So I have started trying something new to help me to relax and calm down a bit. The past three mornings while I've been getting ready I've been listening to songs and prayers from the Taize Community. I was looking through the music on my iPod and I had forgotten that those chants and songs were there. I learned about Taize last year after attending several Taize based worship services here at the office so it is a relatively new type of prayer to me.
For those of you who may not be familiar with Taize:
"Singing is one of the most essential elements of worship. Short songs, repeated again and again, give it a meditative character. Using just a few words they express a basic reality of faith, quickly grasped by the mind. As the words are sung over many times, this reality gradually penetrates the whole being. Meditative singing thus becomes a way of listening to God. It allows everyone to take part in a time of prayer together and to remain together in attentive waiting on God, without having to fix the length of time too exactly." (www.taize.fr)
This meditative aspect is what resonates with me. Singing the same words over and over again helps to clear my mind and refreshes me. Often times the words are in a different language and typically songs are sung in a canon.
So yeah, I think this is the start of something good for me. There is a lot going on in my life these days so it's nice to have something that helps to relax and soothe me at the beginning of the day. We'll see how it goes!
Monday, October 27, 2008
Saturday, October 25, 2008
Forward Motion
Here I am for one of the first times in awhile sitting at home on a Saturday, just having gotten back from playing Ultimate Frisbee and wasting time before going to a dinner at church and I'm exhausted. I have no energy to be doing anything other than sitting. I don't really want to talk to anyone. When people ask me questions, I can't bring myself to answer them. I need a time to rest and rejuvenate myself and I'm not quite sure when that is going to happen. My life is always going in a forward motion and I just don't know how to make it slow down if not stop entirely.
There's never enough time to do everything that I find myself wanting to do and yet on the other hand there's never time to just stop everything. There's always a football game to try to get to or a soccer game to try to support my youth. There's church related events to go to and church itself. There is everything at work that keeps me on my toes traveling from one place to the next. There's trying to hang out with people who I haven't had time to see in months or really spend some quality time with such as my adopted family from church, or co-workers, or friends in general. There just isn't time for it all.
And it's not even as though I'm trying to make time for it all, it's just I'm really exhausted right now and while the end is in sight it isn't here yet. You'd think that I'd be able to enjoy my weekend, but instead it's been filled up with all sorts of things. Which, truth be told is probably my own fault. I'm known for packing every little thing possible into a day or into a trip as possible. I think I need to take some lessons on just being instead of trying to fit everything in possible...any suggestions?
As a random side note I have found myself cleaning my life up a little bit. Not in any serious ways really, but trying to clean up the clutter that is my life these days. You know, thinking to myself 'well I don't really need that anymore' and so I decide to get rid of it if it's possible!
There's never enough time to do everything that I find myself wanting to do and yet on the other hand there's never time to just stop everything. There's always a football game to try to get to or a soccer game to try to support my youth. There's church related events to go to and church itself. There is everything at work that keeps me on my toes traveling from one place to the next. There's trying to hang out with people who I haven't had time to see in months or really spend some quality time with such as my adopted family from church, or co-workers, or friends in general. There just isn't time for it all.
And it's not even as though I'm trying to make time for it all, it's just I'm really exhausted right now and while the end is in sight it isn't here yet. You'd think that I'd be able to enjoy my weekend, but instead it's been filled up with all sorts of things. Which, truth be told is probably my own fault. I'm known for packing every little thing possible into a day or into a trip as possible. I think I need to take some lessons on just being instead of trying to fit everything in possible...any suggestions?
As a random side note I have found myself cleaning my life up a little bit. Not in any serious ways really, but trying to clean up the clutter that is my life these days. You know, thinking to myself 'well I don't really need that anymore' and so I decide to get rid of it if it's possible!
Thursday, October 23, 2008
October
I'm sitting in my office in Elgin wondering where the time has gone and what it is that I've been doing this month! I find it hard to believe that it we are getting close to the end of yet another month. I have found myself all over the country since October began, traveling for work and for fun. This latest trip had me back in the Valley for a week followed by a few days in Boston.
Let me tell you, it was so great to be back in the Valley at home for a few days. I am really enjoying my time out here in Elgin (and everywhere else I end up!), but when I get to go home it makes me extremely happy! And to be there for the first time in three years during the fall was a real treat. A good friend of mine, Jerry, came down to visit for a few days and we were able to enjoy the beautiful weather and head up into the Skyline Drive and go hiking and enjoy the scenery for an afternoon.
