Here is a quick list of things I've experienced so far in Texas that I did not expect, but was blessed by:
1. To get certified to serve food in Texas. I could get a job now. :)
2. Finding a kindred theatre spirit that is fantastic who I am so excited to work with this summer.
3. Working with four other interns that have been a blessing. I'm excited to meet the fifth one on Friday.
4. To recieve so many smiles from people who find joy in such small things.
5. An atmosphere where we are given the freedom to design our own program that plays off our passions and gifts.
6. To feel excepted and loved by people that barely know me.
7. For the encouragement I recieve from people hours away from me. I love you all.
Short list, but a good list, at least in my book. Fun tip: the 1 key on this key board above the letters doesn't work.
Until next time, look for you own magic.
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
Monday, May 30, 2011
Homeless Hearts
It has been a very busy, very full, very emotionally draining four days. I don't even know where to start, or how much to actually write. I'll just start and see where I stop.
On Saturday morning the four of us left for our weekend in Houston. The three interns had no idea what to expect, which was probably a good thing in hind sight. Our group met up with another group of interns from the CMS, another non-profit organization that works to help homeless there in Houston. Houston is the forth largest city in the U.S. and is home to the forth largest homeless population with an estimated 10,000 to 12,000 homeless people. That is a staggering statistic that breaks my heart.
Our first stop was at The Beacon, an organization that provides meals, showers, laundry, and social services to the homeless. Our task at The Beacon was to help wherever they needed us. A couple girls helped check people in, a couple people deboned chicken, three guys bussed tables, one girl swept, and I passed out sugar, Sweet and Low, and creamer packets. This was possibly the hardest job I have ever had to do, and not just because I wasn't good at following the rule of only giving them one creamer and three sugar or Sweet and Low.
In all my life, I have never had to put a face to homelessness. Saturday in a three hour time block, I saw 700 faces of homelessness.
It was hard, but there was one moment, one smile that made everything okay. There was a family of four that passed through the line. I didn't expect to see children there, which is stupid. But this one little boy looked back at me, and I smiled, he smiled back, big old grin. His face seemed to say, "I get to eat lunch! And thanks for noticing me." Such joy in a smile, it took me off guard and made my heart a little happier.
After we finished at The Beacon and ate some lunch, we took a prayer walk around the neighborhood we stayed in. There was such poverty on those streets, but the two buildings that affected me the most were the Adult Modeling Agency and the Cozy Spa. Don't be fooled by the names --- brothels. There are 27 known brothels in Houston where young girls who have been human trafficked are trapped, brainwashed, and abused. And right across the street was a family having a barbecue in their front yard, kids playing on their bikes. It made my stomach churn. .
Later that night we took a driving tour of Houston, saw the government housing projects where poverty struck people are stuck, saw the home for runaway girls fortunate enough to find safety before human traffickers found them, saw the giant sports stadiums that displaced thousands of homeless people and cost millions of dollars to build, saw the schools with no windows that had unbelievably high dropout rates and burnt out teachers, saw the homeless population trying to get a bed in a shelter or find a place on the sidewalk to sleep -- I saw life, really ugly, hard, unbelievable, true life. And it left me speechless.
That was all in one day. I have never had such a hard day emotionally.
Sunday we were blessed with the chance to attend two vastly different churches. The first was Lord of the Streets, a service specifically for homeless people. There were some very passionate, very loving homeless people there to worship God, and then there were some who came for the breakfast afterwards. The second church was St. John's Downtown, a very exuberant African American church (where Beyonce happened to go when she lived in Houston, where her family still goes). There was yelling, dancing, and singing that filled the room with joy. It was such a drastic difference, but so cool to see both of them.
The sermon at St. John's was to not do too much, to take instructions for today and do them, not worrying about tomorrow. Good lesson for this summer. God knows what we need to hear. That concluded our time in Houston. It was amazing, and we were tired.
Today we have mostly been getting oriented to Mission Waco, getting a tour of Waco. There is so much poverty here. At times it seemed like we were looking at Houston.
