Stripes

Do you ever feel like a striped shirt?
I got one in the mail yesterday which made my week (because my mom still buys my clothes)!
I can't decide how today has been, except that I think the embodiment of everything I felt and experienced is in my striped shirt.

Soft and fuzzy: My day was a little rough with some difficult ups and downs, homework and...Oh, that reminds me, I have to check a test grade. (I'll be right back). Ok, warm and fuzzy. I needed a little bit of love, and a hug from a friend. Hugs are amazing!

Pink cuffs on the sleeves: These remind me of the one...Two...Thee...Eleven pink splotches on my legs and feet from mosquito bites that won't stop itching! However, I was thinking as I rode my bike from playing ping-pong, that some day I might be serving God as a missionary in a country where they don't have lotion to ease the intensity of the itch, or perhaps a mosquito bite could be deadly, carry disease, or maybe they would be so common that eleven would be something to laugh at. Anyway, praise God for Abilene Texas and the few itchy pests on my legs.

I am fascinated by the stitching on the collar and the sleeves, it is so intricately woven to be just perfect. I'm reminded of Hezekiah, my newest hero. Hezekiah stitched God back into the kingdom of Judah by eradicating all of the idols and false gods of the kingdom. God was with him intricately piecing His people together. At one point, Hezekiah was going to die, and God told him to prepare, but he wept and God heard his crying and elongated his life. God was moved by the tears of His people. I want to open myself emotionally to God and life.

Stripes are for fun, funny, silly, crazy, and laughing. Today I pondered a very funny message about kissing, Freudian repression, and red cheeks. However, laughter is the best way to cure any confusion and so are really good friends. Stripes remind me of snowboarding, although I have never been. Perhaps I'll go this winter in my striped shirt, get pink cheeks from the cold, and laugh with excitement.

The colors: they remind me of a box of candy hearts from Valentines Day. I can't say I'm a huge fan of the 'holiday', it seems forced, and I don't like the candy, but the intent is sweet. Perhaps I have discovered today that romance comes in different colors. Red romance is for long stemmed red roses and heavy breathing (Yuck!!!!) Pink romance is for blushing cheeks and stolen kisses on a cold whimsical night, green romance is Anne Shirley's romance with nature and long walks in the forest or through fields of flowers, and white romance is pure joy. White romance is knowing what makes a friend smile, or just looking at them for a second longer than necessary to appreciate their dimples or the sparkle in their eyes.

Lastly, the shirt as a whole is something that I can put on, that covers and protects me: God's consistency.

I'm so thankful for striped shirts, for good and bad days, blushing cheeks, Freud, Hezekiah, romance, and God! What a day. Hmmm...what should I wear tomorrow?