This past week my car has been a little bit sick. I drive a '92 Escort, it is my first car (well, Emily and I shared it for those first few years) and I think I tend to see it through rose colored glasses. It has lots of rust and lots of broken parts, but I still have a hard time thinking that it may be nearing its last miles.  As my car has been in the shop, I continue to wonder if it will be worth fixing. Earlier this week, I discovered that there is a bus route that pretty much goes from my front door to just 2-3 blocks from my office.

While Brent, Daphne and the Heuertz have been graciously offering me rides to work all week, I decided that today I would experiment with the bus.

A little bit anxious, I stood at what I believed to be the right sign waiting for the #35. It rolled up right on time and I stepped on and nervously deposited my $1.25. The ride was going great, and I played it cool. I didn't want to seem like a first timer. And then, everyone else had got off the bus and it was just me and the driver left.

He was kind, I thought, and asked me where I was headed, where I worked and what I did there. I think I explained my job by saying that I help take care of people who are overseas (what on earth does that mean?).

Just as I was exiting the bus, the driver tells me to have a nice day, and then he followed it up with, "did I tell you that you are beautiful?" Well, no. But, thanks for the ride.

All in all, I think I could become someone who takes the bus...but, I'm not quite ready to say goodbye to the Escort.

 

As a little girl I loved the movie Polly.  As an adult I have found out that very few people have ever heard of Polly.  I think it may have been a made for TV movie.  In the movie, orphan Polly (played by Rudy from Cosby), keeps a running list of all of the things that she has to be glad about.  Whenever someone starts to complain she remembers the list.  Here is my glad list for today...

Today I wore new birthday clothes. I celebrated Hilary's one-year anniversary over our usual at La Buvette, the hot grill sandwich. I kicked leaves while on a walk with Chad, and finally enjoyed yet another Monday night dinner with the girls. 

I am currently trying my very best to stay awake until Chad gets home from a long day's work and a short time of much needed fun with his friends.  It seems that time always goes fast when I poke around on the web. So, here I am, hoping time goes fast.  It is late and I am tired so please excuse the spelling errors.

All day today the weather was beautiful.  Emily and I baked some chocolate chip cookies and took a plate outside hoping to make friends with the neighbors who like to hang out on our front porch (just a note,these are not the same people that broke out my car windows earlier this week, at least I don't think that they are).  

Chad and I have lived here almost 5 months and we still have not said much more than hi to these boys that we see almost every day. The funny thing is that their faces seem to pop into my head when I pray at the office each day and when I am in worship on Sunday. I wonder what their stories are, why they have decided that the streets are the best thing that life has to offer them...

Well, the cookies worked.  First we just talked to one boy, and then slowly they all drifted back to our side of the street.  And, as soon as the cookies were offered, they were gone.  Emily and I talked with them on my front porch for over an hour.  Finding out their names, whether or not they go to school, what they want to do after school, what they would do if they could do anything that they could.  We talked about slavery in the United States, segregation in Omaha, philosophy, the "benefits" of gang membership, we found out that they don't know who Coldplay is, and they found out that we  don't know Little Webbie?? (or something like that). 

In our conversations one of the boys commented how he hates how people "think that they are better than him before they know him," he hates when they stereotype him to be a certain way, to be lower.  It's what we all want right, to be respected, to be valued, even if we don't know Jesus, we are all created to want to know that we are worth something, that we are someone's beloved.  When people treat us as if we are the beloved we are able to understand and see it in ourselves.  The thing is that as they see me not as the other, rich,  white, etc., but, as just another human being I too can find my own belovedness.  Not sure where these relationships might take Chad, myself and Emily, but they are a start.

I'm off to brush my teeth...