Treasures From My Inbox

I had a lot of correspondence to catch up on today so I started at the beginning of my inbox and worked my way down till I had dealt with every email. At the bottom of my inbox I found a very old email that I was saving. It contained a series of pictures from our wedding that a family friend had emailed to my dad. I had never downloaded them, so I never deleted the email. It was pretty funny coming across these pictures.

I love this picture:It makes me feel like I'm entering our outdoor tented reception all over again. If I had that day back to live again I would've done one thing differently. I was so focused on throwing a good party, making sure everything was running smoothly, greeting all the guests and catching up with all our friends. Don't get me wrong, I had a blast! I danced, I laughed, it was everything I hoped it'd be. But the one thing I would've done differently would have been to pay less attention to everyone else and just enjoyed Daniel. I remember him wrangling me amidst the crowd and asking me to stay by his side. I got so overwhelmed by the crowd, that I took my eyes off my new husband. The beautiful thing is that I get everyday from here on out to enjoy him. The crowd has subsided and the bustle of the day has quieted. I get nights like tonight to sit beside him on our couch, in our little house, with our little family of furry children, while he falls asleep to the TV on a Friday night. I get my re-do every night.

Will Work for Clothes

I picked up one of these today:


That's an employment application. I haven't really been pursuing job opportunities yet because I'm still in the throws of finishing all the Young Life work on my plate. But I did pick up an application today which is weird because I don't think I've ever technically applied for a job before. I was hired directly out of college for Young Life after 4 years of preparation as a volunteer. Since I missed the official interview day, my interview consisted of a visit in a booth at Panera with the Regional Director and Regional Trainer during their break from moving offices. Because it was moving day they were dressed in sweats. I think I wore jeans.

All my part time employment opportunities have come through family and friends. There was the fireworks stand where I showed up the first year to unload the truck. Anyone who lasted the first day was given scheduled hours for the remaining weeks. You were given a job every year you showed up after that. Working at Standard happened because Daniel called me one morning in a panic during one of their massive summer sales. I returned for a few holiday seasons and summers after that. My husband was my boss and my friends were my co-workers. Merchandising at Zona Rosa I inherited temporarily just to help out my sister.

So now I have to face the real world at 28. Job applications, resumes (which I'm writing for the first time), business cards. But I'm excited by all of it. I'm having a Mary Tyler Moore toss-your-hat-into-the-air sort of moment, "You're gonna make it after all." I am aren't I.

The Wednesday Rollercoaster

It's 12:47am and all I want to do is cry. Not because of anything inparticular, but because my emotions were all over the spectrum today and the result after days like this is usually tears. Here are the random things that happened today: some funny, some boring, some scary. This mix of good and bad has my heart, emotions, and hormones confused. So begins the heroing Wednesday Rollercoaster Express:

• Dropped off Volvo at Midas to get oil change and check brake pads. PULL OUT OF STATION
  
• Lunch with Daniel on his day off. Nice conversation + Cute boy = Lovely. CLIMBING HILL
• Hear from Midas: Not only are pads shot, but so are roters and rear hub ball-bearing thingmajigger. Result: $1,350 oil change. MASSIVE PLUNGE
• Since car won't be finished today, drive back to Midas to pick up YL club sound equipment out of disassembled Volvo and switch into Jetta. MODERATE DIP
• Daniel and Curtis take a chainsaw to massive bush that occupies 20% of backyard. 3 years of complaining about it, now it's gone. TURN OF RELIEF
• Find dead headless snake in yard. ODD TWIST
• Find out best friend's brother has MS. Just like my dad. PLUNGE, THIS ISN'T FUN ANYMORE
• Go to neighborhood thrift store and purchase large shelf. Go to parking lot and remember SUV is in the shop. Shelf won't fit in car. BRACE FOR ANOTHER PLUNGE
• Carry shelf for the 3 block walk home. Lose breath. Arms go weak for remainder of afternoon. Hips bruised from the trek. BOTTOM OF THE HILL, FEELING THE G'S
• Drop off shelf. Leash up dogs and walk back to thrift store to pick up car. RECOVERY STRAIGHTAWAY
• Uncover bird's nest in bush. Daniel saves robin's egg from wreckage. JOYFUL LIFT OUT OF SEAT
  
