Fancy Hats

I had to smile when I saw this. My neighborhood paper in Atlanta, which comes weekly, always has a pretty extensive section outlining the social outings and happenings of the previous week. Pictures of Atlanta's socialites dressed in their finest (or whatever dress is appropriate for the event) are plenteous. Last week I noticed an entire page graced with pictures of old ladies in fancy hats. Oh, how nice, I thought, and how boring:

And then I saw a different hat. I love it that this lady decided to top her frilly outfit with a diner hat from the Atlanta landmark Varsity restaurant, risking her social appropriateness. When I am that age, if I am invited to such an event, I will of course show up sporting my very own Waffle House diner hat.

Traffic Lesson

So I just got back to Atlanta from Augusta after a short 2-day visit. A very enjoyable visit, but that is not what this short post will be about. My 2 hour drive (ok, maybe 2 hours, 15 minutes) turned into almost 3 hours because of a majorly flawed decision as I drove into town. While I was still on I-20 but close to downtown, I noticed the handy little traffic board had the following message "Debris on I-75 NB near Northside Dr, 4 right lanes closed". Ok. So Northside Dr is the exit right before my exit. My initial thought is this would be a good time to take a detour. Then I think again (big mistake) and rationalize that it is almost 10:30 pm, not to mention I am nosy and want to see what is happening with this "debris". How many people could possibly be driving through downtown Atlanta at 10:30 on a weeknight? Answer: A LOT OF PEOPLE. So I didn't realize this mental error until I was stuck in the middle of a massive amount of traffic, hopelessly inching along through downtown. Then I hear a report on the radio. It's not 4 lanes that are closed on I-75 NB but ALL LANES. Well, this is in fact bad news. Meanwhile, I am realizing that if I were just a little smarter and a little less nosy, I would have detoured long ago and been safely home already. No such luck. I did finally wise up and realize that waiting to get past the "debris" was not going to be worthwhile. So I veered towards I-85 NB at the split and finally entered the mass of traffic that was actually moving. I took the first exit and very speedily found my way home on surface roads. Still no word on what the debris is, but I think I can wait until tomorrow to find out. Good night.

Update List

Ok, so I've gotten kind of behind on blogging, though I'm happy to say I'm not behind on life. I'm right here at Wednesday night just like everyone else, so that's good I guess. Anyway, here are a few things to report:

1. I did finish the Climb Atlanta race. Thank you to all of my wonderful supporters. I raised twice my goal amount! The race was shorter but harder than I thought it would be, and it was really fun to do with a bunch of other clueless people. It was almost like we were all in line for the newest Six Flags ride beforehand. We were standing around, kind of nervous and jittery, looking up in the sky a lot, wondering how we would make it and how long it would take, and talking small talk about what our expectations were. Then when we started all the anticipation was over and we were in survival mode. Everyone I saw on the way up was pretty much too out of breath to talk, so we kind of breathed heavily towards each other and grunted little encouragement grunts. Afterwards, and after we recovered from the quick energy zap, we were all elated and excited and patting each other on the back. Good job! Let's do it again!

2. Today is my mom's birthday. HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!! She's turing 29 again! Wait, I'm 29. Weird.

3. This past Saturday was the one year anniversary of my last day at Plant Vogtle! Ahh, what a joyous day it was. I can't describe the elation as I walked out that gate, and I am so thankful that one year later I am still quite pleased with the results.

4. Tomorrow will be my last final exam of my first year of grad school. Whew! Almost there, and I am still alive. This semester finals have really had me stressed. I can't wait for summer to begin... only about 18 more hours!

5. I went to a Van Morrison concert this weekend with Julie, who was in town visiting. Well, we sort of went. We actually went to the concert venue, and we heard the whole concert (it was outdoors), but we never actually got inside the gate. It's the most fun I've had being a beggar on the outside of the party. There were quite a few other ticketless fans, so we just hung out with them, enjoyed the nice weather, and listened to the old master do his thing. I'm kind of glad we didn't actually end up paying for tickets after all the fun we had outside the gate. If you look closely in the picture below, you can see that we were within sight of the crowd... we just weren't exactly in the crowd.

