The Fletchers....An Amazing Family!!

In the after school progam at CDM, we used to always take a moment in our group time every afternoon to "shine" on kids or staff who had caught our attention for doing something exceptional that day. We would say, "I want to shine on so-and-so for...." and it was always a fun part of the afternoon. Well, in that same tradition, today on this blog I would like to "shine" on my cousin Holly and her husband Aaron and their sweet little girl Maddy!

Growing up, I always looked forward to the weeks that the Eckstein cousins would come to Farwell. We always had the best time creating our imaginative escapades at MaMa and PaPa's house. I always had the most fun with Holly (even though I think we fought the most too!) because she loved to read and write as much as I did and she always had the best ideas for our next activity, whether it was creating RC cola commercials, writing and acting our own westerns, playing OJ Simpson in the Bloomfield church building, or having Miss America pagaents in MaMa's bathroom. She always wrote amazing stories too and inspired me in my own writing career! We also had fun writing each letters via snail mail throughout the year too. So Holly has always been a pretty special cousin to me.

I still remember when I was in Guyana at HOPE Children's Home and I got word that Holly was dating a pretty nice guy named Aaron. But my first impression of him came before I ever met him when he and Holly sent a package of treats to me in Guyana to give the kids. Already I could tell that he and Holly had the right kind of foundation for their relationship...one that was based on generosity and service to others. When I finally got to meet Aaron a few months later, I couldn't have imagined anyone a better fit for not just Holly but her family.

So a few years later when Holly and Aaron made the decision to move to Dallas, I couldn't have been more thrilled! I was really looking forward to having family in the area, but I really didn't know what an encouragement it would be to have a more regular interaction with the Fletchers.

Holly and Aaron are two of the most positive, friendly, hospitable, and quietly generous people that I know. They really exemplify the principle of being content in whatever circumstance they find themselves in. They are always having people into their home for meals and games or supporting friends in various endeavors or making the time to just enjoy life with others. They both are always cheerful, interested in others, and full of laughter. These are two people who truly make each other better and bring out the best in each other.

Then enter Miss Maddy into the picture. Even through the dark and uncertain times of Maddy's existence, the Fletchers remained faithful, positive, and prayerful. Having a baby is a big transition in anyone's life, but the Fletchers have had to deal with a few more challenges than many do. But the amazing thing is that despite the busy-ness of parenting, doctor's appointments and therapy and full-time work and grad school for Holly, the Fletchers have continued to be hospitable and active in the lives of other people. Many people would have turned their focus inward and been consumed with their own problems and schedules, but not the Fletchers. They never missed a beat when Maddy came along....Holly continued cooking big meals for students and having people over and both stayed active in their church and small group and Aaron helped teach a financial class and they began training for a marathon and got others involved in their new cause. They were always open to having Tricia and I over for a meal or for games or for hosting large numbers of family members for fun things like the state fair. The Fletchers often take people (like me!) out to eat and pay for their meal, which is really a treat. Aaron is quick to help out co-workers with covering classes and things like that without expecting anything in return. Instead of accepting gifts for Maddy's birthday, they requested donations for Scottish Rite...what a neat idea! But the thing is that they do these things naturally and humbly...all the time. And probably more than most even know about. They definitely have their share of worries and concerns, but they never let those things be their focus and instead look for ways that they can turn those things into good.

So it was really a blessing to go to Maddy's birthday party on Saturday and see how many friends Holly and Aaron have made in their short time here in Dallas. It was really a testimony of how they have gotten involved in building relationships and having an impact on people's lives while they've been here. I am so glad they have such a strong support system and that they are so loved by so many people. I am so blessed to have them here in Dallas and am just really proud to know them. Thank you, Fletchers, for being one of the most amazing families I know and for being such an inspiration to me!! Ya'll are good peoples! (as one of my friends says!):-)

Joe--My New Best Friend

As I settle into my old age, two seemingly small, ordinary things have totally changed my life this week! I mean, they have rocked my world!!

First of all, this morning I brewed my first cup of coffee ever. "What?!?!" you say? It's true! I have never been a big coffee drinker...just occasionally. However, recently I have been fighting my battle of addiction to diet sodas and decided I needed a new source of caffeine. So I had fallen into a horrible pattern of going through the McDonalds' drive-thru every morning for a cup of their coffee...which was getting expensive! Once I realized that this was not going to be just an occasional desire anymore, I broke down and purchased a coffee maker, coffee, and some delicious flavorings yesterday. This morning I brewed my first two cups...and wow!! I have never felt more energetic!! Why was I wasting my time on diet sodas all those years?? Coffee does more for me than diet Dr. Pepper ever even thought about!! I'm enthused that I have now discovered a very effective energy source as well as the fact that I will be saving a ton of money previously spent on diet cokes and McDonalds! Yeah, I'm a little behind on this one but I couldn't feel more excited about this revelation. (Maybe its just the coffee jitters talking).