• Penny starts limping mysteriously. SURPRISE PLUNGE, FEELING NAUSEOUS
• Dinner with leaders before YL club. Favorite lasagna made by Terri. Brownies for dessert. TOP OF HILL, CAN SEE THE WHOLE PARK FROM HERE
• Get to club. Can't find extension cord or RCA cable. Emergency trip to Target. ANNOYING DIPS AND BUMPS
• Club. Sing Bieber and Miley Last Song ballad. FINALLY SMOOTH TRACK
• Late night trip to theater to watch Kick Ass. HOPEFUL TURN
• Drive home. Pulled over by cops for burnt out tail light. No ticket. SICKENING LAST MINUTE DROP
• Home. Bed. Please. PULL INTO STATION AND GET OFF STUPID RIDE

Just give me a good day or a bad day for Pete's sake. This back and forth is too much for my weak heart (and stomach). But such is life.

Here's some shots of beauty from today's ride though. Not something you see everyday.

Columbine

Today is 4.20 and other than being an homage to pot smokers, it is the anniversary of Columbine. Daniel and I have both read Dave Cullen's incredible book documenting the tragedy and were completely gripped by it. His writing is horrific and fascinating, heartbreaking and hopeful all at the same time. It's definitely an important read for anyone who was glued to the TV 11 years ago or for our generation of high schoolers who remember the implementation of Code Black and how to hide under a desk during lock down. For those still connected to the world of high schools whether that be students, teachers, coaches, ministers, or parents may be too frightening to read. I can't write a post on the topic with some thoughtful insight. It was simply a senseless tragedy.

The Wrong Side of the Tracks

I took the pups on a walk this morning that turned into a bit more of an adventure than I was going for. Indulge me for a minute as I tell you what a terrible dog owner I am before getting onto my main post. We usually walk around our quaint and charming historic downtown, but today I went the opposite direction as we headed towards the park. Geographically Harris Park is not far from our house, but we are separated from it by the railroad tracks. The track runs right down the middle of downtown and is blocked off by rod iron fencing except at a few intersections. So we had to walk all the way around the fencing before finding an opening a few blocks away. My dogs are in their geriatric stage so we rested for a bit once arriving at the park in preparation for the trek home. I opted to take a different way home thinking it would be shorter than our fence induced detour. I don't think it was any shorter and it was far more heroing to say the least. At one point after dragging poor Penny down a too steep, over grown hill we had to walk along the highway frontage road. Penny is particular about being on my right side, so she was a little too close to traffic for my liking. I ended up carrying her along this stretch of road. Then Toby just sat down on the shoulder of the road and refused to walk any further. He was spooked by the noise of the train crossing on the bridge overhead and the cars on the highway wizzing by. So I picked him up too. Then I dropped my keys. Picture me on the shoulder of this frontage road squatting down to pick up my keys while holding an elderly dog under each arm. I kind of looked like a dog super mom rescuing my children from danger, but then when you take into account that I'm the one that led them down this doomed path you can't really call me super. In fact my lead may make me the villan. We entered back into the neighborhood a little worse for wear. Though on residential streets there still weren't sidewalks. Toby had to stop because he had diarhea. Penny began dragging tail so I just carried her the rest of the way home. Well whatever the saying is about the road paved with good intentions, my best intentions led me to exposing my children to dangerous traffic and causing exhaustion and diarhea. Total failure.

Now onto my actual post. Our adventure making our way around the railroad tracks reminded me of a debate Daniel and I have. We live just a few blocks from the tracks and have to cross them everyday. We pondered this and began asking the dreaded question, "Do we live on the wrong side of the tracks?" Practically it seems that yes we do, but our bigger concern is with the figurative question of status and class. Do we live on "the bad side of town", "the wrong side of the tracks". Daniel and I have had many conversations where we weigh the affluence and attributes of each geographic side of the tracks. Schools: Lee's Summit West HS is on the other side, but Lee's Summit North HS is on our side...equal. Neighborhoods: all the Wintersets and Longview are on the other side, our side has Lakewood though...equal. Hy-Vees: Hy-Vee West seems to be a little cleaner/nicer than the one on 291...hmm a point for the other side. Blockbusters: Blockbuster West is a stand alone building while the 291 location shares its facility with a Hallmark store...ugh lost another point. For me the straw that broke the camel's back though was that the other side has Target and we have Wal-Mart. I enjoy Wal-Mart, but when it comes to status, clearly Target is viewed as more prestigious. That parallel is a kind of a microcosm of the two sides of the tracks. Wal-Mart isn't bad, but Target is just a little newer, nicer, cooler, and more expensive. So I think the consensus is that we do indeed live on the wrong side of the tracks. We're hoodlums.