The week was also spent helping one of my best friends, Annie, get ready for her wedding! It was an aboslutely beautiful day, perfect for a fall wedding. The church where the wedding was is out in the country set atop a hill with mountains in the backdrop. There were so many rich and beautiful colors, reds and oranges, in the trees and flowers. The sky was a beautiful blue with white puffy clouds. Absolutely georgous. The perfect day for a wedding.
From there I went to Boston for a Volunteers Exploring Vocation event where about 45 former volunteers were brought in to spend three days together listening to professors speak about their calling and how they life their lives. We also were led in sessions by John Bell from the Iona Community in Scotland. It was a whirlwind of a trip that has led to even more questioning than I already had. But I will say that while I am questioning my faith and what my life will bring I have come to a point where I need to 'be' for awhile and work to live my life as it is. Many of the former volunteers left our time in Boston energized with a new sense of hope. I left Boston exhausted; emotionally, physically, and mentally.
I'm beginning to think more and more about the possibility of doing a different form of service at some point. One where I will be interacting with people and creating relationships and doing a more of a hands on service than what I'm doing now. Who knows what my future might bring my way!
Let me tell you, it was so great to be back in the Valley at home for a few days. I am really enjoying my time out here in Elgin (and everywhere else I end up!), but when I get to go home it makes me extremely happy! And to be there for the first time in three years during the fall was a real treat. A good friend of mine, Jerry, came down to visit for a few days and we were able to enjoy the beautiful weather and head up into the Skyline Drive and go hiking and enjoy the scenery for an afternoon.
The week was also spent helping one of my best friends, Annie, get ready for her wedding! It was an aboslutely beautiful day, perfect for a fall wedding. The church where the wedding was is out in the country set atop a hill with mountains in the backdrop. There were so many rich and beautiful colors, reds and oranges, in the trees and flowers. The sky was a beautiful blue with white puffy clouds. Absolutely georgous. The perfect day for a wedding.
From there I went to Boston for a Volunteers Exploring Vocation event where about 45 former volunteers were brought in to spend three days together listening to professors speak about their calling and how they life their lives. We also were led in sessions by John Bell from the Iona Community in Scotland. It was a whirlwind of a trip that has led to even more questioning than I already had. But I will say that while I am questioning my faith and what my life will bring I have come to a point where I need to 'be' for awhile and work to live my life as it is. Many of the former volunteers left our time in Boston energized with a new sense of hope. I left Boston exhausted; emotionally, physically, and mentally.
I'm beginning to think more and more about the possibility of doing a different form of service at some point. One where I will be interacting with people and creating relationships and doing a more of a hands on service than what I'm doing now. Who knows what my future might bring my way!
Monday, September 29, 2008
Sannu!
Okay, so I'm gonna try this again. I don't think that I'm cut out for blogging! I keep forgetting to write on this thing and when I do remember I don't have the time or energy! So here's the latest from my end...
At the beginning of the month I started my second year of service doing recruitment work for BVS and while I have no idea what I'm doing, it's going well! :)
I was in the office for a little more than a week before leaving for my first recruitment trip and now I find myself on the tail end of a two week trek. I started out by driving about 15 hours or so with Beth and Callie (two of my co-workers on the BVS team) going from Elgin, IL to New Windsor, MD in one day. Needless to say once we got to New Windsor we all slept quite well! The next day I was able to head up to Lancaster, PA to visit with my good friend Stefan before he flew back to Germany the next day. I was so thankful for that visit because I really wasn't sure if I was going to get to see him before he left! The weekend was spent visiting with two youth groups in PA, one in York and the other in Harleysville and talking with them about BVS. It was so great to reconnect with these youth because they were some of my workcampers this past summer and I love them all dearly!
From there I went to Juniata College in Huntington, PA for a few days to promote BVS and meet with students who are interested in serving at some point or another. As far as I understand it most of my traveling will be to colleges to try to recruit people who are interested in BVS. It was so great to be at Juniata, one because I'd never been there and several of my good friends went there and two, because I got to hang out with two good friends of mine while I was there.
Then it was time to head back down to New Windsor for our 60th anniversary for the Brethren Volunteer Service and it was really great to participate in that event. I got back to New Windsor on Wednesday with the intention of spending some time with the current volunteer unit orientation that is going on right now. They are truly a special group and it was so much fun to spend time with them! They have a lot to offer and I can't wait to hear their stories as they go out and start at their projects. I was able to go with them to a woman's house in PA where we learned all about what nutrients weeds have to offer us and we went on a weed walk and then drank a smoothie that was made out of various weeds and seeds. It was pretty darn good!
