Dear Girl With a Pink Backpack (profanity,trigger warnings)
Dear Girl with a pink backpack.
You don't know me, and I don't know you, but for a few minutes today, our lives ran parallel.
I was walking home from the produce market with my 10 year old and two red onions. I heard you- or rather, the boy who I assume is your boyfriend-long before I saw you.
He was bare chested and waving is shirt at your face and shouting "You fucking bitch! Do you really want to make me this mad at you?"
I wondered if I would need to pass my phone to my kid and ask him to call 911 while I hauled the asshole off you, but luckily for us all, he rode his bike off down a side street and a minute later, a police officer pulled up to you.
I saw you shake your head at him and walk off.
The officer pulled up so us and asked us what we had seen, and I told him. I saw him pull his car up, get out, and come talk to you. As my son and I walked by, I heard him telling you, "I just want to make sure you're safe."
Honey, I do to. want to know you're safe, even though I don't know you. I want you to know that you, that NO ONE, deserves to be talked at that way, and I honestly suspect what the people out on 19th street saw today was just the tip of the ice berg. I hope you will leave him. I hope you will know you can. I hope, pray, that if you need help to do that, you'll seek that help.
You looked like you're on the cusp of womanhood. You may even be a legal adult, though it can be hard for me to judge those kind of things anymore. I will tell you this, though. The boy yelling those obscenities at you? he's no man, and will probably never be one.
Labels: domestic abuse
Navigating changes, like a boss.
Changes for this year, always changes. For the last dozen years or so, I've been involved in one way or another with the MOPS group at my church, culminating with serving as the childcare coordinator last year. I was very sad when the group dissolved, in large part due to the fact that we just don;t have that many SAHM at my church. You can imagine I was quite happy when a friend from the homeschooling community who worked as a MOPS teacher for me last year got me set up to work for a local church's group. I'll have three year olds, and just found out that a friend's son will be in my class! ( I helped with twos today, due to numbers). First day today-got up in time to wash laundry, cook eggs for myself and the DM, hang laundry and work out before leaving. Turbo helped like a champ so I got him COFFEE- with cream and sugar!- at the post MOPS Starbucks run. Got home and the Supergirl had worked a couple days ahead in several subjects, got ALL the teacher contact done. This is more work this year too...Turbo is in a new school, and the teens need to both do online contact on every subject PLUS talk to the teacher on the phone every week. Oy. I even took a walk by myself while the boys played Halo. Now I just need to get dinner into the oven before the new, earlier tap class time- yep, even that has changed, as of yesterday, due to some classes not being filled. Classes at my dinnertime are not my favourite thing in the world but getting it over with earlier is better, right? Plus it will be good if, as I hope, the Boy continues to go to youth night; a new thing, Senior High Bible study on Tuesdays, but he wants to not go out of protest of the change. With him getting confirmed, I feel I can't really press the issue, at least not after the Rite in less than a month. At this point, it really has to be his choice. I admit hoping his BFF will successfully pressure him into continuing to go.
Adventures in humanity, The Ides of September
Last month, I convinced SuperGirl to ride the bus to the comic book store for drawing club. It was a classic comedy of errors; I put her on the wrong bus, she had to walk for 1/2 a mile, and her seat was sticky.
Today was the first time since then that I convinced her to ride the bus, and I had to ride WITH her.
On the way to the bus stop, I tried to explain that riding with her was a short term thing meant to get her comfortable with riding the bus and to help her be able to get herself places. She wanted bus pants. I asked her what bus pants look like. Sweatpants? Fireman pants? Pants that are just big? She gave up.
When we got on the bus, I was thrilled that the driver told me, "Honey, you're overpaying". She was surprised that I'm an adult. Day. Made.
Before debarking, Supergirl did admit that that this bus was cleaner then the first one she rode.
While riding home, I checked my email and got an email from a friend offering to pay for a fun thing I was worrying about being able to pay for, since it's a luxury and we have medical bills and church and dance stuff to pay for. Thank you!
Now, wish me luck on those future bus rides.
Standing by the sea, looking into the future
We won't have many more days like this, when it's nice and warm and good for going to the seaside.
Ok, not really seaside, not here. Sound-side. But many of you know what I mean. If you've spent a September or more in the Pacific Northwest, you really know what I mean.
If you're a parent, you will also feel that extra urgency I feel.
It's not easy, as a classically homeschooling mom who works part time and cooks most evenings to get an afternoon away to the Sound. But, I won't have many days to take my kids to the waterfront.
Already, my eldest finds helping a friend's family move or paint their house more fun than going to the water or the movies with me. Already, my only daughter will only let me take pictures of her on HER terms.
Parents of small ones, I know- I KNOW- that in the midst of sleepless nights and potty training, hearing that "This time goes so fast" is as likely as anything else to prompt you to say , "Do you promise?". But oh, daddies and mommies, before you know it, it may be your son, maybe taller than you, who doesn't want to go to that park anymore, and he'll be old enough not to. It may be your gilr child, on the cusp of womanhood, staring at the sea, waiting to spread her wings and fly.
Cherish it.
The Irresistible Revolution by Shane Claiborne
I first read Shane Claiborne's writing in
this essay from 2009 , which was recently linked on one of the pages I follow. (I wish I could remember which at this point!) I knew I needed to read more by this man, and headed to my library website.
The Irresistible Revolution is an incredible book that greatly speaks to how I have long believed it means to live the Christian life. Claiborne and his cohorts at
The Simple Way live Christian community in a way that reflects the early church as depicted in the book of Acts. While it's a life I do not have the courage for (yet!) I admire it and try ti live parts of it in my own way: freeganizing, bartering, and doing what I can to meet our needs and help others while making less use of the market economy (even if using hand me downs and hanging your laundry is your starting point,it's a great starting point!)
I'd really love to quote great swathes of the book, but I'm just going to tell you to read it instead.I will share one quote wit you, as I feel it speaks so greatly to why our society perceives Christianity the way it does.
"Whenever someone tells me they have rejected God, I say, "Tell em about the God you've rejected". And they describe a God of laws and lightening bolts, of frowning grey haired people and boring meetings. I usually confess, "I too have rejected that God"."
Amen