This evening the five interns had a very neat experience. We led a devotional time at My Brother's Keeper, the homeless shelter run by Mission Waco. I was a bundle of nerves. But, praise God, it worked out in such an amazing way. We read through Psalm 139, giving them all a lot of opportunities to discuss it with us, share what they got from the reading. There were a lot of really great things brought up, a lot of really amazing people that have had a rough time at it, but a lot of faith in that room.
I've been learning a lot, mostly that people are people. We are more alike than we are different, and it's the things that make us alike that make us connect and love each other.
And God is good, all the time. All the time, God is good.
So, until next time, connect with someone, take a journey.
On Saturday morning the four of us left for our weekend in Houston. The three interns had no idea what to expect, which was probably a good thing in hind sight. Our group met up with another group of interns from the CMS, another non-profit organization that works to help homeless there in Houston. Houston is the forth largest city in the U.S. and is home to the forth largest homeless population with an estimated 10,000 to 12,000 homeless people. That is a staggering statistic that breaks my heart.
Our first stop was at The Beacon, an organization that provides meals, showers, laundry, and social services to the homeless. Our task at The Beacon was to help wherever they needed us. A couple girls helped check people in, a couple people deboned chicken, three guys bussed tables, one girl swept, and I passed out sugar, Sweet and Low, and creamer packets. This was possibly the hardest job I have ever had to do, and not just because I wasn't good at following the rule of only giving them one creamer and three sugar or Sweet and Low.
In all my life, I have never had to put a face to homelessness. Saturday in a three hour time block, I saw 700 faces of homelessness.
It was hard, but there was one moment, one smile that made everything okay. There was a family of four that passed through the line. I didn't expect to see children there, which is stupid. But this one little boy looked back at me, and I smiled, he smiled back, big old grin. His face seemed to say, "I get to eat lunch! And thanks for noticing me." Such joy in a smile, it took me off guard and made my heart a little happier.
After we finished at The Beacon and ate some lunch, we took a prayer walk around the neighborhood we stayed in. There was such poverty on those streets, but the two buildings that affected me the most were the Adult Modeling Agency and the Cozy Spa. Don't be fooled by the names --- brothels. There are 27 known brothels in Houston where young girls who have been human trafficked are trapped, brainwashed, and abused. And right across the street was a family having a barbecue in their front yard, kids playing on their bikes. It made my stomach churn. .
Later that night we took a driving tour of Houston, saw the government housing projects where poverty struck people are stuck, saw the home for runaway girls fortunate enough to find safety before human traffickers found them, saw the giant sports stadiums that displaced thousands of homeless people and cost millions of dollars to build, saw the schools with no windows that had unbelievably high dropout rates and burnt out teachers, saw the homeless population trying to get a bed in a shelter or find a place on the sidewalk to sleep -- I saw life, really ugly, hard, unbelievable, true life. And it left me speechless.
That was all in one day. I have never had such a hard day emotionally.
Sunday we were blessed with the chance to attend two vastly different churches. The first was Lord of the Streets, a service specifically for homeless people. There were some very passionate, very loving homeless people there to worship God, and then there were some who came for the breakfast afterwards. The second church was St. John's Downtown, a very exuberant African American church (where Beyonce happened to go when she lived in Houston, where her family still goes). There was yelling, dancing, and singing that filled the room with joy. It was such a drastic difference, but so cool to see both of them.
The sermon at St. John's was to not do too much, to take instructions for today and do them, not worrying about tomorrow. Good lesson for this summer. God knows what we need to hear. That concluded our time in Houston. It was amazing, and we were tired.
Today we have mostly been getting oriented to Mission Waco, getting a tour of Waco. There is so much poverty here. At times it seemed like we were looking at Houston.
This evening the five interns had a very neat experience. We led a devotional time at My Brother's Keeper, the homeless shelter run by Mission Waco. I was a bundle of nerves. But, praise God, it worked out in such an amazing way. We read through Psalm 139, giving them all a lot of opportunities to discuss it with us, share what they got from the reading. There were a lot of really great things brought up, a lot of really amazing people that have had a rough time at it, but a lot of faith in that room.
