Hey pals. So I'm really excited about something and I wanted to share my joy and excitement with you! Here in the North Metro Student Ministries office, we're planning a luau. The Wednesday night before all of our students go back to school, we're getting together on the volleyball courts and fields, grilling out, playing games and wearing grass skirts. Well, the grass skirt part may not be entirely true... Hawaiian shirts will most definitely be making an appearance though. Fo Sho. I can assure you of this because the music is being provided by an "Old Man Band". This name was lovingly bestowed upon a makeshift band we've developed over the last month or so because it is comprised of a lot of dads. Aside from me and a guy named Eric who is about my age, the youngest guy has a middle school daughter... Hence the name "Old Man Band". (I've also been told there are some younger men in our church who dubbed themselves the "Boy Band", and that may have contributed to the name as well.) Anyway, with age comes experience. And talent. And jokes. So we have had the most fun practicing and playing all the songs we're going to do for the Luau. I mentioned at rehearsal yesterday that this is like a dream come true for me. haha. I get to sing all the cool songs (Heatwave, Locomotion, Proud Mary, etc...) in a setting that isn't karaoke or my car or the shower. We're doing summertime classics plus some other songs just for fun. It's such a pleasant atmosphere to be in too. All of these guys are so talented and committed. They take time out of the regularly scheduled lives to work on songs for a student event. I appreciate them more than I can say. I hope they're having fun too. I think they are. I know I am.
Island Blessings to you and yours. :)
Alicia
ps. August 3. 6:30-8:00, if you're interested.
Wednesday, July 27, 2011
Monday, June 6, 2011
Disorganization.
Of space. Of thoughts. Of time...
...and so it begins. The summer of interning. I am so so so tired. Not because of anything that's happened in the last few days...just because of life catching up with me. I need like a whole day devoted to sleeping. That's not happening this week though. We're full swing into VBS at North Metro, so every day this week we have 600+ children running around the campus. Tonight is the first night of a Senior/College Girls' Bible Study. Tomorrow night is a bible study that I go to every other Tuesday night. So it will be at least Wednesday before I can breath. And to top off the week, we have a middle school lock in this Friday from 10pm to 8am. haha. I'm planning on napping as often as possible.
There's been a topic that keeps popping up at various times and places in my life lately. It's the fact that students -- or girls in particular -- don't understand the reasons they should guard their hearts and their bodies. It raises the question of how much a student pastor or church staff member or Sunday school teacher should get involved, and how much should be left to parents. There is no guarantee that a student is being raised by godly parents or that their parents are willing, able and anxious to talk to them about issues of the heart. However, there are parents in this world that would be offended if their student's youth pastor started addressing the way they dress or speak or present themselves. It's a delicate balance, but the issue is one that we cannot ignore.
As a girl, I have no idea how boys think no matter what age they are. I can assure you that, as a teenager, I did not make decisions based on how my actions would affect my brothers in Christ. I didn't even think about it until my youth pastor or Sunday school teacher drew my attention to it. Sometimes girls argue that the boys are to blame for not being in close enough relationship to the Lord. At the same time, boys argue that it is the girls' responsibility to not draw their minds to any place that is impure. The fact is, it's everyone's "fault". It is the responsibility and privilege of every Christian to draw people to the Lord. Not to themselves. Not to a place of inappropriate thoughts or actions or lifestyles. To Christ. People should look at me and see Him -- not what I'm wearing or how I'm behaving. So it is up to me to be close enough to God for that to happen. As a person who is involved with student ministry everyday, it is also my responsibility to encourage students to draw near to Him as well. In Colossians, Paul writes "If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God...Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry...Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony." (3:1-3,5,12-14) So many times we give lists and lists and lists of "don'ts" without ever addressing the "dos". Paul gives the Colossians a list of things they should give up and avoid. BUT then he gives them a list of things they should strive for. The mistake that is often made is that we tell students what they should not do...giving them reasons like "you might get pregnant", "you'll miss out on your childhood", "people will think bad things about you". We never tell them that they should strive for a closer relationship with the Lord because He is goodness and mercy and faithfulness and the meeter of all of our needs--physical, emotional, or spiritual. No one tells students that there is so much joy in knowing you're in the center of God's will that can never be found by doing things our own way. No one says that being in close relationship with God brings fulfillment that cannot be found in any earthly relationship. No one tells them that the Lord designed them individually and specifically for a purpose that He has set out for them. Or that friendships based in a shared desire to be like Jesus are so much closer and valuable than friendships based on earthly commonalities. Instead we list of things they shouldn't do because we say so or because it's frowned upon. We focus too much on issues without digging deeper in our study of scripture.
