this is not another long post about healthcare, though i would like to thank my brother-in-law, steve, for providing an alternative opinion to my little vent. i probably should have been more clear in yesterday's post that i don't support rushing into a plan just for the sake of having reform, so i think caution is key. basically, my post came from an annoyance with the number of people i've heard (or seen on facebook) who just seem so callous to any reform at all. for me, health care is a right to life issue, and we have to figure out a way to make sure all people have access to it.
the REAL reason i'm writing today, however, is to give a great, big plug to my blog friend (soon-to-be-in-real-life friend) leigh's giveaway! i found leigh's blog on the blog of a friend of a friend (the blog world is so convoluted and crazy like that) after noticing the title "one day at a time." i had this little inkling that she might be taking "one day at a time" because she was adopting...and i was right! leigh and her husband are adopting a little girl from...ETHIOPIA! this is providence at its best, let me tell you. anyway, leigh is my fundraising inspiration, and this giveaway she's doing is worth checking out. she's had a bunch of cute stuff donated to her that she's giving away through something like a raffle. she'll post a few things every monday for the next few weeks, and you buy entries for $5 that you can put towards whatever item you want. she'll then draw winners towards the end of the week. and hey, even if you don't win, you'll be helping bring her sweet daughter, MG, home. so check it out at http://bringingourbabyhome-onedayatatime.blogspot.com/
Sunday, September 13, 2009
Saturday, September 12, 2009
AIDS, swine flu & healthcare reform
last night, jamie and i were doing a run down of today's football games. i told him i'd read on the news that 2 unc players had tested positive for swine flu to which he responded, "isn't it amazing how our world has mobilized against swine flu but not nearly as much against AIDS?" i said i thought the large-scale response to swine flu must be because it's so easily passed from one person to another, thus making infection a large-scale problem. jamie wasn't too satisfied with that explanation, and the more i think about it, the more i disagree with myself.
right now, AIDS deaths and infections are expected to total 100 million by 2012. the majority of those deaths will be in developing nations, many of them on the continent of africa. though people in the US and other developed nations still are being infected, most of the infected citizens of these countries can afford access to drugs and treatment. let me be ballsy for a moment and say that the reason we haven't seen the same large-scale response to AIDS that we've seen to swine flu is that the powers that be -- aka, people in the western hemisphere, in developed nations -- haven't felt threatened by AIDS and thus haven't seen a real need to do anything about it. swine flu, however, has been a different story because i think people have realized we're all vulnerable to infection. the reports on the news that people in the US have actually died of swine flu freak us all out a bit. all of a sudden, it's necessary to report every single swine flu infection on the news and create lists of who should receive swine flu shots first. and i have to ask: when have we ever heard AIDS deaths and infections tallied daily on the news? and when have we ever really seen people prioritize who should get access to AIDS treatment and medicine?
NEVER.
i'm going to take this a step further and say that this is precisely how the healthcare reform debate is going down in our country right now. new data released thursday said over 46 million americans had no access to health insurance in 2008. i get [rightfully] annoyed when i hear people complain that we don't need any healthcare reform because it's exactly the same as all those in our country who are currently freaking out about swine flu but don't give a crap about AIDS in africa. when people don't feel threatened by something, they don't have to care. but when they do feel threatened -- well, that's when we see a bunch of activists coming out and fighting on behalf of...that's right, themselves. people who have health insurance can sit comfortably and complain because they have no clue what it's like to not have health insurance. in their mind, their right to hoard what they have earned is being threatened and thus they need to fight. but for all of us who are christians, isn't that way of thinking backward? aren't we supposed to be considering the needs of others before our own?