I've been learning a lot, mostly that people are people. We are more alike than we are different, and it's the things that make us alike that make us connect and love each other.
And God is good, all the time. All the time, God is good.
So, until next time, connect with someone, take a journey.
Thursday, May 26, 2011
Home for the Summer
I am in my summer home. Or at least the city where my summer home is. Currently I'm at Kathy's house, the intern coordinator. Since I'm the only intern here as of yet, she let me crash here instead of sleeping alone in the intern house. Super awesome revamped Victorian home, built in 1896 or something like that. It's the most amazing house I've ever been in, like a castle, but not. Know what I mean?
I had no problems with flights or airports, so that was a huge relief. Landed around 2:30, got to the intern house around 3:30. I unpacked, got settled, then rested for a few hours before Kathy picked me up. We went on a walk. With two large dogs, both black labs, one a six month old sixty pound puppy and the other about twice his weight and probably five years old. It was quite the adventure. I don't know if the dogs are worn out, but I sure am!
On our excursion, Kathy took me around the neighborhood. The intern house is located right by the director's house with a basketball court separating the two. The main office, cafe, park, and theatre is about six or eight blocks down the street.
We swung by the Jubilee Theatre just in time to catch Stevie before he locked up. He's the guy I'll be working with the most within the theatre, and he's quite the character. When Kathy introduced us, he grinned and said, "Is this the theatre geek?!" Typical exuberant, animated, excitable theatre person. He's been working with the theatre here for a year and is going to grad school this fall. I'm excited to work with him--tomorrow we're building the set for the show he's producing/directing/wrote. It's titled something along the lines of "History Revised Herstory." Sounds intriguing. I'll probably pop into rehearsal tomorrow evening, because let's be honest, it's what I do. :)
I'm trying really hard to remember names, but that is something that's really hard for me. As Kathy took me around the neighborhood, we kept stopping by people's houses, meeting new people I'll be working with. Found out from Shannon and Mackenzie, intern alumni and currently working with the children's ministry, that Waco is a vortex -- interns have a way of showing back up. Good to know.
You should know that I don't have my own computer here, so posts might be random. Depends on when I'm around a computer with time to spare. I'll try and be consistent, but we'll see what happens.
So, I'm in Waco. I'm safe. I'm happy. I'm tired. I'm thankful.
Until next time, take a journey.
I had no problems with flights or airports, so that was a huge relief. Landed around 2:30, got to the intern house around 3:30. I unpacked, got settled, then rested for a few hours before Kathy picked me up. We went on a walk. With two large dogs, both black labs, one a six month old sixty pound puppy and the other about twice his weight and probably five years old. It was quite the adventure. I don't know if the dogs are worn out, but I sure am!
On our excursion, Kathy took me around the neighborhood. The intern house is located right by the director's house with a basketball court separating the two. The main office, cafe, park, and theatre is about six or eight blocks down the street.
We swung by the Jubilee Theatre just in time to catch Stevie before he locked up. He's the guy I'll be working with the most within the theatre, and he's quite the character. When Kathy introduced us, he grinned and said, "Is this the theatre geek?!" Typical exuberant, animated, excitable theatre person. He's been working with the theatre here for a year and is going to grad school this fall. I'm excited to work with him--tomorrow we're building the set for the show he's producing/directing/wrote. It's titled something along the lines of "History Revised Herstory." Sounds intriguing. I'll probably pop into rehearsal tomorrow evening, because let's be honest, it's what I do. :)
I'm trying really hard to remember names, but that is something that's really hard for me. As Kathy took me around the neighborhood, we kept stopping by people's houses, meeting new people I'll be working with. Found out from Shannon and Mackenzie, intern alumni and currently working with the children's ministry, that Waco is a vortex -- interns have a way of showing back up. Good to know.
You should know that I don't have my own computer here, so posts might be random. Depends on when I'm around a computer with time to spare. I'll try and be consistent, but we'll see what happens.
So, I'm in Waco. I'm safe. I'm happy. I'm tired. I'm thankful.