Van Morrison Concert, Chastain Amphitheater

How Convenient!

I went to eat on Friday night at the famous Fat Matt's Rib Shack here in Atlanta. I of course ordered ribs, and I was not disappointed in the least. The food was tasty, the music was soulful, and the air was cool (but not too cool) and clear outside on the patio. I was slightly disappointed in the availability of napkins. Our only refuge for hands dripping in sauce were those small folded napkins that come out of a little dispenser on the table. I expected at least a roll of paper towels to accompany such a meal as ribs. The ideal would be Wet Ones wipes or even a damp towel, but this was not the fancy kind of place that would offer such conveniences. As the meal came to an end, though, I looked up and noticed that the place next door just might be able to help us out. Unfortunately, their sign was misleading, and they don't in fact wash hands for a living. But it wouldn't be a bad idea for a place right next to Fat Matt's!

Clearing the Head (and Heart)

I'm feeling a random need tonight to collect some thoughts, to write some things down, to relish in a little moment of clarity (relatively) regarding God's faithfulness.

It's amazing how quick I am to forget - arent' we all? - the goodness of God, the bigness of God, the zealousness of God, and the steadfastness of God. He has revealed to me in the last few days a couple of things that I have found immensely encouraging. First of all, God is always present. I don't mean that in a weird, yoga-like, connect-with-yourself, cooky kind of way. I mean he is seriously always present. We cannot run from Him. We cannot hide from Him. And thank God for that. If it scares you that you cannot run or hide from God, then take a look again at who He says He is. Because it also means that we cannot be alone. We cannot not be loved by Him. We cannot be overcome by our sin. We cannot be condemned. We cannot lose. Wow. If only I remembered that every day. God is not only always available for us, he is always actively wanting us to be with Him. He's not like some statue that we can worship and that is faithful to sit and wait for us to come to Him. He is like us (or more correctly, we are like Him). He has feelings and longings and desires and joys, and they all revolve around us - because He created us in His image and we bear it in this world, however imperfectly. When I am faced with my tiredness, or my irratability, or my boring daily tasks, I can easily forget the grandiose privilege that it is to be alive and to be a child of God. And I can easily forego the opportunity to taste that goodness, to live in light of it, and to bear that image with joy and thanksgiving.

Secondly, I realized on Saturday that there is a distinct difference between "waiting on God" and "waiting". I don't remember what exactly sparked this realization, but I was reading Psalm 19 and Isaiah 62 (both passages that were read at a wedding I went to earlier that day). Somehow it occurred to me that if we are not waiting on God, then we are by default waiting on Satan. The Bible clearly says in 1 Peter 5 that the devil is prowling around like a lion waiting for someone to devour. So waiting on that attack is what happens when we wait passively. Wait for what?, you might ask. Whatever it is you want, whatever it is you need, whatever it is that you wish would change. Whatever those things are, if we are not actively waiting, which would probably include praying about them and seeking God's will or his intervention, then we are simply waiting passively. It's not that God rewards our praying because we pray, but he rewards our praying because it is in that act of desperation that we come to Him, that we admit our own inadequacy, that we learn to trust, and that we can know Him intimately. Those are the rewards of waiting on God. And then the outcome of what we are trusting or begging Him for becomes the secondary goal. Not because God doesn't care about the outcome, but because he cares more about our hearts. Zephaniah 3:17 says that "The Lord your God is with you. He is mighty to save. He will rejoice over you with singing. He will quiet you with His love." Forgive me if that is not exact, because I don't want to look it up right now, but you get the idea. We are the delight of God. I know I am getting a little repetitive and preachy here, but we need so badly to hear these things repetitively. They are so easy to forget. Tomorrow I will wake up, and maybe I will remember these thoughts, and maybe I won't. Maybe I will wake up late and rush out the door and feel all discombobulated all day. Maybe I will wake up and spend time praying and be reminded of these truths. Regardless of what I do, and regardless of what you do, the truths don't change. That's the beauty of it. Our circumstances are only disruptive and distracting and disappointing to us, not to God. He is just there, and He is the same, and He will wait for us to notice. Praise Him for that.

