involved

Last week found myself at a Counting Crows concert. Not only did a I get a free lawn ticket for giving blood, I also found a friend to sneak me into the lower pavilion, so I was pretty excited about seeing them up close, since they are my 2nd favorite 90s band and all.

Anyway the show was unfortunately only so-so (they could take a lesson or two from HBF when it comes to playing live and song selection). I could ramble on about that but thats not the point of this post.

Adam Duritz talked a lot. I think he was a bit intoxicated or otherwise unbalanced. He mostly told stories about the songs I hadn't heard before, but at the end of the night went into the voting schpel, which went something like this, "I don't give a flying f*ck who you vote for, but please vote. America is to be involved"

America is to be involved...I like that. It makes me feel patriotic. :) I love that we have the opportunity to be involved, even if we don't always take advantage of it. I think things are generally better when we do. While the election is getting sort of draining, it is still exciting, because at the moment people are involved and caring.

community

So I don't really get personal on this blog, but here it goes. I'm 25, and, as it has come to my attention more frequently recently, unmarried. As the first of my close high school friends prepares for a baby, the last of my close college friends plans her wedding. I am excited and love being able to share in their joy at times like these. But on the down side, I was in a dating relationship that ended days before receiving the news from each of them, and this timing really could have dampened my joy for them or made me bitter because of the break up...and at other times in my life, it definitely would have. But in this season, it's okay- and looking back on the past few weeks since returning from my travels- it's obvious that my community here is what keeps me excited about life in this season, in the current place and situation that I am called to, instead of focusing on what I have not yet been blessed with.

While my friends from high school and college are pairing off and settling down, the closest new friendships I have made while living in this city are with other single people. I spent pretty much the whole weekend with a few of them, going between houses, talking, cooking, eating, resting, sharing life together. This afternoon I spent hours with 3 girls in one bathroom, soaking our feet and painting our nails...relaxing and chatting about life...with nowhere else to be and nothing else to do...I will really miss that kind of spontaneous girl time if I get married, and especially if I have crazy kids running all over the place!

But, the weekend reminded me that life can get unbalanced if you only hang out with people who are at the same station as you. Being with family is the typical way to mix things up...to hear stories and wisdom from older people, see how married couples work things out, hold babies and watch kids grow...but with mine being small, far away and spread out, it doesn't happen like that. But it happens in other ways. I think my parents sort of set an example for me in this way, by developing family-like ties for us in my hometown when we were so far from extended family. I have a lot of great memories with the people who watched me grow up there, spending holidays together, traveling together, and also sharing every day life, and I know they are still there for me if I need them, even though we don't share a family tree.

Recently I've shared many meaningful moments with people who are in different phases of life. To name a few, spending an evening with my old youth paster, his wife, and their adorable 5 and 3 year olds (dinner, neighborhood walk, impromptu dance recital, late night cookies and milk)...Going for a walk with friend and neighbor and being asked to stay for dinner with her and her husband...Chatting with volunteers at the fair trade store, most of whom are my mom's age and always excited to hear what I have been up to...Getting to hold the newborn that is the 2nd child in our house church now...Sitting slumber party style on a bed with two house church women who are wives and mothers, sharing our joys and struggles...

I love and need time with young single women who are experiencing the same things as me (grad school, new workforce experiences, dating, etc). And I'm sure when these single women get married, others will cross my path and new friendships will form, but I'll remain close to these, because we'll still need each other, maybe just in different ways. And because I am involved in the lives of couples and families now, it will be natural (and easier) to remain close when now-single friends marry and start families. I think I am definitely more excited about those possibilities than I would have been if I'd been in a single people bubble for the past three years.

