9/11 - Ten Years Later.

It was a day that changed all of us. In an instant our worldview shifted and we were brought to feelings of terror, anger, heartbreak, and confusion.  Most of us could still tell you the specific details of where we were and what we were doing when we heard the news.  It was Tuesday, September 11, 2001.

I had just walked into my high school choir class when I learned of the attacks.  We watched in horror as we saw the twin towers burning & as the news stations continued to cover the events as the pentagon was struck, both of the WTC towers collapsed, and as United Flight 93 crashed into a field in Pennsylvania.  All day at school we watched the news and I remember how sad and afraid it made me feel.  That night we had a somber prayer meeting at our church and I just remember how solemn everyone was and how much we were holding tight to one another.  

  

10 years later: 09.11.11 –

It still makes me my heart ache and my stomach feel sick when I think of the events of that day.  I get a lump in my throat as I watch images on television replaying what happened ten years ago.  At the same time I am proud to call myself an American.  I see a country who rose up to a challenge and did not let it defeat us.  Sure we have had some incredibly difficult days, some people’s lives were affected that day by the loss of family and friends – and they are still dealing with mourning, yet somehow our nation is still strong.  We are brave and we continue to honor and remember those who were lost that day and those who gave their lives as heroes trying to save others. I pray that we always continue to remember and to pray for the families of those affected and for our nation.  May we fall on our face before God and pray for healing and renewal in our country.

 

This day reminds me of how quickly life can change.  We do not know what will happen tomorrow and we are never promised tomorrow.  We only have today.  I hope that we will choose to live in such a way that we minimize regrets. (I say it that way because in the flesh we cannot get away from having no regrets…we can only strive to do the best). I want to love in a way that others see how much I care for them and see Christ through me.  I want my family and friends to know just how much I love them and that I pray for them and carry burdens for them.  So right now I want to say “I love you.” I don’t want to just assume that you know.  As I heard on a radio station the other day, even though it has been years, somewhere somebody is going through their own personal “9/11” in their lives where their world is falling apart.  May we love them and seek to be an encouragement and help in their lives.  Each of us go through times like this in our lives, I know when things are falling apart in my life it is in knowing the love of Christ and in seeing someone come alongside me to walk with me that helps get me through those times.  In light of the events of 9/11 and in remembering the frailty of life, I want to always speak Christ and love people enough to tell them how much He loves them.      

Glimpses of Grace

Many days I find myself asking God, “Why did you send me to Phoenix?” Arizona? – Sure. I understand that part – it captured my heart years ago… but Phoenix??? I’m still trying to acclimate to this city and to find “my place” here. I know that there is a purpose for me being here, and I know that this is where God wants me at this time – He has clearly orchestrated all of it.  That being said, it is still difficult many days trying to adjust to this place. “Well it’s the desert, Autumn” you might say.  I love the desert – I think God created me for a climate such as this, it just sets well with me. That might make me weird, but I don’t care.  I don’t want to be a “typical American” – what is typical anyways??  I wouldn’t have been surprised to have found myself in a small village in the middle of the desert miles from anything. But I was surprised to find that God wanted to send me to Phoenix – one of the largest cities in the nation. I don’t expect to know an answer immediately, but am thankful for His grace and for showing me little glimpses of it each day.

I see his grace in the smile of a child I am doing therapy with for my job.  His grace is in the clouds as they shelter the city from the sun and lower the temperature even by a few degrees bringing some relief from the heat.  His grace is around me in the family who has so graciously offered for me to stay with them temporarily as I’m transitioning and looking for a place to live.  It’s in the laughter of the 3 precious kids who are living with me and the smiles at dinner when I have a seat between them.  His grace is in a chance meeting with another woman originally from Alabama who struck up conversation with me at Starbucks (and who also asked if she could pray for me before I left).  It’s in the acceptance of 5 inner city kids as we cooked dinner and made friendship bracelets.  And I found His grace in the random meeting of a new friend who just so happens to know some of my friends from New Orleans. God blessed me through that and reminded me that He is everywhere, and His people are all over the world…and sent a little smile my way as I felt a connection that helped me to take a deep breath and relax. 

So thankful for the love of my God and for the way He shows me He cares for me. J

Moving Out West...