Climb Atlanta

I randomly found out about this event which will take place on April 21, and I couldn't pass it up. It's a race to the top of the Bank of America building (55 floors), which happens to be my favorite building in Atlanta. The event is a fundraiser for the American Lung Association, and my goal is to raise $55, which would be $1 per floor. Of course, I'm sure they would accept any and all donations that exceed that goal. If you would be so kind, please visit the link below and consider sponsoring me:

My Climb Atlanta Sponsorship Page

My March Madness

Well, I have to say, I have not watched any basketball games this month. Nonetheless, I do feel like I’ve experienced my own March Madness - what a busy and great month it has been! I’ll start from the top and hopefully not leave out anything important.

The month started out with the end of a long run of assignments, tests, and presentations. The last few reports were due on March 7, and I left class that afternoon prepared to have a little fun for the next few days. I had a hair appointment a few hours later with my new hairdresser, Joe. Joe is very cute and also very gay (a tragedy in every way), and his left arm is entirely covered in tattoos. I felt myself cringing ever so slightly as he ran that hand through my hair, so I had to keep reminding myself that he was in fact clean, which he was. Joe passed the hairdresser test with flying colors: he didn't mess up my hair, his salon is about two miles from my place, and the cost was reasonable. So I am happy to report that I have officially found my hairdresser for the next year. Hopefully he won’t move. After that hair appointment, I met Lesslie, Liza, and John for dinner at The Loop for pizza. Then I met up with some classmates for trivia at Dark Horse Tavern in Virginia Highlands. We didn't win, but it was still a good time. All in all, March 7 was a great start to my few days of fun, but it got even better!

The following day, March 8, was my birthday, as it is every year. This particular year was different than all the rest, because this is the first year that I have known my birthmother. Because of that, this is the first year that I have known anything about the day I was born, who was there, etc. I have had a lot of time over the last few months to reflect on all of this, as you have probably read about. I didn’t have any huge new thoughts or feelings around my birthday, but it was special to hear from Marcia and her parents and a few other members of her family on that day. I had a great day with many other phone calls as well from family and friends, and my classmate Missy made a chocolate chip cake to celebrate. After an entire day of class, a few of us went out for margaritas and Mexican food at a great place called Nuevo Laredo.

The next night, Julie arrived from Augusta for a weekend visit. We met up with a friend of mine at the Fernbank Museum that evening for Martinis and IMAX, which takes place every Friday night. We unfortunately didn’t have a lot of time to enjoy the band that was playing, but we did each enjoy a drink and then filed into the theater to see Hurricane on the Bayou. This film was about the effect of Hurricane Katrina as well as previous hurricanes on the Louisiana wetlands. A little Cajun music was mixed in with many great views of the beautiful land that is wasting away. After the film, Julie and I moved on to Blind Willie’s blues bar for several hours of great blues music and dancing. The place was small but full of life, and the music was a perfect follow-up to the film about Louisiana.

That Saturday we took Kelsey to the dog park at Piedmont Park, then we relaxed in the Meadow for the remainder of the afternoon. A U2 cover band was playing at the Park Tavern on the corner, so we could hear the band from the Meadow and thoroughly enjoyed them as they sounded remarkably like U2. In the evening we rented a movie, Facing the Giants, and watched that as a nice fire blazed in my fireplace. This is the first movie I’ve ever seen where Christianity is not only openly but also realistically portrayed. I found it interesting that not once did the movie show any of the Christian characters in church, and I liked that fact. Most other movies try to portray people’s relationships with God to be only in church, but this movie broke that mold by showing how to live life with and for God every day. Kudos to the writers and producers for that.

The following week was our last week of class before Spring Break. Oh the joy of having Spring Break again! We had one more midterm and then a guest speaker for two full days at the end of the week. He took our entire program (18 students + instructors) out to dinner Thursday night, which was hopefully the first of many other free meals at the hands of big O&P companies over the next year.

