, and words flew from her fingers faster, as she typed.

Finally she was finished and she tiptoed to the kitchen to return the mug.  Dumping the tea down the drain, she rinsed the cup out and mounted the stairs, two at a time.  She smiled as she skipped the last two and made her way to bed.

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Over and out,

~Emily

~Object 23~ A Popsicle

Yes, it is still spring; she knows full well what season it is.  She knew that it was winter a few months ago, but that didn't stop her, either.  There are just some times in life when you need a good popsicle, and those times do not yield to the seasons.

Its oblong conformation, its frozen sheen simply begs to be eaten.  The bright colors and cheerful packaging are so enticing, how exactly does one resist?

She is rather a connoisseur, as with many other things, but it is seldom that she will actually turn down this frozen delicacy.

She made her way to the freezer and unearthed a lovely treat.  This was soon gone and she quietly made her way back for a second...and now she laughs that she actually wasn't satisfied with that and she also partook of a third little frozen bit of joy.  Sadly this is not a rare treat for her, but rather she goes into withdrawals when the freezer is bare.

She is somewhat particular in her method of feasting upon popsicles.  She takes a deep breath and breaths on it.  See, they are generally too hard and give her brain-freeze if she bites into them too quickly, so this is rather an important part of the process.  The rest isn't too unique, but that first step is quite necessary.

Yes, this is one of her favorite treats, and yes, she is nearly as addicted to these as she is to chocolate, and yes, she is going to go eat one now...

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Over and out,

~Emily

P.S.  So sorry that I was unable to post yesterday.  I was gone all day and then I spent the night at a friend's house.  I did write about an object, and I'll be sure to post it sometime soon. Blessings!

~Object 22~ An Empty Tomb

Mary walked there long ago, shivering in the cold darkness.  She could hardly believe that He was gone.  They had all thought that He would overthrow the Romans and rule as King...but then He died.  He hadn't even stood up for Himself or tried to stop them, not even once.  And the words He had spoken!  "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do."  Tears fell as she remembered His words.  "Forgive them?"  She was struggling right now with this very thing.  She knew that He had forgiven them, she knew that He would want her to do the same, but how could she?  All she could think of was the sorrow in His eyes as He hung there, humiliated and dying in the presence of those He loved.

She reached the garden and cried out.  After all they had done, would they deny Him the right to rest in peace?  After killing their teacher would they not even allow them to visit Him?  The boulder was moved, and the tomb open.  Angry she ran to the entrance and saw that He was, indeed, gone.  Why?  Why would someone do this?

Then it hit her, the others didn't know.  She ran to them and told Simon-Peter and John what she had seen. "They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid Him."  She saw in their eyes that they were as angry as she was as they went together to the tomb, the empty tomb.  John reached it first and stood in the doorway, confusion and disgust written on his face.  Peter and Mary then came and she watched as Peter ran inside.  John followed him in and they stood there together, grown men crying at the sight of the wraps which had clothed Jesus.  They left her alone then, as they walked back, distraught.

She stood outside, weeping alone.  About to leave she took one last glimpse into the dark place and started back in surprise.  There were men, two of them, shining and glorious, sitting where Jesus had lain.
"Woman, why are you weeping?"  They asked her gently.
"They have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid Him."
She turned to go, but was met by a third man who asked the same question of her.
Thinking He was a gardener she frantically answered Him, "Sir, if you have carried Him away, tell me where you have laid Him, and I will take Him away!"
Just one word left His lips and she knew it was He, "Mary."
"Rabboni!"

Mary walked there long ago, shivering in the cold darkness.  She was met with an empty grave and anger filled her being.  She left filled with joy, now understanding the beauty of the empty tomb.

He is risen!

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A blessed Resurrection Sunday to you all!

Over and out,

~Emily

P.S. All scripture quotations taken from the English Standard Version Bible, Luke 23:34 and John chapter 20

~Object 21~ A Chocolate Bar

*Crack*

She knew the sound too well.  The sweet, intoxicating crack of a piece being broken from a chocolate bar.  Her mouth watered at the thought.  Perhaps her love for chocolate was a bit out of hand, but honestly, who can blame her?

The beauty of chocolate is that it not only tastes like a bite of heaven but it has actually has been proven to lessen pain, stress and feelings of depression.  This, "food of the gods," actually releases neurotransmitters into your brain which tell you to be happy!  Chocolate is one of the few foods that has such power on the human brain, perhaps that is part of why chocolate is also one of the most loved foods of all time.


*Crack*


She broke a piece from a halfway eaten bar and savored it, allowing it to take its time melting in her mouth, slowly feeling a smile play at her lips as she finished her bite.   

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Over and out,

~Emily

P.S.  Green and Black's is a personal favorite of mine, sinfully good, and Fair Trade, as well!