The thing is, if we show students or adults or children or anyone the importance of being in the Word and finding out more about the character of Jesus, all those other things will fall into place. If your heart is in the right place, you'll dress appropriately, speak appropriately, act appropriately...because your goal will be to do the will of God. All of your decisions will begin to revolve around the Lord. Through prayer and practice, we can align our desires with those of God. It's not easy. You can't sit down for the first time and expect to spend an hour or two in intense prayer and Bible Study. You have to practice. Start small. The Lord will give you strength and endurance. Let me assure you that I am preaching as much to myself as anyone. Maybe more. So if your focus and end goal is to please the Lord, you won't have to worry about your behavior being a distraction to another Christian. If you spend more time with Jesus, you'll begin to look like Him. And that will attract others to you. And your presence will draw people to God. To put it in Sunday School terms...you can go from being a stumbling block to being a stepping stone.
We need to value and encourage right relationships with the Lord. Focus on getting the hearts of people in the right place, and trust that the Lord can change their desires and actions and lives. We, as Christians, need to live like the Bride that we are...awaiting our Bridegroom--Jesus Christ. We need to honor and love and be loyal to Jesus first--submitting to His authority and wisdom and leading. He will take care of the rest. We just have to stop being so stubborn and arrogant.
...
Obviously this is not a complete thought process. Just thinking via blogger for the time being. Feel free to share your thoughts or ideas or criticisms. I'm friendly. :)
Until next time friends.
...and so it begins. The summer of interning. I am so so so tired. Not because of anything that's happened in the last few days...just because of life catching up with me. I need like a whole day devoted to sleeping. That's not happening this week though. We're full swing into VBS at North Metro, so every day this week we have 600+ children running around the campus. Tonight is the first night of a Senior/College Girls' Bible Study. Tomorrow night is a bible study that I go to every other Tuesday night. So it will be at least Wednesday before I can breath. And to top off the week, we have a middle school lock in this Friday from 10pm to 8am. haha. I'm planning on napping as often as possible.
There's been a topic that keeps popping up at various times and places in my life lately. It's the fact that students -- or girls in particular -- don't understand the reasons they should guard their hearts and their bodies. It raises the question of how much a student pastor or church staff member or Sunday school teacher should get involved, and how much should be left to parents. There is no guarantee that a student is being raised by godly parents or that their parents are willing, able and anxious to talk to them about issues of the heart. However, there are parents in this world that would be offended if their student's youth pastor started addressing the way they dress or speak or present themselves. It's a delicate balance, but the issue is one that we cannot ignore.
As a girl, I have no idea how boys think no matter what age they are. I can assure you that, as a teenager, I did not make decisions based on how my actions would affect my brothers in Christ. I didn't even think about it until my youth pastor or Sunday school teacher drew my attention to it. Sometimes girls argue that the boys are to blame for not being in close enough relationship to the Lord. At the same time, boys argue that it is the girls' responsibility to not draw their minds to any place that is impure. The fact is, it's everyone's "fault". It is the responsibility and privilege of every Christian to draw people to the Lord. Not to themselves. Not to a place of inappropriate thoughts or actions or lifestyles. To Christ. People should look at me and see Him -- not what I'm wearing or how I'm behaving. So it is up to me to be close enough to God for that to happen. As a person who is involved with student ministry everyday, it is also my responsibility to encourage students to draw near to Him as well. In Colossians, Paul writes "If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God...Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry...Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony." (3:1-3,5,12-14) So many times we give lists and lists and lists of "don'ts" without ever addressing the "dos". Paul gives the Colossians a list of things they should give up and avoid. BUT then he gives them a list of things they should strive for. The mistake that is often made is that we tell students what they should not do...giving them reasons like "you might get pregnant", "you'll miss out on your childhood", "people will think bad things about you". We never tell them that they should strive for a closer relationship with the Lord because He is goodness and mercy and faithfulness and the meeter of all of our needs--physical, emotional, or spiritual. No one tells students that there is so much joy in knowing you're in the center of God's will that can never be found by doing things our own way. No one says that being in close relationship with God brings fulfillment that cannot be found in any earthly relationship. No one tells them that the Lord designed them individually and specifically for a purpose that He has set out for them. Or that friendships based in a shared desire to be like Jesus are so much closer and valuable than friendships based on earthly commonalities. Instead we list of things they shouldn't do because we say so or because it's frowned upon. We focus too much on issues without digging deeper in our study of scripture.