Until next time, take a journey.
Texas Take Two
I'm still not there. Tornadoes. They ruin travel in this world, but often take you to another. Oz, for example. I'd go to Oz. It seemed nice, even with the witches.
So that meant I got to be nervous/excited for another whole day. The jitters are back full blast, and I'm hungry...
I don't really have much to say this morning that was different than yesterday morning, so I'll keep it short. About this short.
The next time you hear from me, I'll be in Waco. I wonder if the moon looks different from there.
Until then, enjoy the sunshine, look forward to the moon.
So that meant I got to be nervous/excited for another whole day. The jitters are back full blast, and I'm hungry...
I don't really have much to say this morning that was different than yesterday morning, so I'll keep it short. About this short.
The next time you hear from me, I'll be in Waco. I wonder if the moon looks different from there.
Until then, enjoy the sunshine, look forward to the moon.
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
Excited/Nervous
You know the feeling when you can't decide if your really, really nervous or just ate too much sugar the night before, so your stomach is all in knots? That's how I feel now. I leave for the airport in an hour. My plane leaves in three. I'm starting to freak out a little.
I've never actually flown anywhere by myself. I've flown quite a few times, once across the Atlantic ocean. But I was never alone.
Obviously, I'm never alone. I know this. My Heavenly Father is always with me. But He's never walked me through airport security before.
Last night as Ashlee and I were trying to put ourselves into a sugar coma, we talked about my desire to travel. I want to see the world, go lots of places, and I made the comment that at this point in my life, it's easier to do it alone. I'm starting to wonder why I feel this way. Who wants to go see the world on their own. Most of the fun is sharing the experience with someone else.
Luckily, once I get to Waco, there will be plenty of other people there to share the experiences with. It's just getting there that has me freaking out a little bit. No worries, I'll get there in one piece, ready to share my stories with everyone soon enough. Prayers would be greatly appreciated.
Until next time, give someone a hug, dance in the rain.
I've never actually flown anywhere by myself. I've flown quite a few times, once across the Atlantic ocean. But I was never alone.
Obviously, I'm never alone. I know this. My Heavenly Father is always with me. But He's never walked me through airport security before.
Last night as Ashlee and I were trying to put ourselves into a sugar coma, we talked about my desire to travel. I want to see the world, go lots of places, and I made the comment that at this point in my life, it's easier to do it alone. I'm starting to wonder why I feel this way. Who wants to go see the world on their own. Most of the fun is sharing the experience with someone else.
Luckily, once I get to Waco, there will be plenty of other people there to share the experiences with. It's just getting there that has me freaking out a little bit. No worries, I'll get there in one piece, ready to share my stories with everyone soon enough. Prayers would be greatly appreciated.
Until next time, give someone a hug, dance in the rain.
Monday, May 23, 2011
Finding Roots
I'm discovering my roots. Roots I didn't know I had. Apparently I'm 1/32 Scottish on my mom's side. McGlade. Go figure. And I gave Jackson such a hard time for his proud Scottish roots. Maybe I was just jealous. So now I'm doing research.
Look, websites. You don't have to go to them, but they make me really excited! According to the map, the McGlade family overtook a couple of districts in south Scotland: http://www.ancestry.co.uk/facts/McGlade-family-history-sct.ashx
There are no specific McGlade tartans according to Scotweb.co.uk, but this one comes from the district where the most McGlades lived in the late 1800's. Look, it's blue, green, and purple. I told Jackson mine would be prettier than his: http://www.scotweb.co.uk/buy/tartan-fabric/material/69319.
Truth be told, my blood is so muddled that there is no telling where my family comes from. More exciting that way, right?
Family is interesting, isn't it? It is something we can never escape. It's a part of us, this group of people who you grow up with, who love you, who drive you nuts, who are disfunctional, who are supportive, who are suffocating -- and they can be all of these things, plus more, at the same time. It's dizzying.
I'm about to be separated from my family for 10 weeks. It's a scary thought. I know Mission Waco is where I'm supposed to spend my summer, I just hadn't really thought of the fact I'm going where I don't know anyone. I've never been away from home for this long. But, home is always there, will always be waiting.
