P.S.

Have I mentioned lately that I love my job? If I wasn't already working for well below minimum wage, I might be tempted to say that I would do this for free.

"To love what you do and feel that it matters--how could anything be more fun?" -Katherine Graham

And now...let's absorb a moment of greatness from the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

"In recent months I have also become more and more convinced of the reality of a personal God [...] Perhaps the suffering, frustration and agonizing moments which I have had to undergo occasionally as a result of my involvement in a difficult struggle have drawn me closer to God. Whatever the cause, God has been profoundly real to me in recent months. In the midst of outer dangers I have felt an inner calm and known resources of strength that only God could give. In many instances I have felt the power of God transforming the fatigue of despair into the buoyancy of hope [...] Behind the harsh appearances of the world there is a benign power. To say God is personal is not to make him an object among other objects or attribute to him the finiteness and limitations of human personality; it is to take what is finest and noblest in our consciousness and affirm its perfect existence in him. It is certainly true that human personality is limited, but personality as such involves no necessary limitations. It simply means self-consciouness and self-direction. So in the truest sense of the word, God is a living God. In him there is feeling and will, responsive to the deepest yearning of the human heart: this God both evokes and answers prayers." - MLK Jr. , from A Testament of Hope: The Essential Writings and Speeches of Martin Luther King, Jr.

Food for Thought

Our kids at Warren Village set up this donation box for Hurricane victims. I thought it was an especially beautiful gesture since all of these kids come from struggling single-parent households, most of them have experienced homelessness firsthand and many lack an adequate food supply on a regular basis. The box actually sits in our Family Services Department, only a few feet away from the donations that these same residents use.

We had some prospective donors come in and when they saw the box, they remarked that, in addition to aiding those in this horrific crisis, we must not forget those right here in Denver that go without. I'm a firm believer that some uplifting stuff always comes out of tragedy. I think, if anything, this disaster has raised our level of poverty awareness. And just maybe, after the long road ahead in the Gulf Region, many will stay banded together, continuing relief efforts for those in their own communities who have been displaced, left homeless and forced to seek refuge.

Skyline

Check out my new city. Pretty sweet.

Bread and Justice

I once heard a Native American saying that described a man's inner struggles. He said we all have two dogs inside of us, one bad and one good. When asked which one wins the fight, the man answered: "Whichever one I feed the most." Well, this past week, despite loving my new city and job, I think I've done a good job of feeding the bad dog. I've lamented living on a shoestring budget, I've whined about leaky pipes in my ancient apartment and I've been impatient to get settled with furniture. God has provided in each instance, and especially in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, I feel a little selfish. So here's one of my favorite prayers that has always been a gentle reminder to me of gratitude. I think it speaks to all those that suffer and to those of us who should suffer with them in empathy.

O God, just as the disciples heard Christ's words of promise and began to eat the bread and drink the wine in the suffering of a long remebrance and in the joy of a hope, grant that we may hear your words, spoken in each thing of everyday affairs:
Coffee, on our table in the morning;
the simple gesture of opening a door to go out, free;
the shouts of children in the parks;
a familiar song, sung by an unfamiliar face;
a friendly tree that has not yet been cut down.
May simple things speak to us of your mercy, and tell us that life can be good. And may these sacramental gifts make us remember those who do not receive them:
who have their lives cut every day, in the bread absent from the table;
in the door of the hospital, the prison, the welfare home that does not open;
in sad children, feelt without shoes, eyes without hope;
in war hymns that glorify death;
in deserts where once there was life.
Christ was also sacrificed; and may we learn that we participate in the saving sacrifice of Christ when we participate in the suffering of his little ones. Amen.

-Rubem Alves

Rocky Mountain Road Trip

It’s been a rocky road in more ways than one getting me to Denver. Ailing father, skyrocketing gas prices, quarter-life chaos, you name it. Friends and family pulled together and helped me get it together. I do have to especially thank all my friends that took over Atlanta and made my 22nd birthday the best I’ve ever had. Mwah!

So anyway, my good friend Brad and I finally road off into the sunset. We traversed seven states and almost 2,000 miles, but sharing the trip made it manageable. I do have to point out, though, that Kansas must be one of the longest, most boring states in the continental U.S. I don’t know about Dorothy, but I couldn't have been happier to not be in Kansas anymore.

When we pulled into the mile-high city, our first stop was where the Denver UGA Alums watch ballgames. Seeing the Bulldawgs stomp Boise State was a great way to combine the old with the new and kick off my life in a new city.

Happy Birthday to me!

Second Thoughts

So here I am, earlier this summer, ready to save the world. After all, I graduated from the unbeatable University of Georgia. I’m restless to try something new. I’m scheduled to leave soon for Denver, CO, and begin work at Warren Village.

Then, a month before my departure, my biological father almost dies and well, my plans don’t look so great. Don’t worry—I’ve sent several very loud complaints to God about this already. To give some background, a year and a half ago, I watched my stepfather succumb to cancer. I watched the man who raised me die and now I was seeing the same thing from the man who gave me life. As my father suffered brain damage and drifted into a coma, I, as his closest kin, faced soul-numbing decisions about life support and death.

But then, just a few days shy of my 22nd birthday, I got the best gift ever. My father woke up.

I have no earthly idea why some miracles happen and others don’t, why hurricanes and tsunamis strike and the sun still rises afterward. But through my endless hours of watching heart monitors and breathing machines, I do know one thing: in my darkest hours, when I can’t find hope and I watch those I love fight death with every minute, I have felt something more powerful than myself. I have felt something stronger than any medication or machine, more sufficient than any doctor’s orders. Yep, sounds trite, but I still believe God was there.

Even knowing this, I’m still not as ready to take on the world as I thought I was six weeks ago. The Denver journey is still intact, proving that the Lord’s plans beat mine any day. These days, I feel a little bruised, a lot tired. But I’ve learned there is strength in being weak and beauty in being broken. So this is me: raw, emotional, scarred and scared. Yet, I am still so excited at the possibilities, uplifted by the purpose and I hope everyone will check in often to see how it’s going.

Commencement

A little over a year ago, I thought I was going to go save the world. Well, not really, but as I was having my quarter-life crisis of what to do after I graduated from college, I knew it wasn’t going to be the normal nine-to-five deal. In the end, God told me what to do and I became a US-2 missionary and Americorps volunteer (For more US-2 info, see sidebar).

I, along with my seven other fellow US-2s (not to be confused with Bono and company), will serve for two years in placements from Alaska to Atlanta. Together with our communities, we will become advocates for social change. As my friend Mary puts it, we will combat “isms.”

For my part, I will be serving in Denver, CO, at Warren Village, a transitional housing facility that empowers single parents to become self-sufficient through affordable housing, childcare, life-skills classes and volunteerism. Among other issues, my community and I will confront poverty, homelessness and domestic violence. Keep checking in because I’ll keep everyone posted on my adventures and misadventures in the mile-high city!