The Best We Know How

I had been behind horrible drivers the whole way there. I needed to return a few items and there were a few items that needed to be replaced, desperately needed to be replaced. I finally arrived, relatively unharmed and walked in the doors only to realize the return counter was at the whole other end of the store. That's ok, I thought, We need to have an attitude shift anyways. We are here now. We can do this and then we will take ourselves home for dinner.

I'm thankful for attitude adjustments. So very thankful.

I was in line for a minute tops, when a man stepped behind me. I could tell without even turning around that he was homeless, or at least down on his luck. The way he talked had an edge and a toughness to it. It was somewhat mumbled and strung together in a cadence that higher education folks don't normally use. 

I turned slightly, as he was on his phone and I didn't really want him to know I was watching and listening. I learned a lot about his life those next few minutes in line. It's amazing what phone conversations can tell you. But the reason he was in the returns line was what made me have so much compassion for him and so much pride.

The man had bought a shirt for his interview that day. 

The hanger said XL, the shirt it turns out was a Medium. "I put the shirt on for the interview and it seemed tight. It was a medium! Why do they even sell mediums? Do ya know any men tha' are size medium? {I do haha} I mean mediums should be in da boys section. So now I'm waiting...Oh, I talked to the guy at the restaurant taday and he said that he just hired some guys but he doesn't think one of 'em is gonna work out. It'd be 6am Monday thru Friday and it'just prepin' the food, but I told 'em I'd do it. He gonna let me know next week. Yeah, and it pays $10.50 and hour, so it pretty good..."

Oh sweet heavens. My heart swelled as I thought of him going to an interview. Him trying to get a job. Him working to work. I mean he had to set aside money to buy the damn shirt! 

I was so proud of him. So proud of this man I didn't know, that was doing the best he knew how. I could have judged him all over. I also shouldn't have been proud for his success, because God knows I didn't do anything to directly help him. I couldn't help it. He was trying and sometimes that's all any of us can do. Try to do the best we know how.

Attitude adjustments are great when they continue. As soon as I got home I prepared my dinner. Then I did prep for my dinners the rest of the week, sticking it in the oven. My entire kitchen began filling with smoke. There was a haze. I was hesitant to check the oven. I had only put chicken on foil on a cookie sheet. There was no way that my chicken was smoking, but then there was grey smoke coming out of the oven. Oh no.

I opened the oven to find a flame from the bottom to the cookie sheet. Full blazing. Unbeknownst to me, my roommate's bacon from the morning had leaked. There was a grease fire in my oven. Oven off. Chicken out. Shut it tight. Open all the windows and the sliding door. Awesome. Now we wait. 

I didn't loose it 'til another roommate suggested we put water on it...our electric oven...with a grease fire. So then I might have had a bad attitude. 

But this. We have a house and a roof. And for today we all have jobs and we can all shop for shirts that fit us for interviews and outings. And we still have a kitchen with an oven in it.

We are doing the best we know how.

Garden

Today I went to a community garden.  I’m not a frequent gardener, both in the sense of the community garden and my own life.  I seem to get distracted and then the plant dies or something of nature happens.  It’s like I can’t get in the habit.  It’s not a top priority, so it slips below almost everything else on the list of things to do.

 

Just because I don’t garden much doesn’t mean I don’t like it.  Every once in a while I long to feel dirt under my fingernails {in places where it gets stuck…forever}.  I love seeing the electric green color after a fresh rain or watering.  I love the sweet smell of growth.  {Ok, I could pass on the smell of super fresh dirt}.  I love the soothing rhythm of turning the dirt and digging holes for the promise of seedlings.

Today was about working in the earth, ease of conversation and feeling rather than seeing.  Gardening is an experience.  I got invited in a passing thought to join a new friend in her space, with her growth, and her veggies.  There was order and freedom in that space.  It seems odd, but the vegetables were in rows and we looked at the plot like a puzzle seeing were a row could be finished or a new one created.  Order.  There was freedom in stepping in the dirt, kneeling and having nothing but air around.  The only boundary at that point is the ground, which isn’t much.  Freedom.

