Wow! What a jerky kid.

Six months have passed since I wrote my last blog entry. Even though I love to write, I haven’t felt like it lately. But, we are doing this challenge in our church lifegroup and we are supposed to share something about ourselves. I figured I could share my blog.

I started to write about a serious topic that has been weighing on my heart, but I decided to do something fun instead. I am going to share trivia about myself. Most of it shows what a stupid, adventurous kid I was.

·         I love to write and I have considered writing a book about my messed up, dysfunctional childhood.

·         I lived in the Hood on the eastside of Indianapolis up to the age of nine. All of the following adventures happened during that time.

·         When I was about eight years old, I was arrested for riding a Green Machine on Washington Street. I had to go to traffic court.

·         One time, my friend, Mary McKinney and I walked around the Hood in our skivvies with pantyhose up to our chins.

·         I got in a fight with a girl named “Angel” once. I flattened a soda can and went after her with it. I don’t remember winning, but I don’t remember losing either. Maybe it was a draw. I don’t know.

·         My friends and I used to walk to the women’s prison on Michigan Street, stand at the fence and yell at the inmates.

·         There are railroad tracks behind Willard Park where I used lived. One time when I went exploring, I wore red rubber boots without shoes inside. I stepped on a nail and had to get a tetanus shot.

·         I locked myself in a bathroom once. I climbed up on the sink to reach the high window to call for help. I slipped and sliced my finger to the bone on a broken mirror that was in the window. I didn’t get stitches and I have a beauty of a scar.

·         One Halloween, a bat got stuck in our apartment. Someone chased it out with a broom.

·         When I was about seven or so, I ran away from home and headed downtown. I made it to the intersection of Southeastern and Washington Street, but I couldn’t find a bathroom. I had an accident and went home.

Come to think of it, I was pretty much a jerk!  Here's a picture of me right after I was pulled from the Hood. I look deceptively innocent, huh?

WE MADE IT!

Mallory is the youngest of our four girls. The baby. She will probably always be referred to as THE baby. In just a few short weeks, she graduates from high school. We've been through this three others times, but, for some reason, this time, it feels different. Of course, we are taking the time to celebrate Mallory’s accomplishments, but I suppose, in a way, my husband, Clint, and I are celebrating our family's accomplishments as well.

WE DID IT! But, for the Grace of God, all four girls have graduated from high school and are on their way to living full lives.

Rachel is a real estate broker. She and her husband, Chad, have moved about five hours away to Michigan where they bought a “fixer upper”. They continue to get acquainted with their new jobs and new surroundings while traveling back and forth to visit.

Jessica, earned her Sports Management degree from the University of Indianapolis a few years ago. She and her husband, Charley, have their first baby on the way. Rhyan will make her appearance in early September. So, no sooner will we get the last of the girls out of high school before Clint and I will begin our new roles as “Nana & Grandad”. (Grandparent titles are still a work in progress.)

And, it seems like it was just yesterday that Crystal was graduating from high school, but no. That was four years ago! She finishes her college degree from IUPUI this summer and then, she and her boyfriend, Korrie, will begin making all those big life decisions about marriage, career, buying a house, etc. It is an exciting time for our family!

New jobs. New goals. New adventures. And, new people. In the last several years, our family has been through a lot of changes, both good and bad. Some have caused setbacks while others have been blessings. It took a lot of prayer, determination and hard work, but, the important thing is...WE MADE IT!!  It is for this reason that I ask you, dear friend, to forgive us this year if the graduation party is a little bigger and the tears flow a little longer.

“The Lord bless you and keep you;  the Lord make his face shine on you  and be gracious to you;  the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace.” Numbers 6:24-26

Would you like fries with your BMW?

A couple of conversations with friends this week had me awake, early on a Saturday morning, thinking. Interestingly enough, the topic of both encounters concerned the level of poverty that exists in the world--a level so low that the overwhelming majority of those living in the US are unable to even comprehend it.

There are Americans who think they are poor because they cannot afford a new car or because they are unable to buy brand-name shoes for their kids. At the same time, there are people in other countries who don't even own a pair of shoes and not owning transportation means they must walk miles to get the family's drinking/cooking water for the day.

While on a missions trip in Mexico, one friend told me how she witnessed a common theme where a mother will guide her own child into the arms of an American then quickly abandon that child in the hopes that the American will take her precious son/daughter back to the United States. This mother has no idea what these people are like. All she knows is that the life they can provide for her young child has to be better than the one she can. I cannot imagine giving up one of my children. Then again, my children never went hungry nor did they do without most of life's comforts, let alone the basics. (Get some facts: http://www.globalissues.org/issue/2/causes-of-poverty)

Let's bring it closer to home. We have children in our own city, our own township who go hungry if they aren't eating at school; children who steal extra food while going through the lunch line because once they get dropped off at home, they don't know when they will see their next meal. Sure, we can try to rationalize the numerous reasons why this can happen from low education/wages to laziness to drug addiction. Yet one fact remains, none of these reasons are the fault of the hungry child. (Get some more facts: http://www.npc.umich.edu/poverty/)

Sometimes, these statistics break my heart so badly that I find it easier to avoid thinking about them altogether. Maybe, you do the same thing. That doesn't solve the problem though. I feel God tugging at me a little more each day so I don't think I can sit back and watch forever. I'm not talking about starting a revolution, but maybe we can start with just one kid or two or even three and see what God does with that. What can I do? What can you do? What can WE do? I have a few ideas. I would love to hear yours.

"But if anyone has the world's goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God's love abide in him? Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth." 1John 3:17-18 (ESV)