Uplifting

A quote from one of my closest friends. . .

"Praying is something that we do in our time. The answers are something that comes in God's time"

I'm slowly accepting this method of thinking! :-)

Youngsters at the Nursing Home

So tonight I went with my Bible Study to the Glenaire Nursing home in Cary. This is our normal outreach, and we have started to build a relationship with one wing of this grandiose place. And I usually leave there feeling the same way every time. The one where you go-"I want to feel accomplished one day, and hope to have a legend like they do." I do feel pity for these individuals sometimes, knowing that they don't have visitors very often, but I also know that they are full of wonderful vivacious stories that I cannot wait to have told to me!

Most of us think of these people as those who have lived their lives and are on the downward slope. However, tonight I was taken back by a quote that I saw in the main wing of their building. It was on their flat screen TV that held their updates for the day, including the menu, the weather, news updates, etc. The quote read:

"How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world. " Anne Frank

And I thought to myself, you know it doesn't matter what age you are to help improve the world. We can improve it in one single instance, and that may be all God needs from us. We are planting seeds everywhere we go, and one elderly person could plant something at age 90 just as well as they could at age 19. God uses us at all ages, and it's so incredible. I realized how amazing it was that at the two extremes of our lives we are more malleable than we ever can imagine. When we are young, we have naivete on our sides and we want that relationship we learn about in Sunday School. Then when we enter the "Glenaire" age we have lived our lives, some to the fullest, and some with regrets, but those there spoke only of the positives and were "child-like" again. And isn't that what He wants us to do-"come with child-like faith." But in each instance, they were improving the world even still!

What a refreshing evening! And on top of it all we bought the tickets for Nicaragua! Now we just have to raise the rest of the money for the trip. . . Benefit concert is set. . .and the letters are starting to go out--Praying for a constant "child-like" faith during this time.

The Society of Childlike Grownups

So I had a close friend pass this along the other day. .and I felt it was fitting after the post I just put up. . . .

The Society of Childlike Grownups

By this certificate know ye that __________________ is a 
lifetime member in good standing in The Society of Childlike Grown-ups and 
is hereby and forever entitled to:

Walk in the rain, jump in mud puddles, collect rainbows, smell the flowers, 
blow bubbles, stop along the way, build sandcastles, watch the moon & stars 
come out, say hello to everyone, go barefoot, go on adventures, sing in the 
shower, have a merry heart, read children's books, act silly, take bubble 
baths, get new sneakers, hold hands & hug & kiss, dance fly kites, laugh & 
cry for the health of it, wander around, feel scared, feel sad, feel made, 
feel happy, stop worrying so much, stay innocent, say yes, say no, say the 
magic words, say ouch when it hurts, ask lots of questions, ride bicycles, 
color outside the lines, see things differently, fall down & get up again, 
talk with animals, look at the sky, trust the universe, stay up late, climb 
trees, take naps, do nothing, daydream, play all kinds of music, play with toys play under the covers, have pillow fights, learn new stuff, get excited 
about everything, be a clown, enjoy having a body, find out how things work, 
make up new rules, tell stories, save the world, make friends with the other 
kids on the block and do anything else that brings more happiness, 
celebration, relaxation, understanding , health, joy, creativity, pleasure, 
abundance, grace, freedom, self-esteem, trust, love, courage, balance, 
spontaneity, passion, beauty, peace, and life energy to ___________________ and to other 
human beings on this planet.

Furthermore, the above named member is officially authorized to frequent amusements parks, beaches, meadows, mountaintops, swimming pools, forests, 
playgrounds, picnic areas, summer camps, birthday parties, circuses, cookie 
shops, ice cream parlors, theaters, aquariums, zoos, museums, planetariums, 
toy stores, festivals & other places where children of all ages come to 
play.

It’s never to late to for a Happy Childhood.

"It's like deja-vu all over again" Yogi Berra

So after spending three nights with my parents back home, I thought it only fitting to start out this blog with that quote from a beloved baseball player (and from my favorite baseball team, the Yankees!) The difference here, is that the deja-vu was welcomed with open and enthusiastic arms! I realize each time that I am home how much I miss it. But I know that the Lord has plans for me here in Raleigh. It's funny how doing the past traditions from your childhood make you come back to life and feel refreshed, even though you go non-stop and never take a break.

