Not-So-Sunny California

What ever happened to the warm southern California sun??!? It’s been rainy and cold for a week. Definitely not what I moved west for. (Guess I had better remind myself that I moved west to work, not to get a tan. Although I was hoping a tan would be a nice little bonus.) I have to say something about the beaches, too: every single time I have visited Santa Monica during the day, the sky was overcast. Last Friday when my college girlfriends were here, it was over 80 degrees in Glendale, so we decided it would make the perfect beach day. We departed for Santa Monica, donned in sunglasses and beach attire and lightly coated in sunscreen to protect against the rather bright sunlight. About 20 minutes away from the coast I noticed that the sun had essentially disappeared. I put my hand out the window to feel a breeze that was at least 15 degrees cooler than when we’d left. Of course we couldn’t waste the 45-minute drive we’d made, so we hung out in Santa Monica for a few hours. Had to buy hot coffee to survive, but we still made it fun. Here's some of the evidence:

Slowing Down and Being Quiet

I’ve been at a loss for inspiration lately. I started a post almost two weeks ago but couldn’t quite finish it. Those of you who know me well will agree that I am a perfectionist, so it usually takes me awhile to produce something my pride will let me share. The fact that I’m making excuses for why I haven’t blogged gives evidence that I’m a perfectionist because I have this idea that if I were good at keeping up with people I would blog more often, as if there’s some rule that says how often I must send out updates! I think I’ve made comments about it in other posts, too. Okay, no more apologizing. I’m just gonna do what I can do.

My mental capacity hasn’t been at such a level where I could conjure up anything very coherent, either. In other words, I’ve been exhausted and in need of space to simply rest during those times when I might otherwise be able to blog. Blogging can be, however, sort of a spiritual exercise for me. I like to get my thoughts and even my struggles “out there,” and since I’m an internal processor I suppose blogging allows me to solidify my thoughts and organize them. I always feel good after writing a good post. My problem is that lately I haven’t had the mental or emotional space to do so, because writing or blogging requires something that I have a really difficult time doing…

Slowing down and being quiet.

A Call to Obedience

It's another Monday morning after a weekend on-duty. I walked over to my local Starbucks to get a few minutes away from the hustle and bustle of the shelter. Saturday was busy with preparations for the Sunday service at my church, an Easter party for the children at work, and a difficult night for one of the moms who broke one of our rules and faces the possibility of dismissal. I randomly ran into the mom and her 5-year-old daughter on my walk to Starbucks, which was a big relief since she left Saturday night in a frenzy without her cell phone or a place to go.

Easter is over now, but as I seem to have a lot of difficulty staying on schedule, I'm doing my reflecting after the fact. The week following Palm Sunday is typically supposed to be a reminder of the suffering of Christ before his death, and in order to better understand that idea my young adult group challenged one another to spend every morning in intentional prayer and Bible study time before doing anything else that we typically might do before taking time with Christ so that He truly is priority before all other activities in the day. In doing this, I definitely felt God's presence at work, but it wasn't necessarily a "happy" week at all. I was confronted twice by different people about attitudes or behaviors that I needed to change. One of my kids was extremely argumentative and acted out every day. Our newest family had a scare, fearing their abuser had found them. I began to feel more emotionally drained from the lack of alone time I can find. (With three girls now living in my apartment, we have a blast and make lots of great memories, but it reminds me that I'm still an introvert!)

I'm Rich

Kids say... and write... the darn-dest things sometimes, and when I read their weekly journal entries from after school program I often come across some noteworthy ones. Here's one I'd like to share from a seven-year-old boy:

Q: What are some rules you have at your house?

A: 1) Do not hit.
     2) Do not kick.
     3) Do not do laundry.

That last one's got to be every kids' dream for a rule :)

Last night I visited with one of my girlfriends from college, Nicole, who is headed overseas next weekend for a two-year-long term with the Peace Corps. She lives almost an hour away from me, but we try to get together every once in a while. Today was the last time I'll see her for a long while. She will have changed the world by the time she gets back, I'm sure.

Stories From the Laundromat

I'm feeling inspired tonight, with lots of stories from the day. I feel that I can't put my head down until I get some of them out!

I just returned home from the laundromat at about 11:15. My roommate and I discovered a flea infestation in our apartment, most likely from the rat that stole into our place two weeks ago, so our bedding needed a good washing after setting off a couple of foggers earlier today. I've been to the laundromat just a few times, and I seem to learn something new every time, mostly by observing the other customers. Usually I take my iPod or a book to read to pass the time, and I generally keep to myself, feeling tired in the evening after work. Tonight was one of those nights where I was pretty tired and in a rush to get back to work, so I sat down to close my eyes and rest while I waited. I noticed the manager kept checking out my machines, and then he went into a closet on the far side of the room. He came back with a bucket and some water and proceeded to pour it into the detergent cartridge in my washing machines. Thinking to myself, What in the world is this guy doing to my laundry?, I got up to ask him if I had done something wrong.