One part blue sky, two pinches white snow

As I work on programing stuff for the students I work with on this November Friday morning, I am reminded by a previous colleague that when he worked with me, he observed that I lived, "Outside of the box." I smile at this, for he is exactly right. Not, that I don't observe specific rules of society and the law, for if I didn't I would not have the freedom to write such words from my own house or enjoy the ability to speed when I do choose to~

Yet, for me, "living outside of the box," is who I am in so many ways. I have struggled with what this means in the past and I know my own family has not always understood my intentions and decisions. Yet, as families are, they love me regardless and support me as much as they can.

I suppose for many living in this rather isolated state of Alaska, "living outside of the box" is entirely natural. Alaska is a place where one either wants to live here or not..the shade of gray doesn't span the horizon as much as black or white does. What I continue to gather in my own infancy of living in this great state, is people love their independence, ability to conform or not with others and to others, travel extensively when desired and live with the attitude, of "I can, I will and why not?"

For me, this sticks. My own Alaska story started five years ago on the Yukon River while peeling Spruce logs during a Missions Trip. Not many can say they fall in love with a place while getting dirty for Jesus. I understand this, and I suppose it's another reason why 'living outside of the box' explains much of my life.

And as I blog this morning, Sister K is chopping wood outside, not because The Abbey is low on wood, for we are not. Yet, I believe it is because she wants too.

One of the things I love the most is that Jesus himself did not live in the box, He confronted it, and simply chose to live outside of it, at the same time changing hearts, minds and people for generations to come. What Jesus did in the lives of the Disciples by teaching them a whole different approach to life sticks with so many, thousands of years after He died on roughly cut wood and rusted nails.

And the beautiful thing about Jesus is that we each have the choice to desire, crave, yearn and ask Him to be part of our lives, regardless how big, small, or non-existent the box of our lives is.

Sister E