My entire family finally made it home for a holiday, and I think it was one of the first times that we felt open, honest, and truly there in the moment. No one was focused on being anywhere else, or wishing another person was there with us. I kept my phone at the house most of the time while my mom, sis and I ran errands, shopped, and goofed off. Even though I work for a technology company it feels so great to be disconnected sometimes. There have been so many times that my cell phone has caused issues, and have hurt people, and I didn't want to have it ruin my time with my family this past weekend.

If I could have stepped outside of myself and watched as we hunted Easter eggs (and yes the 20, 25 and 27 year olds hunted Easter eggs, w/ money in them!) I would have seen us as the children that we were, laughing and playing and not having a care in the world. How simple our lives seemed at that moment. I think that's what my mom wanted for us for just that one hour. My grandmother Iuliucci always hid eggs with money in them and watched with excitement as the 12+ grandkids searched eagerly for small eggs and pushed and shoved for the biggest egg with the most money in it. She found the greatest excitement in watching us count the money that we found and seeing our faces as we realized that some of the monies were foreign, that my grandfather found in his military time overseas, or the Susan B Anthony coins that were mixed among the quarters and dimes. Mom had us all laughing until we were in tears at this display of an Easter egg hunt that we recreated, and yes we used the Susan B Anthony coins, and foreign ones as well!

We wrapped up the weekend with a wonderful Sunday service, and I realized that I missed my home church, but that my church here was more fitting for me and my time in my life right now. I miss seeing people I grew up with and the adults that were our family friends that now have grandchildren that are adorable, and that I barely know (which makes me sad and miss it) but I know that my home church is not meant for my age group. There doesn't seem to be a group that caters to that mid to late 20s, and especially not that single group. Why is that? There are so many young single people (I think-I haven't met a lot of them, but I know you're out there! :-) ) but there aren't a lot that caters to us within the church that isn't cheesy, and I use that term politely. Without getting on that tangent, I think I just realized, that even though I enjoyed being there with my family, I know that for me to grow, I need to be here with my church and the people that I'm meeting. At least until I'm called to do something else, and then I will follow.

So on the finals of the "deja-vu's" this past weekend was the cookie decorating. By this point, my sis had to go back to work (she's a nurse), and couldn't participate. But I watched a young 20-year old boy who is Mr. College Athlete decorate cookies with his older sister. It may have had something to do with the fact that I bugged him allll weekend about it. Or that it was just THAT MUCH FUN! :-) I think he just realized that with a big and intense week coming up, with a lot of "grown-up things" that he has to face, he wanted to enjoy the child-like moments of the weekend as well.

Even though the work takes us for a ride sometimes, I often let my prayer be that HE gives me the opportunity to take a moment to enjoy the "deja-vus" of my childhood. Those were the moments that I enjoyed then, and sometimes long for now. And as I learned from reading The Shack (and I'll reference this book a lot) we're allowed to go back to our past for a brief moment and grab that memory, but we have to come back to the present and make sure we bring God back to this present that we're living in. And when we look to the future and we make our plans, is God there too? Or did we make those plans without Him and try to rely on our own plans and control? So I'll take the moments from this past weekend and enjoy them for what they were, and know that I have a present to live in and know that one day, I will make my own memories in the future, but for right now I can enjoy what I have today, for that is all that I am promised.

The first, and not the last post on Nicaragua

As I turn over this new leaf of decision making, one of the first decisions I made was to go to Nicaragua on the missions trip with church. After a lot of time of prayer and planning I realized that I can put together a plan and use my finances toward the glory of God and help his kingdom in another country.

Some of you know that I went on a missions trip to Argentina in 2005, and that this experience changed my life in many ways. However, I don't think I did my research beforehand as I'm doing this time. As I am still awake, past my 9:30pm bedtime (and yes, I'm still getting up at 6am to go workout!) I decided to surf the internet to see what is going on politically and economically right now in Nicaragua. This is what I found:

Gunman slightly wounds Nicaragua attorney general

Mon Apr 6, 2009 7:21pm EDT

MANAGUA, April 6 (Reuters) - A gunman shot and lightly wounded Nicaragua's attorney general while he was exercising near his home in the capital on Monday, police said.