Not sure if you can tell, but we're crossing the tracks in this picture (to the "right" side in case you were wondering).

A Heart Party

Wyld Life is the middle school version of Young Life. We have our middle school events on Saturday nights and were supposed to have one last night. The high school age leaders showed up at 6:15 to set up and prepare. They talked through games and skits and braced themselves for the onslaught of an expected 30 crazy middle schoolers. At about 7:30 with still no one showing up, we accepted the fact that no one was coming. What appeared to be a failure, actually created an opportunity for one of the best Wyld Life/Young Life stories I've ever heard. This is totally Chicken Soup for the Soul quality.

Claire and Katy, juniors in high school and Wyld Life leaders, joked about what they were going to do with their open Saturday night since club wasn't happening.Little did they know that God had something very special in store for them. Katy got a call from a high school friend whose little sister was having a birthday party. This little sister comes to Wyld Life and adores Katy. She was really upset because only a handful of friends had showed up for her party. Maybe this story means a lot to me because I know what it's like to have no one show up for a party (see here). And maybe Katy and Claire were feeling especially sympathetic because they had just hosted an event where no one came either. The girls rallied on behalf of this middle school birthday girl and gave her a night to remember. They picked up some balloons and headed over to the party. If you haven't hung out with middle schoolers in a few years, let me just tell you that in their minds, high school kids are like gods. So in walk these two cool, popular, pretty high school girls bearing gifts and smiles. They interacted with the other guests and the birthday girl and before they knew it, tears were replaced with laughter. They helped bring redemption to what could have been a miserable night. So what was a failed night of Wyld Life, actually became a night of much more powerful ministry than what normally takes place at an event.

THIS is why I do Young Life. Claire and Katy are two of my own girls who are now living out the Gospel on their own. They are bringing life and beauty and joy to people who need it. I have never been more proud.

I am getting teary eyed as I write this because I just realized they threw a Heart Party. The Heart Party story is one of my all time favorites. It makes me cry every time I hear it or even just think about it. I hesitate to write about it because I fear I cannot do it justice, but if you can catch even a glimpse into its glory then it will be worth it. Two summers ago on a YL camp trip our speaker Steve told this story about his daughter. She was young and as she was developing they observed some strange behavior. Doctors suggested signs could point towards autism. So Steve and his wife braced themselves for a life of difficulty for their daughter. They envisioned the challenges and grieved the loss of a "normal" life for her. When Valentine's Day rolled around, she started to notice all the decorations for sale at stores and inquired about the holiday. She quickly decided that she wanted to throw a heart party. Her parents consented and she began the preparations. She began cutting tiny hearts out of every spare piece of paper around the house. The stack of invitations grew larger and larger as the days went by. Cut out paper hearts and crayon scribbled hearts were strewn atop the table awaiting the fateful day.

Steve describes being nervous about the Heart Party. Her hopes were so high, but who was going to come? Two little girls from church agreed to join both his daughters at the party. They arrived that afternoon and were less than enthusiastic. All of Steve's fears hit him across the face. Was this what his entire daughter's life was going to be like? Awkward interactions? Kids of friends being forced or bribed to be kind to her? And then something happened...there was a knock at the door. Who was it? They weren't expecting anyone. They went to answer the door and there waiting on the doorstep were three college guys who were YL leaders with Steve. "Is there a Heart Party here? We're looking for a heart party!" They busted through the entry way and joined the party. For the next few hours these three guys help to make the Heart Party one of the most beautiful experiences in Steve's family's life. They told jokes, they cheered, they gave piggy back rides around the living room. All the girls had a great time. Where there was awkwardness, they brought ease. Where there was fear in the hearts of parents, they brought assurance that no matter what lie ahead for this daughter, they would be there to support, to laugh, and to celebrate.

Steve describes this as bringing Shalom, an all encompassing peace and wholeness uniting all of us. Claire and Katy brought Shalom last night. Those college guys brought Shalom. These stories bring Shalom to my life even though I wasn't actually there. Whatever you want to call it, it is the Gospel in action, and it is beautiful.