Hey friends! Sorry it has been so long since I blogged.  These past few weeks have been crazy, blessed, emotional, and life changing.  Most of you who are reading this already know that God is leading me out to Arizona to live and to do ministry at this time.  The process has seemed a long time coming – yet, once it got rolling I had only a matter of days to get my things together there & to get things in order for moving out West.  That being said, I packed up & pulled out of the driveway last Thursday morning headed for over 1700 miles of driving spread across 3 days with the best sister in the world. J In this blog I just wanted to share a few of the highlights from our trip out.

Day 1: We saw 5 states this day…AL, MS, TN, AR, & OK.  Two of those I had never been to before (AR & OK).  We tried to give a synopsis of each state as we went through (on a video) & so I’ll give you the rundown of what we decided here. AL – well, we are from there…don’t really have a new epiphany about it or anything – just that it’s beautiful & a wonderful state.  Mississippi – I don’t remember too much about it because I got less than 4 hrs. of sleep the night before & slept whenever I wasn’t in the driver’s seat…but it looks pretty much just like AL in landscaping. Tennessee – We only hit the tip of it – yet neither of us had been through Memphis before, so that was cool. Arkansas – We crossed the Mississippi River coming into AR & I enjoyed that part a lot…it reminded me of New Orleans & walking/running down by the river with great friends. We also decided that Arkansas has A LOT of farms.  Oklahoma – I was most excited to see Oklahoma. The main reason being that Carrie Underwood is from there (haha…no, seriously!) Eastern Oklahoma looked a lot like Arkansas  & it was still pretty hilly & green (I was expecting flat or rolling plains. Haha) It was really cool though – best part of day 1 = seeing Carrie’s hometown.  We are talking – I’ve wanted to see her “road sign” for 6 years…& finally got to! Haha! If you’ve ever heard the song “I Ain’t in Checotah Anymore”, we saw most of those things that she mentions in the song. 14+ hrs. on the road (that’s including stops we made) equaled 2 very tired girls.

Day 2:  We went through the Western half of Oklahoma, through the panhandle of Texas, and down to Albuquerque, New Mexico where we stopped for the night.  The western part of OK is very different than the eastern.  It was a lot more flat with land stretching for miles.  We stopped at a little town where there was a Native American trading post. We had fun making pictures with the buffalo statues, teepees, and totem poles.  At this point we also found the historic Route 66 and drove down it for several miles.  It had been patched multiple times and was unmarked. We only knew where it was by asking a local.  Once we got into Texas we discovered why many people have a hard time driving through it.  There was literally nothing for miles.  I think the only city (or town even) that we went through was Amarillo.  We called this the “sleepy” state because we almost fell asleep driving through it.  New Mexico is BEAUTIFUL. The terrain changes so much & it was a gorgeous drive.  We also found Route 66 in NM & stopped to take pictures with a sign. (the originals have all been torn down or stolen, but there are signs marking it in some places).  The place where we stayed in Albuquerque was only a few minutes from “Old Town Albuquerque” (a historic location) that is so cute & has really unique stores & a church that has been there for over 200 years.  As a side note: *Kendall, if you’re reading this…a GREAT place for picture taking adventures! SUCH cute buildings & little nooks & stuff*  Anyways, we enjoyed our time in Albuquerque!

Day 3: We started out by walking through “Old Town Albuquerque” & taking some fun pictures.  Following that we went to a place called Petroglyph National Monument.  It was a really neat place where there were 100’s of petroglyph drawings on rocks by Native Americans long long ago.  After hiking a little up those rocks, we continued on our journey through New Mexico.  As we came into Arizona we stopped to take multiple pictures with the state welcome sign & to get information from the welcome center.  Day 3 (Saturday) was a busy & very full day! We then spent a couple of hours in the Painted Desert/Petrified Forest.  It was really awesome to get to see those glorious creations that God has made.  He makes beautiful & interesting things that all serve to proclaim His glory.  We ended up stopping in Winslow later on also to take pictures “standin on a corner.” It is such a quaint & cute little town! Eventually as the sun set on our day we finally arrived at the home where a family has so graciously offered for me to stay temporarily while I search for a more permanent residence.  God is good & He blessed our travels out here!  Thanks for reading & I hope to post an update soon about what God is showing me out here!  I just wanted to share with you the journey of relocating. Please continue to keep me in your prayers as I am learning day by day what God is doing out here.