To start off Spring Break, I picked up Marcia from the airport on Saturday morning, March 17. She came to town to belatedly celebrate my birthday, and we had a great weekend and nice visit. During the day Saturday we went to Lenox Mall so I could run a few errands, and then we came back to my place to get rested up and changed for the evening. We went to see Les Folies Russe (translation: Russian dancers) at the Fabulous Fox Theatre that night and had great seats. I have not been to a real show there since I moved here last May, so it was a nice treat for me and Marcia’s first time in the Fox. The following day we went to Waffle House for breakfast and then to church at St. Paul’s. After church one of my friends was throwing a surprise wedding shower for another friend of ours, so we stopped by there long enough to mingle a little, drop off a gift, and grab a bite to eat. Then we drove up to Dunwoody for my tennis match, which I am happy to say I won. While I was playing, Marcia called an old friend of hers who happened to live right up the street from where I was playing, so she stopped by for a brief visit and I was able to meet her. That evening we enjoyed a nice dinner at Buckhead Diner (thanks to John for the gift card!). After dinner we rented and watched Flightplan. Monday morning we ran a few errands, grabbed lunch at one of my favorite little restaurants in Midtown (Fresh to Order) and then I took Marcia to the airport. I know what you are thinking - what a fabulous month, that must be it, right? Well, not quite, the Madness continued…

Two days later, I boarded a plane with three of my classmates and headed to San Francisco for the American Academy of Orthotists and Prosthetists Annual Meeting. A mouthful, I know. My hands are getting tired, so I will write about that trip in another post soon. In the meantime, here are a few photos to get started…

What My Dog Has Taught Me Lately

Interestingly, in five years of dog ownership, I’ve never really found any of her actions to be profoundly representative of my own. Lately, however, I’ve noticed several times that I could stand to learn a few things from her about myself and how I relate to God. Of course, in Kelsey’s world, I represent her god. I provide for her every need, though maybe not everything she wants. I protect her when she wants to do something that might be harmful to herself or others. I control her environment. I also pick up her poop every day, sometimes twice a day. Now, I know that may seem kind of irrelevant, but stick with me on this one.

A few weeks ago, I was walking Kelsey, and she finally got around to doing her business. Right afterwards, she took a few steps away from her newly formed pile, and she kicked her back legs in an attempt to cover the evidence. The problem was that she was standing right next to me by this time, so instead of kicking some grass, she kicked me right in the leg – quite forcefully actually. In her inadequate attempts to clean up the mess that I intended to clean up for her, she not only missed the mark but insulted me in the process. I think if she had the ability to feel emotions as a result, she would have felt pretty silly and ashamed when she realized what she had done. Isn’t this exactly what we do with our sin before God? He is there every day to pick up our “piles,” to cover what would otherwise bring us shame. When we try to cover it up ourselves, we are never successful, and in the process we insult the work that Christ has already done to pay for that very sin.

I’ve also noticed recently that despite the previously described flaw in my dog, she absolutely never fails to delight in me as the god of her universe. She might be disappointed in me sometimes if I do not act as she expects me to, but inevitably she wants more than anything to be with me. She is bursting with excitement every day when I come home. Even if I leave and return several times a day, it is the same excitement every time. She follows me around constantly from room to room, always at my heels and looking with interest to see what I am doing. She does not withhold affection from me but unreservedly approaches me and seeks my affection in return. Wow, what if we loved God like that? What if every day I was constantly looking for Him in my midst, constantly watching to see what He is doing, constantly offering my affection to Him and seeking His affection in return? Isn’t that what He desires of His children? I admittedly am annoyed with my dog sometimes when she acts like this, but God is never annoyed with us. He delights in us and finds joy in our affections for Him.

And lastly, Kelsey also takes her positive attitude outside every day. We go on two walks a day, usually only ten minutes in duration. To me, this walk is usually a chore and quite boring. To Kelsey, every single time we go for a walk, she might as well be going outside for the first time in her life. She is thrilled and excited and overcome with the world around her. Seeing other dogs and people is always a treat and adds to the adventure, but the fresh air and grass alone are enough to give her a thrill every time. Do I approach the daily constants in my life the same way? Not hardly. I eat three meals a day, often very quickly and out of necessity. I drive around in a car that is reliable (most of the time) and see beautiful buildings on my way to school, I sit in class or go to clinics and learn new and exciting information. Oftentimes, though, every day is a bore, or at least that’s how I treat them. What if every day was like a new day? What if I embraced every meal as though it were my first and could muster up the eagerness every day of class that I had on the first day?