Until next time, call your mom, look for the moon, prepare for upcoming journeys.
Look, websites. You don't have to go to them, but they make me really excited! According to the map, the McGlade family overtook a couple of districts in south Scotland: http://www.ancestry.co.uk/facts/McGlade-family-history-sct.ashx
There are no specific McGlade tartans according to Scotweb.co.uk, but this one comes from the district where the most McGlades lived in the late 1800's. Look, it's blue, green, and purple. I told Jackson mine would be prettier than his: http://www.scotweb.co.uk/buy/tartan-fabric/material/69319.
Truth be told, my blood is so muddled that there is no telling where my family comes from. More exciting that way, right?
Family is interesting, isn't it? It is something we can never escape. It's a part of us, this group of people who you grow up with, who love you, who drive you nuts, who are disfunctional, who are supportive, who are suffocating -- and they can be all of these things, plus more, at the same time. It's dizzying.
I'm about to be separated from my family for 10 weeks. It's a scary thought. I know Mission Waco is where I'm supposed to spend my summer, I just hadn't really thought of the fact I'm going where I don't know anyone. I've never been away from home for this long. But, home is always there, will always be waiting.
Until next time, call your mom, look for the moon, prepare for upcoming journeys.
Ethiopian Envy
Today I was a minority. It doesn't happen very often, especially in small Midwestern towns. It happened today. Drama Ministries Ensemble (DME) performed our play "Iowa Ethiopia" at the Ethiopian church in Sioux Falls, SD. It was an amazing experience, one that I will cherish for all my life. Like our director said, so many treasures in one day.
I wish you all could have been there. I have never before understood so little of what what was being said, yet felt so in tune with what was going on around me. Does that make sense? The Holy Spirit was moving, big time. It was fantastic. We couldn't sing along, we couldn't understand, but we could praise our God as one family. It was a beautiful thing.
One of the treasures I cherish the most was the row of children that sat right behind me. I was sitting in the front row to run the slide show during the play when our director ushers the children from the back of the sanctuary to the second row. Fifteen to twenty young children all jam into one pew, soon becoming enthralled with the story they were seeing enacted. They were adorable. What really made my heart sore came at the very end of the play; to end the show, Hannah leads the congregation in reciting Psalm 23. A little boy sitting in the front row by the pastor (I think it was his son) recited the chapter right along with us, and it touched my heart. A childlike faith, that's what restored my soul today.
Sadly, the week with DME had to come to an end this afternoon. I was the first of the eight of us to leave, and I miss them already. It's hard to leave a group that have become very much like family. But, the great thing about college is there is next year, where new adventures wait for us, including a trip to Ethiopia in January. Awesome, right? So excited!
So, now I'm preparing for my next moon journey. I'm home for less than 24 hours, then I head to Omaha to spend a few days with my life long friend before flying down to Texas on Wednesday. Unpacking, cleaning, and repacking all at once turned out to be a lot more work than I expected. Lots left to do before my mom and grandma want to leave tomorrow morning... Onto my next journey, my next adventure.
Until next time, try to find the moon between the clouds.
I wish you all could have been there. I have never before understood so little of what what was being said, yet felt so in tune with what was going on around me. Does that make sense? The Holy Spirit was moving, big time. It was fantastic. We couldn't sing along, we couldn't understand, but we could praise our God as one family. It was a beautiful thing.
One of the treasures I cherish the most was the row of children that sat right behind me. I was sitting in the front row to run the slide show during the play when our director ushers the children from the back of the sanctuary to the second row. Fifteen to twenty young children all jam into one pew, soon becoming enthralled with the story they were seeing enacted. They were adorable. What really made my heart sore came at the very end of the play; to end the show, Hannah leads the congregation in reciting Psalm 23. A little boy sitting in the front row by the pastor (I think it was his son) recited the chapter right along with us, and it touched my heart. A childlike faith, that's what restored my soul today.
