Hot Chocolate and Cookies

Spontaneity for the day: Went to an open house with mom, sister, and friends for free hot chocolate and cookies instead of going home for a nap and homework. We browsed, sat and talked, and took pictures.

Now I’m paying for it, but that’s okay. I’ve got a presentation on Ulm, Germany in the morning, and I just finished it. I thought I was done with the public speaking thing when I finished my speech class. No, since then I’ve done a presentation on my research paper, and tomorrow is the German presentation. While doing research, I decided that I’d like to live and work in Germany for about a year. I’m not sure if that comes before or after my six months to a year in New York City.

Now I can do my algebra homework that I should have done at various other times this weekend.

By the way, do Kris and I look like twins?

A Celebration

Today we celebrated the life of Shaleen Johnson.

We woke up to a beautiful, sunshiny day—a day perfectly suited to celebrate the life of one who lived her life to the fullest and was a ray of sunshine to those she came into contact with. As we arrived at the church, we could not help but smile, for we knew we were at the right place. There were balloons everywhere: attached to the sign, the plants, the chairs, and various other places. A special spot was marked off in the parking lot for the motorcycles that would lead the way to the cemetery.

Upon entering the church, we received a memorial that had a picture of Shaleen on the front and John 14:1-4 beneath the picture. The picture had that beautiful smile and those sparkling eyes that were the true essence of Shaleen. Inside the memorial was a familiar yellow card—a card that was given to many by Shaleen during her life and would now be given to everyone that came to celebrate it. On the outside of the card: “I have something to tell you”; on the inside was a drawing of Jesus and “I Love You!!!”; on the back was a Salvation prayer. A note on the back of the memorial said that Shaleen herself had planned details of this celebration, right down to the balloons.

The group that gathered to celebrate Shaleen’s life was a very diverse group of people. It transcended the bounds of religion, race, wealth, prestige, and age. In the words of the pastor, everyone was there “from the Pentecostals to the Mennonites…from the Presbyterians to the Methodists.” It was clear that Shaleen was no respecter of persons. She loved everyone.

The service began with praise and worship songs, after which a message was given. The Message of Hope gave directions to Shaleen’s new Home; she wants everyone to plan to come, not to just visit, but to stay. An opportunity was given for anyone that desired to invite Jesus into his or her heart to do so.

After the prayer, a picture celebration of Shaleen was shown. It was an honor to have a group picture of Kris’s farewell party when she went to Kansas included in the lineup, an acknowledgment that we too were a part of her life. I’m sure that we were not alone in feeling honored by being included. Mom considered Shaleen one of her best friends, and I’d venture to say that there were a great number of people there today that would have said the very same thing.

Shaleen’s body was escorted from the building to the sounds of “Shout to the Lord,” an activity I’m sure she has been very involved in during the past week. Once outside, balloons were loaded into or attached to vehicles and motorcycles. We got into our vehicles, and the motorcycles, there must have been at least 100 of them, led the way out of the parking lot, including a police escort. It was so neat to pass by the intersections and see one or two of the motorcycles stopped to hold traffic.

We arrived in Franklin at what Shaleen called “God’s Acres” for her final “planting.” Balloons were handed out, and after a few final words, we released them. As we stood and watched the balloons ascend into the heavens, tears filled my eyes. Once a balloon was released, it was impossible to get it back, no matter how badly a person desired to have it back. Similarly, no matter how badly we, for selfish reasons, would like to have Shaleen back in our lives, it is impossible to have her back in this life, but knowing that she is with the One that she spent so much time praising makes it bearable. Not easy, but bearable.

There were so many things that we could all learn from Shaleen.

::Love:: Love unconditionally. Life can only be better when love is involved. Let people know that you care. Engage in Random Acts of Kindness.

::Live:: Live large. Be extraordinary. Pursue your dreams. When making choices, consider the “if only’s” and then choose accordingly.

::Rejoice:: There is a reason to rejoice…every day! Focus on the blessings that you have been given. Be optimistic. Always remember, “This is the day that the Lord has made” and then Rejoice and be glad in it.

::Pictures:: Take more pictures—lots of them. Forget the flaws and get in the picture. You never know when a picture and a memory is all you have left of someone.

We will all miss Shaleen. A balloon, a motorcycle, a yard sale, a saying, or any number of things that we each personally associated with her will trigger the memories. There are undoubtedly mementos floating around—in a drawer or in a pile of papers or maybe in a stack of pictures—which we’ll come across someday, and we will think of Shaleen. In those bittersweet moments, we will be thankful that we had the privilege of knowing her, and we’ll be inspired to do better, to encourage others more, and to share God’s love with everyone that we meet.

"What's a Degree?"

The shop at work is getting a new roof. My boss’s brother is a roofer, so naturally he got the job. His two sons have been catching a ride to the office after school, instead of going home.

This afternoon I was sitting at my desk working when Wesley, probably 9 years old, came into the office for a drink. After getting a drink, he climbed up on a stool near the water fountain and said, “I’ve got a question for you. I heard—from one of Wayne’s girls, I think—that you’re going to college. Are you? And why?”

The way he asked the question amused me, and I thought it sounded like it could be an interesting discussion. I was a bit unsure of how I should respond. There are several answers to that question. I decided to go with the simplest answer and see where it would take us. “So I can get a degree to do accounting,” I said.

“What’s a degree?” was his next question. Oh, help! How in the world do you explain a degree to a 9 year old? My answer sounded extremely lame to me—“It’s a piece of paper that says I know how to do accounting.” I explained to him that a doctor has to have a degree and that a nurse has to have a degree. I could think of other degrees but wasn’t too sure if he would get the concept of an architect or a social worker, so I stuck with professions that he could relate to.

About that time, one of the guys from the shop came in to give me a message and when he left the office, Wesley followed him out, our discussion forgotten. I had to wonder—why would a couple of 6 to 12 year olds be talking about me going to college? I would have enjoyed eavesdropping on that conversation. I wish the conversation could have continued. I think it would have been interesting.

It was a bit of a weird moment for me. I can graph a parabola or a hyperbola, but I didn’t know how to explain a degree to a 9 year old. He needs to ask me again, because I think I could handle it a bit better the next time—now that I’ve had time to think about it.