The thing is, if we show students or adults or children or anyone the importance of being in the Word and finding out more about the character of Jesus, all those other things will fall into place. If your heart is in the right place, you'll dress appropriately, speak appropriately, act appropriately...because your goal will be to do the will of God. All of your decisions will begin to revolve around the Lord. Through prayer and practice, we can align our desires with those of God. It's not easy. You can't sit down for the first time and expect to spend an hour or two in intense prayer and Bible Study. You have to practice. Start small. The Lord will give you strength and endurance. Let me assure you that I am preaching as much to myself as anyone. Maybe more. So if your focus and end goal is to please the Lord, you won't have to worry about your behavior being a distraction to another Christian. If you spend more time with Jesus, you'll begin to look like Him. And that will attract others to you. And your presence will draw people to God. To put it in Sunday School terms...you can go from being a stumbling block to being a stepping stone.
We need to value and encourage right relationships with the Lord. Focus on getting the hearts of people in the right place, and trust that the Lord can change their desires and actions and lives. We, as Christians, need to live like the Bride that we are...awaiting our Bridegroom--Jesus Christ. We need to honor and love and be loyal to Jesus first--submitting to His authority and wisdom and leading. He will take care of the rest. We just have to stop being so stubborn and arrogant.
...
Obviously this is not a complete thought process. Just thinking via blogger for the time being. Feel free to share your thoughts or ideas or criticisms. I'm friendly. :)
Until next time friends.
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
oh, heeeeeyyyyyy!
Hello world. I write to you as I sit in the intern office at North Metro First Baptist Church of Gwinnett, Inc. (fondly referred to as "North Metro"). I could go back and recount to you everything that has happened between my last post and now, but that would probably take a full 3 months. So I'll hit the high points. You're welcome.
The week before Easter, I brought my mom to Atlanta to see "The Final Season of the Atlanta Passion Play". This meant I got to see most of my friends from my first internship in Atlanta, and got to spend some more time in this beautiful city. I went back to Nashville knowing that the Lord was trying to tell me something. I went back to work at J. Alexander's on Monday morning, and it was honestly like I was having an out of body experience and watching everything happen around me. That next Wednesday night, I had the same experience at The Fellowship at Two Rivers (that's my Nashville church's new name...more on that later). I went through praise team and choir practice and sound check for Easter, but it never really felt real to me. The only thing I could figure out was that maybe God was trying to wrap up my time in Nashville. For now. I can't tell you if I'll live there again because I don't know. I started looking for jobs in Atlanta, set up some interviews, and drove back and forth between Nashy and the ATL a lot. Like...A LOT. Like...once a week for 3 weeks. True story. As I prepared to come to Atlanta for a second interview with a company, I was talking with Maclane (student pastor at North Metro) about moving to Atlanta and what I was looking for. He presented me with the option of coming to North Metro and working with him to build and grow a Girl's Ministry within the student ministry. It's funny that that's what I'm doing now because 3 years ago, I didn't know Girl's Ministry existed.
Anyway, everything happened very quickly. I met with Maclane on a Wednesday, May 4. He called me to offer me the position on Saturday, the 7th. I went to J's later that day to talk to Richard (my service manager) about leaving and put in my 2 weeks' notice. And I cried. Then I got in the car and I sobbed. It was rough. That place has been the one constant in my life for 2.5 years. THAT'S A LONG TIME! I joked a lot about just putting a bed in the back because I spent so much time there, but honestly it was kind of like a second home and a second family. I love the people there so so so much. Over the next two weeks, Maclane found me a family to live with, and I prepared to leave Nashville. So on Friday, May 20, I worked my last shift at J's and cried a lot more. The next day, I packed up my car and drove to Lawrenceville, GA to the home of David and Lynette Barber, whom I had never met before. My first day at North Metro was the next morning which also happened to be Senior Recognition Sunday, so I met about a billion people.
