Just for the record...

OK, so I googled it and turns out there are a ton of other Blogs Around the Corner. So I am not the only person in the world who practically worships You've Got Mail. I think there's comfort in that. That movie could make me smile on the very saddest of days. And anyway, I suppose this will only become a problem if I become a world-famous blogger. Ha!

"Sometimes I wonder about my life. I lead a small life. Valuable, but small. And sometimes I wonder, do I do it because I like it, or because I haven't been brave? So much of what I see reminds me of something I read in a book, when shouldn't be the other way around? I don't really want an answer. I just want to send this cosmic question out into the void. So good night, dear void." -You've Got Mail

TOMS Shoes

This is a really cool idea I just read about. Whenever you buy one pair of these shoes (which are inspired by traditional Argentinian shoes) this company will donate one pair of them to a child in Argentina. Now if I could just decide if I am brave enough to wear these weird-looking shoes...

Thoughts about Blue Like Jazz

So, this week I finally started reading Blue Like Jazz by Donald Miller. My husband kept talking about how good it was, and it is part of my quest this summer to read some "good, enlightening non-fiction". I read all the time, but usually novels, and many times the chick lit kind. Anyway, I am really enjoying Blue Like Jazz so far. This guy seems to be the same "kind" of Christian I am, if that makes any sense. Are there different kinds of Christians? Yes, I guess there are. Does God want there to be different kinds of Christians? That's an interesting question. I don't suppose he would want us all to be the same. He gave us all different brains after all. I love and respect my friends that have different ideas about Christianity than I do, and I hope they do the same for me.
One of the things that I hope sets Christians apart is our desire to do good. I hope that as Christians we seek to change lives by being obedient to God by serving and being a voice for those who cannot do for themselves. I am a big talker about being aware of the atrocities going on the world around us and the needs in our own backyard, but I often fail to put all that talk into action. I felt like Donald Miller was writing about my life when he said:

"I talk about love, forgiveness, social justice; I rage against American materialism in the name of altruism, but have I even controlled my own heart? The overwhelming majority of time I spend thinking about myself,pleasing myself, reassuring myself, and when I am done, there is nothing to spare for the needy. Six billion people live in this world, and I can only muster thoughts for one. Me." (Blue Like Jazz, p. 22)

Welcome to My Blog!

OK, so I'm ready to post my first blog. I have to say, this is exciting. I've been thinking about blogging for a while, but today I was just having one of those days with so many thoughts in my head that I wished I had somewhere I could spit them all out. Ergo, The Blog Around the Corner was born. Do you like the name? It's from "You've Got Mail". The name of the bookstore in the movie is "Shop Around the Corner" which is also the name of the original movie that "You've Got Mail" was based on. I think I'm so clever, but I'm sure someone else out there in the great big blogosphere has already thought of this name. I hope I don't get sued. Anyway, this blog is just a place for me to yammer on about things I care about, some of it serious, some of it not. Thanks to anyone out there reading it. Enjoy!