Let’s face it. I’ve deserted Song of Ascents, my own blog.
I might feel worse about that if it were, say, a paying job, an accredited college, a loving family, an urgent and epic theatrical production, or even if it were the only outlet I had for developing my writing skills. But it’s not. And as a matter of fact, all those other things I listed are very much a part of my life, and they were not desertable.
Let’s talk about that. Let’s talk a bit about my little, wonderful life.
My job: I work at a daycare. The daycare is in my church. My boss has been a mentor to me for most of my life, and the kids are my favorite. Also, I get to be in charge, which ain’t a bad gig. It’s kind of all I want to do forever. (Kind of.) Sometimes I wonder why I’m in school.
My school: I’m in school because I’m studying to be a teacher, a certified teacher. I’m going for my BS in Linguistics, then a Master of Arts in Education. Elementary and ESL. Halfway through my junior year, I am still debt-free, thanks to some scholarships, my job, and my parents. College is half as expensive as it would be if I had to live somewhere other than home.
My home: I’m 20 years old, and I live at home with my parents, one of my big sisters, all four of my younger siblings, and two dogs. Sometimes they make puppies, and then they live here too, until they are sold to other loving families, who take much better care of them than we’ll ever take of our dogs. (Well, it’s true… Shh.) My dad works from home, doing something mysterious with computers and codes, and is an elder in our church. My mom fills up most of her time being the 3-6 grade teacher at our church school, being my closest friend, and directing plays.
Epic theatrical production: My mom and I wrote a play over the course of 6 years. Then, we performed it. Well, not just the two of us… Pretty much our whole church was involved somehow. It’s called His Story, and it’s about how God has revealed Himself throughout the course of time in various ways, and, finally, through His Son. “Epic” is actually not an exaggeration here. It was a lot of work–3 performances with, for me, 10 costume changes apiece. There was much practice, much singing, dancing, choreographing, coordinating, rewriting, directing, blocking, praying, scheduling, rewriting, eating protein bars, crying, being sore, being tired, being hilariously clever, being hilariously idiotic, rewriting, and, of course, laughing our heads off. It was one of those times… of my life. Not to mention, it actually turned out quite well. In case you’re just dying to see it, here’s our home-videoed recording of the first performance.
The main reason I haven’t been writing here, though, is this: http://peacekv.org/ Go ahead, give it a click if you haven’t yet. I can wait.
That, my friends, is the official website of the PEACE Afterschool Program. I’ve never written about that here, because PEACE requires its own blog. That’s where I generally put any extra writing energies I have left after college and playwriting. To be more accurate, PEACE is where all the heart I can spare (and then some) goes. The kids there are also my favorite. The team there are some of my best friends. But I didn’t choose PEACE. The real reason I’m so tangled up in that work is that God joined me there, and I am His. PEACE is a home and a frontier to me, a battleground and a sanctuary. Doesn’t that just sound like a place where the Lord is? And then, when He doesn’t want me there anymore, it won’t be that to me. But I believe it will be to somebody for a very long time.
Anyway, since becoming a shepherdess to 30-some kids, I find it pretty much impossible to write something that has nothing to do with any of them. That’s why I never write here. Luckily for this desert island of a website, I’ve been writing songs. Also, it is Christmas break–a time for sharing, creating, and spending less time running around and more time on the Internet.
You’ll probably find ties back to the PEACE Program within these songs as well, but I still thought my personal site was the more appropriate place to share them. So here is one to get things started, called Room for You. (Just click on the orange words, non-tech-savvy, people. Then click the big orange circle with the white arrow to play it.)
That’s my life presently. Interesting, right? Small, but quite full. Much love makes it so.
Song of Ascents 