Hurricanes, Memories and Understanding

Reading books, scanning articles, watching movies, listening to stories all have the same affect on me. I am  WITH the characters. When reading about a real situation that sparks a memory, it carries over to how I see the situation. Even if tons of time separate the memory from the present moment, feelings rush back into my soul filling my chest. There is a depth of understanding and of being with whoever it is in the real situation as a result of my memories.

I ache with those who have been hit, are being hit, and possibly may be hit by Hurricane Sandy.

Boarding up windows. Save the door for last please!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Not many here in the Midwest will ever hear much about Hurricane Sandy. If they do, it will be as a result of the weather channel, telling how much damage it may do to the East Coast, the traffic in evacuations, the cost of the damage, and how long it will take to repair things. If it does mention other countries, it will include deaths, injuries, and maybe, just maybe, the potential cost of the damages.

Ever wonder what the people are thinking, feeling, going through instead of just the cost of everything? Or of the places the hurricane has been before getting to the US?

Before most hurricanes ever hit the US border, it has crossed several small, island-countries in the Caribbean.  What about the islands where there IS no option of "evacuation?" What are they thinking and feeling? Island towns are built along the coast. Guess what happens to normal ocean boundaries if a hurricane comes with a tidal surge? Or, simply with bigger waves, at high tide, that crash over the retaining walls? Every window and glass door must be boarded up. Water and food, candles and flashlights made easily accessible. Buckets and towels to sop up water that has either leaked in, come in under the doors, or blown in by the wind (yes, through the boarded up windows, under the window louvers, and through the screens).

The ocean's fight for our driveway...at the level of our front door

What is going through the people's minds? I know what went through mine.

Will our house still be there when we go back? 

Kitty never came in... please, kitty, come home!

Will there be 3 feet of water standing inside? 

Where will we live if the house got blown down?

Kitty? Sniff, tear.

I don't like the loud, shuddering shutters. Oh they bang against each other and glass!

Oh, I need to sop up that water at the window before it ruins stuff below it.

KITTY!!! You're at my window!!! 

What about that tree in front of our house? If it fell over in the direction of the wind...

Man, we have hard work ahead to clear the debris brought by the wind and water.

Wind -check. Debris -check. Rain -nope. Salt Spray -CHECK 

My heart throbs with the people in Jamaica and Cuba where Hurricane Sandy already has been, and the countries it has been close to. They may be coming out of the dim, boarded up,electricity and water-less houses, to survey what the wind and water has done to their friends, families, trees, houses, windows. They wonder when electricity will come back on. Will it be 2 days? or 2 weeks? Though the strength and vengeance is gone, the water still rages, the wind still blows and the rain falls.

My heart waits with those people on Eleuthera, who right now don't know if Hurricane Sandy will hit them, or go slightly to the east of them. The final windows have plywood nailed across. The last candles are being sought out. Animals brought in. Cars...are prayed for that the wind won't hurl tree branches around, since few have garages!

Years later, those memories give depth to present understanding. Not just hurricanes memories, but life. God's gifts of experiences allow us to understand at new depths. Let's use what God has given!

The Present Story

"What are you doing after graduate?" 

"What do you want to do with your life?"

"Where do you see yourself ending up in five years?"

"Why are you taking a few years off?"

...When asked these questions, it always sounded like the beginning of the "5 W's and How" from 3rd grade creative writing class -Who, What, Why, Where, When, and How. You know the class. The one where every kid wrote a version of...some monster, that wanted to eat or capture them, because he was mean and hated kids, that happened late at night in their bedroom when the lights were off, and he fails because of how the kid was so courageous. Or something like that with those 6 questions...

Except this time its not for an assignment-its about my life, in the real world, and these were real people asking and wanting to hear answers. Well, here is a synopsis of this chapter of my life!

