Living and Learning

In lieu of the throwback Friday Fives... and given the overwhelming state of my gratitude for last week... I thought I'd hit you with a current Friday (posted on Monday) Five. I was afforded the opportunity to be a camp counselor for my church youth program last week. (Trust me... you aren't the only one scratching their head about my qualifications!) I entered the week stressed about a multitude of things from being responsible for 8 high school girl's camp experience... and having a lot to say, but lacking the how-to. A wise pastor once said to me that you aren't ever quite sure what part you play in the growth process, and that has never been more clear to me. I can't say that I changed anyone's life, or even inspired change, but I know that the girls experienced intentional authenticity from me this week and hopefully I played a small part in their growth process. Here's your belated five.... 1. The value of a pure heart. Sometimes, we encounter a ...

It's a Friday Fiver, peeps. Read em and weep... proverbially, of course. 1. I'm growing accepting of the lines of age appearing on my body. I remember my grandma having these magnificent hands that seemed to be everything I needed right when I needed them. I'm looking forward to hands that impart my wisdom some day. 2. Parenting is hard. I'll never know how I can love and hate something at the same time. It's the perfect oxymoron. I have this thing, that I made myself, that is so much like me. I just want him to grow up and be all these good things. I want to physically force him to do the things I know are right for him... but I also want him to be the perfect and unique person he is. It's quite the quandary. 3. I am grateful for my need to serve people no matter how terrible it makes me feel sometimes. Even though I have to defend my need to help others daily, I am not sorry that I do it. 4. I'm thankful for a cup that keeps my coffee warm for the e...

I found myself in conversation with my work companions on the way back from lunch. I am the type to wear my past on the front of my shirt for the world to ask about, so it isn't uncommon for me to bring things up when speaking to others and my lack of... let's say preservation... often has me creating a rather uncomfortable atmosphere for those that may find themselves among the typhoon of words that often erupt from me. Today, in particular, my anxiety brain wandered right into the thick of it. As it were, we happened by some "low-income" apartments. This lead the conversation toward their support of government welfare... cue word vomit. It went a bit like this... I was adopted into the home of two functioning addicts. My dad was a truck driver and my mom worked as an assistant at a large corporation. Somewhere around my second year, things went down the rabbit hole and after a series of foster homes, CPS intervention, and rehab programs for my parents, I found my...

I have struggled with the need to write this post and open a chapter publicly, if you will, for some time. I guess the best place to start is an explanation. I'm a list maker. Somewhere around 5 years ago, in addition to my daily agenda, I began writing a gratitude list. The list began as a running tally of items and I'd add to it when something made itself focal to me in that way, but over time, I needed to streamline the process and it became what I lovingly call my "Friday Five." Each Friday, I take a few minutes to jot down 5 things that I have been noticeably grateful for that week. Some are trivial, some deep. Somewhere in there, I started offering them to a pal that struggled (much like me) with stopping to experience the small things along his life journey. Soon the "Fives" became a beautiful tangle of words that allowed us to really see joy in the simple. We sent them reciprocally via email for more than two years. Sadly and in the most heart sh...