I love names.

Really, ask anyone who knows me, and they'll tell you: I name everything.

Snowbear the polar bear, Tetsi the brown bear, King Louis the small bear, Mr. Bingley the monkey, Ipodicus the iPod, Mika the MacBook, Ruby Grayce the Honda Odyssey, Ivy Pearl the Honda CRV...and on and on and on. (Did I mention that we just bought a new dishwasher? I'm thinking either Victoria or Silva...)

Why do I love names so much? I don't really know. I think it's just something I notice about people (and objects) right off the bat. To me, a name isn't just a label. It's a whole personality. For example, let's look at my name:

Riley Joy.

Hmm. Sounds loud. Maybe bold? And the joyful part isn't too hard to figure out.

Bam. Right on target. My name means "valiant" and of course "joyful".

I LOVE my name. Really, I do. I can't thank my parents enough for giving me these beautiful words that describe me. But ultimately, I thank God, who had these names picked out for me an eternity ago. Now that's a humbling thought...

So what does any of this have to do with anything? (By the way, you will quickly learn that I ramble quite a bit, so I probably won't ever get to the point until a page or two down. You've been warned.)

Well, I wanted to tell you about the name of this blog: Wandering Heart.

The description kind of gives it away, but after about a week of thinking and testing and scrapping names, I finally stumbled on the answer while in church.

Lately, "Come Thou Fount" has really just cemented itself as my favorite song. A simple melody with simple words. But oh, what a powerful message! It's a combination of praise, adoration, thankfulness, and confession.

I especially love the third verse:

"Oh to grace how great a debtor, daily I'm constrained to be.
Let Thy goodness like a fetter, bind my wandering heart to Thee.
Prone to wander, Lord I feel it, prone to leave the God I love.
Here's my heart Lord, take and seal it. Seal it for Thy courts above."

Isn't this what our prayer should be every day? Acknowledging the fact that no matter how hard we try, our sinful hearts still wander away from His presence?

When I vow to have a good attitude at work, then grumble in front of my coworkers.
When I try to be kind to my siblings, then snap because of a petty argument.
When I promise to be diligent in school, then fall prey to laziness.

Thank goodness for His grace. Let HIS goodness, like a fetter, bind my wandering heart to Him. Grace for today, grace for tomorrow, and grace for every day after that!

"Streams of mercy, never ceasing, call for songs of loudest praise."

So. That is why this lovely little blog has been christened Wandering Heart. As part of my feeble attempt at "songs of loudest praise." Thanks for joining me on the journey. :)

~ Riley

Beginnings.

New, fresh, crisp, clean.

Free from yesterday's mistakes. Ready for today's dreams.

Beginning the blog that I always wanted.
Beginning my junior year of college while finishing my junior year of high school.
Beginning to drive with a new license.
Beginning the softball season of warm, buggy nights sitting on the bleachers, cheering.
Beginning new friendships.
Beginning preparation to teach choir again next fall.
Beginning my favorite season of spring.
Beginning to see each piece of God's plan falling into place.

There are a lot of beginnings in my life right now. Sometimes I talk about them; other times I feel the need to write them down, to see them in front of me in neat black lines. That's what I hope this blog will be.

But this blog isn't just for me. I hope it can be for you, too. I'm (definitely!) not a perfect person, and I don't expect my words to be either. But just like the namesake of this blog, I hope that I will continue to "tune my heart" to sing His grace. And in that process, I pray that my rambling thoughts might just be an encouragement to you. I believe that God gives each of us a voice, and I hope that mine will have a chance to be heard; a chance to make a small difference in this crazy world.

Maybe I'll make you think. Hopefully, I'll make you laugh. I'll try not to make you cry.  :)

For today, I'll leave you with the words of a beloved hymn.

"Come thou fount of every blessing, tune my heart to sing Thy Grace.
Streams of mercy, never ceasing, call for songs of loudest praise.
Teach me some melodious sonnet, sung by flaming tongues above.
Praise the name! I'm fixed upon it, name of Thy redeeming love."

~ Riley