Quote of the day.

So the writer who breeds more words than he needs, is making a chore for the reader who reads.

Dr. Seuss

Procrastination is the name of the game...

Or maybe the name of the game is "Theresa-has-her-hands-in-too-many-pots." Yeah...that is probably more like it.

As it now stands, I am sitting in Chick-fil-A working on a five page paper on Utilitarianism. Woot Woot. Lunch at noon, more on the paper, study for a test, meeting at five, grocery store, small group.

"Work is man's most natural form of relaxation."
Dagobert D. Runes

69 days

It took me 69 days to realize that there wasn't going to be a call.
69 days feeling like I was going to fall.
Crying and trying not to cry.
Wondering and really knowing.
And has taken me 17 months (and counting) to regain all of my confidence.
17 months to know that it was for the better.
17 months of searching.
But it only took me about 69 seconds to realize that I was better off.
69 seconds to know that it's not too much.
It took me 69 seconds to realize that saying hello would have taken all of .69 seconds and I wasn't going to hear it.
69 seconds to know that not hearing "Hello" was just one more step towards regaining that confidence.

"...and you learn that love doesn't mean possession and company doesn't mean security...and you begin to accept your defeats with your head up and your eyes ahead, with the grace of an adult, not the grief of a child. And you learn to build your roads today because tomorrows ground is too uncertain for plans and futures have ways of falling down in mid-flight... And you learn that you really can endure, that you really are strong, and you really do have worth ,and you learn, and you learn..."-Veronica A. Shoffstall

Quote of the day.

A heart for the glory of God and a heart of mercy for the nations make a Christ-like missionary. -John Piper

Quote of the day.

Being powerful is like being a lady. If you have to tell people you are, you aren't.
~Margaret Thatcher

And now for something completely different...

After a crazy week, I decided to head up to Athens, Georgia to see my good friends, Brad and Sally Baker, and help them move into their new home. Brad accepted a job as Youth Minister at St. James UMC. I, along with Brad and Sally, am truly amazed at the outpouring of love from this church family. They have provided more than any of us could have ever imagined. It's good to know my adopted brother and sister are going to be taken care of in such a luscious (that was for you, Molly) manner.

Colt and I drove up Saturday afternoon and arrived in Athens around five or so. We were immediately put to work. After working hard for a few hours, the group ventured downtown for dinner. We ate at a great little sandwich place called "Which Wich." Super yummy and it provided great fellowship time for our little group.

After dinner, we headed back home where the boys put together an island for the kitchen and the girls worked on looking for places to hang pictures. No one lasted very long before bed started to sound really good. We were not lacking for room or places to sleep. This house is pretty big. Three bedrooms, two bathrooms, and so much closet space. Hardwood floors all through the house. A living room and a dining room. A pretty big kitchen. It has a big back yard and front yard. Brad loves yard work, especially raking apparently, so there is no need for anyone to volunteer to do it for him. He is really excited.

Sunday morning included Dunkin' Donuts (also known as Dunkin' D's by Sally), coffee, and some quiet time in which Alex talked about baseball the whole time. All of this was intermixed with showers by all six of us which resulted in icy cold showers for Sally and Theresa. No worries, though. It's good preparation for Sharptop Cove in two weeks. Showers tend to be a little chilly there too. Brad and Alex went and checked out the hot water heater AFTER I shrieked a little from the shock of the cold. Thanks, guys.

St. James is two lots over from Brad and Sally's, so we walked to church (much like the Amish or Hisidic(sp?) Jews), which was pretty nice. My sweet friend, Kathryn Garvin, met us for worship and it was great to see her and introduce her to some of my other sweet friends. After lunch we headed to a Hibachi Express type place that I cannot for the life of me remember the name of. However, Colt says it is one of the reasons he moved to Athens, but I didn't think it was that awesome. Good, but not awesome. Just sayin'...

