Wonderful Neighbors

Now, I totally admit I don't know most of my neighbors. We lived in our large apartment complex for only a year, I work full-time and when I'm not working, I'm usually out and about. I'm definitely not a homebody. But, one of my favorite things to do is walk my dog, Bella,  around the half-mile pond that is out our back door. And it's there that I am getting to know some of my amazing neighbors - whether it's personally or just by recognition. But God has given me a heart for all of them. Here's a list of them. Some of them I know their names, some I don't and some I've just made up names for. Each is an amazing creation by God.

• Sucre and Faati - two under 10 Somalian boys who love to run circles around my dog, always just out of reach of her leash. They laugh and say "Chase me, chase me, Bella." Their glee contagious.
• LaKeesha - a 14ish lonely young lady who seems to always be out by herself. Give her a chance, and she'll tell you fantastical stories of the horrors of her life in a voice that is so matter-of-fact, that she could be reading a grocery list.
• Three Wise Men - three old Somalian men who walk so slowly around the pond, they seem not to move at all. They discuss serious issues in expressive voices I don't understand, yet grant me kind nods and smiles when I pass them by over and over again.
• Two Girls from Ghana - When we see them riding their bikes I always warn Bella, "Look out dear, you're going to be pounced!" They run to her full speed, sliding on their knees as they approach so they can scoop her up and hug her like a rag doll. Each time, I ask their names, each time they tell me and I can't understand. "Don't worry," they say. "No one here can say our names." And then they proceed to ask me all kinds of unique questions about Bella - "Is she a puppy?" No. "Do you think she wishes she were a puppy?" Maybe. And on and on it goes until I explain I need to keep walking.
• Larry - oh how I love Larry. Continually walking, morning, noon or night. A tall lanky retired man with a penchant for sweets (Or so he told me, thus all of his walking). Always ready with a short but entertaining story, Larry talks to everyone.
• Ali - a Middle Eastern man who strolls around with a mug of coffee (or so I assume) looking for people to chat with.
• "Dreads" and "Blondie"  - sweet young couple that walk their little girl around the pond as she rides her bike with training wheels. Always up for a friendly hello, his long dreads reaching down his back and her easy smile make my day.
• Confused old lady - loves to sit in the shade of the trees.  But if you happen by close enough, she'll trap you with tales of gophers eating her "pickle" plants in a heavy Norweigen accent. She wears her housedress and looks like an overstuffed pillowcase.
• Gang banger wannabes - sitting at the picnic table, talking in hushed tones and looking at you out of the corners of their eyes. But if you shout hello and wave, their faces lift up into the light and their smiles shine.

And let's not forget us:

• Me - walking my little dog around the pond as fast as my short legs will go. Happy to say a quick hello but just as happy to keep moving. Laughing at the duck butts that continually bob in the pond.
• My oldest daughter - known for taking her guitar, sitting on the grass along the path and playing worship music. Smiling at all that pass by. Her dreads catching the sun and blowing in the breeze.
• My youngest daughter - loves to sit on the swinging benchs with her notebook and pen, doodling, writing and always singing/talking to herself.

Red or yellow, black or white... they are precious in His sight!

Tonight I got to do one of my favorite things in our town. Go to the local lake and listen to an ourdoor concert. The weather was perfect, the music was good and the company was great (even though I went alone).

What made me love this group of people I didn't know? Let me give a brief backstory. I live in a medium-size town in central MN. It's a town that when I moved here from the capital, people would substitute the word "white" for  the "Saint" part of the city name. Don't get my wrong, I love this city and have lived here for more than 20 years now, but I always missed the diversity of the big city. But lately, our little town is getting more diverse and this one lake seems to draw in the many new cultures that are beginning to reshape this town. And it just brings me joy.

So as I walked with my little dog around the lake (7 times!), here are some of the sights and people I saw that made me smile.

• A young latino couple pulling their little boy in a wagon saying "Perro, perro"
• College students wake boarding on the lake in matching life vests
• Several elderly couples walking hand-in-hand
• Several gay couples walking hand-in-hand
• A guy in a wheelchair chasing kids on scooters
• Beautiful Somalian women with their flowing burqas
• A large group of black people laughing and talking loud enjoying each other's company
• A woman walking around breast feeding her baby
• Fit young men running around the gaggles of people, getting in their daily jog
• A homeless man laying on a ratty blanket under a tree with all of his belongings in the even rattier backpack next to him
• A group of four teens, smoking cigarettes and making funny voices as they talk and laughing uproarishly at each voice
• Groups of middle-aged white women power walking around the lake (yes, that would include myself)

I thought to myself, God loves all these people the same. He doesn't love one of them any more than the other. What a wonderful world it would be if we could do the same.

