Minorities, Majorities and Legalities

I grew up in the rural south, my hometown is divided by railroad tracks, and the white kids all went to the private school specifically established as a way to keep the races separated.  You would be hard-pressed to find a more stereotypical setting for racial prejudices to be fostered, and this was only 30 years ago.

My parents, for all their quirks and faults, did an excellent job of teaching me that skin color is simply a physical feature.  It has nothing to do with the value of a human being, and I was told that if I had to describe someone's physical appearance I should do just that, i.e., "She is tall with black, curly hair and medium brown skin," or "She is short, with red hair, pale skin and freckles."  Because I had never seen a person with actual black or white skin, I never used those terms. I was also taught to never assume I knew someone's heritage.  If I wanted to label someone according to ethnicity, I should ask the person first. My parents did a great job with the whole race thing, and I am very grateful for that.

My parents also defied the scholastic separation in our little town and sent me to the public school.  I started out as one of about eight "pale-skinned," "European-Americans" in my grade, but I finished as the only "white" student in my class.  I'm not really sure what happened to the other students who shared my lower level of melanin.  They may have moved, dropped-out, or switched to the private school, but I never really worried about it.  I had friends.  I liked my teachers.  It was all good.

That is the background I bring to this whole Ferguson debacle.  Everything in me wants to just ignore it all and pretend it doesn't affect me.  That would render me an ostrich, however, and I am definitely NOT a large bird.

I want to believe things are better now than they were 30 years ago.  I want to believe that we have grown in our understanding of racial divides and fears.  I want to believe that these events are anomalies, and that our nation is overcoming these base instincts to fear that which is different and to lash out at those whom we fear.  Is it naive to choose to believe this?  Is it foolish to dream of a more enlightened and understanding world?  I would rather be a fool for Christ...

I currently live in a home with students from eight different countries.  Our skin covers the spectrum of pigment hues.  It is beautiful here in our little sub-culture.  We are a family drawn together by a common bond; friendship.  All of these students worked diligently to qualify for scholarships and grants and various fundings to study in the United States.  They jumped through every hoop required to come here legally,  and they obey the rules set forth in their visas.  They appreciate the opportunity they have worked so hard to obtain, and they are grateful to God for His goodness.

I wonder, and will one day work up the courage to ask, what they think about all of the squabbles we have as a nation, about police brutality and prejudicially motivated riots, about our granting the rights of citizens to those who fled their impoverished and/or violent homelands and came to the U.S. illegally in search of a better life, about how we look at each other and judge each other and convict each other and punish each other without even meeting each other, about how we are a nation based on Judeo-Christian beliefs yet can't muster even the smallest measure of grace or mercy for our fellow countrymen.

I will continue to pray, not for Ferguson, not for justice, nor for immigration reform.  I will continue to pray that our country will believe and live these words...Oh, if we could only live this out:

1Therefore if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, 2then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind. 3Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, 4not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.

5In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus:

6Who, being in very nature^a God,

did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage;

7rather, he made himself nothing

by taking the very nature^b of a servant,

being made in human likeness.

8And being found in appearance as a man,

he humbled himself

by becoming obedient to death—

even death on a cross!

9Therefore God exalted him to the highest place

and gave him the name that is above every name,

10that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,

in heaven and on earth and under the earth,

11and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord,

to the glory of God the Father.

12Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed—not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence—continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, 13for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose.

14Do everything without grumbling or arguing, 15so that you may become blameless and pure, “children of God without fault in a warped and crooked generation.”^c Then you will shine among them like stars in the sky 16as you hold firmly to the word of life. And then I will be able to boast on the day of Christ that I did not run or labor in vain. 17But even if I am being poured out like a drink offering on the sacrifice and service coming from your faith, I am glad and rejoice with all of you. 18So you too should be glad and rejoice with me.

Lessons From the Trail

Last week I had the privilege of being a main character in a friend's dream.  Well...actually, I was the heroine in a dream I didn't even know I had, but it definitely all started in my friend's head, for sure.  Hiking on the Appalachian Trail never even entered my sphere of consciousness, except perhaps when binge-watching Criminal Minds on Netflix, yet there I was...backpacking in northern Georgia.

I learned many things on this road trip, most of which I will address in another much-more-serious blog post.  Today, however, I will apply the wise words of my sage, old grandmother, "Learn to laugh at yourself, Monica.  Everybody else is!"