Sadly, the week with DME had to come to an end this afternoon. I was the first of the eight of us to leave, and I miss them already. It's hard to leave a group that have become very much like family. But, the great thing about college is there is next year, where new adventures wait for us, including a trip to Ethiopia in January. Awesome, right? So excited!
So, now I'm preparing for my next moon journey. I'm home for less than 24 hours, then I head to Omaha to spend a few days with my life long friend before flying down to Texas on Wednesday. Unpacking, cleaning, and repacking all at once turned out to be a lot more work than I expected. Lots left to do before my mom and grandma want to leave tomorrow morning... Onto my next journey, my next adventure.
Until next time, try to find the moon between the clouds.
Saturday, May 21, 2011
Lilac Love
The lilac bushes are blooming. Yesterday with the slight breeze, I could smell them walking down the street. I picked a branch off a bush I found this afternoon. This makes me incredibly happy. Aleah would say I have childhood romantic ideals with lilacs. And with violets. And dandelions. Aleah loves flowers. I think for awhile I forgot that I love flowers. She's good at reminding me of things I love. Friends do that.
I think she's right. These flowers are my favorites. I don't care if two of them are considered weeds. When I was little, I was convinced my mom's favorite flowers were dandelions. She let us pick new ones for the kitchen table every day--obviously they were her favorites. Finding violets in our yard was always exciting; they were few and far between, so finding one was like finding a treasure. Our driveway at home is lined with lilac bushes. Grandma's house has three giant lilac bushes in her yard. I love lilacs. They smell like spring.
They remind me of home. That's a good thing to be reminded of, especially when sometimes I don't feel like I need to go home. Sorry for that, Mom and Dad. I just don't need home like I used to. I need the reminder of home, the constant that it provides as I go on my moon journeys, but I no longer need to be there to be me.
Part of growing up, part of living, is being content where you are. Finding joy at wherever you find yourself. Being okay right now, wherever God has put you. Sometimes that's a childhood home, sometimes it's college, sometimes it is walking down the street and smelling lilacs on the breeze. We have our seasons, like the lilacs. Where we were okay last year may not be where we're okay this year. Growth is a part of life.
So until next time, grow, live, be okay, smell the lilacs.
I think she's right. These flowers are my favorites. I don't care if two of them are considered weeds. When I was little, I was convinced my mom's favorite flowers were dandelions. She let us pick new ones for the kitchen table every day--obviously they were her favorites. Finding violets in our yard was always exciting; they were few and far between, so finding one was like finding a treasure. Our driveway at home is lined with lilac bushes. Grandma's house has three giant lilac bushes in her yard. I love lilacs. They smell like spring.
They remind me of home. That's a good thing to be reminded of, especially when sometimes I don't feel like I need to go home. Sorry for that, Mom and Dad. I just don't need home like I used to. I need the reminder of home, the constant that it provides as I go on my moon journeys, but I no longer need to be there to be me.
Part of growing up, part of living, is being content where you are. Finding joy at wherever you find yourself. Being okay right now, wherever God has put you. Sometimes that's a childhood home, sometimes it's college, sometimes it is walking down the street and smelling lilacs on the breeze. We have our seasons, like the lilacs. Where we were okay last year may not be where we're okay this year. Growth is a part of life.
So until next time, grow, live, be okay, smell the lilacs.
Friday, May 20, 2011
April Rain Songs
Let the rain kiss you
Let the rain beat upon your head with silver liquid drops
Let the rain sing you a lullaby
The rain makes still pools on the sidewalk
The rain makes running pools in the gutter
The rain plays a little sleep song on our roof at night
And I love the rain
---April Rain Song by Langston Hughes
It's raining in Northwest Iowa, has been since about eleven last night. It's wonderful. I love rain. After a night of pirating at midnight movie premieres, a good romp through the thunderstorm is perfection. Hannah read this poem to us after getting back from the movie and our run through the rain, before we started another movie.
College kids don't really sleep that much...or we compensate by sleeping until 11:30...
