Well, this week has been one of those weeks filled with weird occurrences and other wildly unexplainable phenomena. It also marks several anniversaries.
So, I started out the week driving around a Chevy Aveo since my car was being repaired. It was a clown car. Wednesday evening I got my SUV back and all is well. It was quick and mostly painless and I did not have to pay for any repairs. Hallelujah! Thank God the boy who hit me had good insurance.
It is official. I am now a proud, card-carrying member of the Democratic Party. Yes, I am probably going to hell now. And, no, it is not because I am an Obamaite that I joined up. I just decided to give the other side a chance for a while. I figure, I had been a Republican since before I could vote and was registered as one for 18 years, so it was time for a change, a change that I can believe in. Speaking of Obama, I read his first book Dreams from my Father this past week and it was pretty impressive. He has had a wild ride of a life with many thought-provoking moments.
So, I started out the week driving around a Chevy Aveo since my car was being repaired. It was a clown car. Wednesday evening I got my SUV back and all is well. It was quick and mostly painless and I did not have to pay for any repairs. Hallelujah! Thank God the boy who hit me had good insurance.
It is official. I am now a proud, card-carrying member of the Democratic Party. Yes, I am probably going to hell now. And, no, it is not because I am an Obamaite that I joined up. I just decided to give the other side a chance for a while. I figure, I had been a Republican since before I could vote and was registered as one for 18 years, so it was time for a change, a change that I can believe in. Speaking of Obama, I read his first book Dreams from my Father this past week and it was pretty impressive. He has had a wild ride of a life with many thought-provoking moments.
I am learning at least academically what the black experience in America is like. I can never understand it as they do, but I am beginning to be more aware of the inequities that exist for African Americans. And, no matter what white folks say about everybody having the same opportunities if they just apply themselves and try hard, this is not completely true. Nobody looks at me when I go into a store and wonders whether or not I will rob them. My peer group encouraged good grades and success in school and this is usually untrue for many African Americans, especially men. God forbid anyone "acts white."
As far as memories go ~
This week marks my second anniversary in the blogosphere. My readership has skyrocketed over the last few months. I mean, golly, I think I have five readers now.
This week marks the celebration of the 20th anniversary of a youth ministry group I was a part of back in the 80s, Praisong. In some ways I wish I could be there in Oklahoma City to celebrate with the old folks who were a part of it in those early days, some of whom I actually still keep in contact with. I was there for the tenth anniversary, but I was also in a different place in my life then. I wonder what they might think of my change of life. But I do recall a moment with one of the founders in which she questioned then whether or not I might end up in places that most young Pentecostals might not want to go. Maybe she was a little prophetic.
This is also the week that I remember my mother-in-law's sudden death in 2002. It is hard to believe it has been six years since this happened, but Elizabeth was not even born yet. This is still one of the most horrific experiences of my life. I had never really lost anyone close to me, let alone in a sudden manner. None of us had any time to deal with her death. She was just gone. I have never grieved over anyone that much, and I wonder if I will ever again. It was as if I grieved for myself, for my wife and for our children who would never know a grandmother. Even when my grandmother died the next year, the loss of whom I thought might take me over the edge just a few years before, did not affect me in the same way. It is still amazing to me how much our lives have changed since that day. Unfortunately, the day she was buried was also my mother's birthday, so each year as I celebrate one I am reminded of the loss of another.
And finally, memories of my home church in Oklahoma City were at the forefront of my thoughts just yesterday as a crane lifting the steeple for the new church building toppled over onto the car of a man watching the festivities and killed him. He was the father of one of our former music ministers who was very influential in my early musical life. I grieve for the church, a church that is moving to a new location after many years, looking for a fresh start. I grieve for this family who lost so much in such a bizarre way. You can read about the accident here.
Tomorrow I have a wedding. It will be interesting. . .
Peace.
As far as memories go ~
This week marks my second anniversary in the blogosphere. My readership has skyrocketed over the last few months. I mean, golly, I think I have five readers now.
This week marks the celebration of the 20th anniversary of a youth ministry group I was a part of back in the 80s, Praisong. In some ways I wish I could be there in Oklahoma City to celebrate with the old folks who were a part of it in those early days, some of whom I actually still keep in contact with. I was there for the tenth anniversary, but I was also in a different place in my life then. I wonder what they might think of my change of life. But I do recall a moment with one of the founders in which she questioned then whether or not I might end up in places that most young Pentecostals might not want to go. Maybe she was a little prophetic.
This is also the week that I remember my mother-in-law's sudden death in 2002. It is hard to believe it has been six years since this happened, but Elizabeth was not even born yet. This is still one of the most horrific experiences of my life. I had never really lost anyone close to me, let alone in a sudden manner. None of us had any time to deal with her death. She was just gone. I have never grieved over anyone that much, and I wonder if I will ever again. It was as if I grieved for myself, for my wife and for our children who would never know a grandmother. Even when my grandmother died the next year, the loss of whom I thought might take me over the edge just a few years before, did not affect me in the same way. It is still amazing to me how much our lives have changed since that day. Unfortunately, the day she was buried was also my mother's birthday, so each year as I celebrate one I am reminded of the loss of another.
And finally, memories of my home church in Oklahoma City were at the forefront of my thoughts just yesterday as a crane lifting the steeple for the new church building toppled over onto the car of a man watching the festivities and killed him. He was the father of one of our former music ministers who was very influential in my early musical life. I grieve for the church, a church that is moving to a new location after many years, looking for a fresh start. I grieve for this family who lost so much in such a bizarre way. You can read about the accident here.
Tomorrow I have a wedding. It will be interesting. . .
Peace.
P. S.: I thought it was tacky, but someone stole Barack Obama's prayer from the cracks in the Western Wall when he visited Jerusalem this last week and published it. Ever the nosy rosy, here's a look.
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