My mom sent this to me in an email but I wanted to share it with everyone...
Heavenly Father, Help us remember that the jerk who cut us off in traffic last night is a single mother who worked nine hours that day and is rushing home to cook dinner, help with homework, do the laundry and spend a few precious moments with her children...
Help us to remember that the pierced, tattooed, disinterested young man who can't make change correctly is a worried 19-year-old college student, balancing his apprehension over final exams with his fear of not getting his student loans for next semester...
Remind us, Lord, that the scary looking bum, begging for money in the same spot every day (who really ought to get a job!) is a slave to addictions that we can only imagine in our worst nightmares...
Help us to remember that the old couple walking annoyingly slow through the store aisles and blocking our shopping progress are savoring this moment, knowing that, based on the biopsy report she got back last week, this will be the last year that they go shopping together...
Heavenly Father, remind us each day that, of all the gifts you give us, the greatest gift is love. It is not enough to share that love with those we hold dear. Open our hearts not to just those who are close to us, but to all humanity. Let us be slow to judge and quick to forgive, show patience, empathy and love...
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
Where Has Your Nose Been Today?
I know I might bug everyone sometimes with my rants and venting but there are those days where I just have to get everything off my chest for fear of going crazy in my own head. Today is going to be another one of those days. I have two items that have just really been bugging me/floating around in my head for the past 24 hours, waiting for me to put it into words for others to see....
First things first...
This is my quick venting story. Like my title for this entry, where has your nose been today? Chances are if you stuck it into someone else's business, you probably upset them or pissed them off. I'm so tired of people from my past caring so much about what my intentions are behind certain actions. YES, I was at the baseball alumni game on Saturday! NO, it is none of your business why I was there because it has absolutely nothing to do with you! But just in case you were wondering and didn't have the guts to just ask me yourself why I was there, it was to see what little friends I had left after the break-up with Jeff. YES, I am going to Havasu in March with Noah and a bunch of friends. NO, it is of no concern to you that we are hanging out because we are grown adults and you are not his mother! So you can run along now and tell whoever you felt needed to know if its going to make your day that much better now!!
Second rant...
This was brought up in a conversation with a friend yesterday. The institution of marriage is not anywhere near what it used to be. You cannot look at the statistics on divorce rates and cheating and tell me otherwise. It is unreal to see couples make up and break up at the speed they are today. Some are rushing into their marriages, not realizing they do not know everything there is to know about their partner and are in shock when they find out something that they definitely need to live without. On the other hand, some people are using marriage as an excuse to stay together and prove to their partner that they will never leave them. How can you justify committing yourself to someone for the rest of your life just because you feel you have to prove something to them?
Like I said in my conversation yesterday, I feel the term "husband" or "wife" is just another phrase for "long term arm candy." A best friend is what I want. A best friend is someone who knows all your quirky habits and loves you just the same. A best friend is someone that no matter how late at night it might be, they will answer the phone if you call. A best friend is someone who sends you flowers on a random day with a note that says "Just because you are you." A best friend is someone who will talk on the phone with you for two hours about ridiculous NCAA basketball records and crazy ex's, and then send you a text the next morning saying that their face hurts a little from smiling so much just listening to your voice. A best friend is someone who tells you every day "You're beautiful and I hope you know that." A best friend is someone who loves to hang out with his boys, but would be just as content staying in with you and a good movie. A best friend is someone who makes the distance between you feel completely minimal, even though you might be hundreds of miles apart. A best friend is someone who creates you a new set of wings when you've forgotten how to fly. A best friend is someone who is hard to find, difficult to leave, and impossible to forget. A best friend is someone who understands your past, believes in your future, and accepts you just the way you are.
I am establishing right now that I will not enter into the commitment of marriage until I find my best friend. I am going to pave the way for others to see what it truly means to be in love...
“I love you not because of who you are, but because of who I am when I am with you.”
- Roy Croft
Friday, February 4, 2011
My Revelation
Tonight was by far the most intense class I have sat through in my 6 years of college but I am oh so thankful for it.
Many of us were dreading having to spend 4 hours in class on a Friday night. Yet, when 9pm rolled around, we saw ourselves still so engaged in the topic that no one left.