So then this weekend was the actual celebration and it was really awesome to have 300 or more volunteers, or supporters of BVS gathered together for a weekend. It was a relatively informal time for people to gather with friends and talk and catch up with one another. I didn't have a lot to do, but one thing I did do was to be the MC at our Saturday evening Banquet which put me way outside of my comfort zone, but it went really well and I was even able to make a few jokes as part of it! It was just such a great place to be and it is so awesome to be part of this program.
Then after the program was over my roommate from college, Justine, came up to visit me! We hadn't seen each other since we graduated from Bridgewater in 2007 which is crazy! We had a great visit and we actually left campus for awhile to go and get away so that I could focus on our visit rather than on everything else that was going on!
Now I'm in the last leg of this trip and I'm currently at Elizabethtown College for a couple days before finally heading back to Elgin. I'd never been to E-Town before and this is an absolutely beautiful campus. I find it very welcoming and open and I've enjoyed my time here so far.
I am looking forward to heading back to Elgin in a couple days but I won't be there for very long because at the end of the week I'll be heading to Manchester College for a regional youth conference as well as for my college visit there. Then after that I'll be heading home to Bridgewater for about a week! Needless to say I'm just going to keep on keepin on!
I am enjoying this job. I'm still trying to figure out what it means to me and how I'm going to work to make it my own. As of right now I've been mostly doing exactly what has been done in the past but I've got some ideas that are forming in my mind so we'll just have to wait and see what comes of that!
There are many exciting things coming up in the next few months. One of my best friends, Anne, is getting married next month and I'm so excited for her! I've also have a trip to Boston coming up and I've never been there and I'll be there towards the end of October and I think it will be beautiful at that time! Just last night I talked with my aunt about going to their house for Thanksgiving, so it sounds like I'll be heading to the Twin Cities in MN for the holiday. And THEN I'm planning on going to Nigeria for the month of February on a workcamp with the Church of the Brethren to build and to create relationships with people in Nigeria as well as others on the trip. I'm hoping to learn some Hausa before I go!
Well I think that might be it for now. There is just so much going on these days and I have so many thought in my head but I wanted to catch you all up a little bit!
Peace and Blessings to you!
At the beginning of the month I started my second year of service doing recruitment work for BVS and while I have no idea what I'm doing, it's going well! :)
I was in the office for a little more than a week before leaving for my first recruitment trip and now I find myself on the tail end of a two week trek. I started out by driving about 15 hours or so with Beth and Callie (two of my co-workers on the BVS team) going from Elgin, IL to New Windsor, MD in one day. Needless to say once we got to New Windsor we all slept quite well! The next day I was able to head up to Lancaster, PA to visit with my good friend Stefan before he flew back to Germany the next day. I was so thankful for that visit because I really wasn't sure if I was going to get to see him before he left! The weekend was spent visiting with two youth groups in PA, one in York and the other in Harleysville and talking with them about BVS. It was so great to reconnect with these youth because they were some of my workcampers this past summer and I love them all dearly!
From there I went to Juniata College in Huntington, PA for a few days to promote BVS and meet with students who are interested in serving at some point or another. As far as I understand it most of my traveling will be to colleges to try to recruit people who are interested in BVS. It was so great to be at Juniata, one because I'd never been there and several of my good friends went there and two, because I got to hang out with two good friends of mine while I was there.
Then it was time to head back down to New Windsor for our 60th anniversary for the Brethren Volunteer Service and it was really great to participate in that event. I got back to New Windsor on Wednesday with the intention of spending some time with the current volunteer unit orientation that is going on right now. They are truly a special group and it was so much fun to spend time with them! They have a lot to offer and I can't wait to hear their stories as they go out and start at their projects. I was able to go with them to a woman's house in PA where we learned all about what nutrients weeds have to offer us and we went on a weed walk and then drank a smoothie that was made out of various weeds and seeds. It was pretty darn good!
So then this weekend was the actual celebration and it was really awesome to have 300 or more volunteers, or supporters of BVS gathered together for a weekend. It was a relatively informal time for people to gather with friends and talk and catch up with one another. I didn't have a lot to do, but one thing I did do was to be the MC at our Saturday evening Banquet which put me way outside of my comfort zone, but it went really well and I was even able to make a few jokes as part of it! It was just such a great place to be and it is so awesome to be part of this program.
Then after the program was over my roommate from college, Justine, came up to visit me! We hadn't seen each other since we graduated from Bridgewater in 2007 which is crazy! We had a great visit and we actually left campus for awhile to go and get away so that I could focus on our visit rather than on everything else that was going on!
Now I'm in the last leg of this trip and I'm currently at Elizabethtown College for a couple days before finally heading back to Elgin. I'd never been to E-Town before and this is an absolutely beautiful campus. I find it very welcoming and open and I've enjoyed my time here so far.