It's been 11 days since I moved. I feel like I've known David and Lynette and their 3 gorgeous kids forever, and they've done an amazing job of making me feel at home. I'm getting into a routine at the church. I was only here for 5 days before trekking back to Tennessee for my aunt's wedding, but I'm back here now until August. At least. I'd love to be here long term, full time, permanently. Not necessarily doing exactly this, but I'm open to opportunities and possibilities. I've learned to not put limits on God and what He can and will do. Right when I think nothing will happen, He blows my mind again. I love that.
So right now... I'm so excited about meeting and investing in the lives of these girls this summer. They've been through a lot as a student ministry, and I'm so honored that the Lord is allowing me to be here and love on them! Everyone here has been so cordial and welcoming and wonderful. I could not ask for a better situation, and I am so grateful.
Stay tuned...
Alicia
P.S. here are some shots from the most perfect wedding in the history of the world...
Me and Alayna at the Rehearsal Dinner
Amy had these made for all the girls...and they were necessary!
A shot of the program...
The most beautiful bride:
Being introduced as "Mr. and Mrs. Dale Massey"...
Bliss.
The week before Easter, I brought my mom to Atlanta to see "The Final Season of the Atlanta Passion Play". This meant I got to see most of my friends from my first internship in Atlanta, and got to spend some more time in this beautiful city. I went back to Nashville knowing that the Lord was trying to tell me something. I went back to work at J. Alexander's on Monday morning, and it was honestly like I was having an out of body experience and watching everything happen around me. That next Wednesday night, I had the same experience at The Fellowship at Two Rivers (that's my Nashville church's new name...more on that later). I went through praise team and choir practice and sound check for Easter, but it never really felt real to me. The only thing I could figure out was that maybe God was trying to wrap up my time in Nashville. For now. I can't tell you if I'll live there again because I don't know. I started looking for jobs in Atlanta, set up some interviews, and drove back and forth between Nashy and the ATL a lot. Like...A LOT. Like...once a week for 3 weeks. True story. As I prepared to come to Atlanta for a second interview with a company, I was talking with Maclane (student pastor at North Metro) about moving to Atlanta and what I was looking for. He presented me with the option of coming to North Metro and working with him to build and grow a Girl's Ministry within the student ministry. It's funny that that's what I'm doing now because 3 years ago, I didn't know Girl's Ministry existed.
Anyway, everything happened very quickly. I met with Maclane on a Wednesday, May 4. He called me to offer me the position on Saturday, the 7th. I went to J's later that day to talk to Richard (my service manager) about leaving and put in my 2 weeks' notice. And I cried. Then I got in the car and I sobbed. It was rough. That place has been the one constant in my life for 2.5 years. THAT'S A LONG TIME! I joked a lot about just putting a bed in the back because I spent so much time there, but honestly it was kind of like a second home and a second family. I love the people there so so so much. Over the next two weeks, Maclane found me a family to live with, and I prepared to leave Nashville. So on Friday, May 20, I worked my last shift at J's and cried a lot more. The next day, I packed up my car and drove to Lawrenceville, GA to the home of David and Lynette Barber, whom I had never met before. My first day at North Metro was the next morning which also happened to be Senior Recognition Sunday, so I met about a billion people.
It's been 11 days since I moved. I feel like I've known David and Lynette and their 3 gorgeous kids forever, and they've done an amazing job of making me feel at home. I'm getting into a routine at the church. I was only here for 5 days before trekking back to Tennessee for my aunt's wedding, but I'm back here now until August. At least. I'd love to be here long term, full time, permanently. Not necessarily doing exactly this, but I'm open to opportunities and possibilities. I've learned to not put limits on God and what He can and will do. Right when I think nothing will happen, He blows my mind again. I love that.
So right now... I'm so excited about meeting and investing in the lives of these girls this summer. They've been through a lot as a student ministry, and I'm so honored that the Lord is allowing me to be here and love on them! Everyone here has been so cordial and welcoming and wonderful. I could not ask for a better situation, and I am so grateful.
