Just to let everyone know that a job has opened up for me - how exciting! I am going to be a teacher's aide in the special education department at a middle school. I am thrilled about it. It is an old school in a nice neighborhood not even ten minutes from our house. Such a blessing! The neat part about it too, is that the principal seems very interested in hiring me to teach ESL in the fall,which would basically be my dream come true. So, even though losing my job was hard and hurtful ( and still is some), it is neat to see how the Lord has worked in this difficult situation. His ways truly are best, even if they are beyond my understanding all the time. But I guess that keeps it adventurous, right? I have to fill out some paperwork tomorrow, so I am not sure yet of the official start date, but I will keep everyone updated. Just wanted to share the exciting way that the Lord has worked in this, and to share my extreme gratefulness to the Lord for His loving-kindness! And thank you all too for your prayers :)
Sunday, February 26, 2006
Friday, January 27, 2006
Even Little Leaks Grow
Tis true. Our adorable little drip-drip from the bathtub spout has grown up. It has gone from the cute, cliche tiny drip of "aren't old houses charming and so much character?", to, well, basically Niagara Falls. It is now a gushing stream that you could easily take a bath in. I read an article today in National Geograpic about the shortage of water in the Serengeti region in Africa, and felt immensely guilty. We could probably have watered an entire herd of wildebeast and a few lions with all the water that has been wasted. This drip sounds like the Falls too, as it can be heard anywhere in the house now, even with the bathroom door closed, as Bill has pointed out numerous times. And speaking of Bill, this guy would never have made it through the Chinese water torture (didn't that have to do with water dripping?). He must put as much of a sound barrier between himself and the drip as possible. Last night, with the bathroom door and the bedroom door firmly closed, he could still hear the water. So, despite the fact that it is relatively cold inside and out, we had a tower fan humming to us all night. Bill finally couldn't hear the drip any longer, and I'm sure my sore throat from the cold breeze on my face will go away. Having the bathroom door closed at all times - Bill's mandate - has brought with it certain interesting aspects as well. You see, the leak is from the hot water faucet, not the cold. So it creates a kind of tropical environment in the bathroom, which is most unusual. It is constantly humid and warm, and the mirror slightly steamed over. Our bath towels don't dry out and my bathrobe is always damp when I put in on in the morning. The toilet paper is getting soggy. But hey, on the bright side, my ivy is thriving. I think I may move all of my houseplants into the bathroom and use it as a kind of mini-conservatory. The handyman is supposed to come tomorrow, and hopefully that will restore our bathroom to its normal arid climate. A few days ago, while wrapped in a hug from Bill, he kissed my head and said, "I can't WAIT for Saturday!". I looked up at him and smiled, "Why's that?", I asked, expecting some romantic banter. "Because," he said, his eyes full with feeling, "then the leak will be fixed".
Monday, January 16, 2006
Time For A Change
'TIME FOR A CHANGE' the Pottery Barn catalog blared in large white letters, as I pulled it from my mailbox that afternoon. "Well," I thought, "I certainly got that!" You see, about 45 minutes earlier, I had been called into my supervisor's office and told that they were "letting me go". No reasons, no warning, and no second chance. My position was still wanted, but I was not. And so, I was at home now, shell-shocked and still trying to digest what had happened. And why. And how, and what in the world did I do to result in this?!
Nearly two weeks later, I am going through the stages of 'processing' what has happened, and working through the various feelings and emotions that go with all that (as well as looking for another job!). I am mostly over the initial shock, though I still have moments of disbelief, and am trying to respond to my new situation in the right way. Is there a 'right way'? I think so, though that does not mean that is always my response. I think it means forgiving, even though I am genuinely hurt by the situation, and the poor way that I feel it was handled - by people that I trusted. I think it is also not allowing this incident to cover our overall good opinion of that organization, and especially as Bill resumes classes again tomorrow there, that has been difficult. Though I hope that we will continue to heal and look back at our time here with appreciation, I confess that for both of us, it has affected the way that we look at the school somewhat. It is hard to see the things we loved about it now through the haze of losing my job, though I am praying that as Bill begins his classes, we will remember, and be able to isolate this incident from the whole experience. Overall though, I believe that the right way to respond is in trust. Trust that the Lord was not caught unawares by this, that He will provide for us, and even more, that His hand is in it and He intends good in all that has happened. This is not some kind of forced optimism - belief that this happened so that my dream job could be revealed (though that may be the Lord's intention!). My next job may be a stinker. But this is trust that the Lord will not let us fall, and that He does have our best in His plans for us - whether we see and understand them or not! The second half of Isaiah 50:10 says, "Let him who walks in the dark, who has no light, trust in the name of the Lord and rely on his God". I feel kind of like we are in the dark right now, without a light. Yet, looking back over our marriage and my life - and the ways the Lord has worked - I know that I can trust Him. And I must attest that through all of this disappointment, we have seen glimpses of the Lord's care for us - little things that have happened to help us out and provide for us and encourage.