Rain does seem to put a damp on tulip festivals. It gives everything a rather dreary feel, constant drizzle falling as you're sitting there watching cute little kids passing by on floats. The kids are still cute, but you're all damp and you just want to get dry. It's supposed to be rainy tomorrow too. I think I'll wear shorter jeans...
Last night when we were out in the rain after shedding our pirate gear, I found myself just standing there with my face towards the sky, arms wide open, almost embracing the rain. Looking five feet in front of me, Jackson was doing the same. Amalia soon joined us. We let the rain kiss us. It was one of those moments where everything was right. We just were. I've had a lot of those moments lately. They are restoring moments.
The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. He maketh me lie down in green pastures, He leadeth me beside still waters, He restoreth my soul. Psalm 23:1-3a
Until next time, embrace the rain, and don't forget to look for the moon between rain clouds.
Let the rain beat upon your head with silver liquid drops
Let the rain sing you a lullaby
The rain makes still pools on the sidewalk
The rain makes running pools in the gutter
The rain plays a little sleep song on our roof at night
And I love the rain
---April Rain Song by Langston Hughes
It's raining in Northwest Iowa, has been since about eleven last night. It's wonderful. I love rain. After a night of pirating at midnight movie premieres, a good romp through the thunderstorm is perfection. Hannah read this poem to us after getting back from the movie and our run through the rain, before we started another movie.
College kids don't really sleep that much...or we compensate by sleeping until 11:30...
Rain does seem to put a damp on tulip festivals. It gives everything a rather dreary feel, constant drizzle falling as you're sitting there watching cute little kids passing by on floats. The kids are still cute, but you're all damp and you just want to get dry. It's supposed to be rainy tomorrow too. I think I'll wear shorter jeans...
Last night when we were out in the rain after shedding our pirate gear, I found myself just standing there with my face towards the sky, arms wide open, almost embracing the rain. Looking five feet in front of me, Jackson was doing the same. Amalia soon joined us. We let the rain kiss us. It was one of those moments where everything was right. We just were. I've had a lot of those moments lately. They are restoring moments.
The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. He maketh me lie down in green pastures, He leadeth me beside still waters, He restoreth my soul. Psalm 23:1-3a
Until next time, embrace the rain, and don't forget to look for the moon between rain clouds.
Thursday, May 19, 2011
Poetry Perfected
"We don't read and write poetry because it's cute. We read and write poetry because we are members of the human race. And the human race is filled with passion." --Dead Poet's Society
No, I'm not going to post some original poetry that is filled with passion inspired by Robin William's performance in Dead Poet's Society. Give me a break, it's only my second post. I love this quote, though, don't you? Sometimes I think we forget that the human race is filled with passion. We get too busy, to worked up about the little stuff that we forget to look around once in awhile and smell the tulips (I'm spending this week at a Tulip Festival in Iowa, they seem to be one of the only flowers I've seen in a couple weeks...). And I think it's the little things that we get passion from.
This week has been spent with some of my favorite people. We all belong to Drama Ministries Ensemble, a traveling theatre group our college sends out, and the eight of us are sticking around to perform our play during the Tulip Festival. So we're living in campus housing or with family, some of us are working, some of us have class, but most of us have had nothing to do. It's been glorious.
How often do you feel like you're in paradise? Not too often. At least I don't. Until this week. As much as I love the moon, I love sitting in the sun as well. We spread out my big t-shirt quilt I made last summer in the grass outside our apartment and just exist. We read, sketch, and sleep for a couple hours, some of us getting a little bit sun burnt (not me, Mom, don't worry. I wore sunscreen).
It was perfect. At least in my mind. The guys said there wasn't nearly enough coffee for it to be paradise, but I don't drink coffee, so that didn't factor into my calculations. We were together, in community (a huge push on our small Christian college campus), existing. That made it perfect.
So, until next time, look for little perfect moments, sit in the sun, exist.
No, I'm not going to post some original poetry that is filled with passion inspired by Robin William's performance in Dead Poet's Society. Give me a break, it's only my second post. I love this quote, though, don't you? Sometimes I think we forget that the human race is filled with passion. We get too busy, to worked up about the little stuff that we forget to look around once in awhile and smell the tulips (I'm spending this week at a Tulip Festival in Iowa, they seem to be one of the only flowers I've seen in a couple weeks...). And I think it's the little things that we get passion from.
