2010

The Five Remembrances

1.) I am of the nature to grow old. There is no way to escape growing old.
2.) I am of the nature to have ill health. There is no way to escape ill health.
3.) I am of the nature to die. There is no way to escape death.
4.) All that is dear to me and everyone that I love are of the nature to change. There is no way to escape being separated from them.
5.) My actions are my only true belongings. I cannot escape the consequences of my actions. My actions are the ground upon which I stand.

These five remembrances are something that Buddhist Monks say three times each day. While I am a follower of Christ, I think relevance could be found in these "rembrances." I don't deserve long life or prosperity any more than thousands of children who starve each day. I don't have more ownership nor am I entitled to God's love more than the next person. I want to live well, I want to live intentionally. I want to love others fully. I am given a life.

This past year brought a lot to reflect on and be thankful for. Some things I am SO glad are over, and I look to 2010 with anticipation and an inkling of hope.


I am glad that my friend Sarah's Mom is now cancer free.
I continue to grieve with two different friends. One lost her mother in August to a long battle with cancer. ( This is my 5th friend from college to have a parent or sibling pass away in the last 4 years.) Another friend recently found out that his Mom's cancer came back.

Their are multiple stories I hear of each day either globally, or dealing with people who I know well. These situations are messy and in need of healing and restoration.

Yet, 2009 also brought forth gratitude.
My arm is fully healed with a crazy scar!
My oldest brother is doing much better after his near-death bike accident in August.

I fall deeper in love with the community I am apart of each day. They have blessed my life beyond measure. ( friends, family, neighbors, church, DinoMights)

I was hired at the school where I did my student teaching. I look to that with anticipation and hope.

In June I am venturing to Kampala, Uganda until August. It has been my dream to do some type of educational work in the continent of Africa for quite awhile.

"GOD SPEAKS TO EACH OF US AS HE MAKES US, THEN WALKS WITH US SILENTLY OUT OF THE NIGHT. THESE ARE THE WORDS WE DIMLY HEAR: YOU SENT OUT BEYOND YOUR RECALL, GO TO THE LIMITS OF YOUR LONGING. EMBODY ME. FLARE UP LIKE FLAME AND MAKE BIG SHADOWS I CAN MOVE IN. LET EVERYTHING HAPPEN TO YOU: BEAUTY AND TERROR. JUST KEEP GOING. NO FEELING IS FINAL. DON'T LET YOURSELF LOSE ME. NEARBY IS THE COUNTRY CALLED LIFE. YOU WILL KNOW IT BY ITS SERIOUSNESS. GIVE ME YOUR HAND" -RILKE

Grace

I am a bit of a grinch when it comes to Christmas gifts. I enjoy the music, being with family, and I do like the holiday treats. I have not even started shopping yet. I might make gifts for my family, who knows....

As a culture we have desecrated a holiday that is meant for a humble baby born in a manger offering love to this world.

The U.S. spends over 5 billion dollars on gifts. People across the world lack food, clean water, and basic needs.

This baby boy, wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger came for all of us. He was a human being who roamed this earth.

Last week at school one of the girls in the class came with a gift for me. She lives in a homeless shelter with her Mom and three siblings. The woman who runs the shelter gave each kid a bag with a few games, and little trinkets. This little girl came into school with her bag, and held onto it all day saying she would show me what was in it later. At the end of the day, she pulled me aside and said "this is for you, 'Merry Christmas.' " As a seven year old child taught me more about grace, and accepting a beautiful gift in my grinch-like state, may we all remember to love one another... To love amidst the stress, and consumption of our culture. May we remember to see people, to hear people, and to be among each other.

3rd annual community Thanksgiving

The most famous recorded Thanksgiving took place in 1621. This ‘festival’, which lasted three days, included the participation of nearly one hundred Native Americans. Governor William Bradford had invited the natives to show them appreciation, for helping his colony survive through the harsh weather conditions. Long before the Europeans celerbated Thanksgiving the Cherokee people held harvest festivals, and corn dances. Thanksgiving stands as a holiday to look at life with gratitude. It is a time to celebrate with family and friends.

The Oakland house held its 3rd annual community Thanksgiving this past Saturday. 35 beautiful faces surrounded the banquet table. 5 children under the age of 5. 9 people under the age of 18, and 21 people over the age of 18. Each person that sat around the table has a story. While our Thanksgiving may not go down in the history books as famous, it truly is a time to acknowledge the amazing relationships in our lives.

One of the members of the Oakland house had her three high school girls set the table with white table cloths, name cards for each guest, and place settings. Two neighborhood high school boys acted as waiters, taking orders for juice or milk. One of our neighbors made her famous macaroni and cheese. Another guest from Lithuania, had never made sweet potatoes and one boy in attendance said they were better than his Mama's!

Life was shared, bellies were filled, and laughter permeated the air. As people sat around the banquet table, something beautiful, and sacred occured. It was a true Thanksgiving.

Thanks again to YouthWorks! for helping us make this meal happen.

Breaking Free

I began writing this two weeks ago. With student teaching, I had to come back to it this afternoon.