I didn’t add a picture, because when I picture the space, feel the experience, and imagine the growth of that plot, I can then erase the distractions.  I can make the clutter of the surrounding areas disappear.  If only it was that simple in life.  In only it was easy to focus and be focusing on the right things.  If only the distractions could be erased, the clutter instantly invisible.  When I see the confusion all around I am returned to thankfulness, I turn to compassion, I give mercy, and I am reminded of humbleness.

 

By the way, if you are a lover of children’s books please read The Gardener by Sarah Stewart and David Small.  They have excellent books and this is one of my favorites.  {So much so, that as a child I met them and have a signed copy}

Thanksgiving Reflections

You wouldn’t know it, but I love Thanksgiving.  It’s my favorite holiday, for a few reasons.  I realize that it is December 1^st and with the change in the month it is now ok for Christmas to be the next big thing.  In my head it’s not December yet.  So let me tell you a little about Thanksgiving before you move on in your festivities. 

When a family or a group of friends gather on Thanksgiving, they bring food.  And although food can be a present, there is no pressure to find and bring a gift.  In many ways it is the holiday where you can come as you are.  One’s presence is what makes the difference.  One’s presence is the gift. 

When we want to make someone comfortable, we offer them food or drink.  Food, nourishment of the body, brings people together.  Everyone needs food, it is required, a necessity.  And so, besides the gluttony title that this holiday has taken on, it is the perfect combination of bringing people together, satisfying a natural need, and setting the table for relationships to form.

It is incredible that the United States has a day where things are {supposed to be} closed and the whole nation gives thanks.  We as a people do not realize the amazing things and opportunities we’ve been blessed with.  I know that we don’t all have the same privileges available to us, but we have so much.  It is refreshing to know that there is a time where I am forced to say I am blessed, I am loved, and I have much.

The final reason why I treasure this holiday has to do with heritage.  My ethnic heritage is ummm, well… I’m a Western European mix {look to the right for exhibit A}.  When people talk about traditions that have ethnic or cultural roots, I’m at a loss.  Thanksgiving is my heritage.  I had an ancestor that came over on the Mayflower.  When I say I’ve been here too long that the handed down traditions have faded, it’s true.  {Another side of my family came over in the mid 1700s.  Yep, I’ve been in this country for a long time.}

I am so thankful for this legacy.  It means that traditions are made by my family and shaped by the things that we hold dear.  The traditions aren’t something that has to be kept, but rather they are things that are formed through the making of memories.

Happy Heart Day!

Today is a wonderful day to take the time and think about how I can be thankful and how to pass along a little extra love.  While this isn't my favorite day of the year, I am loving the perspective I have.  This morning has already started off with heart shaped cinnamon rolls, a dance party, chocolate, making a PB&J heart shapped sandwich for lunch, and conversation hearts.  I feel like I've reverted back to childhood.

 

I hope your day is filled with laughter and love!

Isolated {the film}

On Wednesday I went on a mini road trip down to Santa Barbara.  We {brother, cousin, roommate, and friend} zipped down, did dinner and a movie, hit up an after party and then zipped back.  My cousin Geoff is a movie producer and we went to the Santa Barbara International Film Festival to see his film, Isolated.  This film is one that he’s been working on for about 5 years.  It was so exciting to be able to watch the finished product and know how hard he had worked on it.

 

The premise of the movie is a surf documentary, but the pro surfers end up discovering that they have been placed in a position to share the story and voice of a people.  How thankful I am that we have the freedom of speech in the United States.  I am not going to debate or argue with someone who questions what having the freedom of speech entails.  I will say that I am incredible blessed to not live in fear of what I might say my put me to death.  It’s a hard thing to think about.

I don’t know what the next avenue for this film is, but if you get the chance I would highly recommend it.  Check out the website for more information about the film and to learn more about giving a voice to the people of West Papua. Please consider “taking action” and becoming an Ambassador for Peace.

