Musical Interlude

"I'm comin up on the rough side of the mountain
I must hold to God, His powerful hand
I'm comin up
On the rough side of the mountain
And I'm doin my best to make it in"
F.C. Barnes

"They got a name for the winners in the world--
I want a name when I lose."
Steely Dan

Judge: "Who wrote this map?"
Prosecutor: "Cole Porter, sir."
Monty Python

Simple Things II

I know a while ago I wrote about the simple pleasures of life. Not long after, in response to my being anxious about feeling a little off sometimes, my cousin Michele urged me to return to those simple things.

Well sometimes those simple things come along without your asking! In the midst of record high temperatures here in the Bluegrass our good AC broke. At first I was boiling mad (and boiling hot). But the whole experience has uncovered so many things...

I remembered that the air conditioner was purchased by my grandparents who kindly and without complaint moved us to Kentucky last year, and I thought of how much fun we had caravaning across the midwest with them.

I remembered, as I was bouncing of the walls with frustration, how patient my husband is as he discussed warranties and repairs with the manufacturer.

I remembered what kind of friends we have as they tracked down and leant us what we needed to try and fix it, giving consolation along the way.

I remembered what a good father I have when without hesitation he started troubleshooting with us then offered to send us a new unit.

I remembered the people in our neighborhood, so to speak, when we moved the dumpy AC we got from our nice landlord earlier this summer and a co-worker offered to give us her's if we needed it.

I remembered the odd blessings of my job and car that, though often at the center of my complaints, are now two ways I can stay cool.

In the end, Alan and I decided to camp out on the pull out with the old air conditioner chugging away in the window behind us so we can at least sleep in comfort. And so once again I am thankful for the simple things, that which goes wrong sometimes, and how much they both reveal the depth of God's mercy in my life and the love of those around me.

Down Memory Lane

After years of meaning to, I finally contacted my best friend from when I was little. All through elementary school we were buddies. We lived a few doors away from eachother, spent our summers at the community pool and riding bikes, ate ice cream on the steps of the Union Hotel (pictured right) with her little brother and my little sister, and watched hours of TGIF (hey, it was the early nineties). Her family thankfully brought me to church many a Sunday and eventually to Baptist summer camp where the whole Gospel began to make sense....

And now we are grown. She, too, is expecting a baby soon. For me, there is a sense of completion in sharing my experience with morning sickness with the person who knew the intimate details of my first grade crush. I owe a deep "thank you" to her for sharing her childhood with me and making mine so blessed; amongst the rich array of people I knew growing up, she is by far one of my favorites.

"Time is never time at all
You can never ever leave
without leaving a piece of youth."
- Smashing Pumpkins

"It's...."

I really like Monty Python but am no big fan of the Holy Grail. No, I think their best stuff is in the Flying Circus. For anyone who faces the silliness of bureaucracy on a daily basis the Flying Circus is golden. Most libraries seem to carry the series in the media section, if you're interested (I'd start with set 3, the one pictured here).

Alan was kind enough to humor me last night so we pulled out the VCR and watched some of my favorite bits. I'm still laughing today just thinking about it.

Poor Poor Pitiful Me

This is a hard issue worth posting about. It took me all of 24 hours to get over the shock of knowing Alan and I would be parents. After that it has been waves of elation, peace, wonderment, and curiosity. Like marriage, I will not kid myself into thinking that being a parent will be easy-- I'm sure it will be the hardest thing Alan and I do. But so many things in life are hard without any reward and from what I see the blessings of parenthood can be countless.

So you can imagine my shock and alarm when, upon discussing our upcoming bundle with people, I receive pity in response.

I think "Am I pitiful?" Maybe it is my age? But at 23 I've had a lot of good experiences that maybe many women in their early twenties haven't had. But should I be pitied for doing all that young and then wanting to move on and have a family? Hey, if I had never gone to seminary or had my wild days or left the mainland US then yes, I might have regrets. But I did all that, grew very weary of it, and now I'm ready for something different.

I have several friends who are firm in their decision to wait to have children. They are just not on the horizon for them. I wouldn't dream of judging them for that; they could never have kids and if that is the choice they feel is most fulfilling, that helps them best live out their calling to God, who am I to doubt or pity?

Hell, I feel like wonder woman! As most people try to, Alan and I are setting up our lives so we can try to have our cake and eat it too. Maybe at 50, when my kids are grown and I still managed to round out my education and fulfill many life goals (and maybe even be a grandma by then), the pity people will get off my back. Until then I'll take it with a smile and a nod and keep feeling on top of the world.