i really hate hearing people say they have a right to healthcare simply because they've worked hard to afford it. the reality is, there are many factors beyond our control that contribute to our ability to "work hard." i was born into a good family with 2 parents who provided me a stable and loving environment to grow in. my parents both worked and were able to afford to send me to college. now i'm sitting in graduate school about to finish a master's degree. when i finally get a job and start making money, i'll be careful with how i choose my words because i know my success in life has little to do with my own "hard work" (though, i have worked hard) and more to do with luck or blessing, however it is you like to think of these things. in 20 years, many of the kids in my mom's kindergarten class will probably be without health-insurance because they were born into families who didn't care about their success in life, didn't care about their education, and didn't teach them to "work hard." and if we are oblivious enough to think racism is dead in our country, what color skin you have still determines a lot about how lucky you get in life concerning a job, salary, and a whole host of other things. what's astounding to me is that so many pro-life christians stand opposed to healthcare reform as if their lives are more important than the lives of the 46 million people without access to insurance.
we've had a lot of well-meaning people worriedly ask us if our children will have AIDS. and we always tell them that while we are requesting children without any major medical needs, we see no reason why people who have the financial resources to afford treatment shouldn't adopt children who are HIV positive. tragically, our own state department wouldn't even allow HIV positive children into this country until a few years ago even though people knew AIDS wasn't "contagious" and knew that if these children were allowed into the US they would have a good chance at living long lives because they'd have access to drugs and treatment. the point i'm trying to make in all of this is that, as christians, we can't hoard our resources and we can't decide something is important just because we feel threatened. we see in the bible that the early christians held everything in common. they didn't believe that just because they'd "worked hard" for their food they didn't have to share it. and the same goes for all of us today. we have to be open-handed with everything...including our health insurance (i know someone out there is thinking "holy crap, she's a socialist." but i'm pretty sure this is the gospel and has nothing to do with any political ideology). the lives of children with AIDS are just as important as the lives of children without AIDS. the lives of those of us living in developed nations are just as important as those who live in developing nations. and the lives of those of us lucky or blessed enough to have health insurance are just as important as the lives of those who don't.
right now, AIDS deaths and infections are expected to total 100 million by 2012. the majority of those deaths will be in developing nations, many of them on the continent of africa. though people in the US and other developed nations still are being infected, most of the infected citizens of these countries can afford access to drugs and treatment. let me be ballsy for a moment and say that the reason we haven't seen the same large-scale response to AIDS that we've seen to swine flu is that the powers that be -- aka, people in the western hemisphere, in developed nations -- haven't felt threatened by AIDS and thus haven't seen a real need to do anything about it. swine flu, however, has been a different story because i think people have realized we're all vulnerable to infection. the reports on the news that people in the US have actually died of swine flu freak us all out a bit. all of a sudden, it's necessary to report every single swine flu infection on the news and create lists of who should receive swine flu shots first. and i have to ask: when have we ever heard AIDS deaths and infections tallied daily on the news? and when have we ever really seen people prioritize who should get access to AIDS treatment and medicine?
NEVER.
i'm going to take this a step further and say that this is precisely how the healthcare reform debate is going down in our country right now. new data released thursday said over 46 million americans had no access to health insurance in 2008. i get [rightfully] annoyed when i hear people complain that we don't need any healthcare reform because it's exactly the same as all those in our country who are currently freaking out about swine flu but don't give a crap about AIDS in africa. when people don't feel threatened by something, they don't have to care. but when they do feel threatened -- well, that's when we see a bunch of activists coming out and fighting on behalf of...that's right, themselves. people who have health insurance can sit comfortably and complain because they have no clue what it's like to not have health insurance. in their mind, their right to hoard what they have earned is being threatened and thus they need to fight. but for all of us who are christians, isn't that way of thinking backward? aren't we supposed to be considering the needs of others before our own?