 

Most Thankful

When you are celebrating with your friends or families today and setting aside what I hope will be a day of reflection and of thanksgiving, what are you most thankful for?

At the end of it all I am most thankful for people.  Yes, all people.  How many people in my life are there that I don’t tell them that I am thankful for them, that I appreciate them, that they have an impact on me?

Today, or tomorrow {or whenever you read this} I want you to think who you are most thankful for and maybe don’t know it.  Please write in the comments section and then commit to doing something for or saying something to that person.  Your comments can be anonymous.

Giving Thanks

Do you remember last year’s thanksgiving adventures?  If you want to refresh your memory go here .  I’m overdoing it a bit this year with four thanksgiving meals.  Yes, four, but I figure I have a lot to be thankful for. 

I have been slowly reading through One Thousand Gifts.  It talks about what we have to be thankful for!  There are statistics that say if you are able to read this blog post than you have internet which puts you in the top percents of the world.  And there are statistics that say if you had clean water to drink today {which is more important than the internet} then you are in the top percentage of the world.  And those are silly things that we do without thinking.  Think of all the things that we don’t offer thanks for.  What are the simple things that you are grateful for?  I am thankful that I got to spend my thanksgiving in Italy learning and growing with other students.  I am thankful that I was able to fly on a plane and visit Spain.  I am thankful that none of those things were difficult for me to do {even though it was difficult for me to pack apparently!}

I am even thankful for an awful meal last year, because it means that I appreciate this year{‘s} so much more.

{Last year we had dry turkey and gravy, garlic with mashed potatoes, canned creamed corn, overly sweet stuffing, coleslaw, and no pumpkin for dessert}

Saying Grace

I have been reading One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp.  She talks about having an attitude of thanksgiving.  Yesterday I found that I have fallen out of the habit of giving thanks for my food.  I am still thankful for my food, but I havent set aside the time to offer up thanks.  I am thankful that I can go to the store and buy food and that there is the possibility for me to buy seeds and grow my own.  But how often do I acknowledge it?

2 times in the last week I have watched as someone has bowed their head and prayed over their food, prayed over the blessing it is to be thankful for nourishment. 

In my home, as a family we hold hands and take the next few moments to be thankful.  When I am by myself, why don’t I do the same?  When I am in a public place, why don’t I do the same?

I pray throughout the day, especially when I am walking between classes or walking home from the bus.  I take a walk with Jesus.  Why am I not taking the time to be thankful for what is right in front of me?  for what I am consuming?

I was thinking about the phrase “saying grace”.  When I say a prayer of thanksgiving I am acknowledging the fact that I have been given grace.  I am covered in grace when I offer thanksgiving.  How amazing is that?

Today I am thinking about what it means to be truly thankful.  The leaves are about to change and in a couple of months my favorite holiday Thanksgiving will be here.  That doesn’t mean that I don’t need to take time out now to be thankful for the sweet blessings that grace my table and inhabit my kitchen pantry.

Do you ‘say grace’?

Barcelona Update

Real juice!

This city blew me away by the fact that there is a uniform vibe that flows through the city. Just look at the architecture and you will know what I mean. Just by the buildings style you can tell what city this is. I’ve said it before and I will again, that you can tell when you are in a European city, but every city has its own unique style.
We arrived mid day Thursday after our Wednesday night thanksgiving meal {more on that later}. We had to take a bus into the city from the airport because I am a college student and I fly cheap flights. The reason that I went to Barcelona is because in total I spent $20 on my flight. Yeah Barcelona!

