I'll Be Home for Christmas

Right now I am only hoping that the end of this song (the "if only in my dreams" part) will not be how I experience my Christmas this year. I am scheduled to fly from Chicago to Portland tomorrow night, but with a prediction of four inches of snow here in Chicago tomorrow night and all the closures at PDX, I am a little anxious.

...........

I left Kentucky early Saturday morning, hitching a ride up to Chicago with my friend Kelly (thanks again!) and have been enjoying a few days with my sister. I cannot believe how cold it is up here!!! When I woke up yesterday morning, my sister informed me that it was -6 outside with a wind chill of -30! Any plans I may have had about going somewhere were completely dismissed as a result of the weather (eek!). Although my sister did drag me out last night to go to the grocery store - she said I had to at least experience weather that cold. To steal an expression from Bekah's roommate Maria, I felt like a sausage. I had quite a few layers on (I think about six) and each time I added another one I felt like I was squeezing myself in - like a sausage. We're heading out to our aunt and uncle's tonight, so here is hoping that I don't freeze to death while waiting for the L.

In my last post I mentioned that I was helping out with the Christmas Box distribution in Rockcastle County last Friday. It truly was a neat experience and I am so glad that I was able to be a part of it. Jenny had organized a Christmas service which included a recitation of the Christmas story by Rich (a short-term volunteer who had been staying with us, along with his wife Barbara) and his grandson - and by recitation, I mean that they recited the entire Christmas story from the book of Luke. It was pretty awesome. But the best part of the day was the distribution. It was almost overwhelming to go down to the gym and see these rows and rows of boxes piled high, and to know that all of these boxes were gifts for needy families given by loving people all around the country. One family had received seventeen boxes!

I spent a little time handing out food vouchers to families; this was a very humbling experience. Here I was doing something so little for families who struggle so greatly and who are in need - all the time knowing that I would have many hot meals during Christmas break with my own family, without ever worrying about where that food would come from. But this was such an encouraging time too. I was surrounded by the proof that there are many people in the world who will reach out to help those in need; I was reminded that I am blessed to work for an organization whose mission is to serve the needy of Appalachia - materially and spiritually.

Isn't that what this season is all about? Jesus came to serve, as we celebrate his birth, it seems fitting that we take the time to serve in our communities.

Before I close, I wanted to share a fun little story. Last Thursday night I cooked dinner and led devotions. In the holiday spirit I decided that we should put on a nativity play as a house. Unfortunately, not everyone was there, but we made do with what we had - and it was a blast. After we finished our play, we watched a clip from A Charlie Brown Christmas. The one where Linus explains the true meaning of Christmas to Charlie Brown. I've included our "cast picture" and our Christmas photo below. I hope you all enjoy and have a very merry Christmas.
Front (l-r): Yong (representing the wise men), Rich (the Archangel Gabriel), Barbara (Elizabeth - Mary's cousin - she has a bowl under her shirt since she was supposed to be pregnant), Jenny (Mary, holding a giant sweet potato which represented baby Jesus), Helen (an angel of the Lord). Back: our friend Steven (a shepherd), me (King Herod), Sharyn (Narrator).

Back (l-r): Rich, Liz, Zaneta, Jenny, Yong, Duane. Middle: Barb, Helen, Sharyn. Front: Paul, Kim, me, Jenna.

Blessings and peace to all.

Christmastime is Here...

Well, it is Christmastime here in Rockcastle County. Every time I go down Main Street I see lights and decorations, I listen to carols, but to be honest I have felt a little left out of the Christmas spirit.

This is the season of Advent, a time of waiting and anticipation for the Christ child and all the hope his coming will bring. And yet, instead of waiting in anticipation I have felt distracted and overwhelmed by all that is happening this season.

Thankfully, I have been very sheltered from the commercialism the season brings. I have barely even been in a store and I haven't done any Christmas shopping yet and I am not really sure that I will get a chance to do any before Christmas (we'll see).