i really hate hearing people say they have a right to healthcare simply because they've worked hard to afford it. the reality is, there are many factors beyond our control that contribute to our ability to "work hard." i was born into a good family with 2 parents who provided me a stable and loving environment to grow in. my parents both worked and were able to afford to send me to college. now i'm sitting in graduate school about to finish a master's degree. when i finally get a job and start making money, i'll be careful with how i choose my words because i know my success in life has little to do with my own "hard work" (though, i have worked hard) and more to do with luck or blessing, however it is you like to think of these things. in 20 years, many of the kids in my mom's kindergarten class will probably be without health-insurance because they were born into families who didn't care about their success in life, didn't care about their education, and didn't teach them to "work hard." and if we are oblivious enough to think racism is dead in our country, what color skin you have still determines a lot about how lucky you get in life concerning a job, salary, and a whole host of other things. what's astounding to me is that so many pro-life christians stand opposed to healthcare reform as if their lives are more important than the lives of the 46 million people without access to insurance.
we've had a lot of well-meaning people worriedly ask us if our children will have AIDS. and we always tell them that while we are requesting children without any major medical needs, we see no reason why people who have the financial resources to afford treatment shouldn't adopt children who are HIV positive. tragically, our own state department wouldn't even allow HIV positive children into this country until a few years ago even though people knew AIDS wasn't "contagious" and knew that if these children were allowed into the US they would have a good chance at living long lives because they'd have access to drugs and treatment. the point i'm trying to make in all of this is that, as christians, we can't hoard our resources and we can't decide something is important just because we feel threatened. we see in the bible that the early christians held everything in common. they didn't believe that just because they'd "worked hard" for their food they didn't have to share it. and the same goes for all of us today. we have to be open-handed with everything...including our health insurance (i know someone out there is thinking "holy crap, she's a socialist." but i'm pretty sure this is the gospel and has nothing to do with any political ideology). the lives of children with AIDS are just as important as the lives of children without AIDS. the lives of those of us living in developed nations are just as important as those who live in developing nations. and the lives of those of us lucky or blessed enough to have health insurance are just as important as the lives of those who don't.
Thursday, September 10, 2009
adoption update
"sometimes i would like to ask God why he allows poverty, suffering, and injustice when he could do something about it."
"well, why don't you ask him?"
"because i am afraid he would ask me the same question." -- anonymous
well, we are currently waiting for money from a sell of stock to hit our bank account so we can FINALLY send our USCIS fee and I-600A. jamie bought some stock a few months ago when the market started going up, and though it'd be nice to continue to allow the investment to make money, the money is better used now to pay this fee. remember, USCIS stands for united states citizenship and immigration services. the I-600A is also known as the "application for advance processing of orphan petition." i don't exactly know how to explain what it does, but i do know that it speeds up the government-end of our process. we will (hopefully) receive an appointment in the next few weeks to be fingerprinted at the CIS office in charlotte, where we will also have our last meeting with our social worker.
we are still aiming to send our dossier to ethiopia in january. once our fingerprints are done, USCIS has to process all our paperwork (including our homestudy, i think) and officially approve us to adopt. that can take up to 4 months. A LOT of timing issues and A LOT of money will have to come together in order for us to make it by january, and if we don't make it by then, we will have to be content with whatever happens. i'm not sure if i have mentioned on here that the ethiopian courts close about this time every year due to rainy season. if you get a referral right before courts close, it's likely you'll be waiting until the courts re-open to get a court date, pass court, and travel. though we wish the timing would work out to have our kids home by this time next year, we try to be real about the fact that it's very likely our kids won't be home until next christmas. in some ways, that's good a thing because we'll have more time to prepare and pay off student debt. but it's very hard, because we want our children now.
honestly, i sometimes struggle with jealousy when i see other families who have zipped through the adoption process because they already had money set aside for their adoption. i read these blogs where families decided to adopt months after we did and have already sent their USCIS fee and had their fingerprints done. we've had to wait to be able to write every single check we've written so far. and sometimes it's hard not to see families who have fundraised their entire adoption (literally raised $25,000) and wonder why God has not blessed us in the same way. the truth is, we have been abundantly blessed in many ways. rather than focusing on whose done what or how much money some people have been able to raise, i need to rejoice that because of God's graciousness to so many families (including us), children are being rescued out of poverty, disease, and death.