This week has been spent with some of my favorite people. We all belong to Drama Ministries Ensemble, a traveling theatre group our college sends out, and the eight of us are sticking around to perform our play during the Tulip Festival. So we're living in campus housing or with family, some of us are working, some of us have class, but most of us have had nothing to do. It's been glorious.
How often do you feel like you're in paradise? Not too often. At least I don't. Until this week. As much as I love the moon, I love sitting in the sun as well. We spread out my big t-shirt quilt I made last summer in the grass outside our apartment and just exist. We read, sketch, and sleep for a couple hours, some of us getting a little bit sun burnt (not me, Mom, don't worry. I wore sunscreen).
It was perfect. At least in my mind. The guys said there wasn't nearly enough coffee for it to be paradise, but I don't drink coffee, so that didn't factor into my calculations. We were together, in community (a huge push on our small Christian college campus), existing. That made it perfect.
So, until next time, look for little perfect moments, sit in the sun, exist.
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
Moon Journeys
"Where there is a woman there is magic. If there is a moon falling from her mouth, she is a woman who knows her magic, who can share or not share her powers...There was a moon in her mouth. Having a moon in her mouth kept her laughing." -- Sassafrass, Cypress, & Indigo by Ntozake Shange
Have you seen the moon the last couple of nights? Bright. Really, really bright. A group of my friends and I went star gazing two nights ago. The moon was so bright we couldn't see very many stars. It didn't really matter. Truth be told, spending twenty minutes of the brisk May night with seven fantastic people in the middle of a baseball field was more important than seeing the stars. It was beautiful.
I love the idea of a moon falling from one's mouth. Take the image as you like. It reminds me of the kiss Wendy had on her mouth in J.M. Barrie's Peter Pan. Something special that not everyone can see, that not everyone has, something that keeps me laughing. If you have spent even five minutes with me, you know I love to laugh. A moon falling from my mouth that keeps me laughing.
I don't exactly know the purpose of this blog yet. It may be a random collection of musings that I haven't sorted out yet. It may be an update of my latest moon journeys. It may be forgotten and never used. I hope not. I'll strive for the first two.
This summer I am spending ten weeks in Waco, TX working with an organization called Mission Waco. They work towards community revitalization and rebuilding, empowering the poor and marginalized in the Waco area. I leave in a week. I still know very little about what I'll actually be doing, I don't know anyone that will be there, and truth be told, I'm a little scared. So prayers would be greatly appreciated. This is not the first of my moon journeys, but it is the first to be posted on the internet.
Until next time, take a journey, check out the moon.
Have you seen the moon the last couple of nights? Bright. Really, really bright. A group of my friends and I went star gazing two nights ago. The moon was so bright we couldn't see very many stars. It didn't really matter. Truth be told, spending twenty minutes of the brisk May night with seven fantastic people in the middle of a baseball field was more important than seeing the stars. It was beautiful.
I love the idea of a moon falling from one's mouth. Take the image as you like. It reminds me of the kiss Wendy had on her mouth in J.M. Barrie's Peter Pan. Something special that not everyone can see, that not everyone has, something that keeps me laughing. If you have spent even five minutes with me, you know I love to laugh. A moon falling from my mouth that keeps me laughing.
I don't exactly know the purpose of this blog yet. It may be a random collection of musings that I haven't sorted out yet. It may be an update of my latest moon journeys. It may be forgotten and never used. I hope not. I'll strive for the first two.
This summer I am spending ten weeks in Waco, TX working with an organization called Mission Waco. They work towards community revitalization and rebuilding, empowering the poor and marginalized in the Waco area. I leave in a week. I still know very little about what I'll actually be doing, I don't know anyone that will be there, and truth be told, I'm a little scared. So prayers would be greatly appreciated. This is not the first of my moon journeys, but it is the first to be posted on the internet.
Until next time, take a journey, check out the moon.
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