Who: Yours truly, family, friends, acquaintances, and my bike. (Yes, its a little more than personification. My bike is a dear, nearly constant companion of mine, that is dear to my heart for reasons you will find out in later posts! ;o)

What: After graduating from Moody Bible Institute in 2011, I continued working as a Starbucks Barista in downtown Chicago, while I take a two-three year hiatus between undergrad and graduate school for my counseling license. The morning shifts fly by, as I make latte's, talk a mile-a-minute to customers, many of whom I know by drink, name, and where they work, and laugh and clean with my co-workers! I aim to live fully in the present, learning from the past as I plan (and hold lightly) the future with God's grace and presence holds everything together.

Why: Through prayer and waiting, God has given peace about pursuing counseling, but with a fermata on this time before it. After one year of living outside of school and simply working, God has taught many lessons about life that are and will be invaluable as I eventually enter grad school and the counseling context. I look forward to seeing how and where He will guide my future steps.

Where: You will find me in Chicago, involved with my church family, enjoying the beach by Lake Michigan, running a few miles with a friend, making cappuccino's at Starbucks, biking by the lake shore reminiscing about this past summer's bike trip in France, England and Ireland (more to come later) or dreaming up another bike trip. :o

When: Now. October 3, 2012 ;)

How: Through God. And His goodness that I can't find words to describe. He is so good. He knows and understands everything. A dangerous combination for a human with selfishness. But because He is good, all He does is good -for His glory. I imperfectly rest in both His goodness and trust His love, as I stumble over and over. And by Him, through Him, and for Him, my life story will continue.

I will paddle because He steers.

 

Being Known and Starbucks

People have a need. A need to be known.

I see people. I am a Starbucks barista in downtown Chicago. Two blocks off of Michigan Avenue, less than a mile from the Chicago River, the Water Tower, the Hancock Building, the Wrigley building, Navy Pier,... you get the picture. Downtown with a vary diverse customer mix from business men and women, to tourists, sellers of thousand dollar shoes to waiters from restaurants. I see lots of people. Growing up and moving, traveling world-wide, living in other countries for lengthy periods of time, and being involved with different groups like choir, being in a dorm, etc. have let me see people. Lots of people, lots of times, over long periods of time.

I also talk with lots and lots of those people. Striking up a conversation is easy for me if I want to. I have plenty of opportunities while a work...and there's a lot of talking and listening when accumulated over months.

They don't care too much if I don't understand (or simply forget!) the actual facts about their work, their vacations, their life. What DOES normally matter is if I understand and "hear" their underlying relationship to whatever it is we/they are talking about. In seeing that underlying layer, I relate to the real person. Not just the worker, lawyer, doctor...things they do... but the heart of the true "them." We can connect, listen to each other as friends, and be encouraged that someone cares. We share and partially meet that fundamental human need to be known.

 If I don't initially see those who know me, they make sure I do see them. If I accidentally look at them but make no recognition of them if I'm talking to someone else or just zoning out, they feel hurt, disappointment, and sadness -I've even seen some anger over the fact that I didn't recognize their presence right away! Why? Because they want me to see them and acknowledge their existence. People want to be known. There is more to a person than what the eye sees, what their job is, and where they live. They are a person, to be known on some level or rejected.

People are made to relate. Each person that I have talked to, has an innate desire to be known by others, and know others. When given the chance, people want to relate. They desire to be seen. They long to be accepted. They yearn for relationship with other beings who have the choice to relate or not relate to them. (Even not wanting to relate with someone, acknowledges the other person's existence and the existence of some form of relationship) The depth and widthe of the relationship varies with each individual, but they want to be known ...even by me, the barista they see for 5 minutes each morning!

Praise the Lord for this unique feature of people! We do need to be known and know others! That's how God made us from the beginning to be like Him ~ to relate. Yeah, people literally and figuratively "are human" and cannot fully meet the "need-to-be-known" need. Where can it be met? Through the One Lord, who knows us. He created us, and knows every need before we ask Him (Matt 6:32)...and even more than that... He knows the best ways to meet those needs for each individual person! How amazing is THAT?! Let's get to know Him together! How we relate to Him, affects how we relate to ourselves, and that affects how we relate to others. People are known by God.

How well do you know Him? Yourself? Others?