So, all this to say, without really seeking community in this city, it has found me, and now I think I will seek it more intentionally. Twice in the past 5 months someone at a church related thing has cited Isaiah 54, where the Lord instructs a barren woman (I think Sarah?) to "enlarge the place of her tent". While it is most obviously in reference to having children, I think it's easily applicable to community. I want to enlarge my tent and make space in my life for other people, I need other people, I feel most alive when sharing life with other people. To steal a quote from Alexander Supertramp (and a theme from a post by Bobbie), happiness only real when shared. The tension between joy and suffering in this world is best understood and experienced when we are walking alongside others. And that walk is much more rich when those others are not just like you.

innocence

This morning I helped out in the 2nd-4th grade classroom at church.  The lesson was about a couple of the 10 commandments including do no murder. The teacher asked something to the effect of "What would happen if nobody ever murdered?" And one little girl said something like "There would be no war"

I thought that was a little profound, for a 2nd grader. I'm trying to remember what my concept of war was in the 2nd grade...I think it was the Desert Storm era, and my parents had a friend serving in Saudi Arabia, and all the kids in my class wrote him letters and he sent us a packet of Saudi Arabian sand, which I thought was pretty cool. Pretty sure I had no concept of war, or that people were being killed there. I don't remember hearing about any good ole Hoosier boys dying in the war...I'm sure these kids have. For these 2nd graders, there has been a war in Iraq for as long as they've been old enough to know what war is, and with this 5 year war it is probably true for most 3rd, 4th and 5th graders as well. 

ha ha

I just got my first piece of mail from Hilary Clinton: 

Barack Obama voted AGAINST protecting American families from predatory credit card interest rates of more than 30 percent. 

Oh my. I've been considering all the wrong issues. 

Ok, so I'm biased. I am not in credit card debt because a) I don't live beyond my means and b) I have been fortunate enough not to have to use credit to pay the bills and buy the essentials. So it strikes me as humorous that on the one mailer Hillary can afford to send, this is the issue it focuses on. I guess she had a short list to choose from. 

I don't know how she got my name and address. Maybe I'm just on the general democrat list now. As I've said earlier, I don't have anything against Hillary, but at this point in the game I think she best move on and put her efforts elsewhere. 

I got this note from my Grandma today: I approve of how your committing your political time. I'm spending a lot of time on the phone for the democratic party in general. Wish I had started being active younger.

4 days till the Indiana primary! I have signed up to be canvasing and giving rides to the polls. 

money money

I paid my state taxes and feel like a productive citizen. The government loves me and is going to give me $300 to go shopping! What?

I won't pretend to know anything about economics or the recession, but it seems a little silly. The government overspends so much and yet still needs more money for things like schools and health care. So Congress assumes that we are a people driven by consumerism, and will consume even though it might be in our best interest to save, or pay off debt, especially if there really is a recession! 

So what should I do with my $300? Part feels consumeristic and knows I would have no problem spending that at one trip to the Fashion Mall. The other part of me just feels rebellious!

Alternatives:

• Use it to buy something green- like the $300 indoor composter i have been eyeing - boost an earth friendly company
• Use it to buy stuff at my local non-profit fair trade store - so artisans in South America don't feel no recession
• Spend it on my trip to Europe this summer - boost the value of that Euro
• Buy 2 shares of Apple stock
• Be a responsible adult and put it in the savings account

dems

Currently watching: Democratic debate

It is sort of fascinating. This is the first debate I've watched this election season. I'm learning heaps.

I like Hillary. If elected she'll do a good job. But Obama has just felt right, and after hearing more about their differences tonight, I have some information to back up that feeling.

All viable candidates must believe they are going to win. We saw two candidates drop out this week because they saw it was not realistic. But I don't think Hillary and Bill see any spec of doubt. An article in this week's Time magazine echoed my thoughts, "(Bill) Clinton remains one of the most popular Democrats alive; if he didn't think this would work, he would not put everything else he's worked for at risk". I can picture Obama winning. But I can't picture (the) Clinton(s) losing.

stewarding

This morning before beginning the sermon, the preacher asked if we were enjoying the coffee that is available in the basement before winter morning services (the hazelnut coffee is what encourages me to get out of bed in time for the 9am service). Then he asked us to start bringing our own mugs! He said in the near future, coffee will still be available but cups will no longer be offered. How great is that? They also recently switched from small "plastic destroyer" communion cups to the "dip the bread in the big cup" style of communion. Reasons #245-246 why I love my church.

When I was little, I remember my mom hauling a basket of coffee cups to and from church so that her sunday school class wouldn't use styrofoam. I've always been conscious of the small things you can do, but haven't always done them. So I was encouraged by this small challenge he posed to our community. Maybe the next step is recycling all those programs that get tossed right after the service?