"well, why don't you ask him?"
"because i am afraid he would ask me the same question." -- anonymous
well, we are currently waiting for money from a sell of stock to hit our bank account so we can FINALLY send our USCIS fee and I-600A. jamie bought some stock a few months ago when the market started going up, and though it'd be nice to continue to allow the investment to make money, the money is better used now to pay this fee. remember, USCIS stands for united states citizenship and immigration services. the I-600A is also known as the "application for advance processing of orphan petition." i don't exactly know how to explain what it does, but i do know that it speeds up the government-end of our process. we will (hopefully) receive an appointment in the next few weeks to be fingerprinted at the CIS office in charlotte, where we will also have our last meeting with our social worker.
we are still aiming to send our dossier to ethiopia in january. once our fingerprints are done, USCIS has to process all our paperwork (including our homestudy, i think) and officially approve us to adopt. that can take up to 4 months. A LOT of timing issues and A LOT of money will have to come together in order for us to make it by january, and if we don't make it by then, we will have to be content with whatever happens. i'm not sure if i have mentioned on here that the ethiopian courts close about this time every year due to rainy season. if you get a referral right before courts close, it's likely you'll be waiting until the courts re-open to get a court date, pass court, and travel. though we wish the timing would work out to have our kids home by this time next year, we try to be real about the fact that it's very likely our kids won't be home until next christmas. in some ways, that's good a thing because we'll have more time to prepare and pay off student debt. but it's very hard, because we want our children now.
honestly, i sometimes struggle with jealousy when i see other families who have zipped through the adoption process because they already had money set aside for their adoption. i read these blogs where families decided to adopt months after we did and have already sent their USCIS fee and had their fingerprints done. we've had to wait to be able to write every single check we've written so far. and sometimes it's hard not to see families who have fundraised their entire adoption (literally raised $25,000) and wonder why God has not blessed us in the same way. the truth is, we have been abundantly blessed in many ways. rather than focusing on whose done what or how much money some people have been able to raise, i need to rejoice that because of God's graciousness to so many families (including us), children are being rescued out of poverty, disease, and death.
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
our nephew, the kindergartner
i'm pretty sure this is the best "i'm really happy to be going to kindergarten" and "i'm scared to death to be going kindergarten" face ever.
and this is the best "i survived my first day of kindergarten" face ever. oh how we love nephew tyler.
Friday, September 4, 2009
apology
yep, this is my second blog post in one day, but i wanted to make an apology. it's probably obvious to anyone who reads this blog on any regular basis that i have many opinions and state them rather sharply sometimes. in doing so, i'm often oblivious to the fact that some people might read this blog and take offense at the way i convey my opinions. so to anyone who has ever felt alienated or judged or unloved because of this blog, i do sincerely apologize.
i should say that i'm a very passionate person. the things i write about on this blog mean a lot to me. but if my tone sometimes seems angry, it's honestly because i am angry. not at particular people, but at the world we live in. perhaps when i write, it's easier to convey anger than grief, because if you could have seen me this afternoon in our car crying (as we sat in the home depot parking lot), you would know that i'm also extremely grieved to the point of weeping about our world. as our pastor said last sunday, i look around and realize that something is profoundly wrong with this world. and because of that, i'm in deep conflict with myself about the way my life is supposed to be lived and how it should look in response to this world full of pain, suffering, and poverty.
for all the posts i've written about adoption -- i have realized in the past few days that adoption isn't for everyone. and though i do still wish people would be open to it if it's something God does call them to do, i confess that so much of what i've written about adoption has been fueled out of my own passion for the cause. we have been called to adopt, and it's quite difficult to sit still and be silent when you know there are 150 million orphans in the world, and at least 2 of them are your children. but even more honestly, i will say that we have felt unsupported by some people in our lives, and that has been difficult. so perhaps many of my posts about adoption have been my own subconscious desire to try and convince those people that what we're doing isn't crazy.