So, I end this blog with a plea for your prayers for us, that we would have right attitudes and feelings, that a job would open up for me (a teaching job would be wonderful!), and that we would choose to trust and rely on the Lord. Also, for those of you who I kept up with regularly via email, I lost all my email addresses the day I left, so please leave a comment with your current email so we can keep in touch!
Sunday, December 11, 2005
Wednesday, November 23, 2005
Art: The Extravagant Gesture
I get an email newsletter from Image magazine, a publication that addresses Christianity and the arts. This letter arrived today, and I thought it shared an important perspective on the value of art, as well as goals for all artists who have a relationship with Jesus. It follows:
Dear Friends of Image:
“It was the best of times. It was the worst of times.” We've heard the opening words of Charles Dickens's A Tale of Two Cities so often that they've become a cliché. But my guess is that most of us can relate to those words after the year we've just gone through. Whatever good news we have to celebrate has to be set against the spectacle of a world battered by hurricanes, inundated by floods, and shaken by earthquakes. The human cost has been beyond comprehension.
At times like this, those of us who work in the arts have every reason to do a fair amount of soul-searching. What can a poem or a painting do for the bereaved and the homeless?
But then I think of Mary Magdalene anointing the feet of Jesus. Judas reproves her for wasting a precious substance. Jesus, however, commends her. In some mysterious way, the beauty and extravagance of Mary's gesture is seen by Christ as an icon of compassion. What she does demonstrates God's prodigal love for his children—and in that sense it becomes a sacramental sign that has the power to move human hearts.
Art, like that precious oil, can be the extravagant gesture that moves us to understanding and charity. All the more so when in the case of Image the writing and art we feature provide glimpses of the human solidarity that only God's grace can underwrite.
And so we hope that you will help us continue the mission of Image: to deepen the imaginative life of the church, to make faith credible in the mainstream culture, and to nurture the writers and artists who are striving to renew that faith.
Cordially,
Gregory Wolfe
Friday, November 18, 2005
A Light From Heaven
I usually don't get nervous when I meet "people of importance" - and I have met a few before. Actually, I don't think I've ever been nervous before an introduction. But, suddenly, as I stood in the "meet and greet" line for Jan Karon, I was. There were a hundred questions that I wanted to ask her - about her writing, her books, her faith. None of them came to mind as the line drew closer and closer to where she stood. I had the awful realization that I was going to shake her hand, stare at her, and awkwardly stumble away. And there was nothing I could do about it - I was frozen. Before I continue this tale, let me just explain why this meeting was such a big deal for me. Simply put, Ms. Karon is an authorial inspiration for me and the reason is threefold: she is a gifted writer, she has a sincere relationship with the Lord, and she has been successfully published in a secular market. Yep, that's what I want to be. Lofty, I know, but I can't shake the conviction that it is so important for Christians to be involved in the "arts", and that it shouldn't be in our own "Christian culture", but in the culture of the world! Someone once said that since we (as Christians) have an intimate relationship with THE Creator, we should be the most creative people around. But not to keep our creations for ourselves, but to share with everyone. At the event last night, Ms. Karon spoke of themes that she felt were woven throughout her Mitford series - unconditional love, grace, forgiveness. But she shared that the one that stood out to her the most was that of redemption. These books can be picked up at any bookstore by any person, and the story he or she reads is one of redemption - through a personal relationship with our Lord, I might add. I believe that is being salt and light. However, to finish my story... when my turn came to stand in front of Ms. Karon, I smiled (and blushed, because I still didn't know what to say). She warmly pressed my hand, took Bill's hand in her other, and said, "What a beautiful young couple; so sweet". Her assistant bent towards her, "This is the lady that asked the question about publishing a book with Christianity in it in a secular market". Ms. Karon smiled and squeezed my hand tighter. "Are you a writer, or do you want to be?" I melted and my tongue was loosed. Yes I do want to be, I said, but I just don't know what, how... my usual thing. She spoke to me some about that, and then ended by saying, "You will know when you have 'your story'. Pray about it and just wait. Pray about it". Pretty good writing advice from a New York Times bestseller.
Oh yes, and did I mention? When I came back to have my picture taken with her, she put her arm around me and said, "Take a good picture; she is going to be a famous author some day".