On Wednesday I drove up to my block and noticed a woman passed out on the front steps across the street. We will call her Mary. My friend and her husband recently moved into the house where this woman was. I tried to call my friend to check if she was home. Mary eventually got up and left the premises. I also left to run some errands. As I arrived home, my friend also pulled up to her house. I alerted her about Mary, who works the corners of our neighborhood. I walked into my house, and one of my housemates told me about a conversation she had with Mary earlier in the day. I ended up calling my friend who lives across the street to make sure everything was alright. She told me that Mary was now sitting on the couch in her front porch. I went over with one of my housemates and we all talked with Mary. She was quite intoxicated, and told us that the couch just seemed like a nice place to rest. She talked with us for awhile. She told us that she grew up a few blocks away. She said she just needed some rest.

I do not know the circumstances of her life. I have no idea what has caused her to work the streets. Their are countless unknowns. I know that so much in this life will not make sense. Their will not be easy answers. Space is needed for doubt. Space is needed for cynicism, and for hope.

The next morning I woke up and saw Mary again walking down Lake street. I thought of the students I work with. The kids in my classroom have different factors influencing their lives. They are small, they are so incredibly impressionable. I have no idea what will happen to these kids in the next 15 years of their lives. They will be 21. They will face some difficult choices. I see a lot of light in them. When I worked for DinoMights I was able to spend time with kids at the park, and take them out for ice cream. I pray that they have people in their lives outside of school loving on them, empowering them, and recognizing their strengths. I don't know what will come of their lives. The stories of these children are just beginning to unfold. One girl's father is in jail. He is one of the highest ranking gang members in the city. One little boy falls asleep nearly every day because he does not have a bedtime at home. Two girls in the class live at the same shelter, a few doors down from each other. They cannot control their environment. They are talented, they are bright. I pray for them, I pray for their future. Sometimes it seems that is all I can do.....


A fact that is worth reading: A popular ratio among youth workers used to be 1-7. If you--as one mentor--had seven students in your life that you were investing time into, you were a successful youth worker. However, the Search Institute did some studies recently and decided that the ratio needs to be flipped. To make the greatest impact, the real ratio should be 7 caring adults for every 1 student.

lessons & legacies

Last week I attended Sunday school at church. The theme is lessons & legacies. The question was :who has gone before us, to teach us life lessons? Who has left a legacy?
What kind of legacy do we want to leave?

We have so much to learn from inter generational community. How can we allow for relationships to form in this way?

Education & Expectations.

I am doing my clinical practice( fancy new education word for student teaching)in a first grade classroom. Today the school had an assembly to watch the President give an address on education. The Star Tribune, and quite a few other media outlets were present at this event. Our school was featured in the paper!

One particular student in my class is quite defiant. He has had to go to the behavior room on several occasions during the first week of school. He was taken out of his home last year by child protective services. He is six years old and has already been dealt some rough cards. This same kid is at grade level in reading and can count to 100.

My neighbor began kindergarten last week. He missed the first day because he wasn't registered. Last night I got home around 10 p.m. and he was still up. He peered his little nose through the screen window and said he couldn't fall asleep because his Mom and her boyfiend were fighting. This morning the doorbell rang and this five year old boy was standing there with his older sister asking if I could give him a ride to school. I had to leave for work in 10 minutes. I couldn't give him a ride. He missed his bus. This is only his 3rd day of kindergarten. His Mom gave him a ride, and he got to school two hours late.

My good friend works at a high school in North Minneapolis. One of her students was in a pretty serious fight today. She sat him down and they talked about what happened. He is pretty high up in the world of gangs. He shared with her the struggles he faces each day.

After president Obama's speech we asked the first graders what they would want to tell the President. We also asked what they are supposed to do in school, and what the speech was about. The students said they would like to tell the President he is "handome, brave, smart, kind, he has nice hair, and that he has a beautiful family." While I am sure older students may have had opinions on what the Presidnet should do for; education, immigration, health care, and the array of issues, the answer that had the greatest impact was that he is "brave." President Obama talked about the challenges he faced growing up, and how hard he had to try to succeed. He had to show courage. So many students in our schools have external factors beyond their control. They have had to be "brave", and their audacity amazes me every day.

You can read an excerpt from the President's speech below. The full speech can be viewed here.

' Now I know it’s not always easy to do well in school. I know a lot of you have challenges in your lives right now that can make it hard to focus on your schoolwork.
I get it. I know what that’s like. My father left my family when tI was two years old, and I was raised by a single mother who struggled at times to pay the bills and wasn’t always able to give us things the other kids had. There were times when I missed having a father in my life. There were times when I was lonely and felt like I didn’t fit in.
So I wasn’t always as focused as I should have been. I did some things I’m not proud of, and got in more trouble than I should have. And my life could have easily taken a turn for the worse.
But I was fortunate. I got a lot of second chances and had the opportunity to go to college, and law school, and follow my dreams. My wife, our First Lady Michelle Obama, has a similar story. Neither of her parents had gone to college, and they didn’t have much. But they worked hard, and she worked hard, so that she could go to the best schools in this country.
Some of you might not have those advantages. Maybe you don’t have adults in your life who give you the support that you need. Maybe someone in your family has lost their job, and there’s not enough money to go around. Maybe you live in a neighborhood where you don’t feel safe, or have friends who are pressuring you to do things you know aren’t right."

here on earth

In brokeness, in suffering, in joy, in the spectrum, God's kingdom can be found here on earth.

I ran across this quote today and really liked it.

The kingdom of God
is justice and peace
and joy in the Holy Spirit.
Come, Lord, and open in us
the gates of your kingdom.

- Hymn from Taizé,

an ecumenical monastic community in France