The rest of our trip included a trip to a pretty amazing T.J. Maxx, a small tour of UGA campus, and Colt showing Kathryn and I were he used to live. We headed back to the house, picked up Molly and Alex, and the four of us headed back to Columbus. The trip back took for-ev-er. Traffic was bad right before we hit Newnan. Of course, this happened right after Colt asked me if we should stop for a bathroom break and I realized that I really needed to go. However, let me just say that as much as I hate being stuck in traffic, I will admit that you see some pretty interesting stuff. We saw a rock-climbing wall on a trailor behind a truck, a parrot, and a guy who got out of the truck and sat in the back to smoke a ciggerate while we were stopped.

I have to say, I thought I did a pretty good job playing "phat tunes" on the home. Once Colt told me I had to play some upbeat stuff to keep him awake, I thought did a pretty good job of playing deejay.

Thanks to Brad and Sally for continuing to make life interesting for the rest of us. I vote that this getting married/moving thing happen more often.

Fun quotes from the weekend:

• "Dwan! I didn't know you come here..."
• "I will cut you."
• "I'm a tree hugger; email me."
• "I keep breebin', I keep, keep breebin your brub..."
• "Wait...what?"
• "Please! We'll fix it! Just don't quit!"
• "Want to stop and get a bench? Ya know, not a bench, but a bench."
• "Carol's fruit stand is in a much better location."
• "Cheese dip and Mexican rice!"
• "Lucious."
• "Phat tunes."
• "Whatev, dude."

The majority of these were provided by Molly and Alex Baker.

Quote for the day

There are no words to say how much I love words.
-Tom Stoppard

"For I am not ashamed..."

"You have God's permission to not have to go through life building a fan club for yourself."

This awesome quote came from my good friend, Brad Baker, who stole it from his pastor. So, if there was any question of credit not being given where credit is due, there shouldn't be now.

I was having a conversation yesterday in which I asked if I was going to be made to sound like some crazy, religious fanatic (don't ask) and the reply I received was "Oh, you don't need my help in that area." After the initial sting and shock, my eyes welled up and I had to force myself not to let the tears fall down my cheeks. Some back tracking occurred from my conversational partner, but the words had been said and their weight was heavy.

It's the next day now and while the weight is still heavy, my thoughts are not as negative as they were. I do not have to go through life building a fan club for myself. I don't need the approval of men to know that I have found favor in the sight of the one who gave His life for me. Being what I like to call "sold out on Jesus" is not something to be ashamed of. Romans 1:16 says "I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believe..." Why should someone's intended insult of my faith result in tears on my part? Allow me to share the following passages:

2 Corinthians 12:10- That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

2 Thessalonians 1:4- Therefore, among God's churches we boast about your perseverance and faith in all the persecutions and trials you are enduring.

1 Peter 2:23- When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly.

The last one is speaking of Jesus. No retaliation, no threats. He simply placed His trust and faith in the One who sent Him here in the first place. I'll go ahead and admit that while I didn't retaliate or make any threats, the reason was more from the fact that I was blindsided from the comment rather than my trying to be more like Jesus.

Ok, so I'm a Christian. And while this is the first time that someone has vocally attempted to insult me without beating around the bush, it will most likely not be the last. My prayer is that the next time it happens, I react much in the same way I did this time, only without the shock (since Paul tells us not be surprised when we are persecuted/insulted for the Gospel message) and with the mindset that I am in good company if I am being accosted for my faith.

"I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise shall be continually in my mouth." -Psalm 34:1

Dispatches from (A)mended America

Saturday night I was a part of an interview process for a creative media piece called "Dispatches from (A)mended America." I will let you make your own judgment based on their own description of themselves.

DISPATCHES FROM (A)MENDED AMERICA

Background: In the 24 hours following the historic 11PM announcement of Barack Obama's landslide victory on November 4th, I saw a euphoria I had never witnessed before. People were beaming, dancing in the streets, congratulating me, making quiet yet meaningful eye contact with me. Even I -- who was more than skeptical about the likelihood that America would ever send an African American to the White House as late as November 3rd -- even I called my father in tears, held my wife in my arms. "It happened," I said. "We made it happen." "We did it" seemed to be the day's subtext, even among those who didn't vote for Obama. I felt it too. However, I also felt something that lurked behind the euphoria and the historic implications of the election: Now that we've elected a black man as President for the first time, what do we do now? What happens next? Is "the race question" answered? And what are we going to do with all of this hope and optimism and new found civility in American public life? I am curious if other people are having the same feelings of anxiety, confusion, anticipation, and yes, hope that I am. I want to find out how this election has affected the lives of individual Americans. I want to hear the personal stories of Americans as we head into this truly New Age, an age defined, for now, only by its potential.

