People in Your Life Who Inspire You

April 12: 

This one is tough to rein in to a manageable word count. There are so many. For the sake of narrowing, I'm going with women on this prompt. And I'm posting the full text on Facebook so I can tag some of them if you'd like to be inspired by them as well. I'll miss someone, but here goes:

Cece Jones-Davis. She is a force to be reckoned with. A fierce defender of marginalized communities. I have learned so much from her regarding death penalty abolition, defending the innocent caught in the crossfire of nation-state wars, racial reconciliation and much more. And she is a powerful preacher and teacher. You know you've been to Church when you have an opportunity to hear her speak. 

Sharon McMahon. She was just as unknown as the rest of us before the pandemic. An excellent teacher, but unknown to most. During the pandemic, stuck at home, she decided to begin talking about history and government in her Instagram space. Her ability to educate, in a nonpartisan way, exploded on the scene. Since then, she has done online courses, raised millions of dollars for teachers, for those effected by natural disaster, to forgive medical debt, and much more. All of it, a few dollars at a time from her followers. She's written an excellent book, has a stellar podcast where I've learned so much. She has shown me that any and all of us can have an impact, big or small, and change at least the part of the world we've been gifted to touch, with our voice and our action.

Rachel Held Evans and Sarah Bessey. Both authors, Rachel passed away six years ago next month, Sarah is still writing and teaching. Both have had a profound impact on my life during a time I was struggling with a multitude of doubts around church and faith. Their books were, and still are, a healing balm. They have pulled me from the proverbial ledge more than once. Read anything they've written.

Shannon Martin. Also an author. Her books have taught me much on loving my neighbor. My real life neighbors with feet-on-ground, practical love. It's too easy to say we love our neighbors and our enemies, but if they do not feel that love or see it or hear it as love, it's not love. 

So many more out there that I certainly don't have the pleasure of one-on-one contact with, but there's a taste. 

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Now a quick list of folks I do have the pleasure of seeing in real life. Some often, others just occasionally: 

Nicole Martin: A force to be reckoned with. She proves to me the value of your voice in a world determined to silence the marginalized. And she is abundantly kind.

Melissa Ford: She'll not be stopped in the arena of making this world a better place for those living unhoused lives. I have no idea when she sleeps, but she keeps me energized to always be looking for practical ways to be the hands and feet of Jesus.

Jamie Zumwalt: The owner of Joe's Addiction, she lives everyday showing us what it looks like to love like Jesus.

Karen Hanscom: She is, quite simply, the kindest person I know. Just watching her move through the world reminds me that we can be fierce AND kind. We do not have to choose. 

There are so many. I am blessed with a community of people, both online and in my real walking around life. Neighbors, friends, colleagues, community partners and a Church that inspire me to say what I believe, what I stand for, what I'm *for,* not just what I'm against, and then to prove it with my actual everyday life. 

I want to close with these three, because they are both an inspiration and a high example of the reason I will not be silent in the things that matter in our world. My daughters, Erin, Grace and Kelly. I know them all well enough to know their fears as well as their joys. And they are fierce mamas, loyal friends, and spectacular wives to my boys. Everyone of them facing their fears, determined to be a part of creating a better world than the one they inherited. 

Your Favorite Memory

I've thought about this prompt for the last several days and for much of today especially. I'm going to go with my first thought, though I've spent a good while going through a rolodex of happy memories. And it's not one, it's three. The birth of each of my children. All three of my childbirth experiences were 100% natural. And not because I planned it that way from the git-go. Surprise! I do pregnancy awful, but I do childbirth like a pro! Everyone's story is different and every one is beautiful in it's own way. Planned and smooth, shocking and difficult, and everywhere in between. 

I'll spare you the details, unless you want to sit on the patio with a glass of wine and swap stories. Except one for each of them: 

Erin: We were utterly clueless, made our way to the hospital in morning rush hour traffic, with no idea how fast this was gonna go. Brian "dropped me off" and the nurses sent him to park the car -- "You've got plenty of time!" -- A few minutes later, the doctor was barking orders to "go find her husband!" He made it, though no other family members did, and Erin immediately turned every last one of us into crazy people with our love for her. She's been teaching us what love looks like ever since.