I have, however, been able to see a lot of good things done this Christmas. This week is distribution week for Christmas boxes - a program that CAP runs every year where enitre families are sponsored by people all around the country so that they might have presents to open on Christmas morning. CAP supplements these gifts by providing food vouchers to all families who participate in the program, allowing them a chance to also have a holiday meal. I am excited that I get to help out with Rockcastle County's distribution on Friday. My housemate Jenny has been in charge of organizing it and I know it will be great (although very stressful for her).

Things are continuing well, both at work and in the volunteer house. I can tell though that I am very tired, and even a little homesick - which is weird for me. I suppose part of it may just be the anticipation of knowing that I will soon be home with friends and family. No matter how much I love my new home and new friends, I still miss the old ones and cannot wait to see them.

I know this is kind of a random post - mainly just my rambling thoughts - so thanks for reading.

Peace.

Jingle Bell, Jingle Bell, Jingle Bell Run...

Today I did something that I have never done before - something that I never even thought I would ever want to do - today, I ran in a 6K race. So why, when I have always scoffed at the thought of running, would I decide to submit myself (and not only submit myself, but pay $20) to torture?

A couple of months ago, Mt. Vernon held the Bittersweet Festival 5K race and a few volunteers ran in it. After the race I was talking with my friend Allen about running - mostly about why I don't run - and he had asked if anyone else in my family ran, so I told him about how my dad runs three times a week like clockwork and how my sister Emily used to run all the time and how she liked running in races. Shortly after this conversation, I was talking with my sister Bekah about what we wanted to do to remember Emily this year; we were debating going back to Seattle to be with friends and family for the anniversary, but we weren't really sure if that would be the best choice. Then I remembered the announcement for the Jingle Bell 6K on December 6th, only two days before the anniversary. I guess it all just kind of clicked for me, and I knew that I wanted to run for Em.

The month of November was pretty much spent training for this race. Almost every night, Monday through Thursday, Kim, Jenna, Liz, and I would head to the gym. And I would run, or try running, or even just walk. It wasn't always a good workout, and I didn't always run very much or very fast, but nonetheless, I was there. And I made gains too. When I first went I wasn't sure I could run a mile. But then I made it to two miles. And then two and a half. And then three. And then three and a half (there were, however, stints of walking interspersed with the running).

Anyway, last night Bekah flew down from Chicago to run the race and spend the weekend with me. We also had a few volunteers from other houses come over to run too. And this morning we headed down the valley to face our fates...okay, so I was the only one being melodramatic about it all, but it felt like I was facing my fate (I was telling people goodbye and that it had been nice knowing them since I believed that I was going to die while running; I was only mildly kidding when I said this).

The walkers started at 8:30, so we watched them take off and then proceeded to wait until 9:00 for the run to start. This would have been fine it it wasn't literally freezing outside. Right as we took off the snow started falling, and it kept falling for the first half of the race. I love being out in a snowfall - it is so peaceful and enchanting - but running with snow falling straight in my eyes was not so much fun. Needless to say, it was not exactly a promising beginning and I was quickly left behind by all the other CAP runners. By the time I came around the first bend in the road I was trying to remember why I was out here in the freezing cold, running.

But it was through remembering that made the race great. It was as though I could see Emily jumping up and down, cheering me on and telling me how proud she was of me for just trying. And so I kept running; running for Em.

And yet, it was still really hard to keep running. I guess God was watching me run and decided to remind me of a song I haven't sung since working at camp all those years ago because suddenly I had "I can do all things, all things, all things; I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. Philippians 4:13" running through my head like crazy. As cheesy as it was, it really did help motivate me to keep going and to not give up. And I ran the first half of the race without stopping to walk at all!

Slowly after the turn around my legs started to cramp a bit, so I took a little walking break before trying to return to full speed. Slowing down, however, did not really help; it actually made it harder for me to be motivated to run again. I kept pushing though and was doing alright until I hit the marker for the last mile. It was at about this time that I realized I could not really feel my right foot...not really a good sign. So I stopped and loosened my shoe in case it had been too tight, then kept going. Unfortunately, this didn't really help. By the time I was coming into the last bend of the race, my whole right leg was numb - but I was still running.

