Getting to Know the Neighbors

A few weekends ago we held a get-to-know-your-neighbor cookout on our front porch/balcony.
We have talked for far too long about doing this and finally took the step to make it happen. 
We have knocked over a wall that we have been hitting for a long time. 

Initially, we put little invites on the doors of our four nearest neighbors a few days previous.  When none of them showed up that day, while Steve cooked hot dogs, I knocked on every door in our courtyard - 30 doors.  While a number of people excitedly said they would drop by as they headed to work, no one did.  The successful part of the whole event was that I met about 15 people I have lived next to for almost a year and never spoken to.

While I got some mixed reactions to my spontaneous introduction, most people seemed pleasantly surprised at my approach.  It was a flashback to our days working with Apartment Life ministry.  People open their doors to strangers with a wariness for which I cannot blame them.  I would do the same.  When they discover we come with friendly intentions, their whole demeanor changes and they become disarmed.  While the world has become a more unsafe place, offering a relationship is almost never refused.  People crave relationship - even introverts. 

On another note, it is an eye opener to go to people's homes and discover who and what exists behind those doors.  Our neighborhood, I discovered, consists mostly of ASU students and Somalian families or single Somalian men.  You can discover the demographics of your neighborhood just by meeting your neighbors.  Steve and I discovered we are in the majority.  We have not met any couples with babies and not a single actual married couple.  Such diversity can be inviting.  We want to take advantage of that.

This cookout was not as successful as we would have liked it to be; two people came.  But now we have an idea of what didn't work, we understand the demographics a little more: single working moms, busy ASU students and couples who work all the time, etc.  We are motivated to try again soon with different times in the day and new tactics.
We are excited to see what comes next!

A New Perspective

Recently I have been exposed to a new perspective of Jesus' crucifixion.

It never occurred to me that He was a victim of abuse!

To put it that way causes to me look at His crucifixion in a way I never imagined. 

Jesus' abuse was - at the least - physical and verbal; physical to the extreme.  

Many have experienced abuse and so know - to some extent - the emotions He experienced: incredible shame, depression, humiliation, feeling unworthy of any goodness, maybe even suicidal... 

On top of that He experienced every emotion resulting from every sin ever committed.  

That is something I could ever experience.  

Additionally, I could never experience the total separation from God that Jesus did.  

And on top of that, God - Jesus' Father - subjected Him to this torture.  

Jesus' Father was the One He looked to for love and guidance and hope that He would be taken from this non-perfect world back to His holy home.  

And this Father - in Jesus' greatest time of need - abandoned Him leaving Him completely unprotected from the merciless abuse. 

His Father left Him to this feeling of betrayal and abandonment.  

When Jesus felt the weight of every single sin, He experienced evil in His soul - something He had never experienced.

In spite of it, He asked God to forgive each and every one of the performers of those sins.  

Oh...my...God... how can it be...that You could and would possibly ever do this for me?!  

But ultimately it was for Your glory.  

Your Son, Jesus, understood that.  

And Your glory meant so much to Him that it gave Him hope enough to endure the abuse that He endured.

Mother's Day

Yesterday was Mother's Day.  I have memories of Mother's Day in my home growing up.
The day started with church and the pink carnations they handed out to the moms.  Mom liked flowers so I always thought she must love getting flowers at church!  We went home and the rest of the day consisted of Dad helping us realize how special Mom was in our family.  I remember lots of foot rubs and back massages.  We all knew that was her favorite.  Even though we rarely voiced it, Mom was the one who kept our lives in order and the chaos down - at least that is my memory.

This year was my first Mother's Day.  It did not feel different from any other day.  Granted I have only been a mom for 3 months and - all things considered - my daughter does not require that much work yet.  There is not much chaos for me to grab and take hold of and our lives certainly not in order yet since Amelia has been born.
I feel it is unnecessary to celebrate my accomplishments the last three months.  My church did not hand out carnations but instead it was chocolate candy bars!  On my first Mother's Day my husband worked and I missed the chocolate candy bars because I was in the bathroom feeding Amelia.  Steve was unable to even surprise me with flowers because we are down to one car and I took him to and from work.
I decided this year was not much of a celebration of my motherhood, but rather a welcome into the reality of motherhood : )  Those realities are such things as toting the baby around town by myself while my husband provides food and shelter for us.  The realities of learning to be flexible when I miss out on free chocolate.  The reality that my life now revolves - literally - around my baby daughter.  The reality that she cannot thank me because she has no idea of my sacrifices and, therefore, does not care.  She is incapable of giving me that foot rub for now.
As much as I wanted to be a stay-at-home mom, it has been difficult to accept as being such a special and important role.  I find myself saying to people that I am "just a stay-at-home mom".  But the longer I am a mom, the more acquainted I become with Amelia, the more I realize my mind is saturated with thoughts of her and I am consumed all day with just taking care of her.  And I realize suddenly that I am okay with that.  While I wish, sometimes, I had the time to do some other things, I do not regret the enormous chunk of my day that is spent at home with my daughter.  She is who gave me the gift of motherhood.
I guess that is how I am celebrating Mother's Day this year.