The Week

Wow, what a full week it has been... one week ago today I was in Columbus with my family, and we were celebrating my niece's 1st birthday. It was a sweet celebration because she has had a rough first year, and so we were truly CELEBRATING the life that God has given us in little Liza. If you have never seen her smile, you are really missing out on a precious joy. I was back in Augusta this week, back in the swing of things at work, and enjoying the simple pleasure of my return to 8-hr workdays. Days! I've never appreciated so much the normalcy of a routine, because in the past I have become utterly bored with the routine of life and work. But let me be the first to say, I was wrong - DEAD WRONG - and I hope that I will never again be so ignorant as to complain of such mundane beauty. I sleep the same hours every night, eat at the same times every day, pray at the same times, exercise (when I do) at the same time, work the same hours, and the list goes on. Even my dog can appreciate this return to normal.

On Wednesday night I went to a Bible study, yet another thing that I missed out on while working shift. It was great to sit around with a few like-minded people and talk and pray and encourage each other.

I've been running on Tuesdays and Thursdays (and theoretically Saturdays, but not yesterday) after work, starting to train for the Cooper River Bridge Run (10k) which is in April. The weather has been uncharacteristically warm, which I have enjoyed thoroughly.

Friday night I went out with 5 friends to celebrate my best friend's 30th birthday. It was a low-key night that we couldn't have improved upon if we tried to plan it. We went to a downtown restaurant, not for dinner, but just to sit in the bar. It's one of those very nice restaurants in an old house, and the bar area is cozy with a fire place and sofas. The chef was very gracious to welcome us and even gave us all white roses. We drank, talked, laughed, and doted over the birthday girl. A fine evening.

Saturday I worked with a few friends to repaint another friend's room, who also had a birthday this week. [Wow, I'm about birthdayed out!] My arms held up pretty well, but I had to stop after a few hours. I was supposed to stop back by last night, but I got tied up in something else...
My company had a table at an awards dinner downtown, and one of the managers asked me to go. It started at 7pm, and I figured it might last 2 hours tops. I also had no idea what it was for. Well, it turns out the banquet was put on by a group called Antioch Ministries, which is a product of Antioch Missionary Baptist Church in downtown Augusta. The evening was well-orchestrated and lasted exactly 3 hours, but I was not disappointed at all. Everything from the entertainment to the food to the guest speaker to the awards presentation was absolutely wonderful. I really felt honored to be a part of the event. The purpose of Antioch Ministries is to build and develop homes in inner city Augusta and also to help people get into those homes and get their feet on the ground financially. For the last 11 years, one man's vision (the pastor at Antioch Missionary Baptist) has grown from a crazy idea to a reality and a joint effort by builders, suppliers, loan officers, realtors, and private companies as well. The best part about the evening was that everyone there was engaged in the celebration. You couldn't help but enjoy the singing, which was as close to gospel singing as I've ever heard at a banquet; you couldn't help but appreciate the award recipients as their efforts and accomplishments were proclaimed; and you couldn't help but recognize that God is working amongst these people, because they made Him the center of the evening. Even the keynote speaker, the Commissioner of Labor for the state of Georgia, was basically preaching from the book of Matthew in his address. I was honored to be a part of the evening. I was so encouraged by the spirit of these people, that I woke up this morning and went to worship with them at their church. They could not have been more welcoming to me, the only white girl in the house, and I was again honored to participate in their fellowship and worship. No, I don't think I will transfer my church membership, but I hope to stay in contact with them and encourage them in their work while finding inspiration for the downtown ministry that our church is striving to enlarge.

So that's been my week. If you're still reading at this point, your name is probably Mom or Dad, but whoever you are thanks sticking it out. And now the beginning of another week!