Hernan Estrada, a close ally of leftist President Daniel Ortega, was grazed by bullets when a man on a motorcycle fired at him, said Nicaragua's police chief Aminta Granera.

"This was a criminal act," Granera told a news conference, flanked by Estrada, who was taken to a hospital by his neighbors and discharged after being treated for a light neck wound.

Granera declined to give a motive for the attack, but Estrada said it was politically motivated.

He blamed "some religious leaders" and "some media outlets" who he said had been inciting violence against Ortega, a former foe of the United States who has struck up a close friendship with Venezuela's socialist president Hugo Chavez since returning to power in 2007.

Opponents of Ortega accuse him of trying to install a dictatorship after disputed municipal elections last year, in which his ruling Sandinistas won 105 of the 146 races.

Last month Ortega said the country's ban prohibiting presidents from serving a second term was unjust, suggesting he might try to amend the constitution to allow him to run again. (Reporting by Ivan Castro)

!Que lastima! It seems as though there is never political rest in this country. And yet, I have no fear that the Lord will keep us safe and that our hands will be guided by His hand. In my QT today I read a verse that was much of my gymnastics career in my childhood. . "For the Lord has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind." (2 Timothy 1:7)

I pray for these people, for their rulers, and for those who fear their lives daily in this land.

Should I, Should I Not?

So I find it absurdly appropriate to make my first blog about decisions. Maybe because it took me forever to sit down and complete a blog, as it does for me to complete any task. However, this task in particular, baffled me. Why would such a little blog make me think so hard? And then I realized, it has nothing to do with blogs, that I think this hard. I second guess myself on just about everything I do.

I understand the larger decisions that make life altering changes and affect others, but come'on the day to day tasks?? Those shouldn't be a "should I, should I not" decision. And yet they are! So what makes us second guess ourselves? Is it that we are driven by emotion instead of the facts and reason? Or that we are just afraid of the consequences.

I for one am a people-pleaser, so I know that usually affects my decisions, or lack thereof. I know that one way or another someone is going to get hurt or disappointed. Usually their disappointment tears me to the core and causes so much pain. I try to avoid those situations as much as I can, although I know they can't always be avoided.

Or do I second guess because I've seen myself make some of the worst decisions ever and I know what consequences look like. I know that "following my heart" doesn't always work, and that my head has to be involved to make a sound judgment. But do I hesitate because of a consequence or again because of fear and pride? Is it the before part or after part that gets us?

Jeff spoke a little on this, this past Sunday, and I have to admit, I was one of the "grew up in church-make a decision-have a consequence-listeners." He made mention that our decisions a lot of times are patterned based on our Christianity. I agree to some degree. Most of my good decisions were made out of fear of the negative consequences. Like the fact I never partied in high school, and always hung with a good crowd. I don't think I made a conscious decision about these things, because I knew those consequences were negative, and I was driven to make a good decision. So there was no second guessing. It was a solid decision of right versus wrong. I notice that in my behaviors even as an adult. He made a comment that keeps ringing in my head, "God wants to draw us to Him, not drive us to Him." Hence, we should do things because we have a passion for wanting to live for Christ, not because we are afraid of the consequence and it's just "the right thing to do."

I now realize that in other parts of my life I should start doing more by the facts and passion, as contradictory as those might sound, than by emotion. If you live by total emotion you'll never make a good decision (according to my much wiser father), BUT if you look at all the facts and it's a passion then the decision will line up right. And by emotion here I mean those whims that come and go with the weather.. . .not the true passions that have stuck around for a while (like missions, spanish culture, etc)

But the true question here is. . what happened to the day of answering if you wanted strawberry jelly or apple jelly on your PB&J sandwich?? When did it get so complicated? All I know is that one way or another, I should do the essentials, and the rest will fall into place whether I truly decide on them or not!