The Big Game

I was late, I barely made it in for the start of the third period.
Why were there so many people here, they're only kids right? It's not a big deal.. I was really confused.
A voice greeted me, "hey, you missed your brothers goal!"  *Darn, this was getting worse by the second. What a disappointment I was. It was the Final game of the season, they were going for the cup, and I missed my brother's goal... but they were just kids... this didn't really matter anyways did it? They should just be happy I showed up at all, I almost didn't bother. They probably wouldn't notice anyways...
Behind me to the right were short skirts and "Hockey Girlfriends for the Win." -They have girlfriends too?
Behind me to the left was the rows of men, leaning in on one elbow, grumbling under their breath about the score, the reffing and the good old days.
(I'm starting to realize why I'm a Psych student.. too much people watching)
So much people watching in fact, that I missed the next goal, only realizing it by the eruption of screams around me. Wow. They were so into this.. He's just your boyfriend, it's not like it's the NHL.
Then I really did start watching. I don't even know how it happened. I glanced at the ice to see who scored but I was entranced. This was hockey! I love hockey, and more importantly they love hockey... we could all tell just by watching.
 I woke up from the terrible attitude I had been carrying all season. They were younger than me, but they were far from kids and this was far from being unimportant.
Eruptions again. "Megan, they scored! Did you see that!?"
The short skirts were screaming my brother's name.
"Yeah, I did. It was a beautiful goal.  Nice rebound." ..Trying to amend my ways and make up for it all somehow.
And then I was cheering. Yelling. Screaming. It was all coming back.
They didn't win the game.
But they did win my respect.
...and I bought victory donuts anyways :)

Appreciation

Thankfulness, gratitude, recognition, valuing, treasuring, awareness.

Despite the fact that:
I am so sick of doing laundry.
I am so sick of doing homework that never ends.
I am so sick spending hours getting no where.
I am so sick being stressed out about work.
I am so sick of dealing with highschoolesque drama.
I am so sick of having a car that won't start and no money to fix it.
I am so sick of being a horrible procrastinator..

I am so thankful for Christ for dying for my sins.
I am so thankful for the beautiful sun-shiny day we had today.
I am so thankful that I only have to wear one sweater to school now.
I am so thankful for the opportunity to do Missions work this summer.
I am so thankful for the blessing of Indonesia this summer.
I am so thankful for understanding friends and a loving family.
I am so thankful that God promised to never give me more than I can bear and that I can do everything through Him who gives me strength.
I am so thankful that I have food on the table, money in the bank (just a little) and a home to live in.
I am so thankful that my Aunt made us yummy casserole yesterday and I didn't have to cook.
I am so thankful that I was raised in a Christian home and family.
I am so thankful that I have the opportunity to go to University and work towards a career.
I am so thankful that Ernest is making his Final exam passable.
I am so thankful that James and Jaeda are going to help me study so that I pass even if he's lying and its not passable.
I am so thankful for the Internet that sends me emails from my parents who are half a world away.
I am so thankful for creative assignments that are a nice break from lab reports and Psych experiments.
I am so thankful for a community of people to support and love me and let me do the same for them.
I am so thankful to be able to sing my heart out at choir every Monday.
I am so thankful that I can play soccer with a lovely bunch of ladies and wake up feeling like it the next day.
I am so thankful that I can go vote at my local polling station, and have a political position without getting shot at.
I am so thankful that God gave me convictions in my heart that I cannot deny.
I am so thankful for new life and kids that call me "aunty"
I am so thankful that photography gives me the ability to capture the beauty of God's creation.
I am so thankful that I was given the ability to laugh at myself and apologize for my mistakes.
I am so thankful that I'll never be able to complete this list.
I am so so thankful.

Preparing for things you never saw coming: The How-to Guide.

Well, perhaps that was a misleading title... I don't actually have the answers, and as it appears now, I probably never will (sorry friends! Maybe my next manual should be: How to deal with a false advertising lawsuit)  In this day and age it appears that most people do not generally like going to others to help solve their problems. This is most likely because that would be, in a way, admitting defeat (a very modern idea, yes?). The solution: self-help books. And what would any self-help book be without a trusty "how-to" guide. I'm not a budding author but I'm here to try and solve your life's problems in 5 easy steps.. not bad huh? Sounds so easy! And it is, but I promised a how-to guide (or at least an attempt) so here it goes:

Step 1: Something must happen. 
In order to qualify as 'something you never saw coming' it must genuinely surprise you.
It is usually recommended, in order to be completely caught off guard, to have the last possible thing you thought could ever happen suddenly do just that.
The extremity of this situation will emphasize the results: total shock.
This isn't actually as hard as it sounds because in life things frequently (and people, especially people) have tendencies to take you in a loop. Often in these situations the loop is long and rather large. (Note: this is not referring a really long walk around the park... )
   Some examples: - Taking your dog for a really long walk around the park.
                  - Failing a test you thought you would get an A on (note: this is not a personal example, all the tests I have failed this semester I fully expected to fail.)
                  - Trying to get to school, you're late for class and your car won't start (note: once again, not a personal example.. if my car does not start it would totally not be a shock to me.. in fact it's a biweekly occurrence...)
                  - You find out that a close friend got engaged to a guy over a month ago who she only knew for a few months before that and has still not tried to tell you about it.. (note: this is also not a personal example.. but it may have been abbreviated from one...)

Step 2: Being Prepared
 Something (see above ^) has just happened and you were not prepared for it...
It must be noted that you could not possibly be prepared in said situation because of the amount of off-guardedness currently being experiencing.
But if you can not possibly be prepared..

"Hey, but wasn't the title of this.... "
"Yeah..... yeah it was"

Okay, How-to guide has failed.. The answer: there is no answer! (A modern statement if I've ever heard one) You can never be prepared for something you never saw coming, especially if, in your mind, it was the last possible thing you ever thought could happen.
Well.. we can still roll with that, just give it a new title: How to survive the things you never saw coming: A story of the aftermath.

Step 1: Something happens (see previous step 1)

Step 2: ....
Actually I have no idea.. I'm still getting there.
(But I can let you know when I figure it out.)

* IMPORTANT NOTE: Joking aside, make sure, no matter what "step" you're in, to always insert prayer. Lots and lots of prayer! We don't always know what's going on in life or where it is possibly going to take us but God does. And He knows SO much better than we do!

The little things.

    So. *Deep Breath* Here is it.. the first blog post. My personal position on this topic is that this very moment is the reason I have not been here already before. What do you possibly write in a first blog post? A teeny tiny suppressed fear tells me I will never think of anything worth reading, but the larger (now winning part) of my mind says it doesn't matter. Why doesn't it matter? Because while this blog exists for many reasons, there is one that is more important to me than the rest: an outlet. Creative, emotional, thought-provoking outlet. A way to get out the things I can never normally seem to get out.

So.. next obstacle: the title. This one was easy. Rays of Sunshine. It kind of sounded cliche to me at first (over thinking again...) but the more I thought about it, I began to realized why I love it so much. I know that everyone appreciates a sunny day, those first rays slipping through the blinds and onto your face in the morning, letting you know that it is now time to wake up.  But for me, it has become much more meaningful than that.

 Living in the Fraser Valley we get a lot of rain.. I mean LOTS of rain. Like maybe I should start building another ark type of rain.  (It's raining right now in fact and it will be until Saturday). Now it's not that I don't love the rain, it makes things grow and is so refreshing in its own way, but when you're driving down the the freeway and you watch the clouds open up, releasing that one quick peak of blue sky and possibly that little ray of sunshine onto an open field or the car in front of you I can't help but feel a little bit more hopeful. The rays of sunshine are what help get me through the day. 

But it's not just the literal sunbeams that brighten my day, it is so much more than that.  Over the years I have found that it is the people, moments, coincidences, realizations, ideas, family, conversations, glances that happen to come my way that will work best towards brightening my day. You all know what I'm talking about. It's been said over and over but it really is that simple. 

        Just a knowing glance, in my 8:30 am Psychology class, from a complete stranger, across the room, when my professor is saying something ridiculous will make me smile all day. 

       Getting a message from a friend I haven't talked to in a really long time, just to say that they were thinking about me will make my entire mood lighten.
        Having 3 of my (slightly deranged) brothers throw open my door last night to show me their "flame thrower" will make me scream, shake my head and smirk until it is time to go to sleep. 

        And singing at the top of my lungs and dancing like a crazy person while parked at a stop light,  then looking over and realizing that the guy next to me was watching the entire time will make me turn red, laugh hysterically and and keep laughing for the rest of my day. 

It sounds cliche, it sounds like you've heard it before (and you probably have) but it is the little things that count. Just like a sliver of blue sky leaves you hoping for a sunnier day ahead and planning for a picnic in the park, so a smile, kind word, hilarious moment, car door getting opened for you or brilliant realization puts me into a good mood for the rest of the day. They're God's gifts to us. They don't cost anything (thankfully, because I am the epitome of a  broke University student) and there is no call to return it. LORD You are so so good to us!  Please don't let me forget, and please don't let me forget to say THANK YOU!