Remember the World

Last night I took Anna and Will to a concert by the Children of the World International Children's Choir, which represents the work of World Help (www.worldhelp.net). The kids in the choir were from various regions of the world... Africa, Indonesia, South America, Asia... all from poverty, most orphaned (either by AIDS or warfare), all joyous in singing praise to God. You could see the deep joy in their eyes and in their smiles as they poured out their energy in song and dance. They are part of World Help's child sponsorship program, which helps care for them and provide them with basic needs as well as the hope of the gospel. It was a powerful reminder to me of the bigger world out there... the world that I have seen, but that is still hard to remember sometimes in my microcosm of Savannah. There is such great need and suffering and pain out there (everywhere), and yet there is an even greater hope and blessing in Christ, and we can be a part of it in one way or another.

What Do You Know?

This past weekend we had Anna and Will's joint birthday party... complete with pizza, cake, and more Barbies and trucks than you could shake a stick at (there's a fun idiom!)!

Thinking thoughts lately... trying to determine a niche about which I know a lot and could possibly generate some dollars from... and I'm realizing, much to my dismay, that I have mostly a superficial knowledge of things. Knowing a little about a lot - a sort of Renaissance woman - which can be a good thing in certain contexts. But where does all that information go that I've learned over the years? Sigh! Like all those environmental science classes that earned me my degree so long ago? Was it all for naught? Sure the college experience is a valuable lesson in and of itself and I wouldn't trade my college years for anything, but maybe I could have majored in something more lucrative, like economics (which I considered at the time) or whatever, that I could have used more directly to generate income along the path of life. Of course, moving back home after college was not exactly the best strategery for pursuing a career as the job market here was/is rather limited. But alas! I digress! Blah, blah, blah... what do you know deeply and well? Hmmm...

Well, I'm out of time for tonight, so more thoughts will have to wait til next time...

a poem

in the busy of my life...
sounds of happy, sounds of strife.

anna's singing over there,
will is climbing on a chair,
lucy barks at passersby,
dixie, too, not knowing why.

now around the table they go,
anna first with will in tow.
pushing trucks or pulling toys -
some of childhood's many joys.

happy times are here to stay
'til one takes the other's toy away.
then the tears will surely fall
with yelling or hitting - not nice at all!

sometimes we laugh, sometimes we cry.
days may be long, but the years do fly.
see them run and color and hold the cup?
there they go, growing up.

Marketing Beauty

Sometimes ignorance really is bliss. Today my neighborhood Mary Kay consultant came over and gave me a make-over, which was fun and, technically, free. I like Mary Kay products, and used to use them (until I opted for lower-cost alternatives). I was determined not to buy anything today, not to get drawn in by the marketing ploy for my hard-earned cash. Of course Ms. Kay says her product is the best and really a great value when you consider how long it lasts, etc. Yes, my skin felt lovely and looked oh-so-smooth and I learned some make-up how-to's tailored for my features. And who wants those tiny lines to turn ugly or to have uneven skin tone or dry lips? Why not firm up those eyes and keep your hands feeling like satin? Who wouldn't want to protect their skin from free radicals in the air that continually bombard it? Things I hadn't previously considered have now become my new worries. What will I look like if I continue with my present beauty routine? And how much better would I look if I make the switch?

Well, I managed to escape today with just a small purchase and a promise to consider all these things and get back to Ms. Kay later. Will I go for the $200 bargain special introductory deal with lovely carrying case? Tempting as it may be, I'm thinking no. It's funny, my Ms. Kay is a Christian and told me how God had blessed her earlier today with a big sale... I wonder if she feels God let her down at my house, while at the same time I'm thanking Him for keeping me strong in the face of temptation!

Political Pondering

With all the presidential primary chatter in the news these days, with political headlines on par with the tabloids and soap operas, I've been thinking... Why is it that ordinary Americans generally don't discuss politics except with others who are of a similar mindset as themselves? There's the old advice not to discuss politics or religion, but really, aren't those topics rather interesting and worthy of discussion? Better than the latest sensationalized tragedy or the weather at least. How will we ever find solutions and unity without discussion? And why do we allow the media and extremists to do all the discussing and foster division among us? Perhaps they don't want true dialogue because the more they can stir things up, the more we feel compelled to watch them to find out the latest scoop or allegations or scandal. Who brought racism into the Hillary/Obama race if not the media? Can we take a few steps back and examine ideas and policies with all their implications instead of just what sounds good, is likely to be popular, and panders to the right groups? Can we consider what's best for our country for the long-term even if it means making some painful changes of course in the present (like perhaps the Fair Tax or a flat tax or evaluating the socioeconomic effects of welfare or an overhaul of the social security system)? Can we discuss without name-calling, insulting, belittling those who disagree so maybe we can understand each other? Children are scolded for such behavior, yet some adults justify it in the name of humor or entitlement.

I fear for this country because I see a lack of wise, strong leadership in the presidential candidates and in politicians in general; but also because I see Americans who have grown discouraged with the process and the games, who feel powerless and apathetic. "We the people" started this country; somehow we need to take it back. Otherwise, God help us.

Little Things

It's the little things in life, right?

Like the other day Will grabbed a pack of new dark chocolate peanut M&M's in the check-out line at Target and, seeing his excellent taste, I decided to buy them. Yum! What a stroke of genius, although it makes me wonder why it took so long for someone to come up with the idea. But really, dark chocolate makes everything better.

Or like listening to certain music. John Denver's greatest hits CD makes me happy (like sunshine on my shoulders). Or some music from my formative years in the 80's... like Wham (what? they're gay??), John Mellencamp (remember when he was John Cougar?), or even the Beastie Boys (we heard their song "Brass Monkey" tonight on the radio for some unknown reason and wouldn't you know the tune is stuck in my head now? Oddly enough, after the song was over, the dj announced we were listening to "today's biggest hits"! I've got news for him...). I read part of a book at Books-a-million about the strong impact that music has on our brains - physiologically, emotionally, etc. As you might guess, the author found that we bond especially with music we hear during the teen years because that is when the brain is maturing so rapidly, we are defining ourselves, etc. I think the book was called "This is your brain on music" or something to that effect.

Other little things worth mentioning... happy greetings from happy dogs, how the afternoon sky looks when the sun comes out after a rain with the gray clouds off in the distance, finding the perfect parking space, happy greetings from happy kids...