i will try my best to more gentle in the way i say things on this blog from now on. i have been wreckless with my passion and good intentions at times, and again i apologize. i will still continue to post my thoughts about adoption and justice issues in general and this radical faith we call christianity. but let me assure you: i will be more transparent about my shortcomings, conflict, and grief when i write in the future. i do hope people read my earlier post from today. it's admittedly a "preachy" one, but i did tried to be honest about my own struggles and my own trying to understand how christians are supposed to be in solidarity with the poor and the least of these in our world.
ps -- i'm also positive that wfu divinity school has made me an angrier person. more on that in a later post.
i should say that i'm a very passionate person. the things i write about on this blog mean a lot to me. but if my tone sometimes seems angry, it's honestly because i am angry. not at particular people, but at the world we live in. perhaps when i write, it's easier to convey anger than grief, because if you could have seen me this afternoon in our car crying (as we sat in the home depot parking lot), you would know that i'm also extremely grieved to the point of weeping about our world. as our pastor said last sunday, i look around and realize that something is profoundly wrong with this world. and because of that, i'm in deep conflict with myself about the way my life is supposed to be lived and how it should look in response to this world full of pain, suffering, and poverty.
for all the posts i've written about adoption -- i have realized in the past few days that adoption isn't for everyone. and though i do still wish people would be open to it if it's something God does call them to do, i confess that so much of what i've written about adoption has been fueled out of my own passion for the cause. we have been called to adopt, and it's quite difficult to sit still and be silent when you know there are 150 million orphans in the world, and at least 2 of them are your children. but even more honestly, i will say that we have felt unsupported by some people in our lives, and that has been difficult. so perhaps many of my posts about adoption have been my own subconscious desire to try and convince those people that what we're doing isn't crazy.
i will try my best to more gentle in the way i say things on this blog from now on. i have been wreckless with my passion and good intentions at times, and again i apologize. i will still continue to post my thoughts about adoption and justice issues in general and this radical faith we call christianity. but let me assure you: i will be more transparent about my shortcomings, conflict, and grief when i write in the future. i do hope people read my earlier post from today. it's admittedly a "preachy" one, but i did tried to be honest about my own struggles and my own trying to understand how christians are supposed to be in solidarity with the poor and the least of these in our world.
ps -- i'm also positive that wfu divinity school has made me an angrier person. more on that in a later post.
a radical challenge
one morning earlier this week, i found myself standing in front of my bathroom mirror annoyed with how i looked. my hair, makeup, and outfit -- nothing made me feel cute. at that moment, i thought to myself that if we actually had any money, i'd buy a few new clothes and feel cute again. later that day, i saw a facebook status that kind of rocked my world. becca, a fellow ethiopia adoption mom who goes to our church, announced that she was starting a self-imposed fast from consumerism for the next year. she is not buying clothes, shoes, or other accessories (including jewelry) for an entire year.
now, let me say that i've actually considered doing a similar fast. i don't say that to pat myself on the back because, obviously, i haven't had the guts to take the plunge yet. but as we have struggled to find funds for our adoption, i've started to realize that we all spend our money in very futile ways. the thing i wonder is whether i'll think the same way once our adoption is completed and we're not counting every penny. we have these great goals of teaching our children that one of our society's greatest lies is that a person needs a lot of stuff to be happy. we want to instill in them contentedness and generosity and thankfulness. and yet, when we're not having to worry about the $800 we need to send here and the $2500 we need to send there, i have to wonder if we'll get sucked back into the consumeristic, materialistic culture in which we live. will we fail to be good models for our children in this area because we forget what we have learned thus far? i pray not.