~Object 20~ A Wheelbarrow

It seemed that she was always tired these days.  She awoke each day, made her way to the kitchen for a cup of coffee and then worked on school.  Not an hour after she woke up every day she wished she could sleep again.  Every day this happened, and today was no different.  She typed up some changes to a speech, read a theology book and ate far too much chocolate, but she always seemed bogged down by this never-ending sleepiness.

Then she was ordered outside.  Her mother demanded that some work be done and some fresh air drank in.  So she made her way to the field and, grumbling, picked up a hay fork, and started filling the wheelbarrow with straw.  With each fork full she gained strength and energy, and each time the wheelbarrow was filled again she felt an exuberance that made her break out in song.  Spring was here and there was much work to be done, but there was so much joy to be had, as well.

Five loads, maybe six, maybe seven, she isn't quite sure.  She filled it again and again and again and with each load her stress melted away; with each load her own load felt lighter.  She hadn't thought that filling a wheelbarrow with moldy straw would help anything in the least, but in the end she had to admit that her mother had been right: she did need to be outside.

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Over and out,

~Emily

~Object 19~ A Shower

She hates taking showers in the morning.  There's just something about waking up and actually making yourself stand under a spray of water that doesn't appeal to her.  She wouldn't say that she's not a morning person, she can actually be quite human in the wee hours, but she is not a fan of early showers.

But later on in the day...oh, how glorious!  Showers are grand at stress relief and muscle relaxation.  She is somewhat infamous for taking her time in the shower later on in the day.  Twenty minutes fly by and she is almost always stunned at how much time has gone by when she exits the shower.

But right before bed is the best.  Allowing the hot water to melt away all of the troubles and frustrations of the day right before she goes to sleep is the most wonderful, calming thing.  As each droplet falls onto her head she feels herself let go of any stress that might have been clinging to her.

There are lessons to be learned from showers.  Sometimes we just have to wait for the right time, God's time, to do something, and then it's fantastic.

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Over and out,

~Emily

P.S.  Any more great object ideas?  Contact me!

~Object 18~ High Heels

She forgot her shoes.  Every pair of dress shoes were sitting safely in her closet twelve hours away.  And so, she must go through the dreadful process all over again: shoe shopping.  She ended up finding a pair of beautiful, shiny black heels that didn't kill her feet too badly...or so she thought when she bought them.

Two days later her high opinion of these shoes had changed slightly, but she still did love them.  Her father asked her how they were doing for her,

"Oh, they hurt SO bad, it's kind of ridiculous..."
"So, next time you'll remember your other shoes?"
"Oh, no, I love these ones, they're beautiful!"

He didn't seem to understand her statement.

She wasn't quite sure why some things work that way, but heels are just like this.  Sometimes pain is worth it.  Honestly, when she wears beautiful shoes she feels more like a lady, she acts more like a lady.  She stands taller, sits straighter and smiles more.  Even as she's squinting in pain with each step she feels like a princess.

Every girl needs to feel like a princess now and then, and if heels do this, then why not where them?

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Over and out,

~Emily

~Object 17~ A Trophy

She remembered back three years when she received a first place trophy for a speech of hers.  She valued that trophy and actually thought it meant something.  She remembers packing it carefully in her suitcase so that it wouldn't get hurt.  She placed the shining prize on her dresser at home for all to see and she herself glanced at it quite often, feeling accomplished.

Now she stands with three new trophies from three different speech achievements; none of them firsts, but she did do quite well.  These are the trophies she had almost forgotten at her grandparent's house when she drove home the day after she received them.  These are the trophies that were crammed into whatever spot they fit in the trunk.  She's not even sure where these trophies are located currently.

She laughs as she thinks back to that silly trophy from years ago that she had treasured so very much.  She had given so much value to a piece of shiny plastic and did anyone remember that now?  No.  Is it important to her now?  No.

See, in just three short years that trophy had lost any worth it had had when she received it.  And in less than two days her three new ones lost their value.

Her true victory with these new speeches was the fact that people's lives were impacted by them, and she rejoiced and thanked God for that fact.

J.R.R. Tolkien once so wisely said, "Not all that glitters is gold," and she feels that this quote applies perfectly to her silly little trophies.  The beautiful shapes shine in the light and truly are quite lovely, but just because they sparkle and look important does not mean they have any value whatsoever.

Someday when she is married and has a whole passel of kids will anyone care that she did well in speech events in high-school?  Will even she care?

She values the trophies only because they remind her of the lessons she has learned this past few years and how dramatically God has transformed her heart and life.

"Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, 

where moth and rust destroy 

and where thieves break in and steal, 

but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, 

where neither moth nor rust destroys 

and where thieves do not break in and steal." 

(Matthew 6:19-20)

Over and out,

~Emily

P.S.  Sorry I haven't posted for a little while.  My trip was phenomenal and God taught me so much!  I have been writing about objects (except for three days during which I was quite sick) and perhaps I'll share what I wrote sometime...