HOH BOTTLES, PROMPTINGS

The whole fam went out to work for pops today- well most of us. Moms, pops, toni, vicky, david and myself went and did a job out in Scottsdale at ironwood.( my sisters just came in my room, they think it's lost and found in here or somethin. anywho, toni is one of those peeps who believes in pictures and 3 syllable words, that's her suggestion for the bloggerz) So back to the whole fam going out to work... we got done early so vicky and toni and i decided to go shopping.

Since toni had an appointment at ASU we headed towards tempe marketplace nearby to kill time while toni waited for someone to critique her resume or should i say " CV"... Anywho, Vicky and I as usual were in some deep conversation about how Lady gaga's parents were totally shocked about her behavior but relented after her millions came in when we pulled into the Jungle that is tempe marketplace. G, being the usually ADD driver that she is was paying next to no attention to the dozens of passersby and jay walkers when the spirit smacked both she and vicky upside the head. Crossing the street they saw a young guy with a small rolling suitcase and red ice cooler. He was walking up to people but they all seemed to be uncooperative.

" What do you think he's doin" asked vicky...

g needing no explanation for the random question, " I'm not sure, maybe he needs somethin".

it was the next second that the two of us decided to find out what the seemingly unseeming kiddo needed. looking for the closest parking space near him- and might I add the farthest from Ulta, our destination- we parked and decided to "run into him". As we made our way across the mile long parking lot to get to this kid we weren't thinking much other than we needed to talk to him and give him what he asked of us. As our paths crossed, the young man as we had seen him do stopped, which wasn't surprising, and offered us " a cold, chilly water on this hot az day for 50cents" [ thick jamaican accent] which was surprising.

Still a bit shocked g asked, " what for ?...." ( really intending to say "what are you selling hoh for?")

Jamaican kid looking kind of confused with an obvious question... " uhh for water, 50 cents for water?"

g feeling kind of stupid, " yeah, sorry, right... we'll take 2".

It is not very often that I feel and immediately recognize the distinct obvious prompting of the Holy Ghost, especially now that I'm no longer a people serving Missionary, but I felt it today. I have no doubt- Vicky nor I- that a Father in Heaven was concerned for that young man and, working with what he had, wanted us to give him the $3 in my wallet. I am grateful for moments like those, moments that remind me that there is a God whose hand i can see. I consider myself a semi decent and charitable human being, but definitely not one that is astute enough to notice someone in the middle of a huge crowd in the middle of a busy shopping center with 50% off banners alluring the eye to store windows all around. There is a God in Heaven who sent his spirit to smack us and point out this one lone soul. I'm grateful to know and recognize it.

work, arizona

Real quick- i think my first post was actually supposed to be in the "about me" section. oh well.

I've spent the most of this past month here at home, working for pops. My parents are getting old, it's kind of scary really. pops is a tree trimmer and his job is excruciatingly demanding on his body. moms too has lost a lot of weight and just gets tinnier and tinier. my parents are both kind of weird, which is kind of a good thing since it means i fit in better. however, despite their funkiness and ideas they love us a lot. i mean a lot. they never say it or really show it, but i know they do. anywho, as a result of this i kind of feel this really long umbilical cord pulling on me all the way in va where i now reside-school. i'm also not gonna lie, as much as i would like to say that i am one of those attachy afraid to leave home kids, i'm not. the umbilical cord tugs best far away. i tend to stray all over the place and when i do come home, i just act like i've never left in the first place. im fine being away, as long as i know they are where they are supposed to be. maybe this is why i felt the strong urge/desire to come home this summer, that and the fact that my ace is waaay broke.

i thought i'd come home and try to help out a bit before school started up again. school, another tangent, maybe next time. anywho, back to the point. overall this summer has been one of the greatest of my life, yet nothing has really happened yet everything has... I'VE BEEN WORKING FOR POPS. it has been at least 4 years more likely 5 since i've gone out and spent 12 hours in the grueling sun. I get up at 4 a.m., put on my jeans- which i'm happy to say are getting baggier- and Gorilla teeshirt. then I go upstairs steal a nature valley bar, glucosamine, braid my hair in two pig tails, put on a big straw hat, white sunglasses and holey tennis shoes. i then put on my work gloves- which i keep on until i get home. This is very important for the tan i'm trying to pull off, that of my hands looking are paler and paler in comparison to my super sun exposed arms. the goal is to get my arms so tan that my hands look like gloves. Pops by now has started the trucks and is nagging mom with his protein shake- the dude burns like 6000 calories a day and is constantly trying to keep up with them. then its off we go. where pops usually starts the day with "god bless us... but not when you mess up you f**** pende**s!" My job is never a super exciting one, well at least not til recently. Pops has finally let me start running around with my own stihl. Let me tell you those things are sweet! I feel such thrill, such power such such... UMPH holding them between my hands. well i'll admit, i only handle the 195's- they're on the smaller side of the scale. I've had to carry a couple of the big ones for pops before, and i'll just say, they don't make me feel the same... quite the contrary.

I think what has changed or stood out is that i've gotten to go back and relive a lot of my childhood summers. I've also had a lot of time to let my mind wander while seeming completely productive. SB 1070 has caused quite a stir here and the immigration question only seems to get more tangled. I've been exposed to quite a bit of stereotypism- if that's a word- and been reminded of my ignorance. I've also got a whole new soap box i indulge in with myself on occasion, the DREAM ACT. Overall, I am reminded of the sacrifice that got me to where I am, the importance of an education and faith in a loving heavenly father above. I've also learned, first hand, that he who wins is he who keep his composure. Never let anyone get the best of you. in my case, when i let that happen i have to throw in the towel because i feel soo bad about feel soo strongly and then i can't counter as effectively.

okay, i have to go to bed now... i haven't quite finished my thought processes, but that's nothing new.

COORDINATES

It was in my freshman year of College that my philosophy professor, Dr. Jones, introduced me to Rene Descartes. His name wrung familiar that fall morning as he described the man. As it turned out I had heard the name before. He had been mentioned in my 8th grade algebra book. The effect of his contributions spanned more than the philosophical and mathematical sciences. As a young sickly boy, the young descartes spent most of his time in bed and, as I remember the story, his boredom led him to creativity. One day in an attempt to keep track of flies on the ceiling above he began assigning them what we now refer to as coordinates. The ceiling, he divided into four quadrants and as each flew from section to section he was able to better evaluate their movement and location.

This story has always stuck with me. I appeal to it now as an explanation, if i will, for keeping a blog. Mostly, i figure it might be fun, useful and even an act of obedience. But, i also figure that if, like descartes, I can keep track of my thoughts then I will also be able to make more sense of the hand of the Lord. So these are my coordinates...