that's why the challenge of becca's fast seems so urgent to me right now. she has a lot of great things to say about how women find their value and self-worth in clothing and appearance. from her point of view, it's ridiculous that women are convinced that a new outfit is the answer to happiness and acceptance in society. and she's completely right. how many times have i worried that other women wouldn't accept me because my clothes weren't cute or cool or "name-brand" enough? (if you want to read becca's thoughts, she just blogged about this at http://expandingalbertsons.wordpress.com/) BUT, where this really hits home for me is in the idea of solidarity and the transformation of one's heart. here's how most people respond when someone says "i'm not going to buy X because there are children dying in africa": "well, just because you don't spend your money on X doesn't mean a child in africa will be saved. you should just buy X because that $20 can't save anybody." do you know how far from the truth that is? when you stand in solidarity with someone and begin to understand their plight, i'm pretty sure it starts to change your heart and then your habits.
in fasting from consumerism, one stands in solidarity with all those around the world who do not have a choice to buy new clothes at the start of every season...those who live in such poverty that clothing is often a luxury...those who can't worry about whether their clothes make them feel cute because worrying about being cute is a waste of willpower that needs to be used towards living through another day. by standing in solidarity and understanding their plight, i'm convinced that we start making major changes to how we live and what we think we need. by going without, we might realize that it's actually possible to go without and still be content. by going without, we might realize that the money we don't spend buying clothes (or whatever your stuff of choice may be) can actually go towards saving a life. $20 could a buy mosquito net to protect a family 4 in africa from malaria. that net could literally save their lives. a great example of how this works is if you knew it was wrong of you gossip so you committed not to gossip for a week. you'd spend most of the week being ever-conscious of what was coming out of your mouth and using a lot of your willpower to not say something about somebody else. but by the end of the week, you might notice that you're not having to use so much willpower anymore. it's actually natural for you not to gossip. that is the change of heart. no more is it a conscious decision, but rather it has become a way of life.
a lot of people might think a fast like becca's is legalistic. how do you know how much money is the right amount to spend on clothes? how do you know what stores are right to shop at? are name-brands really that bad? normally, i would write a section about how i don't think all shopping or all consumerism is bad. but i'm not going to do that because sometimes i think it coddles people. they read all the hard stuff, and then you start giving disclaimers that can easily become people's way out. this is radical stuff. when i told jamie that becca started this fast, he said "man, i couldn't do that." and knowing that i've often said "i wish i could do that," i told him that the reason we all say these things is because we know it's the right thing to do but we don't want to do it so we couch it in ways that sound like we're being holy enough to consider it ("i wish i could do that") yet don't ever actually get around to it. there's a good chance i will take the plunge and here's why: i've been contemplating if i have enough stuff to make it through the year without buying more clothes and shoes (let me claim now that i certainly have more than enough stuff). i then thought that i could go out and buy some more stuff if i didn't think i could see the fast to the end. WOW. if that thought process doesn't show how much i need to do this fast, nothing else could.
now, let me say that i've actually considered doing a similar fast. i don't say that to pat myself on the back because, obviously, i haven't had the guts to take the plunge yet. but as we have struggled to find funds for our adoption, i've started to realize that we all spend our money in very futile ways. the thing i wonder is whether i'll think the same way once our adoption is completed and we're not counting every penny. we have these great goals of teaching our children that one of our society's greatest lies is that a person needs a lot of stuff to be happy. we want to instill in them contentedness and generosity and thankfulness. and yet, when we're not having to worry about the $800 we need to send here and the $2500 we need to send there, i have to wonder if we'll get sucked back into the consumeristic, materialistic culture in which we live. will we fail to be good models for our children in this area because we forget what we have learned thus far? i pray not.