Stay tuned...
Alicia
P.S. here are some shots from the most perfect wedding in the history of the world...
Me and Alayna at the Rehearsal Dinner
Amy had these made for all the girls...and they were necessary!
A shot of the program...
The most beautiful bride:
Being introduced as "Mr. and Mrs. Dale Massey"...
Bliss.
Friday, February 25, 2011
Blarg.
Day 4(.5?) of no bread/potatoes/chips/fries/etc... I'm not dead. I figured my body might go into shock from the complete change in dietary habits. As I have mentioned before, I like bread. It's my second favorite food (the first is cheese). :) It's not only delicious, it's also typically the most convenient option. So i've had to consciously and intentionally not eat bread this week. I've discovered so far that Jesus is the bread of life...the tortilla chips of life...the oatmeal cream pies of life... Lucky for me, He is everything and I need nothing but Him. He's been so good to me, so oftentimes I also want for nothing because of Him. Thank you, Jesus. I don't deserve You.
'tis all.
P.S. in totally unrelated news, i loathe ironing.
'tis all.
P.S. in totally unrelated news, i loathe ironing.
Monday, February 21, 2011
Midnight Ramblings
I'm currently gorging myself on an obscene amount of tortilla chips. Why? I'm giving up carbs for 20 days as part of a time of prayer and fasting that my whole church is doing this month. It starts tomorrow. We don't have to give up carbs, but I figured I need to view Jesus more as my "bread of life" than I have been recently...and this will hopefully be an excellent representation. It's definitely not going to be easy. I love carbs. I've oftentimes asked for an all-carb diet. It's my comfort food, my discomfort food, my tired food, my happy food, my bored food, my cheaper than everything else and i'm broke food. I'm hoping and anticipating that God can and will do big things through this. I'm too dependent on myself. I have a hard time letting go. I've found that delegating is one of my least favorite things to do. It means I have to trust people and what they're going to do. I'd much rather do it all myself so I know when and how things are being accomplished. However, God has been giving me tons of opportunities to delegate recently. He's funny like that. In that same vein...giving up carbs for any period of time is not going to be easy...mainly because I work in a restaurant where I have easily accessible carbs being paraded around me at all times. The good news is, this restaurant also has wonderful carb-free food. It's better for me anyway. Isn't it funny how God uses things like carbohydrates to teach me lessons about His character? I love that. Anyway, I'll try to keep you updated throughout the next 20 days. Peace be with you all.
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
Slow down for just a minute, life...
Hey. Hope all is well with everyone out there. I am doing pretty well these days. Still at J's. Still teaching color guard at Page 2 days a week. Still at Two Rivers. Still struggling to be who God has called me to be everyday to everybody in every situation.
Today, I worked 12.5 hours in the restaurant, and let's just say we were slow enough that the monetary benefits were not great. However, I got to experience something wonderful today. One of my tables during the lunch shift was a couple with 2 small, special needs children and 2 older gentlemen who also had special needs. The couple was very nice, and surprisingly low maintenance. I wasn't sure how to respond to the other four at the table, so I just went off of how everyone responded and thought about how I'd want to be treated if the roles were reversed. Apparently, this family comes in about once a month. Sometimes they have the 2 kids with them, sometimes it's 4, sometimes it's a whole slew of people... They order pretty much the same things every time they're in, so they knew exactly what they wanted when they sat down. I tried to be as accommodating as possible, asking questions when I was unsure, and treating everyone equally. I brought extra ketchup and refilled iced teas and water glasses. Nothing special. No complications I had to work with. No belligerent guests. Their meal was uneventful. However, when I came to the table to clear away some of the dishes, there was $6 laying on it. The lady said that money was for me from "the boys" Brian and Malcolm--the two older, special needs gentlemen. I said "Oh! That's for me?" and they both nodded their heads and said "Yeah, yeah, for you." I said "Thank you so much!" and walked away. I had made it about 5 feet before I nearly collapsed in a puddle of tears on the floor. I was overwhelmed. When I came back to the table one last time to drop off their credit card and say thank you, "the boys" both shook my hand and told me thank you. It made me think about how often I take my life for granted. I've never struggled with major health issues. Neither has anyone in my immediate family. We're very lucky, and so many times we're concerned about what type of bottled water we drink or something else that's ridiculously trivial. Spending that little time with that family today made me so thankful for my health and mental stabilities and for being able to go out to eat and order for myself and tip my servers. I was immediately thankful for that couple and the gentleness and love they displayed for the people they had brought to lunch. It was apparent that everyone feels like an equal part of that family, and it was a blessing for me to get to see into their lives for just a little while. I can only hope that they were blessed by me today too, because they sure did change my whole day.
