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SubscriptionsSites I Read
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| Dear Xanga,
I think you should not delete my site.
Ok? Ok.
Ruth Ann
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| this week has been: fresh baked bread. lots of loose change (thank you,
tippers). coffee-stained clothes. late night sonic. learning to play
Wii. green apple snow cones. meeting new people. giving jr. high girls
(& a senior adult!) manicures. coloring with sidewalk chalk. early
mornings. cough syrup. driving & driving & driving. thrifting a
pair of super spy glasses! making friends with my planner. no time for
TV. catching up with old friends. happy surprises. phone calls.
discovering suduko. mona lisas & mad hatters. running. studying.
falling in love with my job. teaching debate class. laughing really,
really hard. not washing my jeans. trying to pick out a new hairstyle.
fully (& finally) living.
in the morning sometimes
I'll write down something from the bible on a little piece of lined
paper to put in my pocket for the day. and yesterday morning, it was
something from Galations: "but what happens when we live God's way? He
brings gifts into our lives, much the same way fruit appears in an
orchard-- things like affection for others, exuberance about life,
serenity."
(it's funny how you find you enjoy your life when you're happy to be alive.) | | |
| Dear Junior High Kids,
I love you. Really, I do. You're cool and fun and adoring and excited about life. But manohman, do you wear me out. Seriously... after a day of talking to you and playing on huge inflatable obstacle courses with you... I'm kinda ready for bed.
Actively yours,
Ruth Ann
p.s. To the little girl who said she wanted to be like me when she grew up: you totally made every bit of exhaustion more than worth it.
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Dear Jim Halpert,
I miss you. I want to see you. And Pam. JIMANDPAM. Plus your entire supporting cast... which has to be one of the best supporting casts I've seen on any TV show.
Come back soon. September 27th is good for me.
Ruth Ann
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Dear Gutemala,
I'm ready to see you. I've seen Honduras before, but not you. Yay mission trips.
Hoping my Spanish is about ten times better than I remember it being,
Ruth Ann
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Dear Sewing Machine,
I'm very happy you came into my life after graduation. I think... I'm in love. I mean, you make... functional things! And super cool noises! I think I'm a little closer to understanding men who really like power tools.
Let's spend more time together... soon,
Ruth Ann
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Dear McAlisters,
STOP PUTTING RAISINS IN PERFECTLY GOOD CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES.
Yeah, that's about it.
Ruth Ann
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Dear Xanga,
We've had a long and fruitful relationship. And, well... it's not you. It's me. You see, I've grown and matured these past months. And I feel like you're not willing to adapt to the new me. I know, I know... that sounds like a cop out. You see, there's someone else. His name is Facebook and he is not only cute... but he's witty, flexible and willing to really work at our relationship. And I think it's time for you and I to move to a less serious, more... open relationship.
I hope we can still be friends,
Ruth Ann
p.s. I promise I'll still call from time to time.
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| Back when Katrina hit, the press got really, really old. When you're actually living through a pretty tragic part of history, listening to news anchors miles away spout off like they actually know what you're going through is... annoying to say the least. In the months following Katrina, I read dozens of articles and watched dozens of news broadcasts. Two years ago, to the day, I only really remember one article. John Grisham wrote it, the NY Times picked it up... and I remember reading it and thinking, "finally, someone is saying something that actually resonates." I reread it last August 29th, and I looked it up again today.
"As dark as these days are, though, there is hope. It doesn't come
from handouts or legislation, and it certainly doesn't come from
speeches promising rosy days ahead. Folks dependent on donated
groceries are completely unmoved by campaign-style predictions of a
glorious future. It's much too early for such talk. Hope here
comes from the people and their remarkable belief that, if we all stick
together, we'll survive. The residents of the Gulf Coast have an
enormous pride in their ability to take a punch, even a knockout blow,
and stagger gamely back into the center of the ring. Their parents
survived Camille, and Betsy and Frederic, and they are determined to
get the best of this latest legend."
A lot of what happened in the weeks and months surrounding Katrina is kind of fuzzy in my head. One thing, though, that I remember really clearly happened at a hotel in Tallahassee, where my mom and sister and I were stranded for about a week. That hotel was a really depressing place to be-- as the storm got closer, more and more refugees started straggling in... and a couple of days after the storm, it was filled with a couple of hundred people who had no idea whether or not they'd lost everything. My sister and I wandered down to the pool one night, and I started talking to this young dad who lived in the greater New Orleans area. He didn't know what condition his house was in, and hadn't heard from a lot of friends and family. We talked for a little bit and then we were quiet... there comes a point where there's not much left to say. And then he said, "The Lord gives... and the Lord takes away..."
Blessed be the name of the Lord.
Just a week or so after I had that conversation, I was ripping wet sheet rock out of my house. Having to purposefully destroy the walls of your house eventually gives you a new, freer outlook on life. I don't say any of this to put on a happy Christian face-- I was pretty darn angry at Katrina two years ago, and I definitely wasn't thanking God for her. But now... well, here's to hindsight. =)
"The task of rebuilding is monumental and disheartening to the
outsider. But to the battle-scarred survivors of the Gulf Coast, today
is better than yesterday, and tomorrow something good will happen. When
William Faulkner accepted the Nobel Prize in 1950, he said, in part: "I
believe that man will not merely endure: he will prevail. He is
immortal, not because he alone among creatures has an inexhaustible
voice, but because he has a soul, a spirit capable of compassion,
sacrifice and endurance. Today, Faulkner would find in his
native state a resilient spirit that is amazing to behold. The people
here will sacrifice and give and give until one day this storm will be
behind them, and they will look back, like their parents and
grandparents, and quietly say, 'We prevailed.'" Happy 2nd Anniversary, Katrina.
& thanks.
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| ok, so this video made my night. [warning: spoilers for harry potter book six.] | | |
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