Out of the seven of us running (there were more people running in general, but seven of us from CAP), I knew that I was going to be the last to come in. At first, I felt a little self-conscious about it, but when I did come around that last bend someone noticed my pink polka dot hat in the distance and I was cheered in the whole last stretch by about ten people who calling my name and telling me great job and that "Santa would be proud!" It was a beautiful sight/sound and I felt so blessed that I stopped worrying about being last from our group and I almost started crying.

My finishing time was 41:26 - I think that breaks down to about 13 minute miles, or something like that. And hey, for my first race, after only having run for about a month, I am pretty damn proud of that time. I am also very proud of my number - 414 - which is now hanging on my wall.

We shall see where this whole running thing goes. If Mt. Vernon has another small race I may try again. I can't believe I am saying this, but overall, it really was kind of fun. And for now, I plan to keep running on my own.

This one was for you Em. Love you and miss you.

Thanksgiving

I know this is a little belated, but I still want to wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving! I know that I have a lot to be thankful for this year, and being in Kentucky is definitely on that list! I hope that everyone had a safe and enjoyable holiday filled with fun, family, and friends.

For the holiday weekend I was able to head up to Chicago, which was a blast! I caught a ride up to Bloomington, Illinois with my housemate Liz, and took a train from there to the windy city, where I was greeted by my sister Bekah (whom I had not seen since the beginning of August, so it was a very welcome reunion!). We spent the majority of our weekend up in Winnetka, Illinois (just north of Chicago) with our aunt, uncle, and cousins - so in many ways, my Thanksgiving felt very "normal," despite the fact that I was on the other side of the country.

Aside from being with family and watching the Ducks beat the Beavers in the Civil War game (the score was 65-38; so much for the "Cinderella" team), the highlight of my holiday weekend was an impromptu adventure I took with Bekah and our cousin Jimmy. Winnetka may seem like an average, semi-boring suburb, but at least it was the filming location of one of the greatest movies of all time: Home Alone. My aunt and uncle actually only live a couple of blocks from the McCallister home - which is awesome! So the day after Thanksgiving, Bekah, Jimmy, and I took a walking tour of Home Alone filming spots. It was great fun, and we weren't the only ones doing it either! When we were a block or two away from the house, we could see a couple taking pictures in front of it too. Our next stop was Hubbard Woods, for the scene where Kevin steals a toothbrush and runs across an ice rink (which was made for the movie) and over the Metra tracks. And after that came the grocery store where Kevin bought waterballoons (although they didn't have any!). We had to drive to the next town over to see the church where Kevin hid in the Nativity scene and made friends with Old Man Marley. So all in all, it was a grand adventure and all three of us realized how completely obsessed we are all with Home Alone (which is fine).

Thanksgiving was my first time out of Kentucky in almost three months, so it was definitely a little weird being away from my new home. My friend Kelly gave me a ride down on Sunday and the closer we got, the more excited I was to be heading back home. It was a slightly sad homecoming, however, seeing as two of my housemates had left. Zaneta, who was a short term volunteer returned home to New York, and Duane, another short term volunteer, had headed south for the winter (although he is coming back in the spring, which is really exciting).

I can't believe it is December already. The time is flying by so fast. I graduated almost six months ago; it is almost 2009; I'm about to turn 23...we live in crazy times.

Anyway, a couple of weeks ago during a house meeting we were asked to make a list of ten things we are thankful for. I thought I would share my list in the spirit of Thanksgiving, but know that it does not do justice to the blessings in my life or my thankfulness for all the amazing people I am privileged to know.

1. A loving family

2. Amazing friends who encourage and support me

3. A safe and loving home to come back to every night

4. The beauty of the world around me

5. A God who is bigger than me

6. Something meaningful to do

7. Learning more about people

8. Sunshine

9. Fall

10. Brownies

Peace.