that's why the challenge of becca's fast seems so urgent to me right now. she has a lot of great things to say about how women find their value and self-worth in clothing and appearance. from her point of view, it's ridiculous that women are convinced that a new outfit is the answer to happiness and acceptance in society. and she's completely right. how many times have i worried that other women wouldn't accept me because my clothes weren't cute or cool or "name-brand" enough? (if you want to read becca's thoughts, she just blogged about this at http://expandingalbertsons.wordpress.com/) BUT, where this really hits home for me is in the idea of solidarity and the transformation of one's heart. here's how most people respond when someone says "i'm not going to buy X because there are children dying in africa": "well, just because you don't spend your money on X doesn't mean a child in africa will be saved. you should just buy X because that $20 can't save anybody." do you know how far from the truth that is? when you stand in solidarity with someone and begin to understand their plight, i'm pretty sure it starts to change your heart and then your habits.
in fasting from consumerism, one stands in solidarity with all those around the world who do not have a choice to buy new clothes at the start of every season...those who live in such poverty that clothing is often a luxury...those who can't worry about whether their clothes make them feel cute because worrying about being cute is a waste of willpower that needs to be used towards living through another day. by standing in solidarity and understanding their plight, i'm convinced that we start making major changes to how we live and what we think we need. by going without, we might realize that it's actually possible to go without and still be content. by going without, we might realize that the money we don't spend buying clothes (or whatever your stuff of choice may be) can actually go towards saving a life. $20 could a buy mosquito net to protect a family 4 in africa from malaria. that net could literally save their lives. a great example of how this works is if you knew it was wrong of you gossip so you committed not to gossip for a week. you'd spend most of the week being ever-conscious of what was coming out of your mouth and using a lot of your willpower to not say something about somebody else. but by the end of the week, you might notice that you're not having to use so much willpower anymore. it's actually natural for you not to gossip. that is the change of heart. no more is it a conscious decision, but rather it has become a way of life.
a lot of people might think a fast like becca's is legalistic. how do you know how much money is the right amount to spend on clothes? how do you know what stores are right to shop at? are name-brands really that bad? normally, i would write a section about how i don't think all shopping or all consumerism is bad. but i'm not going to do that because sometimes i think it coddles people. they read all the hard stuff, and then you start giving disclaimers that can easily become people's way out. this is radical stuff. when i told jamie that becca started this fast, he said "man, i couldn't do that." and knowing that i've often said "i wish i could do that," i told him that the reason we all say these things is because we know it's the right thing to do but we don't want to do it so we couch it in ways that sound like we're being holy enough to consider it ("i wish i could do that") yet don't ever actually get around to it. there's a good chance i will take the plunge and here's why: i've been contemplating if i have enough stuff to make it through the year without buying more clothes and shoes (let me claim now that i certainly have more than enough stuff). i then thought that i could go out and buy some more stuff if i didn't think i could see the fast to the end. WOW. if that thought process doesn't show how much i need to do this fast, nothing else could.
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
thankful
so since i usually get on here and preach about all the issues i care about, i figured today i'd follow suit of some of my blog friends and write a list of things i'm thankful for right now. i probably don't profess praises -- the deep ones or the shallow ones -- enough even though my little heart is always thinking of them. so here i go:
1. jamie passed the bar! most people have probably already read this on facebook, but it's worth saying again. he told our home fellowship group last night that it's hard to imagine the relief he feels if you've never taken a test that determines the rest of your immediate future, especially when you've already bought a house and started the process to adopt. thank you jesus for good news!
2. our home fellowship group. we have 4 married couples and 2 singles in our group right now. it is such a great group of people. i couldn't have put a better group together myself. and one couple has a new baby girl :) we are taking turns hosting the group at our houses. the hosting couple cooks a main entree for dinner and everybody else contributes the rest. there is something very new testament/early church about breaking bread together and sharing your lives together. we are reading tim keller's book the reason for God together. i'll definitely be posting about that soon...thank you jesus for new friends and fellowship!
3. meeting new people because of adoption. i feel like i've met a lot of new people just by virtue of sharing adoption with them. it is an incredible blessing to know people who have walked the journey of adoption or who are walking it right now. it's not that others cannot understand our journey. rather, it's that those who have been there or are there have a fuller appreciation for all that accompanies this wonderful, wonderful journey.
