"Life does not consist mainly- or even largely- of facts and happenings. It consists mainly of the storm of thoughts that are forever blowing through one's mind." -Mark Twain

I heard someone speak today about the amazing complexity of the mind and thought. The speed at which we think, the layering of thoughts, the nature of our thoughts, the ability to speak to someone, listen to someone and still have several different thoughts going on at once-- all of this blows me away. As the speaker described it, "what happens in our heads is one of the wonders of the world." Just stop and try to remember all the things you have thought in the past ten minutes. What amazes me is how frivilous most of my thoughts are, not to mention how inappropriate or dirty they can be. The orientation of our minds will evidence itself in our lives eventually, through a variety of means: the way we speak, the things we pursue, the goals we set for ourselves. I was really challenged today to examine what the orientation of my heart is. What is it that is on my mind when I'm just thinking to myself? Is it edifying or glorifying to God? Does it reflect my faith or my flesh? Just a thought.

On another note, today was another gorgeous day in London. I enjoyed strolling into Southgate, despite the frustrations that were taking me there. There is nothing like walking slowly in the sun and cool breeze, listening to the robins sing. I don't know the names of all the birds here, but there are some that wake me in the morning with their joyful melodies, and I just want to lay there and listen to them all day. And then there are the ravens that churl and squawk from sun up to sun down, leaving me wishing I had a slingshot or a gun to put them out of their misery (and end mine as well). I walked barefoot in the grass and watched the sun begin to set from the grassy expanse behind the main house and dining hall, and I saw them perched in the giant pine that towers over the daffodils, hopping from branch to branch, chasing squirrels from their precious domain. There's nothing like the feeling of cool blades of grass and mud between your toes; it makes me ache for a hometown summer, when I can be dripping from the heat and humidity, but my feet are perfectly content to curl up in the front lawn.