The first thing we noticed when getting off the plane was that it was somewhat warm, our usual California winters! After arriving we wandered to see the “Arc de Triumf” and then it was off to the famous open air market. Have you seen fresh squeezed juice in November? It was delicious and I contemplated going back every day that we were there. I rounded my experience off with an empanada. We checked into our hotel that was on the same street as little India in Barcelona {I had no idea it existed…}. Then it was off to the Sagrada Familia building by Gaudi. My, oh my, could you put any more decorations on a building?
Yes, those would be snailsWe hit up a grocery store for some snacks/dinner and did our own little walking tour. That day we seemed to have trouble reading maps. We went to the park in the city that boasts a mammoth, don’t worry it’s just a statue. But who sees a mammoth on a regular basis? We also were surprised by the beautiful fountain and we passed a library owned by the university. It took a lot of strength and convincing for me to give up on finding the entrance. I miss the library.

This a public park fountian...amazing!

We ended up eating our snacks by the fountain and then doing a little more of a walking tour. We passed some shops that we marked to go back to {mainly they involved food and our tummies couldn’t handle more food}. Then we walked Las Ramblas until it was time…

Time for a Flamenco show! It was Thanksgiving and we splurged. It was worth it. If I couldn’t spend the day with my family I might as well make a memory. After watching the amazing dancing and sipping on some famous sangria we walked home and it was time for bed.

Because I don’t want to overload you on details {as I have already overloaded on pics} we will save day 2 in Barcelona for tomorrow. I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving and got to spend time with your families!

Happy Thanksgiving!

It is that day

Happy thanksgiving!
I have so many things that I have to be thankful for. I think that we all do. {I’ll give you a freebie: If you are able to read this, you have internet and that is something to be thankful for}

Here are a few of mine and they are even more special to me since I won't be there for our tradition of going around the table with my family saying them:
~Family: each one of them Daddy, Momma, Rory, Emma, and Chloe
~My extended family who is celebrating together all over the US
~Friends new and old
~good food and not going hungry
~a warm apartment and bed, no matter how uncomfortable it is
~the ability to travel
~clothes and blankets
~bright colors and sight to see them
~ears to hear the beautiful melodies of the world
~health
~snuggling and blankets
~imaginations
~people and children all over the world that give me a different perspective on life
~books
~chocolate
~pumpkin {I miss it so much, eat some for me}
~the silly things in life
~a good laugh and a good cry
~creativity
~joy
~I am thankful that I don’t have to be perfect, but that I am perfectly made
…there are so many more it would take forever to name them all

~most of all for a loving God and wonderful Savior…there are so many things to thank him for

Creepin' through the walls

When I first moved into my apartment here in Torino we could hear the neighbors through the walls, sometimes . Or rather I should say we would hear their TV. There was news on in the evening and then they would turn it off about 9 pm. I don’t know if it’s the colder weather or new family dynamics. I don’t know if someone has different work hours or there’s just more exciting shows. I don’t know, but the TV is on a lot. It’s not on for a few hours a day, it’s on all day!
When I wake up in the morning there will be silence and then I will realize I hear a talk show coming through the wall, and then a soap opera and then another talk show. When I come back from school in the afternoons or evenings the TV is still on, and I can’t really make out the show. Sometimes the news comes on or a movie. And during the course of the evening it can be heard coming through the walls. And the suddenly I will listen and hear silence again. All through the wall directly by my bed.
This wall also lets the sounds of water from the apartment above come creeping through the walls. I can tell you when someone is taking a shower or just washing their hands. I don’t know if they have something broken or getting fixed or they are just clumsy, but I can hear some thumping going on at about 7am.
Then there’s the apartment above that has decided to move all their dining room furniture multiple times this week…And it makes me wonder what I sound like to my neighbors. Can they tell every move that I make? I try to be quiet, but is it actually working?

My ears have become so accustomed to the sounds that I don’t even notice the instant it’s gone. I think that that is a lot how life is right now for me. Here I know things are different than the US, I recognize that there are differences. I often don’t remember what they are. I just know that there are differences.
There will be differences tonight as we at the school have our Thanksgiving dinner. I have no idea what we will eat, only that there will be turkey. Who knows what shape or form it will be in. Who knows what they think us Americans eat. There will be differences.
Are there things that you’ve become accustomed to? Things we take for granted? Things to be thankful for? {Yes, I just snuck in the thankfulness phrase, more on that tomorrow}