In the month leading up to the Presidential Inauguration, I will be traveling throughout America with my friend and colleague Brandt Adams to interview Americans about this watershed event. The guiding questions will be: What does the election of America's first African American President mean to you? Has this changed your life and if so, how? Has this changed America? What do we do now? We feel we can best investigate these questions by soliciting real Americans' own stories of the 2008 presidential election through their eyes and in their own words. What are their hopes for the President elected on hope? What suggestions can they give to an Obama administration that would keep them engaged in the governance of our country?

The interviews, which will hopefully be digitally recorded either on audio or video, will form the basis of a documentary theatre piece called DISPATCHES FROM (A)MENDED AMERICA. Brandt and I, two displaced sons of the South, will begin traveling on December 28th along the same routes used by The Freedom Riders in 1960 and then make our way from Mississippi, North toward Chicago, retracing The Great Migration of African Americans from 1910-1940. Finally, we'll make our way eastward through Philadelphia, finally landing in Washington DC on January 19th in time for the Presidential Inaugural Ceremony. We plan to interview people in Farmville, Virginia, home to one of the school districts included in the original five cases comprising Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka; Greensboro, site of the first civil rights sit-in at Woolworth's; and Oxford, Mississippi, where James Meredith integrated the University of Mississippi in 1962. The fact that Brandt is a 25-year-old white man born and raised in Virginia and I am a 42-year-old black man raised in Virginia only serves to amplify the resonance of this project to us both personally and politically.

You'll be able to keep track of our travels on our blog, www.dispatchesfromamendedamerica.blogspot.com, where we plan to upload excerpts of some of our interviews and our thoughts on the journey.

The election of Barack Obama has initiated a time of both euphoria and fear. Euphoria at the prospect of America finally living up to the promise of the Declaration of Independence; fear at the immense challenges that lay ahead for our country and our new leader. Halfway between Euphoria and Fear -- what better place to create a piece of theatre?

I have to admit, I was a bit wary going into this interview. I had been asked to do this interview and I wanted to be a part of this project, mainly because I really do think it is a fabulous idea and I am super excited to see where it goes. However, I was aware of the possibility that the guys conducting the interviews already knew a little bit about me because of the connections that we have. Now, let me go ahead and state for the record, that I am not by any means ashamed of what I believe. However, because I tend to be more conservative and am a registered Republican, I was a little scared that I was going to be turned into the angry, white conservative lady that hates black people and "clings to her guns and religion." I know that I am not that, but I also know how these types of things tend to go. I was pleasantly surprised to find my experience to be quite the opposite. I was treated with the utmost respect and was questioned without my feeling that there were ulterior motives. In fact, I really like Godfrey and Brandt. They are pretty neat guys.

I was heavily questioned about my faith. Not in an ugly way, but in a sincerely curious manner. I believe that the best kind of journalist knows how to ask the right questions and then let the interviewee just talk. Brandt and Godfrey are very good at this.

Audio clips will be up soon and I will be following the blog on a daily basis to keep up with these guys. You can follow too with the link above.

I am still formulating thoughts on my experience with "Dispatches from (A)mended America." I will write again soon when I have more structured thoughts and comments. For now, I wanted to share the fact that I was a part of this project and make others aware of the journey that two random guys are making in an effort to make a difference. Rock on.

Nobody Knows It But Me

There’s a place that I travel

when I want to roam

and nobody knows it but me.

The roads don’t go there

and the signs stay home

and nobody knows it but me.

It’s far far away and way way afar.

It’s over the moon and the sea.