4. greek. i don't know why, but i love greek. i love translating. i love the way it feels to figure out a sentence. it kinda freaks me out how much i like it because some people might say doing greek is like figuring out a math equation and i don't do math. i hear my classmates who have greek this semester complaining about it, and i want to be that annoying person who turns around and comforts them and tells them they might actually end up liking it. also, i think i just like it because i thought i would dislike it so much that the twist in fates is refreshing :)
5. that i found my campus crusade t-shirt with the coca-cola logo on it. i just like that shirt. but, trust me, i'm not ballsy enough to wear it to school since all my classmates would berate me for weeks about a christian organization called crusade.
6. DVR. when we moved to the new house, we switched to directTV because we got fed up with time warner cable. switching to directTV meant getting satellite, which meant getting way more channels than any sane person needs, which also meant getting DVR. it is glorious to record a show, watch it later, and be able to fast forward through commercials.
7. that we haven't eaten dinner out in at least a week. this is a huge deal for us. but i find that making a huge grocery shopping trip and knowing exactly what we plan to eat every night holds us accountable to saving our money and not eating out.
8. fall. this was on both the other thankfulness lists i read, but i have to say it's a praise of mine too. i love fall. i love how there is always a twinge of cool crispness in the air. i love fall colors. i love falling leaves. it is the best season of the year in my opinion.
OK, i have about 3 other things i'd like to blog about soon, but today was a good day to just be thankful!
1. jamie passed the bar! most people have probably already read this on facebook, but it's worth saying again. he told our home fellowship group last night that it's hard to imagine the relief he feels if you've never taken a test that determines the rest of your immediate future, especially when you've already bought a house and started the process to adopt. thank you jesus for good news!
2. our home fellowship group. we have 4 married couples and 2 singles in our group right now. it is such a great group of people. i couldn't have put a better group together myself. and one couple has a new baby girl :) we are taking turns hosting the group at our houses. the hosting couple cooks a main entree for dinner and everybody else contributes the rest. there is something very new testament/early church about breaking bread together and sharing your lives together. we are reading tim keller's book the reason for God together. i'll definitely be posting about that soon...thank you jesus for new friends and fellowship!
3. meeting new people because of adoption. i feel like i've met a lot of new people just by virtue of sharing adoption with them. it is an incredible blessing to know people who have walked the journey of adoption or who are walking it right now. it's not that others cannot understand our journey. rather, it's that those who have been there or are there have a fuller appreciation for all that accompanies this wonderful, wonderful journey.
4. greek. i don't know why, but i love greek. i love translating. i love the way it feels to figure out a sentence. it kinda freaks me out how much i like it because some people might say doing greek is like figuring out a math equation and i don't do math. i hear my classmates who have greek this semester complaining about it, and i want to be that annoying person who turns around and comforts them and tells them they might actually end up liking it. also, i think i just like it because i thought i would dislike it so much that the twist in fates is refreshing :)
5. that i found my campus crusade t-shirt with the coca-cola logo on it. i just like that shirt. but, trust me, i'm not ballsy enough to wear it to school since all my classmates would berate me for weeks about a christian organization called crusade.
6. DVR. when we moved to the new house, we switched to directTV because we got fed up with time warner cable. switching to directTV meant getting satellite, which meant getting way more channels than any sane person needs, which also meant getting DVR. it is glorious to record a show, watch it later, and be able to fast forward through commercials.
7. that we haven't eaten dinner out in at least a week. this is a huge deal for us. but i find that making a huge grocery shopping trip and knowing exactly what we plan to eat every night holds us accountable to saving our money and not eating out.
8. fall. this was on both the other thankfulness lists i read, but i have to say it's a praise of mine too. i love fall. i love how there is always a twinge of cool crispness in the air. i love fall colors. i love falling leaves. it is the best season of the year in my opinion.
OK, i have about 3 other things i'd like to blog about soon, but today was a good day to just be thankful!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