I guess I should explain this class a little more. It is a class on social justice and advocating for those who have been oppressed for whatever reason. It is an online class but we meet once a month to have a better discussion.
Tonight was our first meeting for this class. We began class with each of us saying what we bought about the class so far, oppression we may have suffered or seen, and what we expected out of the class. As many of the African American students shared their stories, I felt that was my time to jump in. On the outside, I may seem like I have never experienced any type of oppression. As my dad always would tell me, I lived in a pink Barbie sparkly world and don't like to venture far from it. However, the interracial marriage that my dad is in that brought me my amazing step-brothers and made me an aunt, also brought me a whole new eye to oppression. So many stories ran through my head that I knew I could share with my fellow classmates but as I shared how Marcus was treated as a "monster" during his custody battle for Kayson all because of the color or his skin as he stood in court in Utah, I found the tears start to fall. Crying moment #1 of the night!
After we all shared, we took a quick break and then came back to a classroom with chairs in a circle. We all stood and as our professor or other students called out -isms, we stepped into the circle if we had ever been affected by it or would act as an advocate for those who have been affected by it. Let's just say coming to terms with a lot and seeing who had my back on certain things, created crying moment #2 of the night!
Lastly, our professor asked us to take time to address anyone in the room personally that we may have been affected by and recognize them for that. As everyone made their appreciations known, I wondered what someone might say about me, if anything at all. Lexy and I have been acquaintances since last semester and when she spoke about me, I felt my eyes well up. Crying moment #3!!!
I was trying to explain to Sammy on the car ride home how much tonight's class affected me. I was reassured why I love this profession and why I know I am never going to burn out. A group of 40 adults sat in a room (strangers, peers, classmates, whatever you want to call us) and were able to share emotion and cry in front of one another. We all moved each other to the point of crying! I love the fact that it was okay to do that!! I will never be able to put into words how I truly felt leaving class tonight, other than the fact that I am truly blessed to be in the counseling profession and I cannot wait to be in a position to change the lives of others and help them along with their revelations like I had as I cried with my classmates!
Many of us were dreading having to spend 4 hours in class on a Friday night. Yet, when 9pm rolled around, we saw ourselves still so engaged in the topic that no one left.
I guess I should explain this class a little more. It is a class on social justice and advocating for those who have been oppressed for whatever reason. It is an online class but we meet once a month to have a better discussion.
Tonight was our first meeting for this class. We began class with each of us saying what we bought about the class so far, oppression we may have suffered or seen, and what we expected out of the class. As many of the African American students shared their stories, I felt that was my time to jump in. On the outside, I may seem like I have never experienced any type of oppression. As my dad always would tell me, I lived in a pink Barbie sparkly world and don't like to venture far from it. However, the interracial marriage that my dad is in that brought me my amazing step-brothers and made me an aunt, also brought me a whole new eye to oppression. So many stories ran through my head that I knew I could share with my fellow classmates but as I shared how Marcus was treated as a "monster" during his custody battle for Kayson all because of the color or his skin as he stood in court in Utah, I found the tears start to fall. Crying moment #1 of the night!
After we all shared, we took a quick break and then came back to a classroom with chairs in a circle. We all stood and as our professor or other students called out -isms, we stepped into the circle if we had ever been affected by it or would act as an advocate for those who have been affected by it. Let's just say coming to terms with a lot and seeing who had my back on certain things, created crying moment #2 of the night!
Lastly, our professor asked us to take time to address anyone in the room personally that we may have been affected by and recognize them for that. As everyone made their appreciations known, I wondered what someone might say about me, if anything at all. Lexy and I have been acquaintances since last semester and when she spoke about me, I felt my eyes well up. Crying moment #3!!!
I was trying to explain to Sammy on the car ride home how much tonight's class affected me. I was reassured why I love this profession and why I know I am never going to burn out. A group of 40 adults sat in a room (strangers, peers, classmates, whatever you want to call us) and were able to share emotion and cry in front of one another. We all moved each other to the point of crying! I love the fact that it was okay to do that!! I will never be able to put into words how I truly felt leaving class tonight, other than the fact that I am truly blessed to be in the counseling profession and I cannot wait to be in a position to change the lives of others and help them along with their revelations like I had as I cried with my classmates!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)