1.  When determining whether or not to set out on your hike, look at the sky.  If the sky is a dark shade of gray or if there is water falling from said, dark sky, stay inside your warm, cozy lodge room and enjoy the view of the mountains from behind insulated glass.

2.  Should you choose to ignore lesson #1 or somehow fail to realize there is water falling from the darkened sky, do not, under any circumstances, buy your rain gear from the world's largest retailer.  That big yellow smiley face is actually laughing his bright, shiny a$$ off at the thought of you getting soaked to the skin in your crappy rain coat and pants that inspired these words from my friend, "You know, you kinda look like a miniature sasquatch from the back."

3.  When wearing said rain gear, you will get wet.  As I learned on this excursion, "wet" is the state of having your clothing saturated with water that fell from the sky.

4.  Even though I have a fairly working knowledge of this "wet" concept, when the temperature is at or below freezing it can be extremely difficult to recognize the difference between "frozen" and "wet."

5.  Upon reaching your desired stopping point on the trail and setting up your microscopic tent, if your friend touches you and says, "You are wet.  Take off your clothes," she is not, in fact, attempting to take your relationship to a new and uncomfortable level.

6.  While it seems to fly in the face of all things reasonable, getting naked in a tent in the woods after wearing wet clothing for six hours can only be compared to a state of complete and utter ecstasy...unicorns and fairies float through the air as rainbows fill the tent with psychedelic light. (Your friend is, in fact, a freaking GENIUS!)

7.  While your friend is a backpacking genius, you will still be trying to thaw out your brain.  Do not attempt to make any life-altering decisions during this time of complete nirvana, such as, "Where should I place these nalgene bottles full of boiling water that my friend is telling me to put in my sleeping bag with me?"  (Hint:  next to your bare skin is the wrong answer.)

8.  "Next to your bare skin" is ALSO the wrong answer regarding where to place the "Hot Hands" warming pads your friend remembered to bring.  Actually, "Next to your bare skin" seems to be the wrong answer to a LOT of life's more difficult questions...

9.  Backpacking "food," and I do use that term loosely, begins in a freeze-dried state and is, thus, quite light and easy to carry.  By adding boiling water to the air-tight, zipper-sealed packet, the "food" is returned to its pre-freeze-dried state,and although it will smell and taste remarkably like cardboard and conjure images of  abandoned puppies and unhappy children, it will provide calories for your body to burn.

10.  Should you have the brilliant decision to use said packet of food as yet another warming device in your sleeping bag, do not, I shall repeat that: DO NOT sit on this packet regardless of how wonderful a warm bum sounds at the time.

11.  After exercising your right to be an idiot, rather than using your extending-handle, camping spork to scoop the "Pineapple, Orange Chicken and Rice" back into the surprisingly sharp-edged, metal, zipper pouch, it is much easier and more efficient to simply use your spork to eat the "food" directly from your sleeping bag, regardless of the convulsive laughing emanating from the sleeping bag next to you.

12.  Tremendous benefits actually result from squirting your entire meal into your sleeping bag.  Hanging your food supply to protect it from bears is rendered unnecessary, as you have now transformed yourself into a living, breathing, food sack and will, thereby, attract all wildlife within a 200 mile radius.  All other food supplies are now completely safe from any unwanted attention.

13.  And finally, make sure your hiking buddy has a cell phone, so she can text the local trail shuttle service to get you the HE!! off that mountain at the butt-crack of dawn the next morning!!!!!!

This has been, "Lessons From the Trail."  I pray these lessons serve you well on all your future backpacking adventures.

90 days, 9 months....Whatever

I wish I had a dollar for every time I've tried to read the Bible from start to finish.  I'd have like...okay, maybe 15 bucks.  The truth is, I've probably read most of the Bible multiple times, but I had never done that thing that makes you a truly committed Christian; you know, a dyed in the wool, Jesus-freaky, card-carrying Believer.  That one elusive check-mark on my list of "How to be a Spiritually Superior Being" left a big gaping hole in my soul.

Oh, I had the very best of intentions.  I have purchased several "Through the Bible" 365-day versions of the Good Book, as well as accompanying devo's and journals in which to record all of my inspired insights.  In my heart and mind, this has been the most epic failure of my entire eternal life, and not being able to cross this item off my list left me feeling like a Grade-A LOSER.

Somewhere around the book of Numbers, I just fall apart.  For whatever reason, be it boredom or rebellion, around the 5th chapter of eight-syllable names, my brain goes numb, and I find myself mentally redecorating every room of my home...as well as my friends' homes, too!

Which bring me to this portion of my Health Journey; my spiritual health.