Luke: We at least had in mind that time might be of the essence. My best friend made it in time, but my mother and sister did not. He was even faster than his sister. And while they're great friends now, they spent most of their childhoods in competition with one another. I was terrified I could not love another child as much as the one I already had. I was so wrong. He has been joy from the instant I first laid eyes on him. 

With Dylan, we pretty much knew by this point how fast it was gonna go and my doctor at the time was a bit if an old hippie. He asked me what I'd think about trying a birthing chair and I said, "Why the heck not?!" Not a single nurse on the floor had witnessed such a thing so I ended up with quite a crowd attending Dylan's birth (with my permission, of course). There was a lot of laughter in the room that day. He came into this world uniquely and hasn't stopped making waves, or making us laugh, since. 

As many things as I've forgotten over these six decades, I remember almost every minute of the process of my kids entering this world and changing me forever. 

The Nicest Compliment You've Received

 April 10

One of the nicest compliments I've received came a few years ago when I was chosen by my OKC office (we no longer have a local office but have now been shifted to work-from-home) as the interpreter of the year. And the reason this stands out to me is not for my skills - though everyone I work with has always been kind, encouraging and supportive of my skills as a sign language interpreter - but for the reasons given. Their reasons were for who I am, as a person - my acceptance of others, my voice in speaking out for change and in listening to and supporting historically, and currently, oppressed people.

Honestly, when I arrive at the end of my days on this earth, I cannot think of a single thing I want said about me more than I listened to and loved people well, in voice, life and action, that people always felt safe and accepted with me. I fail often, but you know -- Goals.

Things You Appreciate About Yourself

I appreciate that I am always open to learning. When I was much younger, I often felt like I mostly knew what I needed to know, (thank you very much). But life has had a way of humbling me and I realize there is much I do not know and there is always more to learn. And I often learn it in the unlikeliest of places.

I appreciate whatever it is within me that wants the people within my radar to feel safe and accepted with me. Now, I also have RBF, so even though my inside is very open, I often have to be conscious of the story my face may be telling. 😉

I appreciate my desire for community. I am an introvert, of this there is no doubt, but I have also learned that I do not particularly like who I become when I overfeed that side of myself. So I am thankful that my desire for connectedness keeps me from folding inside myself. I am better for each of you being here.

Skills or Talents You Have

Today and tomorrow are gonna be rough for this girl. If you're familiar with the Enneagram,you will understand when I tell you I am an Enneagram 1 - my inner critic is always on and she is most often directed at me. As I've aged, I'm trying to learn to recognize her sooner, tell her something along the lines of, "Hello, friend. I see you, but I'm going to be moving along now," and I try to take her with a grain of salt. As I move through today and tomorrow's writing prompts, I'll try to give her minimal brain space.

My skills or talents. My first thought is my skill as a sign language interpreter. While there are many, many interpreters that far exceed my skills, folks I am constantly learning from, I do feel like I perform my job well. I feel like I convey the message faithfully between two different languages and cultures to the best of my ability. I also know my limitations, when to bring in a team to make sure the message remains accurate, when I am not qualified for a specific situation and to step aside in those circumstances. Knowing my weakness as well as my strengths IS a strength. (In this and most other areas of life. To know when I need help or need to say no is critical.) I love my profession as well as the people, culture and language it has allowed me to know.

Organization of chaos into something functional. I have the ability to look at chaos, break it down into manageable parts and then begin to bring order to the scenario. (I think this why I enjoy my yearly minimalist challenge.) I know some people shut down when faced with too much chaos, but I am energized by the challenge!

I can bake a pretty dang good loaf of sourdough bread. It was a challenging beginning as I learned all the ins and outs of the process, but I'm there now. It is a joy to make it, to eat it, to give it away.