Today, I worked 12.5 hours in the restaurant, and let's just say we were slow enough that the monetary benefits were not great. However, I got to experience something wonderful today. One of my tables during the lunch shift was a couple with 2 small, special needs children and 2 older gentlemen who also had special needs. The couple was very nice, and surprisingly low maintenance. I wasn't sure how to respond to the other four at the table, so I just went off of how everyone responded and thought about how I'd want to be treated if the roles were reversed. Apparently, this family comes in about once a month. Sometimes they have the 2 kids with them, sometimes it's 4, sometimes it's a whole slew of people... They order pretty much the same things every time they're in, so they knew exactly what they wanted when they sat down. I tried to be as accommodating as possible, asking questions when I was unsure, and treating everyone equally. I brought extra ketchup and refilled iced teas and water glasses. Nothing special. No complications I had to work with. No belligerent guests. Their meal was uneventful. However, when I came to the table to clear away some of the dishes, there was $6 laying on it. The lady said that money was for me from "the boys" Brian and Malcolm--the two older, special needs gentlemen. I said "Oh! That's for me?" and they both nodded their heads and said "Yeah, yeah, for you." I said "Thank you so much!" and walked away. I had made it about 5 feet before I nearly collapsed in a puddle of tears on the floor. I was overwhelmed. When I came back to the table one last time to drop off their credit card and say thank you, "the boys" both shook my hand and told me thank you. It made me think about how often I take my life for granted. I've never struggled with major health issues. Neither has anyone in my immediate family. We're very lucky, and so many times we're concerned about what type of bottled water we drink or something else that's ridiculously trivial. Spending that little time with that family today made me so thankful for my health and mental stabilities and for being able to go out to eat and order for myself and tip my servers. I was immediately thankful for that couple and the gentleness and love they displayed for the people they had brought to lunch. It was apparent that everyone feels like an equal part of that family, and it was a blessing for me to get to see into their lives for just a little while. I can only hope that they were blessed by me today too, because they sure did change my whole day.
Thursday, July 15, 2010
Long time, no post
Hello All...All 6 or 7 of you. :) I am tired. I'm a tired girl. I need to be sleeping right now, but I rarely have computer access through any avenue except my iPhone, and let's be honest...who wants to write a whole blog post from their iPhone. Not me.
Why am I tired, you may ask? Well I suppose I will tell you. I'll try to keep it brief and non-complainy. I work a lot. I love my job and 95-98% of the people I work with/for, but I do spend just about as much time at the restaurant as I do at home...wherever home is... haha. I'm a bit of a nomad these days until I figure out the grad school/student loan/whatever else situation.
After I graduated from Belmont, I moved home. I knew that wouldn't last long, so I started staying at my sister and brother-in-law's house in April. What started out as me staying there when I worked late and had to be back early the next morning turned into me having 2 crazy little roommates who were married and related to me. It was an adventure... one that ended with Amanda asking me to move to New York with her and Chris when they go so I can be their roommate. No thank you. :)
When they left the country for their current escapades in Central America, I moved back home for about 3.5 days. Since then, I've been living with Chris's parents. Yep. My sister's in-laws. They're out of town a lot this summer, and it works out better for all parties if I just stay here. It's closer to work, closer to friends, and they don't have to pay a house-sitter or ask a neighbor to feed the cat every other week. So it works out.
