Hi friends. So I realize I've already posted twice since my long absence (40 days!) without saying hello. So I thought we needed to take a minute and reconnect. I know how hard it can be when people you're used to seeing often suddenly stop dropping by. Anyways, HELLO! How was your Lent, and your Easter? Ours went quickly and unexpectedly in lots of ways, predictably in others. As usual, I struggled and fought against the giving up and found peace and release in loosening my grip. I wondered and wrestled, and bent dangerously close to never showing back up in this space until some friends convinced me to keep writing.
All that to say, I have missed you guys and the freedom of a space to share my heart, our story, and some pictures and such along the way. Also, I am currently SO far behind on sharing my 365 project for this year, that I'm going to have to stick in a bunch of collages to catch up without making this post entirely ridiculously too-long. As a disclaimer: I stink at collages, so these are messy and quickly-put-together (also, the pictures are small . . . because there are so ridiculously many. I'll try to do better and keep up next time, amen).
I've also been collecting some reads and posts for you over the last 40 days, which means I have a whole lot of them. However, if you are only going to read one, make it this one from ProPublica on the resegregation of schools. I wept over it. "Separate educational facilities are inherently unequal. . . to separate black children from others of similar age and qualifications solely because of their race generates a feeling of inferiority as to their status in the community that may affect their hearts and minds in a way unlikely ever to be undone." These words are from the original ruling to desegregate schools in the 50s. But I cannot help but think of all our kiddos who sit in classrooms that unequivocally made up of monochromatic skin tones, and wonder what we are doing to their hearts, regardless of any arguments of whether or not their education is equal to their white counterparts (hint: it's not). The article tells the story in three chapters of three generations of a family in one school: a father who went to school pre-integration, his daughter who attended the integrated high school, and his granddaughter who goes to the same school which has now been "resegregated." It's fascinating and heart-wrenching.
Reading (on the inter-webs)
The Struggle of Stewarding a Story (Sarah Markley)
700 Words (Jamie the very worst missionary)
Making Room (Artifact Uprising)
The Pope, Obama, and inequality (Chris Arnade)
Thoughts on the Wait (Amber Haines)
Speaking Fear, Praying Shalom (Osheta Moore)
In which I go to school (Lori Harris)
In which the women of Haiti make me stand straight (Sarah Bessey)
Torn (Because I always have to link to at least one Flowerpatch Farmgirl)
Watching
I'm not sure if I already mentioned this, but you simply need to watch About Time. Seriously Adam and I both loved this movie so much, and were more-than-pleasantly-surprised by all of it. We also really really loved The Intouchables, particularly how it portrayed a mutually beneficial relationship between two very different people. I loved that they both needed each other, and had so much to teach and demonstrate to each other . . . . Plus it made me laugh and cry, so perfection basically.
Also, Adam and I just started watching Brooklyn Nine-Nine (thanks to DL Mayfield's recommendation:"This show makes me sad for other shows.") . . . We have only watched like 3 episodes, but so far would give it a big thumbs up.
All that to say, I have missed you guys and the freedom of a space to share my heart, our story, and some pictures and such along the way. Also, I am currently SO far behind on sharing my 365 project for this year, that I'm going to have to stick in a bunch of collages to catch up without making this post entirely ridiculously too-long. As a disclaimer: I stink at collages, so these are messy and quickly-put-together (also, the pictures are small . . . because there are so ridiculously many. I'll try to do better and keep up next time, amen).
I've also been collecting some reads and posts for you over the last 40 days, which means I have a whole lot of them. However, if you are only going to read one, make it this one from ProPublica on the resegregation of schools. I wept over it. "Separate educational facilities are inherently unequal. . . to separate black children from others of similar age and qualifications solely because of their race generates a feeling of inferiority as to their status in the community that may affect their hearts and minds in a way unlikely ever to be undone." These words are from the original ruling to desegregate schools in the 50s. But I cannot help but think of all our kiddos who sit in classrooms that unequivocally made up of monochromatic skin tones, and wonder what we are doing to their hearts, regardless of any arguments of whether or not their education is equal to their white counterparts (hint: it's not). The article tells the story in three chapters of three generations of a family in one school: a father who went to school pre-integration, his daughter who attended the integrated high school, and his granddaughter who goes to the same school which has now been "resegregated." It's fascinating and heart-wrenching.
Reading (on the inter-webs)The Struggle of Stewarding a Story (Sarah Markley)
700 Words (Jamie the very worst missionary)
Making Room (Artifact Uprising)
The Pope, Obama, and inequality (Chris Arnade)
Thoughts on the Wait (Amber Haines)
Speaking Fear, Praying Shalom (Osheta Moore)
In which I go to school (Lori Harris)
In which the women of Haiti make me stand straight (Sarah Bessey)
Torn (Because I always have to link to at least one Flowerpatch Farmgirl)
More Reading (in book-form)
I've been reading a lot the last couple weeks, mostly because sometimes when I'm extra-stressed and/or overwhelmed, I need to escape into a good story. I'll share my whole reading list sometime soon, but for now a few favorites from the last couple weeks:
Americanah - Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
This Is the Story of a Happy Marriage - Ann Patchett
Americanah - Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
This Is the Story of a Happy Marriage - Ann Patchett
Yes, Your Teen is Crazy!
- Michael Bradley (any guess why/who prompted this one on the list? sigh. teenagers are not for the faint of heart. Especially those who live-with-you-but-arent-actually-your-kids exactly-but-still-need-boundaries-and-such)
- Michael Bradley (any guess why/who prompted this one on the list? sigh. teenagers are not for the faint of heart. Especially those who live-with-you-but-arent-actually-your-kids exactly-but-still-need-boundaries-and-such)I'm not sure if I already mentioned this, but you simply need to watch About Time. Seriously Adam and I both loved this movie so much, and were more-than-pleasantly-surprised by all of it. We also really really loved The Intouchables, particularly how it portrayed a mutually beneficial relationship between two very different people. I loved that they both needed each other, and had so much to teach and demonstrate to each other . . . . Plus it made me laugh and cry, so perfection basically.
Also, Adam and I just started watching Brooklyn Nine-Nine (thanks to DL Mayfield's recommendation:"This show makes me sad for other shows.") . . . We have only watched like 3 episodes, but so far would give it a big thumbs up.