As you can see, I could certainly stand to learn a thing or two from my dog: how silly it is that I try to cover my own sin, how short I fall in truly adoring my God, and how easily I am bored with my surroundings each day. She may be simple minded, but I think I could use a little bit of that simplicity in my life.

Stuck on You

A picture worth a thousand words...

We learned last week about a certain type of prosthetic suspension system that provides a solid vacuum hold of the prosthetic socket to the residual limb. This picture was not staged, and those guys are not acting. They are seriously trying to pull the man's socket off of his leg. As you can see, the hold is in fact quite good.

Caffeine

Well, I didn't think that I was physically hooked on caffeine. Maybe psychologically I needed it every morning, but not so much physiologically. However, as it turns out my head has been reminding me for the past 44 hours and counting that it would like a little caffeine please. I've experienced this caffeine withdrawal headache before, but I usually either have a Coke and it goes away, or take some Excedrin (which has caffeine) to tie me over. My caffeine intake is normally anywhere from 100-200 mg per day, which really isn't all that much, but it feels like I am very much missing something significant in my body right now (well, really just my head). I've read numerous reports about how caffeine is harmless, but it doesn't seem like something so harmless could produce this effect. I admittedly have been more focused on this ridiculous headache for the last few days than I have been on experiencing God through fasting from caffeine. Hopefully it will cease soon.

Happy Mardi Gras!

In the interest of not completely missing Mardi Gras this year, I got festive last night and decided to make a king cake. I took it with me today to the prosthetic clinic that I have been rotating with, and they were pretty intrigued by the crazy, colorful, sugar-laden treat. Unfortunately, there was some cake left over at the end of the day, more specifically the portion in which I had placed the plastic baby. Of course, I do not want my classmates to miss out on the fun, so I made another cake tonight, this one with cherry filling. Hopefully someone will get the baby tomorrow, not that it really matters.

In other news, noting that today was Fat Tuesday and tomorrow will be Ash Wednesday, I have decided to give up caffeine for lent. I just hope that when the going gets tough, this season of lent will be more about experiencing God that about exercising my will power. When I really think I need caffeine, instead of complaining, looking for some other "fix", or tricking myself with decaf coffee and soda, I should meditate on God's provision for me when I think I am in control or able to satisfy my own desires. Check back in 40 days for the verdict.

Dogs and School

Kelsey is getting really bored with school.... even she knows work is not as much fun as play.

The Perfect Pair

Many years ago, my laundry experienced a loss of two socks. I don't know if they were lost at the same time or just sort of close in time, but they were not in the same pair. I eventually noticed that the two remaining socks, both of which had been abandoned by the missing socks, looked lonely. I knew that the lost socks would not return, but the remaining socks were still good socks. And I have inherited from my dad the following philosophy in life: never throw away what you can and might use again (though I don't quite follow the philosophy as strictly as he does). So these socks, one red and one blue, stayed in the drawer. One cold winter's night, or a slightly cool fall night (it doesn't matter), I was searching through my sock drawer for a pair of socks to wear to bed. I always sleep with socks on, and I like to wear socks to sleep in that I don't wear much otherwise, so as not to jeapordize the laundry flow too badly. So on this particular night, I pulled out the one red sock and the one blue sock, and I put them on and went to bed. They were great. From thence forward, I have always kept these socks together, and neither has run away from the other yet. I wear them all the time, and it has become quite natural to me that they are a pair, a match made in heaven. They were meant to be together as far as I'm concerned. One day a year or so ago, a friend of mine was helping me with my laundry, and she couldn't find the matching sock for the red one of this pair. I said, "Oh, that goes with the blue one here," just as though she should have known the connection. It did not occur to me until just then that these socks were in fact a strange pair. You can see for yourself that, though they may be strange, they are happy together. And my feet are happy. Trust me.