I am looking forward to heading back to Elgin in a couple days but I won't be there for very long because at the end of the week I'll be heading to Manchester College for a regional youth conference as well as for my college visit there. Then after that I'll be heading home to Bridgewater for about a week! Needless to say I'm just going to keep on keepin on!
I am enjoying this job. I'm still trying to figure out what it means to me and how I'm going to work to make it my own. As of right now I've been mostly doing exactly what has been done in the past but I've got some ideas that are forming in my mind so we'll just have to wait and see what comes of that!
There are many exciting things coming up in the next few months. One of my best friends, Anne, is getting married next month and I'm so excited for her! I've also have a trip to Boston coming up and I've never been there and I'll be there towards the end of October and I think it will be beautiful at that time! Just last night I talked with my aunt about going to their house for Thanksgiving, so it sounds like I'll be heading to the Twin Cities in MN for the holiday. And THEN I'm planning on going to Nigeria for the month of February on a workcamp with the Church of the Brethren to build and to create relationships with people in Nigeria as well as others on the trip. I'm hoping to learn some Hausa before I go!
Well I think that might be it for now. There is just so much going on these days and I have so many thought in my head but I wanted to catch you all up a little bit!
Peace and Blessings to you!
Sunday, September 7, 2008
A Mini Vacation
Here I am in the Twin Cities in the wonderful state of Minnesota and for the past four days I've been visiting with my dad's family who live out here! My parents arrived in the Chicagoland area on Labor Day after spending almost 24 hours on the train coming out from VA. We spent some time in Elgin so that they could see where I am living and working. Both mom and dad had been to Elgin before but it had been quite awhile so it was nice for them to reconnect a bit with both the area and with various people who now live in Elgin that they knew during their time in West Africa. We took time to relax and eat lots of good food before getting on the train again to come out here.
Since we got here late Wednesday evening I've seen my grandparents and my aunts and uncles and cousins, went to a Twins baseball game, worked on my photography skills by attempting to take photos of the jewelry my aunt made, played miniature golf, visited a local conservatory and saw LOTS of plants, had a sleepover with two of my younger cousins complete with a giggle fest, went to church with my aunt and uncle, played cards, hung out with my mom and dad, and simply did the family thing.
Early tomorrow morning I'll be getting back on the train to make the eight hour train ride back to Elgin and I think I'm ready for that. It was a short visit, but I'm looking forward to getting back to my house in Elgin and I'm really excited to be there for more than a week before my next great adventure begins. Before my parents arrived I had been working really hard at making my new room my own while making it comfortable for me to live in and I think I accomplished that! Which didn't make it easy to leave it as soon as it was done!
I'm also excited to get back to my housemates and to get to spend some time with all of them since when I get home tomorrow night for the first time we will all be there together. It's a new year and many exciting things will be taking place and I'm looking forward to the new community that will form. Two housemates moved out and two moved in and we're still working to settle down and see what the year will bring. No matter what though, I think it will be great! But then again what can I say, I'm an optimist! :)
Since we got here late Wednesday evening I've seen my grandparents and my aunts and uncles and cousins, went to a Twins baseball game, worked on my photography skills by attempting to take photos of the jewelry my aunt made, played miniature golf, visited a local conservatory and saw LOTS of plants, had a sleepover with two of my younger cousins complete with a giggle fest, went to church with my aunt and uncle, played cards, hung out with my mom and dad, and simply did the family thing.
Early tomorrow morning I'll be getting back on the train to make the eight hour train ride back to Elgin and I think I'm ready for that. It was a short visit, but I'm looking forward to getting back to my house in Elgin and I'm really excited to be there for more than a week before my next great adventure begins. Before my parents arrived I had been working really hard at making my new room my own while making it comfortable for me to live in and I think I accomplished that! Which didn't make it easy to leave it as soon as it was done!
I'm also excited to get back to my housemates and to get to spend some time with all of them since when I get home tomorrow night for the first time we will all be there together. It's a new year and many exciting things will be taking place and I'm looking forward to the new community that will form. Two housemates moved out and two moved in and we're still working to settle down and see what the year will bring. No matter what though, I think it will be great! But then again what can I say, I'm an optimist! :)
Saturday, August 30, 2008
Chaos
I know I haven't written for a long time but I want you to know that I have sat down several times to catch you up on what is going on with me but the words just haven't been flowing. So here I am sitting down to give it another go and try to catch you up on the last month of my life.
