streams

Book reviews:
Same Kind of Different as Me. This is an awesome book. True story told by two men. Talks about spiritual renewal, love restored, and hope for the downtrodden.

The Shack. This is my second go with this book. I read half of it and quit when God showed up as a black woman, Jesus as a not-so-handsome man with a big nose, and the Holy Spirit as a small Asian woman. But, I finished it after my very conservative sister-in-law encouraged me to open up my thinking and finish the book. It is very good. Very challenging. It helped me open up my vision of God and look at a different design for human and spiritual relationships. The book really challenged me to look at forgiveness and power struggles and judgment. And I thought I was open-minded…

I’ve been trying to acknowledge to sacredness of all religions, all acts of worship, all forms of spirituality. The book helped me look at that.

I wish I could do an experiment. I wish I could see myself raised by different parents in various situations and then compare the adult results. I would have myself be raised in the following situations:
1. my real parents
2. adoptive parents
3. foster parents
4. a lesbian couple
5. a multicultural couple
6. a single mother
7. a single father

I would be interested to know how the different adults turned out. In each situation…Would I end up with an eating disorder? What would I do for a living? Where would I live? Who would I date/marry? Would I have children? What kind of spirituality/religion would I encompass? Would I still love to travel, dance, paint, and cycle?

So, I am on the plane from Chicago to Birmingham. It is 8pm and I have to go back to work tomorrow. Blah. I am not looking forward to it. The last time I took a week off was in February. The week of work after vacation was the hardest. I really just took some time off. I didn’t really call friends. I didn’t pay bills or respond to lots of email. I didn’t do much of anything, but relax, fish, and play. But, I relaxed, fished, and played hard. It was such a good vacation. I am just so aware during vacation. I can slow down enough to breathe, sleep deeply, write, read, feel my emotions, exist in prayer, and be a witness to creation. Warren and Jackie’s front yard is covered with wild sunflowers. It’s wonderful. I’m glad I didn’t miss them.

I, of course, spent lots of time with my nephews. One day, Mike, Ryan, and I packed a little bag with water and snacks and went exploring in the woods. I forgot what exploring meant. I expected to head into the woods, have a solid hike, and return to the house. No, no, that is not what exploring means with a seven and a nine year-old. Exploring means wandering, experiencing, enjoying the woods. It means naming each nook and cranny of the woods (“Baldy Mountain” and “Deer Poop Trail” for example). It means looking at the cactus, picking off the hitchhikers every two minutes, and stopping for a sip of water and a bite of a power bar every few yards. I moved from adult-get-the-job-done mode to child-enjoy-the-moment mode. I want to carry that with me as I return to my life. I want to slow down a little bit. I’m writing that after I just wrote a to-do list for my return. I’m not delighted to think of picking up dry-cleaning, going to the bank, paying rent, etc etc. But, I will do it starting tomorrow.

I’ve decided to buy a house next year when my lease runs up. I’m pumped up and scared. But, I’m 27 and I’d like to own a house by the time I’m 28. It’s doable, I think.