Secondly, I have finally starting watering my face. Sadly, I never used to like moisturizing my face because I thought it made it oilier and made me break out more. However, the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles are making their way onto my face and so it finally occurred to me that I should try to preserve what little youth I have left. So I decided to try some Oil of Olay Regenerist moisturizer. It was quite pricey....but wow! What a difference a week has made! After only a few days I feel myself glowing! Yeah, you probably would never notice, but I notice, and that's what counts! It feels so soft and healthy. I feel 23 again already! Wow!!

Yeah, you know you're old when you get excited about face moisturizer and coffee...but it's the little things that make the biggest difference! :-)

Put a Fork in Me....I'm Done!!!

Ladies and gentlemen.....boys and girls....drum roll please.....Rachel has finished her last assignment for her last course in her master's degree program!!!!!!!!!!! WHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO-HOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Actually I feel rather numb right now....probably because it hasn't really sunk in that I will no longer have to spend my every free minute in front of a computer and perhaps also because I just found out that I am not as done as I thought. Apparently, I need to go back into the oven for a few more minutes because there is this lovely thing called "comps" that I forgot about. For most degree programs, this is just a big huge comprehensive test at the end. But for me it apparently involves reading articles over spring break and participating in some sort of assignments over these articles along with other LIS graduate hopefuls. Not sure why they felt spring break was the best time to do this, but oh well....the end is still in sight. Throughout my entire degree program I never heard of any eight-week courses, but somehow I was blessed to have my last necessary course be offered in this format...I think the powers that be designed it that way just for me because they knew I was so burned out I would never make it to May with my sanity.

Although my degree program was not all that difficult (okay, it was super easy), it was mainly time-consuming. For two and a half years, I took 6 hours every semester straight, even summers, so I never had a break. Weekends have been nonexistent pretty much that entire time because I always had to worry about catching up on homework and assignments that I didn't have time for during the week. So I'm looking forward to doing fun things again on the weekends, like visiting people and hanging out with people. If any people remember who I am that is. After two years of me saying "no" to everything I think most people gave up on me. So I am excited to rediscover what living life is all about again!

I am not so excited about paying for this degree over the next few years, especially since the reward for all this dedication and hard labor is a whopping $1000 a year. Only in education is higher education not valued. Figure that one out. But regardless, it is done. I will get a nice big diploma to hang on the wall. I still haven't decided if I will participate in the ceremonies in May or not. I'm thinking....probably not. But it might be a nice ploy to get some visitors to actually come to Dallas, soooo....we will see.

Anyways, I have this urge to celebrate (even though I know people get their master's all the time....but I was just so very burned out!!!!) with something big....like a trip to Jamaica (I really want to go there for some reason!) or at least going out to eat steaks or something (I have never personally ordered a steak at a restaurant in my life that I can recall, believe it or not!) but unfortunately, I no longer have friends thanks to this wonderful degree so it looks like I will be celebrating tonight with a grilled cheese and a documentary about Hurrican Katrina!

Just kidding, I am celebrating tomorrow by going hiking and on a picnic with the Fletchers in Oklahoma, so while it is not Jamaica, it will be fun! And there will still be no homework to come home to!

Well, thanks for sharing in this momentous occasion with me. I wish you could feel this feeling of relief that is washing over my soul right now...its a pretty great sensation, let me tell ya!!!

Sincerely,
Rachel Embry, M.Ed (well, practically)
:-)

Not Just the Levees Broke

The internet at work has been maddeningly slow the past couple of days...so slow that it is pretty much useless to try to even use it. (So much for integration of technology...we can't even get on the web). Since I couldn't use the circulation system, run reports, work on book lists, work on my book trailers, etc. I started reading a book yesterday afternoon about 30 minutes before I went home....and couldn't put it down. It is entitled "Not Just the Levees Broke" and is one woman's account of her experience in New Orleans during Hurricane Katrina and its aftermath.

The author of this book is an ordinary woman and her words are plain, but honest and horrifying. There is so much that the news didn't show us during that time and so many stories that have never been heard. I still remember watching the reports during that time and being shocked and helpless at the tragedy unfolding in our own country...I remember going down to Reunion Arena where residents and survivors were being bussed in and talking to these people who had just been through an experience I couldn't even imagine then with my limited knowledge of what had occurred. Now after reading this book, I wish I had been seeing with different eyes then....I wish it hadn't taken years for these people's stories to be heard. I really wish they didn't even have these stories to tell in the first place...but they did...they do...and yet we have moved on without ever really listening.

As in so many situations in our country and our world, New Orleans resembles an onion...so many layers to what occurred. So much complexity, so many interpretations, so many fingers pointed, so many causes, and so many proposed solutions. Blame has been placed in so many different places...from Bush, to FEMA, to the Corps of Engineers, to the residents themselves. In reading this book and thinking about this event, I have looked in from so many angles, and it only grows more complex in nature. But I guess the thing that stayed the same no matter what angle I tried to observe from and the thing that really disturbed me most was the indignities that these people suffered. I remember my conversations here in Dallas with weary displaced residents. I see in my students' writing stories of shame (students transferred here after Katrina). And now through this book, I am being reminded again of how these residents were made to feel during this horrible time. I know it was an unexpected, catastrophic, and chaotic time...but is there ever a time or a reason to make people feel less than human? It's so hard to swallow that our fellow Americans were treated like cattle, not 200 hundred years ago at a slave auction, but 5 years ago in New Orleans.