And wherever you’re going

that’s wherever you are

and nobody knows it but me.

-Patrick O'Leary

The Story behind the poem-

The director was Eric Saarinen. The actress was photographer Sally Gall. James Garner recited the poem. Art Director Brad Neeley had the idea. We shot it in the Yukon and British Columbia. I’m the poet. Yes, it was the poem on that Chevy Tahoe commercial that came out in the fall of 2002. No, you didn't hear it when you were a child. Your Grandmother didn't read it to you. Or your Grandpa or your Dad. But I know what you mean: it was written to capture that childlike carefree sense of wonder and adventure. And Mr. Garner gave it a soothing sitting-on-your-poppa's-lap sort of feeling. People loved the spot. They really loved the poem. They found it hauntingly familiar. Was is Robert Frost? Robert Louis Stevenson? Walt Whitman? They were amazed and skeptical to hear it was written by an advertising copywriter from Detroit. I got dozens of emails and letters and phone calls. So did GM. Newspapers were flooded with queries about the poem. Radio stations, too. For a few months it seemed that everyone in America was wondering about it. What happened next was weird in the extreme. People made Christmas cards of the poem. People put it on their office walls. Sent it as a valentine. Insisted on House Silence whenever the commercial played. It gave a unique comfort to people. Cancer patients read it in the hospital. Lonely people found great solace in the words. A middle-school class memorized it and recited it. Dozens of discussion groups online chatted it up. A grammy-award-winning composer wrote a song to the lyrics. So did a bluegrass band. One woman did a beautiful cross stitch of the poem. It is on my office wall. Today, some five years later I still get the occasional email about it. It’s strange to be swept up in such a cultural phenomenon. It's very humbling to have moved so many so deeply.

Verse of Choice

"...my soul silently waits for God..."

Psalm 62:1

The Quote of the Day

"If it falls your lot to be a street sweeper, sweep streets like Michelangelo painted pictures, like Shakespeare wrote poetry, like Beethoven composed music; sweep streets so well that all the host of Heaven and Earth will have to pause and say, Here lived a great sweeper, who swept his job well."
- Martin Luther King, Jr.

The Motto of the Day

I've spent the past few days going back over my blog, reading some old posts, and thinking about the "Who, What, When, Where, and How"'s of the past four years. That's a long time, folks. For those who know me, I like to say "My motto is..." a lot. I've come to realize that I have a variety of motto's and it would probably be more appropriate to say "The Motto of the Day is..." Today, I have decided that the Motto of the Day (MOTD) is "No regrets, only lessons learned." I have learned a great many lessons over the past few years. That's supposed to happen though. It's a part of growing up. Scratch that. It IS growing up. The lessons are what make us who we are.

Another little tidbit that those who know me are fully aware of, is my love of lists. So, with no further ado, here is an infamous list.

Lessons learned (with full gratefulness)**:

1. Not going to Covenant College was the right desicion. LaGrange was the place for me and I am so glad I was there.
2. Not dating in High school was a blessing in disguise. There is no way that I was truly ready to deal with the pressures of dating and relationships.
3. Mom and Dad are right...for the most part. I'm not ready to say that they are always right, because everyone is wrong sometimes, but I am convinced that they have known better than me on many an occasion.
4. Siblings are a gift from God. My mother used to say that I had only child syndrome. I wanted to be the only child so badly, but looking back, who would have played "Little Women" and "Little House on the Prairie" with me if I hadn't had my sweet sisters?
5. Plumber Boy was not who I thought he was. Ah, what can be documented as the romance of 2005. I'm ok with that lesson and I can say that honestly.
6. Sometimes you have to lose someone or something to fully realize how much they meant to you or how much you needed to lose them.
7. Accepting that it was in your best interest to lose them is a hard lesson, but one that needed to be learned.
8. You can burn water.
9. It's ok for plans to not work out. It's better to go with the flow anyway.
10. God's plan is always better than yours. Period.

**Author reserves the right to keep secrets. Although, I must add that I admitted wrong on the plumbing situation a long time ago.