Forced Rest

There's one thing I really suck at - resting and relaxing (OK, that's two but they're a lot alike). I seriously have an addiction to activity, especially in the summer. We live in  Minnesota, where 8 months out of the year, being outside is barely tolerable, much less enjoyable. So, when it's a sunny day in the summer, I will make a point to be anywhere but home.

Today, my 10-year-old asked me if we could just stay home. "What?" I asked incredulously. How could we do that? There's so much stuff we could do. We could go to the little zoo about 40 miles away. We could rent paddleboats. Or hike around a local lake. We could even take in some local theater in the park. But stay home? On a sunny Saturday in the summer? Seems like sacrilege to me. But when she looked at me with her beautiful blue eyes and said "PLEASE," I shrugged and gave in.

What will I do today, I thought? Should I clean? Should I be productive? Nope, I resolved to RELAX. Yep, there I said it - RELAX. Oh, and REST. This was going to a new step in my journey here on Earth. So, what did I do today? I read. I played Wii with my girl. I read some more. I napped. I actually made dinner (this is feat for me lately). I read again. Played some half-hearted tennis with my daughter. Went swimming in our pool. And read again. Rounded it out with a movie and some homemade popcorn (none of that crappy microwave stuff on a day like today).

God tells us we should rest. Heck, God even rested on the 7th day. So, I should follow His example more often. It's very relaxing...

And they call it puppy love

We have a little "baby" in our household. We call her Bella and she's three. She loves us so much, sometimes it's just mind boggling. From her extreme excitement when we come home (even if all we did was go get the mail) to her constant need to be in the same room with one of us at all times, are just some of the ways she shows us her adoration.
 
This little pup has gotten me through some really tough times - mainly my divorce. She sat patiently with me while I cried and while I ranted. When my daughters were gone for the weekend, she was right there on the couch, ready for a snuggle whenever I needed it.

I admit, there are times that her adoration actually gets a little cloying or suffocating. I cannot go to the bathroom alone and on those times that I sit at the kitchen table (like right now) and she can't sit with me, she just sits at my feet, staring up at me, waiting for the second I get off the computer. It can be al bit unnerving to see her staring so intently at me.

But, I'll take it over an aloof cat or a non-responsive fish anyday. I think she's the best and I thank God for creating such amazing creatures as dogs. I think He knew just what people needed when he made them!

Bittersweet Birthday

Today is a sad day for me. It's my oldest's 19th birthday. Why does that make me sad - only because she's not here. She's celebrating her birthday while on her missionary trip to Ireland. Oh, I know, I can't complain. My amazing daughter is on a mission trip, serving God with all her heart. I couldn't ask for more. But still... this is probably the first birthday I haven't been able to give her a hug, take her out for her free mexican birthday meal and watch her open her gifts.

I am grateful that my prayers for her when she was young have been answered. I didn't do the standard prayers for my child. I didn't pray she'd be successful in her life. I didn't pray she'd be financially secure. I didn't even pray she'd just be happy. Those are all good things, but I wanted something more. I prayed she'd have a life fully committed to Christ. Nothing more, nothing less. Oh, she could still be successful, she could still be rich and happy, but none of those things should come before a firm, solid relationship with Christ.

So, today, while I am sadly missing my girl, I am also celebrating the answered prayer.

What prayers do you say for your children?

I [heart] State Parks!

Today was a gift! My youngest and I were able to take the day off and drive 3 hours to one of our state's many glorious state parks. My goal this summer has been to visit as many of them as I can. With a simple purchase of a $25 park permit, I figured I had some pretty inexpensive entertainment lined up for the summer. I knew I'd like it, but I didn't realize how much I'd love it.

State parks for me are the perfect mix of nature and civilization. I LOVE nature and all of God's glory that shines throughout it, but don't get me wrong. Using outdoor toilets, hiking through tick-infested tall grasses and getting lost in the woods are NOT things I even remotely like. Nope, I want my nature with just a touch of modern convenience. Give me flush toilets, maps with clear directions, fun little info signs along the path and even benches to sit on for short rests, and I'm happy. Let me explore nature for 3-4 hours and then hop back in my car and drive to my comfortable bed. Maybe someday, I'll go all out and actually spend a night in the woods, but for now, this is exactly what I need/want.

