Sunday, March 31, 2013

occupied spaces

These past few months have taught me many things; and as I have relived these lessons time and time again, my emotions have given way to a truer understanding of myself and my need for an endless supply of grace. Nothing has taught me more about the ability to fail and fail again than my packaging design class, which I began 11 weeks ago. Taking a design class on top of my other full-time gigs as a wife & a working woman, may or may not be the smartest decision for my sleeping habits and my ability to relax; but it has most certainly informed me of my shortcomings.

Packaging and packaging design is one of the most commonly overlooked parts of our daily lives. In almost every country, packaging is one of the top 5 industries and hence, the need for well-branded, beautiful design on those packages. This term, I am living & breathing in this new world; entrenched in the process of taking initial concepts and developing logo design/branding, making production/cost analyses, and finally, constructing the final package. BY HAND. Along the way, I have dulled more than 10 Exacto blades, spent over 3 hours building a masterpiece of a hexagon-shaped box, and have accomplished more mistakes than successes. There is a happy ending to this story, however, and I hope to share my final package with you soon.

My downtime, which is few and far between, has been spent diving deeper into relationships. Like all things in life, some friends will be a victim of distance and changing seasons and others I will have the privilege of keeping for many decades to come. I can't predict the unseen path ahead, but I can offer genuine friendship to those around me today, and trust God's hand to be at work in guiding my actions tomorrow and relationships in the future.

I won't argue with those who say Southern California may be the "promised land", but I will add on that wherever you may be, it's those around you who make a place so desirable that you put down roots and begin to grow. Jon and I are growing in ways we couldn't have imagined ourselves, ways that are inexplicably richer than our past views of friendship & fellowship. Sometimes we need to stop looking around for new friends, acquaintances, & social opportunities ... and instead pour our time, intentions, & love into those we have the joy of walking beside today.

This parting encouragement to you comes in the words of C.S. Lewis, who has been one of the powerful influences in my life as of late ... followed by some of my favorite experiences of 2013.

C.S. Lewis Quote


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