"But It's Summer"

This one's for Steph.

I know a few of my friends have been going through tough times. I've said what I can to quell the storm that is their emotions and their lives, but in the end, my words can only help so much.

I'm not trying to say that my words should be the cure to their problems or anything, far from it. I just try to do what I can, because it's sometimes just as difficult to see a friend or friends go through difficult times without being able to change anything directly.

All I can really say is that for me, patience usually wins out. Waiting for the pain and difficulty to subside is my favorite tactic.

No matter how shitty and shoddy things can get, things can get better. They also might get worse before they get better, but lives tend to be a combination of ups and downs, not just downs.

Life is, as Stephanie and I discussed, bittersweet.

So no matter how stormy things get, the rains and hurricanes that brew before you will weather down. No matter how horrid the flurries and blizzards may seem, the hardships of winter once seemingly insurmountable will be behind, and summer will arrive.

Life may hand you dirt on a platter, but it's summer.

Your friends may be deserting you, by their choice or not, but it's summer.

They may not be as attentive to you as you they, but it's summer.

Your lover may be gone forever, but it's summer. (He wasn't good enough for you anyways.)

Your confidence may not be always there, or you may feel like you're not the person people see you as. You may feel like there's a part of you that's missing, and you may not be able to figure it out. But it's summer.

Life is bittersweet like that.

Now someone, please help me fix my sticky "w" key. LASKDFJAL;SDKFJLASDFALSDFJ!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY LONG! (Yes, it is a story...)

It had to be a dream, he thought.

This couldn't be real. The sun was too perfectly warm, the beach too nice. The waves were just the right temperature. This was too close to heavenly.

So he closed his eyes tightly, expecting to be greeted by his ceiling and the comforts of his room when he opened them again. Yet, he was still at the beach, within the setting of a perfect evening.

Shrugging, he started walking along the lines of the tides, meditatively and contemplatively. He just walked quietly, the sounds of the waves his comforting companion.

Then, as he turned around, he realized he was being followed. He stopped and saw all his friends. They were following him but all stopped as he stopped. They were standing separately, too, silently. He tried to walk back to reach them, but it felt like he was running in place, never to hug or embrace his friends. He was sad, because he thought he was alone, even when his friends were there.

So he kept on walking, and they kept on following him.

After a few miles of walking, he came across a boat that was tied to the beach. An old man was sitting by a booth and greeted him.

"Hello there, friend!" the old man said. "You're supposed to take this boat!"

He was confused. Where was he? he asked the old man, and where did the boat go?

"Well," the old man started to reply. "This boat leads to heaven, and you're supposed to go." The old man smiled convincingly.

This was perfect! He's going to heaven! He felt a surge of relief when he realized his life's work had led him here. Before he got aboard, however, he saw his friends. Were they coming too?

"I'm sorry," the old man said. "You have to leave your friends here. They really aren't invited."

This didn't make sense. His friends definitely belonged in heaven too! He couldn't imagine going anywhere without knowing his friends were within contact.

Then he stopped and discerned. He had to decide. Stay back with his friends or not go to heaven?

The old man didn't seem to care too much when informed of his decision.

"Well, don't say I didn't warn you," the old man said as the boat left.

He was sad, but at least he was in the company of his friends, at least he knew he had friends. No matter how silent they were, he knew they were his friends.

So he kept on walking, his friends following behind him in a strangely loyal way.

Before he knew it, he came across an old hut where another old man lived.

"Hey, there," the old man greeted. "Welcome to heaven."

He was confused again. Didn't the boat just leave for heaven?

"Oh no," the new old man laughed. "That was Satan trying to tempt you into hell."

Why didn't someone stop him? It's not fair to innocent people walking by to be tricked.

"Well," the old man replied. "We don't mind too much. We want to see who would choose their friends over themselves. That way, we can weed out the selfish people. People who make it here are the ones who really belong in heaven."

And with that, all his friends ran up to him, hugging him and laughing and celebrating.

And Long knew, like he always did, that heaven wasn't where someone else told you to be, heaven was where you choose to be with God. And where better can you find God than in your friends?

"Where two or three have come together in my name, I am there among them." - Matthew 18:20

Happy birthday, Long! God's there with you always =)

"Do I Need To Worry About You, Bob?"

As is the case with many people as the second semester comes in full swing, I have been quite caught up with various aspects of my life.

That's just a vague and generalized way of saying I'm busy.

In fact, I'm so busy, that if any of you paid attention to my last post, you would notice the flaw in the date. I don't mean date like Valentine's Day date because...well refer to either Long's blog or below for an explanation.

I'm referring to the date and time the last entry of my blog was posted. The entry talked about Valentine's Day because I published it yesterday (February 14th). However, since I started the post on Tuesday, February 10th, the date corresponded to the start date.

Thus is the extent of my procrastination/busy-ness.

Actually, to be honest, I've been keeping pretty busy with school and stuff. In fact, since I came home for the weekend (Friday ca. 6PM) until now, I have not left the confines of my household. So far, that's about 43-44 hours without stepping outside the doors. My parents would make good prison wardens.

Bob: Can you keep a secret? I'm trying to organize a prison break. I'm looking for, like, an accomplice. We have to first get out of this bar, then the hotel, then the city, and then the country. Are you in or you out?
Charlotte: I'm in. I'll go pack my stuff.
Bob: I hope that you've had enough to drink. It's going to take courage.

My only hope of freedom, ironically, comes around the time we leave for church (ca. 8PM), by which time I will have eclipsed the 48 hour mark...




Well, it could be worse. At least the country's not in an economic recess- oh wait.