I had the amazing opportunity to go out to Estes Park, Colorado for National Young Adult Conference a few weeks ago and it was such an awesome week. To go from six weeks of being in charge of others to a week of being able to relax and sit and simply be was exactly what I needed. To be in the mountains, be around 130 other Church of the Brethren Young Adults, to worship and talk and listen with others was perfect. It wasn't always easy though, through worship and conversations many questions were brought up and I spent a fair amount of time sitting on a massive wooden porch, lounging either by myself or with others all the while gazing at the Rocky Mountains. It was a great time and while I was sad to see it come to an end I was ready to get back here to Elgin and be in one place for longer than a week at a time.
So now I've been back here in Elgin for about two weeks and in that time I have finished up my work in the Youth and Young Adult Office with the workcamp program and have packed my boxes and made my move to the Brethren Volunteer Service Office. I am now officially part of the BVS team in the role of recruiter. In my first week I have started making contacts for my fall travels (and boy what a schedule it looks like it will be!) and have gone to a mid year retreat for one of the orientation units.
So after a couple weeks of transition both in the office and here at the house (I've moved to a new room) and housemates coming and going things are starting to settle down a little bit. Well, to a degree. I guess you could say that things here never really settle down! Someone is almost always gone on a trip or someone is visiting or we're invited to go somewhere. It is a chaotic life that we live here in Elgin! No worries though, I wouldn't trade it for anything!
I had the amazing opportunity to go out to Estes Park, Colorado for National Young Adult Conference a few weeks ago and it was such an awesome week. To go from six weeks of being in charge of others to a week of being able to relax and sit and simply be was exactly what I needed. To be in the mountains, be around 130 other Church of the Brethren Young Adults, to worship and talk and listen with others was perfect. It wasn't always easy though, through worship and conversations many questions were brought up and I spent a fair amount of time sitting on a massive wooden porch, lounging either by myself or with others all the while gazing at the Rocky Mountains. It was a great time and while I was sad to see it come to an end I was ready to get back here to Elgin and be in one place for longer than a week at a time.
So now I've been back here in Elgin for about two weeks and in that time I have finished up my work in the Youth and Young Adult Office with the workcamp program and have packed my boxes and made my move to the Brethren Volunteer Service Office. I am now officially part of the BVS team in the role of recruiter. In my first week I have started making contacts for my fall travels (and boy what a schedule it looks like it will be!) and have gone to a mid year retreat for one of the orientation units.
So after a couple weeks of transition both in the office and here at the house (I've moved to a new room) and housemates coming and going things are starting to settle down a little bit. Well, to a degree. I guess you could say that things here never really settle down! Someone is almost always gone on a trip or someone is visiting or we're invited to go somewhere. It is a chaotic life that we live here in Elgin! No worries though, I wouldn't trade it for anything!
Tuesday, August 5, 2008
They breed em big down here...
Well, here I am in North Fort Myers Florida and everything down here is huge! From dogs to spiders to mosquitoes...they are all enormous! It's crazy! I finished up in Baltimore on Sunday and immediately got on a plane that brought me down here to Florida. It was a rather tearful departure on my part. I have decided that I really don't like Sunday's at the moment because the past two Sunday's I've had to say goodbye to some really amazingly awesome youth, both junior and senior highs. Jerry and I have talked about the fact that it's just not fair because we get to know these youth in the span of a week and grow to love one another and then it's time to move on. Yes I do understand that typically in the CoB a goodbye is never really a goodbye but an 'I'll see you soon!' moment, but it doesn't make it any easier.
So now here I am in Florida...in August. I mean really, who's idea was this anyways? When I came down to visit last January THAT'S when the workcamp should have been, we're about six months off from the perfect time to be down here! I've already been bitten by mosquitoes about a hundred million times and it's only Tuesday! Sheesh!
Other than the bugs things are going really well. It's a small group, but I'm actually excited about that and I think they all like it too. ECHO is a simply amazing place and I hope that the group will realize all that this organization has to offer and how they are now part of the bigger picture and that they are connected.
I'll write more soon, but for now I must be off. It's time to work again!
Peace and blessings to you!
Oh, and happy August! It's pretty much one of the best months ever, but of course I'm not biased! : )
So now here I am in Florida...in August. I mean really, who's idea was this anyways? When I came down to visit last January THAT'S when the workcamp should have been, we're about six months off from the perfect time to be down here! I've already been bitten by mosquitoes about a hundred million times and it's only Tuesday! Sheesh!
Other than the bugs things are going really well. It's a small group, but I'm actually excited about that and I think they all like it too. ECHO is a simply amazing place and I hope that the group will realize all that this organization has to offer and how they are now part of the bigger picture and that they are connected.
I'll write more soon, but for now I must be off. It's time to work again!
Peace and blessings to you!
Oh, and happy August! It's pretty much one of the best months ever, but of course I'm not biased! : )
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