Response to God

Here's a little something to ruminate on.

I was praying this morning and was reminded of our options before God in each and every day. The foundation of this simple thought is that God is in our lives whether we like it or not, and He is also in control of our lives, whether we like it or not. So our response can either be to EMBRACE Him, to RESENT Him, or to IGNORE Him. I had to think, which of these am I really doing today? Which is my most common response? Which is yours? I would say for certain that on any given day I am typically either embracing or ignoring. It's not much in my nature to resent. But I would argue that God would consider ignoring Him the most despicable of the three options. I learned this from a book that I have read and re-read called The Journey of Desire. He wants our hearts to be engaged in this world, to be involved and aware and on fire. So if we are embracing Him, great! If we are resenting Him, that's not exactly wonderful, but at least we are honest and not turning our backs to our desires or disappointments. But ignoring God is truly an insult to His existence and a rejection of the cry of our hearts. We were made to be passionate beings! I just needed a little reminder of that today.

State of the Condo

This totally stresses me out...

Stop the madness!

Happy New Year!

Yes, I know I'm a few days late to be ringing in the new year, but that's just the sort of start this year has had for me. I was sick as the new year rolled in, and I am still sort of sluggishly trying to get my bearings as my vacation ends and normal life kicks back into gear next week.

All that said, I want to take a few moments and reflect back on 2006. I started off 2006 with the following comments in my blog:
"So moving on to 2006, why am I so excited? I don't know if I can quite put my finger on it, but I just woke up this morning and had a great feeling of expectation. I don't know what to expect, but I know it will be part of life's adventure, and I can't wait to see how it will unfold."

I know now that the feeling of expectation was no coincident or falsity. The year turned out to be truly remarkable and full of many new and exciting changes for me. When I wrote those words, I had no confidence that I would end up being accepted to Georgia Tech, quitting my job, moving to Atlanta, and starting a new career direction. I did not know the timeline by which the anticipated reunion with my birthmother would unfold. I had no idea how wonderfully that whole process would go or that I would finish out this year by spending so much time with my new family as well as the family I have always known. I simply had a feeling, a good feeling, that the year would be a great one, and I am happy to report that it was in fact great.

I wish I could say that I woke up feeling the same way two days ago on the first day of 2007. As I mentioned above, I felt more like I had been hit by a truck. I must admit, my weak heart is tempted to think that 2007 can't possibly hold as much excitement or joy as 2006 did. My lack of faith is disappointing to me, but I can't hide it. So as this year begins, I am asking God to help my unbelief and to revive my excitement for the adventures that He has in store for me, for you, for this world, and for His kingdom. His promises are just as true today as they were one year ago and thousands of years ago. He is committed to His glory, and it is unfolding every day before our eyes if we will only look up from our belly buttons long enough to behold it.

You may have noticed that my theme verse for this blog is Romans 12:12, "Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer." I was reading this the other day and then read the entire passage surrounding it. It hit me for the first time how I have previously isolated this verse from a passage that is about loving other people and living in community with them. Verse 12 is the only verse that is sort of self-focused and about personal discipline. I don't think it is bad at all to focus on personal disciplines, but I have realized my error in isolating it from a much higher calling. So I will end this entry and begin 2007 with a reminder to myself that knowing God and living the adventure of this life is truly so much bigger than self. I am praying that this year I will be ever more aware of this calling to love and serve others in addition to knowing God personally:

"Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves. ... Share with God's people who are in need. Practice hospitality. Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited." ~Romans 12:10,13-15

Hindsight

I was looking through some old photos for a "photo every now and then" to post, just for kicks, when I came across these pictures. If you look at the first one, you will see that there is a raging river with a little suspension bridge strung across it.

