Driving on Santorini, it feels like there’s one single road that winds itself up and down and all around. And from varying heights and views, the raw, vivid beauty – sometimes with grey skies overhead and rain clouds floating over the sea, other times with brilliant sun waving through the flowers on the hills – stands out.
One afternoon as my dad zoomed us up and down the Greek hills, so much was happening inside my head: joy from a trip of a lifetime, satisfaction and relief from finishing graduate school, excitement for more family joining us soon in Paris, heartbreak for having to soon leave Paris and dread for a looming job search. And as a new CD came on to play and the happy strums of a song I’d never heard before by Steven Curtis Chapman began in our tiny rental car, the long Santorini road and Steven’s words merged with my life.
I set out on a great adventure the day my Father started leading me home. He said, ‘There’s gonna be some mountains to climb and some valleys we’re gonna go through.’
But I had no way of knowing just how hard this journey could be, cause the valleys are deeper and the mountains are steeper that I ever would have dreamed…But I know we’re gonna make it. And I know we’re gonna get there soon. I know sometimes it feels like we’re going the wrong way, but it’s just a long way home.
I’ve got some rocks in my shoes, fears I wish I could lose that make the mountains so hard to climb. And my heart gets so heavy with the weight of the world sometimes. And there’s a bag of regrets (my should have beens and not yets) I keep on dragging around. And I can hardly wait for the day I get to lay it all down.
Well, I know that day is coming. I know it’s gonna be here soon. And I won’t turn back even if the whole world says I’m going the wrong way, cause it’s just a long way home.
When we can’t take another step, our Father will pick us up and carry us in his arms. Even on the best days, he says to remember we’re not home yet. So don’t get too comfortable, cause really all we are is just pilgrims passing through.
Our God has made a promise and I know that everything he says is true and I know that everywhere we go, he will never leave us cause he’s gonna lead us home – every single step of the long way home.
Santorini helped to remind me that there’s a whole world beyond Paris and that I’ve got things to do with however many years I have left to travel this earth. It won’t always be easy, it won’t always be enjoyable, but the long road is taking me home. And there is so much beauty and kindness and fellowship to encounter along the way that makes the long road worth traveling. Paris was a part of both the sweet and the tough, and I’ll always have a path to follow back to it, but for now, the road is leading elsewhere. It was there, in that moment, song, and car that I got that – and finally was okay with it.
The Zune concentrates on being a Portable Media Player. Not a web browser. Not a game machine. Maybe in the future it’ll do even better in those areas, but for now it’s a fantastic way to organize and listen to your music and videos, and is without peer in that regard. The iPod’s strengths are its web browsing and apps. If those sound more compelling, perhaps it is your best choice.
The Zune concentrates on being a Portable Media Player. Not a web browser. Not a game machine. Maybe in the future it’ll do even better in those areas, but for now it’s a fantastic way to organize and listen to your music and videos, and is without peer in that regard. The iPod’s strengths are its web browsing and apps. If those sound more compelling, perhaps it is your best choice.
I’ll gear this review to 2 types of people: current Zune owners who are considering an upgrade, and people trying to decide between a Zune and an iPod. (There are other players worth considering out there, like the Sony Walkman X, but I hope this gives you enough info to make an informed decision of the Zune vs players other than the iPod line as well.)
If you’re still on the fence: grab your favorite earphones, head down to a Best Buy and ask to plug them into a Zune then an iPod and see which one sounds better to you, and which interface makes you smile more. Then you’ll know which is right for you.
The Zune concentrates on being a Portable Media Player. Not a web browser. Not a game machine. Maybe in the future it’ll do even better in those areas, but for now it’s a fantastic way to organize and listen to your music and videos, and is without peer in that regard. The iPod’s strengths are its web browsing and apps. If those sound more compelling, perhaps it is your best choice.
Apple now has Rhapsody as an app, which is a great start, but it is currently hampered by the inability to store locally on your iPod, and has a dismal 64kbps bit rate. If this changes, then it will somewhat negate this advantage for the Zune, but the 10 songs per month will still be a big plus in Zune Pass’ favor.
Between me and my husband we’ve owned more MP3 players over the years than I can count, including Sansas, iRivers, iPods (classic & touch), the Ibiza Rhapsody, etc. But, the last few years I’ve settled down to one line of players. Why? Because I was happy to discover how well-designed and fun to use the underappreciated (and widely mocked) Zunes are.
Sorry for the huge review, but I’m really loving the new Zune, and hope this, as well as the excellent reviews some other people have written, will help you decide if it’s the right choice for you.
Between me and my husband we’ve owned more MP3 players over the years than I can count, including Sansas, iRivers, iPods (classic & touch), the Ibiza Rhapsody, etc. But, the last few years I’ve settled down to one line of players. Why? Because I was happy to discover how well-designed and fun to use the underappreciated (and widely mocked) Zunes are.
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Sorry for the huge review, but I’m really loving the new Zune, and hope this, as well as the excellent reviews some other people have written, will help you decide if it’s the right choice for you.
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