Life's Turns - Chapter One

Life's road can have interesting turns, sometimes big potholes shake us up, and sometimes it can be smooth. But many times it is interesting listening to others tell their stories. Many of you reading this were at last week's ACU homecoming. I got so excited (and nervous) before that weekend that I found myself watching old Sing Song videos to see if I could remember faces and names. (I don't remember much of memory junior/senior year.)

My life in the past few years since college has had its ups and downs, just like everybody else's. When I first graduated I moved to Ridgefield, Washington to live with my grandma. Shortly afterward she found out she had breast cancer and battled with it for 2 years. During that time I substitute taught and coached softball. I spent my summers traveling to Honduras on short-term mission trips with TORCH Missions.

She died in June 2005. Two weeks after I returned from my mission trip I had moved there!!! I spent Monday through Friday teaching and coaching and then my weekends and any free time were spent doing mission work. (Since this is only being read by friends I can be completely honest.) I got burn-out very quickly, a year. For a year all of my free time went to other people and myself got pushed aside. (One good thing that came from that was I dropped 20 pounds and weighed less than I did in high school.)

I went to church in a VERY poor community (a community even Hondurans looked down upon). When we would show up for church, not 5 minutes would pass before I was asked to take someone to the dentist, to the doctor, or for my shoes. And with my limited attention span I can only think of one or two times when I actually felt like I was worshipping.

Now...I am in the Memphis, Tennessee area, know very few people, and do not have the urge whatsoever to go to church. Church is the one place christians meet other christians. I'm not the type that goes to single's bars or to go to random chat rooms (actually, I have never been to a chat room). I still read the Bible at night and still talk with Him, but the thought of going to church irritates me and rubs me the wrong way. I pray that feeling goes away soon.

The previous paragraphs make it sound like I didn't enjoy my time there. I truly love the Honduran people I worked around and worked with. It was an experience I wouldn't change for the world. I wish I had saved my blog site, so that you could read of my wild and exciting stories.

One good thing came out of my time there that I will cherish for years. She's my baby that I bought at "puppy corner." There is an intersection that has two families that have a bunch of puppies that they hold up by their little legs. One day I saw a sweet little, husky-looking puppy. A week passed while I debated to buy it and I finally went back and bought her. As soon as I held her I knew she was the one I wanted and she knew I was her new mom.=) She never likes to be out of my sight. Even as I type she is laying down beside me with her head on my lap and her paw on the computer. (The top picture was just after I bought her and the next was 4-5 months ago. She is about 15 pounds heavier now.)




These days I am teaching and coaching at Harding Academy in Memphis. I love my little 7th graders. They are little kids just trying and forcing their way into adulthood.

I am also the assistant volleyball coach. We struggled some through the regular season, but came through during the regional tournament and got 3rd place which allows us to go to the state tournament this coming week. So please pray for us that these girls will play their hearts out and enjoy themselves.