I don't think any of us that weren't there will ever really understand what happened and what was endured. Perhaps it has been melodramatized and glamorized like so many other things by our media....but I can't help but hear the honesty and the pain in this woman's voice and others voices I have met...can't help but believe that their stories are true and that their stories demand answers that too many in America aren't ready to give. Like I said, I know there are many layers to this onion, but I also know that at the end of the day, we all deserve some level of dignity no matter the circumstances...and maybe that's what justice is really all about after all.

Why We Must Fire Bad Teachers

Janet emailed me this article this week....I know I have ranted on this soap box before, so I will limit my commentary this time and just let the article speak for itself!

http://www.newsweek.com/id/234590

SMH (Shaking My Head)

Apparently I'm in an unusually observant and inquisitive mood today. Throughout the morning I have noticed a few very small, yet annoying, actions that I am wondering...why?? Why do people do these things? Not that I'm highly annoyed or anything...just baffled!

For example..

....why do people slam on their brakes and try to put their seat belt on when they see a police car on the side of the road with another car pulled over?? Do they think that the cop is going to notice them speeding and just hop back into the car and drive off and forget the driver they are currently dealing with?

....why do people get in the elevator, look at the floor buttons, see that their floor is already pressed and illuminated, but still step in front of you to push it again anyway? Do they think that will make it go faster? Do they think it won't go if they don't put their own special touch on it?

....why do people see ambulance lights flashing on the opposite side of the freeway going the opposite direction but once again slam on their brakes and try to go the right? Do they think the ambulance is going to suddenly hop the median at 80 mph and u-turn into their lane? Do they not realize that slowing down on the opposite side of the freeway does nothing to assist that ambulance in reaching its destination?

Just wondering, folks. Juussst wondering. ;-)

Justice

This past Sunday at house church we started a conversation series over "justice." Now this is one of my favorite topics to discuss with other Christians because in my experience it has been one of the more neglected, yet most foundational, principles of the Bible. We've discussed this idea of justice in the past and I'm glad that we are visiting it again because although it's exciting that it is being discussed, it always seems we just scratch the surface. Each time I am involved in a discussion of this topic or the verses commonly associated with it, I end up wishing we had gone a little deeper. It seems we skirt around the issues, reluctant to really give nitty-gritty examples of the the injustices in our world today, perhaps because it would be just a little too uncomfortable...it might require us to find out some things about ourselves that we're just not quite ready to face. So we stick to things like feeding the homeless or mentoring a kid...things that are all good things of course...but that somehow seem to leave a slight impression of equating justice with charity.

Sometimes the word "justice" is hard to define, especially from a Biblical perspective. It goes beyond what is "fair." Justice addresses the sanctity of all human life and the inherent dignity of every human person. Justice demands that human life be valued above all material possessions. Biblical justice even seems to show a preferential option for the poor and vulnerable and seems to demand that through words, prayers, and deeds one must show not only compassion but solidarity with them. There is a quote that says the moral test of any society is how it treats its most vulnerable members...which implies that they should have the most urgent moral claim on the conscience of a nation. Justice demands that no one be treated as "less than" in our world. Justice demands that we tear down the zillions of walls that we've created based on appearances and possessions and belief systems and that we recognize everyone's inherent worth and value equally, despite choices they may have made.

Something I notice is that a lot of times these conversations turn to "what can we do" or "how can we help"....which is of course not a bad thing...I know the intentions and motives are oftentimes pure as can be. But something I have learned through some very important mentors and people in my life during my time in Dallas is that sometimes before you can act, you have to listen. You have to observe. You have to learn. You have to understand. You have to empathize. You have to step outside your world for more than a few minutes at a time and build authentic relationships and friendships and realize that the inequities and injustices you now see through this new lens profoundly impact not only the people you are trying to "help" but impact your own quality of life as well. There is a quote I love that says, "If you have come to help me, you are wasting your time; but if you are here because your liberation is bound up with mine, then let us work together."

Don't get me wrong...I do believe compassion is intricately connected to this idea of justice. But also I believe it goes beyond that. I've heard an analogy before that compassion and charity is like pulling drowing people out of a raging river, while justice is looking upstream to see why they are in the river in the first place. As Christians, we can handle the compassion part. The charitable deeds part. But the looking upstream part....the part that makes us look at our society, our history, our systems and ask how these things may have played a part in the injustices we see and how we can be a part of changing those things....that's a whole lot harder. It requires a level of introspection and honesty that many are not quite ready for...or at least not ready to talk about openly.

(Incidentally, it's interesting that God mentions "justice" and the "poor" far more in the Bible than he does many of the other issues that we as Christians have chosen to focus on within our churches....why can I not remember a single sermon or Bible study on this topic until I got to Dallas and got involved with CDM?? Just a thought!!)

Anyways, all of that to say....I'm glad its up for discussion...but can we go deeper? Can we get a little more real...a little more honest...can we challenge ourselves just a little more? And then hopefully we can move from discussion to the kind of meaningful and impactful action we are truly called to.

Thoughts, anyone??