Stroke
My mother-in-law had a massive stroke last night. The prognosis is not good and many difficult decisions will need to be made over the next few weeks. This comes just before I leave for NYC and then on to Ecuador.
www.committedtofreedom.org
Film Project
One of the great challenges we have is how to duplicate what we do at a Committed to Freedom retreat. How do we maintain the quality, integrity, and effectiveness of our retreats? Yesterday, a team of remarkably creative people met to take the first steps toward producing a Retreat Kit that includes beautifully filmed sessions which will be shown in combination with local team leadership. We believe this is the best way to grow beyond what we've done in the past, in a way that is easily duplicated with the highest quality control. This will be a HUGE undertaking with a budget that will probably be about $100,000 for production costs. We trust God to provide these funds and the talented, dedicated people we will need to see it through to completion.
www.committedtofreedom.org
Power Outage
Last night, we received a lot of wind and rain - actually more wind than rain. I heard a huge explosion and the neighborhood went dark. A transformer's breaker broke (non-technical explanation). I sat outside as the sun slipped out of sight.
Mosquitoes swarmed me in the still, dark air. I was once again reminded of the tremendous suffering and stark existence that so many people endure on this spinning planet. I knew we would have power soon, and sure enough, the trucks arrived and re-set the breaker and POOF!! there was light. Light, air conditioning, television, microwave and I could only think about my brothers and sisters sitting in the dark, fearing for their lives, wondering if they would make it through another night. I am not thankful for what I have as much as I am saddened for what they don't have. Stewardship of what I am the recipient of comes to mind now and I feel a deep sense of responsibility to do something kind and just.
http://www.committedtofreedom.org/
Community
I've never been particularly fond of exercise, but have tried to discipline myself to walk or bike ride or swim on a fairly regular basis. I've done it because it's good for me. I've done it because I was supposed to in order to be healthy. I've never done it because I love to exercise! In other words, I seriously lack motivation. There are many reasons for this that I won't go into right now, but most of them are legitimate. Several weeks ago, I began walking with two other people. They are very independent thinkers and completely out of the box. This translates into lively conversation as we share books, articles, ideas, and life circumstances with each other. Before you know it, we've walked a brisk three miles. That's the value of community. When we tackle difficult issues in our lives, do things we know we need to do but don't want to, it is easier when we don't go it alone. It makes the journey more complicated in many ways - we are different ages with different abilities so we must
accommodate each other - but it makes the journey do-able.
www.committedtofreedom.org
Quick Trip
My son, a university student, is leaving next week for a 5 week military training. Our schedules have all been pretty hectic. He has a very demanding job, plus college, plus ROTC/Guard duty and hasn't been able to come home for quite some time, so I took a quick trip to visit him Friday and came home Saturday. I actually spent more time driving than we spent together! I stayed in his starkly furnished apartment (brought my own bedding and towel!) and got pretty amused that all of his drinking glasses were actually olive drab cantines or water bottles. We grabbed what time we could get between his work schedule on Friday and Saturday. Dinner, a long conversation, a movie, and then breakfast were what we had time for. It was great to have even a few hours together before he's out of contact with us for over a month. It's always worth the effort to do what you have to do to stay connected with those you love.
http://www.committedtofreedom.org/
Shots
I ran away from home when I was 4 years old. We were living in Germany and I had to get immunizations before we could return to the U.S. When I was 18, I lived in the Philippines and had to get immunizations, and both my mom and my husband (then my boyfriend) had to hold me down to get the shots. In other words, I'm a needle-phobe and it's a very, very bad case of the phobia! Now, I am 53 and preparing for a trip to Ecuador to teach a Pastoral Care Training Seminar. All by myself, I called and made an appointment for necessary immunizations. I drove myself there, got 5 shots without adult supervision, and didn't even run away! I am such a big, brave girl!!
www.committedtofreedom.org
My Husband
Today, Father's Day, I must honor a beautiful man, father, and grandfather - My husband Tim. He has sacrificed everything for our two children and grandson. His heart is so tender toward them that it sometimes takes my breath away. In all of life's struggles, he has provided for them, blessed them with his love, and loved me well. I do not take this blessing for granted. His family knows, beyond a doubt, that his love for us is strong and sure. I know many cannot say these things, and for that I am truly sad, but today I must honor one man who is a fabulous example of love and integrity.
www.committedtofreedom.org
Editing
For the past week, I've been editing the Connected Voices manuscript - which is sometimes more exhausting than writing the first draft! I've gotten some interesting feedback. Interesting because of what each person who reads it shares with me. There's the mechanical feedback - punctuation,
grammar, caps, lower case, quotes, etc. Then there's the content feedback - where it hits someone, what the ideas do when they are written one way versus another. I am very excited about this book and pray that we can find a publisher who will see what an important contribution this is to the vast array of abuse recovery resources out there.
www.committedtofreedom.org
End Round One!
Friday afternoon, I completed the manuscript of Connected Voices!
Yeehaw! I have several sets of eyes looking at it right now for mechanical editing and content. The feedback has been so helpful. This week I plan to sit with the manuscript and tease it out a bit more before I send it off to (hopefully!!) find a publisher.
www.committedtofreedom.org
Book Writing
I am down to completing the last few chapters of my new book, "Connected Voices." I vowed on Monday that this week would not end with this manuscript unfinished and I can see light at the end of the tunnel. Writing this book has taken its toll on me just because of the stories it includes. I believe it will be an important book for abuse survivors to break out of their personal isolation.
www.committedtofreedom.org
Microwave
Well, I loathe cooking just about as much as a person can. I believed that God smiled upon me when microwave's were invented. Pavlov's dog might salivate when a bell is sounded, but my family learned that the sound of dinner being ready was marked by those annoying high pitched beeps and they responded accordingly.
My son's first attempt at cooking a pizza when he was in elementary school revealed a great deal about my culinary skills. He placed a frozen pizza on a plastic plate that I often cooked on in our microwave and proceeded to put it in the hot oven where it melted. He had no idea because I'm not sure he had ever really seen me bake anything. He did the best he could with the information he had. Oops!
Anyway, both of my adult children are excellent cooks - mostly because they are survivors of my legendary culinary catastrophes. Now, my husband and I are "empty
nesters" and our microwave is the primary appliance used for disseminating food in a "prepared" form. It worked well for us until yesterday. Yesterday, the unthinkable happened. Our microwave broke!! It makes noise, the light still works, but it is gone!
If you don't hear from us in the next few weeks, perhaps it's because we're too weak to write. Someone should probably check on us.
www.committedtofreedom.org