I'd love to hear what you think you're pretty good at!

Your Best Friends

April 7: Your best friends

Two brief stories here. The first is from 40 years ago. Brand new married. New town. New church. New job. Zero friends - at least locally. I still had friends of course, from high school and college, but no one close by. Everyone was friendly, but no close friend. And I was very lonely. I had gone to a retreat during this time and cried much of the way home, praying my need for a friend to Jesus. I can no longer remember the first time we met, but it was within days of that prayer that a friendship began its early days of growth with LaDonya. She and her husband and Brian and I spent untold nights playing Spades, learning to dance, country style (this was a sad affair for them, I'm afraid - we were not students who excelled in this - lol). She and I spent untold lunches together, she was with me when my babies were born, we swapped babysitting. She and Jesus saved me during that season of everything new. I will never not be thankful for her.

God has continued to be faithful throughout the years, both before and after this, with seasons of friendship that were exactly what each of us needed. Not all friendships last forever. Some are meant for a particular season, some simply morph due to moves or changes that are out of our control, some are put on hold as they've been lost to death, for now. I am thankful for those that have only grown deeper through the years, but I am also thankful for those that were for a season.

Second story is just something I picked up from Mandy Patinkin (of "Hello, my name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father, prepare to die," fame) - I was listening to him on a podcast a few years ago and he talked about his morning prayers - that people from all over the world reach out to him, asking for his prayers and he tries hard to be faithful to that. One way he does that is to speak their name. God knows the need of each - he does not need to. So he lifts their name to Him, as He knows what is truly needed. I loved this. So often I do not know what to pray, or how a need is best met. We can often think we know - but do we really know what is best? Anyway, I've prayed this way often when I feel at a loss for words - when someone comes to mind that I haven't thought of recently or the needs are so great I do not have sufficient words - I assume there is a need there and lift their name -- I "hold" it for a bit and sit with them in some spiritual plane where God knows what I can never know.

Below is my list of many of my closest friends throughout the last 62 years. In anticipation of this prompt, I've spent a couple of days thinking back through the years, lifting each name as it comes to me. I'm certain I've forgotten some, as my memory is often filled with gaps and for this I am sorry - it will come to me in spurts and please know your name will be lifted when that gap fills in.

Gayla
Susan
Sonia
Valorie
Shelley
Duane
Gina
Lee Ann
Monty
Patrick
Cathy
Brian
Stephanie
Mama
LaDonya
Lisa
Beth
Michelle
Pam
Heather
Jes
Sherry
Traci
Erin
Dylan
Luke
Grace
Kelly
Greg
Kimi
Mandy
Karen

If any of you find your way to this post, please know that you have shaped me, you have made me better than I was before you and I have lifted your name up to the One who knows us best. Thank you. I am praying for you today - and often.

The Biggest Supporters in Your Life

 April 6 - Biggest Supporters in Your Life

Brian. I've already talked about this. Hands down, he's the best there is. I honestly cannot, in 40+ years of knowing him, remember a single time that he has not supported me in every way possible. The longer I know him and love him, the more I value what an honorable, good, man he is. You will not find a better person to call your friend.

Michelle. She's been among my dearest friends for nearly 33 years. I cannot count the words we have spilled between us. The laughter, tears, rages, celebrations. All of it. I worried a bit when we moved away a long time ago, that our friendship would suffer. And while it suffered in missing actual in-person presence, for sure, she has never not been there for me. She has helped me move, helped me raise my kids, helped me navigate foster care, kept loving me through all our many differences. After Brian, she is my go-to when I need to talk through almost anything.

I'll stop with these two, simply because it would take a book to go through those that have been here for me. I do not take for granted those who have held me up through the years or those I've come to trust and lean on in recent years. It is a gift to know you are loved and encouraged no matter what. 

Each of them have taught me the value of presence. The value of allowing people to be who they are, to grow, to change and to still know they are safe with you, no matter what. The value of encouragement. I pray I will be the kind of person each of these have been for me.