Walking on the well-groomed trails, decked out in all my nerdy hiking gear (boots, walking stick, hydration pack and wide-brimmed hat), I feel like queen of the trail. Although today, I'm pretty sure a preteen was laughing at my bear spray hooked to my hydration pack. So, in reality, I'm probably more like Queen Dork than like Queen Elizabeth. Doesn't matter to me!

So, in my mind, the state park is kind of like God. It meets me where I'm at. It has lots of options for different levels/skills, but it's ready for me whenever I show up. God is a lot like that. He's there ready for any of us wherever we are and whatever level we're at. I know that God wants us fully and wholly and completely, but if we're not quite ready for that, He takes us as we are. And once we take those first tentative steps, we realize how amazing He is and we want to dive in even deeper.

Not sure if this means someday I'll actually be hiking into a park with only my backpack and a compass, but it does remind me that God is always there, waiting for me to take the first step into His world.

Warts and all...

Nobody likes warts. I know I don't. They're bumpy and weird and everyone thinks if you touch them, you're going to die or something! (OK, not that bad but you know what I mean.) Especially as a kid, there's almost nothing more embarrassing you can have on your body.
So, when my lovely, beautiful daughter developed a wart cluster on her toe the size of nickel, I broke down and brought her to the doctor to see what she could do about it. We were both hoping we'd walk in the doctor's office, and the doctor would use some magic potion (or freezing liquid nitrogen would do) to make them disappear in a snap. But, nope, that's not how this story goes.
Instead, when my daughter showed her Dr. the warts, the doctor gasped, covered her mouth and said she'd never seen anything like that. And then, and then... she proceeded to tell my daughter there was nothing she could do for it/them. She simply suggested my daughter try to get rid of them on her own, maybe try some Duct tape or something.
WHAT?!?
Now, I'm not saying that's bad advice. Maybe that's the best chance we have with the warts. But my daughter was more embarrassed than ever and now walks around with duct tape around her big toe trying to hide her warts.
It reminded me of sin. Especially that really BIG personal sin that each person has. It seems too "big" or too "gross" or too "weird" for us to think God can handle it. We think God will be like this doctor and when we present it to Him, he'll turn us away and say "you better just go fix that on your own. It kind of freaks me out."
So, even if we are Christians, we keep refusing to surrender this sin to him. We hide it under Duct tape and hope we'll figure out how to fix it on our own. But when we lift up that Duct tape, it's still there. As big and ugly as it ever was.
I will admit, I have a sin wart like that. In fact, I have a couple. They're usually hidden away, but they're always there. Why don't I trust God with them? I don't know. I should know better. In fact, I DO know better. But it doesn't stop me from hoping I'll straighten them out on my own and not need God's help with them.
How about you? Do you have any warty sins? Things you've been hiding away under Duct tape? Let's make a vow to acknowledge that our God is bigger and better than my daughter's doctor. He won't be squeemish or turn us away. He has the best liquid nitrogen out there. It's called GRACE.

Blogging Baby

That would be me. Never blogged before and have only read a few. But God spoke to me (or so I hope it was Him and not just my ego) and told me to try a blog. 
How do I know it was God? Honestly, I don't. It's one of the things about Him that drives me crazy! Life here on Earth would be so much simpler if He simply used an email or even some snail mail to tell me what exactly He'd like me to do. Heck, even a falling star or a bird song would do. But, nope, as I've learned in life, that's not how God communicates with me.
Sometimes it's an inkling, sometimes it's a nagging, sometimes, honestly, it's just a hope that He's leading me. Today, it's an "inkling." A feeling that maybe this is a good way to honor Him and all He's done in my little, insignificant life.
So, this is where I begin. I hope to continue to honor God and God alone in my blogs, but I'm pretty sure I won't always be spot on. I tend to go my own way a lot. Luckily, He's forgiving and patient and also, correcting. I tend to believe He'll show me if I start to head down the wrong path. In other words, I trust Him. Trust Him completely and that's what makes this somewhat scary journey OK with me.
So if you'd like, follow me along on this journey. Let's see where and how often we can discover God. I think we all may be surprised at the places He'll show up at. And I can't think of a better surprise. For where there is God, there is Joy.