Now let me paint the full picture for you. The river was somewhere in the Dominican Republic in July 2005. I was with a large group in small cars, and we rode up many winding mountain roads before finally stopping at what appeared to be a place with no significant attraction. Then we were told we were going to walk up a little path by the river to see a waterfall. There had been a hurricane that passed over the island only a day or two prior, so the raging river was truly at it's peak of flow and force. It was so loud I remember having to yell at each other, and we could still hardly communicate. Now, this apparently was a pretty popular tourist attraction, but tourist attractions in the Dominican Republic are not like those in the US. There are no people to give tours, no signs or directions, and really no sense that anyone was responsible for making the path (and the bridge) safe. We simply trusted our fearless leader, a missionary who had lived there for a few years, and trotted down the path towards the first of several suspension bridges. You can see in these next few pictures that each person had a different approach to crossing the bridges. Lauren, for instance, was literally fearing for her life, clinging to both sides of the bridge, and crying. She almost didn't make it. John, on the other hand, is obviously either really confident or just not altogether paying attention to what is going on around him. You will notice that Lauren is actually on the much less scary looking bridge. My approach was somewhere in between, cautious but basically confident, though I don't know what I was confident in. Needless to say, this was an adventure I will not soon forget. We did make it to the waterfall, and believe it or not, it was actually worth risking our lives to see it.

Adoption Story:::The Latest (and Merry Christmas)

I have been reminded numerous times in the last few weeks about my sparse blog, so I figure I better write a few thoughts before my three adoring fans give up completely. Coincidentally, I happen to have quite a bit to write about, so here goes…

I finished out the first semester of the GT O&P program exactly 11 days ago. I remember final exams being quite a blur in my undergrad days, with little sleep and even less information remaining in my brain after all the cramming. This first experience of grad school exams was much different. I did study, but I also had a little better approach and a much greater grasp on the concept of time management. I got plenty of sleep, I was still conscious at the end of finals week, I enjoyed a few holiday parties with classmates, and I was on my way to enjoy the holidays here in Baton Rouge.

I arrived in Baton Rouge a week ago today after a few quick trips to Augusta and Columbus. The following afternoon I drove to meet up with Marcia and then ride with her to Donaldsonville to meet her parents, also affectionately known as Maw-Maw and Paw-Paw. I had seen their pictures and spoken to them on the phone a few times, but it was truly a joy to finally meet them, hug them, and spend the evening with them in their warm and welcoming home. We enjoyed some wonderful corn and crawfish soup as well as deliciously marinated steaks. I left that night with the assurance that I was welcome anytime to return for a visit, and in fact I was sort of threatened (in a good way) not to be caught nearby without visiting.

The following day, my parents and I met Marcia and Roy for lunch in a little town between Baton Rouge and New Orleans. I think everyone was a little nervous at first, but we did enjoy a nice long lunch and some long-awaited conversation. I sort of sat back and observed most of the time, not contributing much to the discussion. I was at the end of the table, and I had my parents on my left and my birth mother and her husband on my right. As you might imagine, it was strange to say the least, but it was wonderful to put it mildly. I couldn’t ask to be surrounded by greater people on both sides of that table, and I was mostly just trying to comprehend it all as I watched them interact and listened to the words that they had waited so long to share with each other.


I spent the next few days in Baton Rouge, hanging out with my parents like I usually do when I am here. We did some shopping, saw a few movies, and ate out a little. Then on Saturday I ventured down to New Orleans to meet Marcia and Roy’s kids and spend the day with the whole family. We had a wonderful day full of good food, great weather, a very nice visit to the French Quarter, and some relaxing time at their house just visiting and playing games. It was a nice mix of time with the whole family and some time alone with Marcia to catch up and talk some more about this whole new world of knowing one another.

Today was of course Christmas, and I started the day here with my parents. We exchanged gifts and spoke with my brother and his family on the phone (they will be coming here on Wednesday). Then we showered up and went to the house of some family friends for lunch and a white elephant gift exchange. We stayed over there until late afternoon, and then I drove to Donaldsonville to Maw-Maw and Paw-Paw’s house. I met two of Marcia’s siblings as well as some of my new cousins, and we watched football, ate dinner, and hung out for a few hours. They all looked basically like the pictures I have seen and were of course extremely nice and inviting. I wish I had remembered to take some pictures with them before I left!