Back in February of this year (2014), I decided, once again, to take up this gauntlet and trudge through God's Holy Word.  I even chose a truly righteous challenge and began a 90-day (that's right NINETY day...THREE month) reading plan on my oh-so-handy YouVersion Bible App (droid, not iphone, for those who care).  I sat down with my coffee and 5.whatever screen and read, "In the beginning..." aaaaaaaaand 15 chapters later, my mental living room was absolutely gorgeous!  WHAT IS WRONG WITH ME?!

That's when I noticed the little megaphone at the bottom of my screen.  Tapping on that tiny icon, I discovered the secret to my perplexing dilemma and was introduced to "mellow voice man," the answer to my spiritual brain fog,  With knitting in hand and Mr. Mellow on my phone, I was able to keep my hands busy and my mind focused.  I have always considered myself a visual person, but gosh darnit if I'm not an auditory/kinesthetic learner.  Who knew?  (Okay, probably God and anyone who has ever tried to teach me anything...but it was brand-new info to me!)

Yesterday, November 9, 2014, I finally completed my long-coveted title of "Bible Reader" (or Listener, as the case may be).  No, I didn't do it in 90 days.  In fact I hit the "reset" button so many times my phone started laughing at me, but I did finish and in less than a year.

...Well...except for Numbers.  Even mellow-voice-man couldn't get me through it.  Sorry God.  I married an accountant for a reason, you know : )

Give me back my burden!

Last week I went for a very ambitious hike.  In retrospect, it was beyond me.  Being super stubborn with the very hardest of heads, I did it, though.  Truthfully, I am pretty stinkin' proud of my accomplishment, and am very grateful to my friend for encouraging me to hike 10 miles over the rivers and through the woods, and over the mountains and under the fallen trees, and through the boulders and under the stars...then reversing the 10 mile trek the next day.  Even though I injured my knee and have hobbled for a few days, it was still a great adventure, and I can't wait to do it again...well, maybe a slightly more moderate version at least!

Since I started this health journey I've been learning so much about myself.  A lot of these lessons are painful...much like my class on recognizing my hiking limitations...ha!  There are times when I'd just as soon pack up my school books and go home, back to the comfort of the familiar, listening to the lies I've told myself for years, and accepting that I'm never going to change...basically, surrendering to the enemy.

Picking up a 30 lb. pack filled with life's basic necessities was a very tangible reminder of two vitally important realities, and one of the reasons I want to keep strapping that pack on and trekking through the woods is to be sure I won't forget them.

The first object lesson from that pack is quite physical.  Since beginning my effort to get on with living or get on with dying, I have lost @ 30 lbs.  Strapping on that back pack reminded me of the extra weight I carried around on a daily basis for many years.  Those extra 30 lbs. suddenly felt like a boulder on my shoulders.  I adjusted the weight, shifted my straps, tightened and loosened buckles and zippers trying to make the extra burden feel less cumbersome, but my knees knew the difference regardless of any relief my shoulders or back experienced.

It would be so easy to go back to my old way of eating and sitting.  I love food.  It tastes good.  It feels good.  Everything about it is warm and fuzzy...everything except the extra poundage.  I have a choice about picking up that back pack, and I have a choice about picking up that donut, muffin, cookie, ice cream... My joints and organs, tendons and ligaments are worth the effort it takes to only pick up those thirty pounds when I'm heading down the trail to see more of God's beautiful creation.

But this journey isn't just about making my butt smaller or my muscles firmer.  Its about my overall health...physical, mental, emotional and spiritual.  Each week I not only exercise and watch what I eat, I also see a counselor, spend time in God's Word, and am now part of a support group for women who are carrying around the same "weight" I have been all these years.

Going through my gear after that hike, trying to figure out what is absolutely necessary and what I could get rid of, was such a vivid reminder of what I'm doing with my emotional and spiritual baggage as well.  Some of what I carry with me is, in fact, necessary, but thanks to Jesus, it isn't heavy.  If it wasn't for these earthly burdens, I wouldn't be the person I am today.  I wouldn't know how to empathize with other hurting souls.  I would be able to look the other way and....well, I just wouldn't care.  But that yoke is easy, and that burden is light.

I choose to keep those items, the ones I need to be the person Jesus created me to be.  The rest, I'm learning to take out and to leave them on the side of the trail.  I suppose at any point, I can turn around and pick them back up, stuff them into my pack and trudge through life with the weight of the world on my back.

I don't want to do that.  Its time to get on with living.