interesting time last night

Hey y'all.

Well, yesterday was such a peaceful day...much needed reading, studying, thinking about being a teacher. I went home and took a nap and then the delightful Amy Johnson called at took me to In and Out.

I love days like this!

But it wouldn't be noteworthy without a little adventure. Here's what happened: my cellphone was on because I had agreed to be a point person in case Dee went into labor. When it rang with Brian's number, I smiled knowingly and answered, thinking she was in labor.

Actually, Brian was calling because Daryl, the guy who came to church on Sunday and for whom we prayed, had called Brian. He was wondering why noboby had called about taking him grocery shopping yet. After all, Renee and I had mentioned this possibility to him. And I had it in my mind that it would happen.

Just hadn't worked out the details. I decided to let it take care of itself. And I'll admit I would have been happy to have it work itself out by nothing happening. Not too proud of that.

I gotta say, I'm thankful that Daryl held us to our word. He trusted us. He figured we'd come through.

So, we did. They got their groceries. And to me, it was a good way to spend a few hours of free time as the sun went down and the temperature became imperceptibly, yet mercifully, a little cooler.

Is this the "messy life" Doug's talking about? If so, I'm in. It is no fun without other people, and it needs community to thrive. I guess the moral of the story is -- if it has to have one -- don't be afraid to inconvenience people and ask them for help. Don't be afraid to expect a lot of people. And if you can't shoulder the burden of people's expectations of you, then pass it on to someone who can at that moment. In this case, I was available. But as you all know, there are many times when I'm not and I need others who are stronger than I am right then.

Maybe this is one way God provides for His children and helps us honor His Kingdom each day. It's a cycle of giving, with someone always able to give and another desparate to receive. I pray that we can all be open to experiencing this, because there is a freedom in it! This freedom makes me feel truly alive.

Back from the East Coast

Hey y'all...

I'm back to Bakersfield, from the East Coast.
It is so good to be back...kind of.

No, seriously. I was talking with my Mom yesterday and she said I had a gift to be able to appreciate life wherever I am. I do feel this is a blessing, and not always with me. I also feel this is a gift GOD has given because I strive (and fail often) to be content in Him and cherish what He cares about -- which is so much more eternal and compassionate and complete than any geographical place could ever be. God is always the same and is everywhere, so why stress about where you are?

That being said, I can tell you that the East Coast was simply, achingly beautiful. Dewey fields in Vermont, clean air that smells like dirt and grass, soft, humid air, blue mountains in late afternoon sun, birds calling morning and evening.

And then there are the people. What follows is a bit of an overview, as much so I will remember as anything else. I hope this is vaguely interesting to someone else, if not, in the words of many high school students I've heard,
"Sorry, my bad..."

I interacted with, among others:
*three teachers I met on the plane on the way over
* a delightful young woman named Melissa who I met on the plane on the way back. At age 20 and having been on a plane only once before to Florida, she was setting out from her home of Milwawkee to Australia to study abroad.
* a thoughtful and smart guy named Graham is a rafting guide in the summer and snowboarder in the winter who wants to return to school to make his mom proud...

Plus, my beautiful family:
*My brother and his wife, Sonya, who are a great team as spouses and parents and have some land in Hardwick that we stumbled around on one afternoon (there aren't trails yet).
*I am still completely in love with their son Spencer. He is smiling and giggling. His nicknames are Peanut and Eggie. Eggie because when he's sad, he goes, "Egg-eee!" He's eight months old and squeezable.
*My Mom and Dad, aunts and uncles, plus all sorts of fascinating cousins who are becoming such amazing adults with stories to share. My cousin Susanna recently got back from Ghana and shared about her visit to a slave prison -- gruesome and very sobering. My cousins Caitlyn and Josh, aget 14 and 17 respectively, really struck a chord with me as a future high school English teacher. It was fun to reconnect with them.
*I also had a great time discussing writing and practicing yoga with Aunt Sarah and her husband Jim (the parents of the aforementioned teens) and reading and discussing a book of short stories my uncle David wrote, about therapists and their patients.
For Fourth of July, we read The Declaration of Independence and said what we were thankful for. We all took turns cooking for each other -- there was much of every good food imaginable.
I also got to hike a lot, including a trip to a chilly yet invigorating waterfall with deep, swimmable pools and a bike ride in a summer downpour with Josh! My MS behaved until the very last day, when I bonked on a hike with Ben and Sonya and Spencer. Ben valiantly crashed through the woods for about two miles back to the house to get the car, and Sonya valiantly made "everything" enchiladas for dinner and I presided over everything while sitting on my rear! Learning the art of doing this still...

There's much more to tell, but that's what comes to mind first. Hope it's not too long -- but share, I must. Makin' use of this crazy new blog stuff.

Maybe I'll soon figure out how to include photos...watch out!
love from Julia

Back from New England

Hi everyone. I put a My Space post about my trip. I wanted to paste it to this but I can't get into My Space right now. This is a little preview and also serves as a reminder to myself to get this on here!
Hope you are doing well. It was great to see people last night just when I got in town for Elise's birthday! Happy B-day Elise!

--Julia