LIFE IN BLOOM

Learning How to Flourish in God's Grace

Author Archives: erin.almond


by 12 Comments

choosing to love

In some ways, I’m sort of amazed by the title. I mean, it is what I came up with. However, why is it that we have to choose to love? Shouldn’t that be something that happens automatically?

A good friend of mine and I are in similar situations, and we’re both taking the opportunity to choose to love. As females, (and we pride ourselves on being STRONG females), we’ve found it particularly difficult to express the freedom and vulnerability that comes with choosing to love. It’s not that we’re in love. We’re really just in like…and exploring what could come. But even in this- there has to be an openness and a freedom of being able to give it your all- even if it doesn’t turn out right.

And then you ask yourself- doesn’t that person deserve my best? This person just came along at this point in the journey. They aren’t responsible for what happened before. They can’t change what happened before. None of us can change what happened before. All we’re given is now- and we’ve got to make it count. I’m feeling that the best way to make it count is by consciously choosing to love.

“There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love. We love because he first loved us.” ~ 1 John 4:18, 19


by Leave a comment

2008 election

I haven’t had much to say on anyone’s blog about the 2008 election, and I’ll keep my thoughts about it here pretty simple:

1.  I’m glad that I’m able to see a campaign that presents a woman and an African American as serious candidates.  As children, we are taught that we can accomplish anything.  Many a child has dreamt of becoming the President of the United States.  This election reminds us that “there’s never been anything false about hope”.

2.  I really hope that after the primaries this week, the super delegates will decide which candidate they are supporting.  The longer this goes on, the less time the Democratic Party has to deal with Senator McCain and the Republican Party.

3.  I’m particularly disappointed by the way the media has used the 30 second sound bite from Rev. Jeremiah Wright to attack Senator Obama, Rev. Jeremiah Wright, and the African American church.

4.  I’m glad that this election has re-energized America about politics and the political process.  Other than in POLI 41, I don’t recall talking about super delegates to anyone.

So yeah…I’ll leave it at that…those are my thoughts on the 2008 Election.