Now that the story of my nomad-ness is complete (for now), I'll continue the "why is alicia tired?" saga:
For the past 3ish weeks, my sweet little grandmother has been battling pneumonia. She was sick at home for a week, sick and then recovering in the hospital for a week, and then came back home to continue her recovery on Friday. She's lost a significant amount of weight, and is all around pretty weak...so it helps her out to have someone at the house with her. She can't be up all day fixing her meals or doing laundry and the dishes, so my mom and her brothers and sisters have all been taking off work so they could stay with her and help out. Yesterday and today, I took my turn. My days went something like this: get very little sleep, help fix breakfast, try to eat my breakfast while running back and forth to Nanny's room getting her whatever she needed/wanted, fixing lunch, eating lunch, sneaking little naps, running some more, answering the phone, calling my mom to see where to find something, making sure the chickens and the dogs and the cats are fed and watered, etc... and on Tuesday, I got myself ready and to work on time where I trained a new server and then did cashouts--meaning I was there from 4:45 until 11:45. It was a lengthy day, and Wednesday I got to do it all over again minus the job. Don't get me wrong. I love my grandmother very, very, very much, and it physically pains me to see her so weak and frail. I can definitely understand why my mom and aunts have been taking shifts though. Taking care of any other human being is hard work and does not include instant gratification.
That's a lot like life in general though when you're just taking care of yourself. Dieting and working out brings delayed results. Studying for classes and exams...delayed results. Investing in the lives of those around you...delayed results. Being faithful in my relationship with Jesus...delayed results. In a society that is so obsessed with instant everything, it's ironic (but also a bit exciting) that the best things in life--the blessings--rarely come instantly. That proves the faithfulness of God (as if He needed proof). Just another picture of how deep and wide and great the Father's love is for us...and how intricate and perfectly designed. Thank you, Jesus.
Why am I tired, you may ask? Well I suppose I will tell you. I'll try to keep it brief and non-complainy. I work a lot. I love my job and 95-98% of the people I work with/for, but I do spend just about as much time at the restaurant as I do at home...wherever home is... haha. I'm a bit of a nomad these days until I figure out the grad school/student loan/whatever else situation.
After I graduated from Belmont, I moved home. I knew that wouldn't last long, so I started staying at my sister and brother-in-law's house in April. What started out as me staying there when I worked late and had to be back early the next morning turned into me having 2 crazy little roommates who were married and related to me. It was an adventure... one that ended with Amanda asking me to move to New York with her and Chris when they go so I can be their roommate. No thank you. :)
When they left the country for their current escapades in Central America, I moved back home for about 3.5 days. Since then, I've been living with Chris's parents. Yep. My sister's in-laws. They're out of town a lot this summer, and it works out better for all parties if I just stay here. It's closer to work, closer to friends, and they don't have to pay a house-sitter or ask a neighbor to feed the cat every other week. So it works out.
Now that the story of my nomad-ness is complete (for now), I'll continue the "why is alicia tired?" saga:
For the past 3ish weeks, my sweet little grandmother has been battling pneumonia. She was sick at home for a week, sick and then recovering in the hospital for a week, and then came back home to continue her recovery on Friday. She's lost a significant amount of weight, and is all around pretty weak...so it helps her out to have someone at the house with her. She can't be up all day fixing her meals or doing laundry and the dishes, so my mom and her brothers and sisters have all been taking off work so they could stay with her and help out. Yesterday and today, I took my turn. My days went something like this: get very little sleep, help fix breakfast, try to eat my breakfast while running back and forth to Nanny's room getting her whatever she needed/wanted, fixing lunch, eating lunch, sneaking little naps, running some more, answering the phone, calling my mom to see where to find something, making sure the chickens and the dogs and the cats are fed and watered, etc... and on Tuesday, I got myself ready and to work on time where I trained a new server and then did cashouts--meaning I was there from 4:45 until 11:45. It was a lengthy day, and Wednesday I got to do it all over again minus the job. Don't get me wrong. I love my grandmother very, very, very much, and it physically pains me to see her so weak and frail. I can definitely understand why my mom and aunts have been taking shifts though. Taking care of any other human being is hard work and does not include instant gratification.
That's a lot like life in general though when you're just taking care of yourself. Dieting and working out brings delayed results. Studying for classes and exams...delayed results. Investing in the lives of those around you...delayed results. Being faithful in my relationship with Jesus...delayed results. In a society that is so obsessed with instant everything, it's ironic (but also a bit exciting) that the best things in life--the blessings--rarely come instantly. That proves the faithfulness of God (as if He needed proof). Just another picture of how deep and wide and great the Father's love is for us...and how intricate and perfectly designed. Thank you, Jesus.
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