I’m sure that all of this new information sparks a few questions: What is it like? or How do you feel? I must say, it’s really hard to say. I can say with certainty that I feel good, very happy, and all around almost elated. I started out very carefully in this process of meeting my new family and gauging my (adoptive) family’s reactions and feelings. I never felt any resistance whatsoever from my family, but I was of course concerned for them and for myself as we approached unknown territory. I was equally concerned for Marcia and her family as we moved forward and have spent much time together and in communication. I have probably never prayed so much for any situation in my life, and I’ll be darned if God doesn’t show up big time when that much prayer is lifted up to Him. I read a comment by another adoptee recently who stated that he had two families but felt like he was not fully part of either one. I can definitely see what he meant, as there is the genetic disconnection with my adoptive family and the 28-year disconnection from my biological family. Despite those disconnections, I feel intimately connected to both of my families, and better yet, they are becoming connected to each other as well.

Christmas is winding down with only a few more minutes remaining before midnight, but I hope yours was wonderfully Merry this year. Mine certainly has been.

Season of Welcome

I heard a familiar song yesterday on the radio, familiar but sort of forgotten to me. As with another song I wrote about recently, I have this one on CD, but I rarely listen to it and even more rarely pay attention to the lyrics. This is not a Christmas song, per se, but it is a Christmas song in reality. I was reminded as I listened to the gentle invitation of the song, "Welcome to Our World," that this season of celebrating Christ's birth is all about re-inviting him into our world and into our hearts. So in the midst of all the busy craziness of holiday parties and family arrangements and traveling to and fro, I hope that I won't forget to acknowledge, welcome, and worship this little Child who is my Savior, who "robs our sin and makes us holy."


Welcome To Our World
Chris Rice

Tears are falling, hearts are breaking
How we need to hear from God
You’ve been promised, we’ve been waiting
Welcome Holy Child
Welcome Holy Child

Hope that you don’t mind our manger
How I wish we would have known
But long-awaited Holy Stranger
Make yourself at home
Please make yourself at home

Bring your peace into our violence
Bid our hungry souls be filled
Word now breaking Heaven’s silence
Welcome to our world
Welcome to our world

Fragile finger sent to heal us
Tender brow prepared for thorn
Tiny heart whose blood will save us
Unto us is born
Unto us is born

So wrap our injured flesh around you
Breathe our air and walk our sod
Rob our sin and make us holy
Perfect Son of God
Perfect Son of God
Welcome to our world

Nothing in Particular

I felt the need to write a little tonight in the old blog, but I don't have anything particular to share, so I will ramble a little.

First, I will update you all on the progress of my new fingernail. It is still growing, but VERY SLOWLY. In the meantime, the old fingernail is getting more pitiful every day and hanging on by a few weak cellular connections.

I am proud to announce that I have officially started my Christmas shopping, and lo and behold it is still November! This may be a first for me, but there are still many weeks for me to get behind in completing this task, so I won't celebrate too much yet. Speaking of shopping, today I went for the first time to the much acclaimed IKEA store at Atlantic Station. Wow, I had no idea what I was getting myself into! Just getting in the place to park was like going to a full-blown mall or maybe even a small airport, but keep in mind it is just one store. One very large store. It took me a few minutes after I was inside the building to figure out which way to go to start shopping. I wish I had been accompanied by an experienced IKEA-shopper to introduce me to this megalopolis of homewares. Thankfully, I was in no hurry, so I slowly navigated my way around and wandered around wide-eyed for a while. I even bought a few things, though I almost thought I would never find my way out of the shopping area to the pay-and-leave area. I finally managed to get to the cashiers, make my transaction, and find my car in the parking garage. Whew! I will spare you the next adventure, which was a visit to the rest of the Atlantic Station shopping area. Let's just say I felt like a complete foreigner in my own land, completely incapable of navigating my way around in a remotely intelligible manner. Maybe I'm not cut out for the big city after all.

And finally, an update on school. I almost forgot about school. We are nearing the end of the first semester (1 of 4), and so far I am still enjoying prosthetics and orthotics and school in general. This morning was the first of our last four major tests for the semester, and we also have one group research project to complete. So with three tests and one project to go, I feel good about this nice tidy list to check off before the start of my first 3-week Christmas break in six years. Yeah!