Love, Listen, Act: lasting support for our children and youth

Speech given at St. John's Presbyterian Church on Sunday September 28
     Carla Shalaby, in her book Troublemakers, talks about the canary that coal miners would take down in the mines with them in the early twentieth century. You see, a canary’s lungs are much smaller and much more sensitive than ours. The miners knew that if the canary was suffering it was time to get out of the mine to save themselves before the levels of carbon monoxide became too high. Shalaby then equates these canaries to our children. What are our children saying to us about the way they exist in the world? Are we listening? How should we change our world to better support them?
     We want the best for our children and youth, that is no secret. And in order to prepare them to be stewards of the world, we need to do 3 things. 1. We must love our children, and I mean really love them, no matter what.  2. we must listen when they speak to us, not just when it’s convenient for us, and especially when they are hurting. and 3. we must show our love and our listening skills through action.

Rise

My Beautiful Humans,

I’ve waited to post a response to this election because I wanted to give myself time to grieve, time to think, and time to formulate a response that I feel would do good in an era of uncertainty and disbelief.

I have decoded the election multiple times in my head. I have pondered the results over and over. I have read numerous articles with views ranging from “accept what has happened and move on” to “start a revolution.” And for a long time, I, like many others, experienced all the levels associated with grief. I cried. And I’m not a huge crier. I sat on my bed and I heaved and sobbed. The next day was a somber one that never seemed to end. I had responsibilities for the day that I could not ignore. I had work, I had class, and I had to put on a presentation with my coworkers. I could not distance myself enough to truly take in the reality of my future without someone interrupting me with their own thoughts and feelings about what I should do or needed to do in that moment. I was trying to grieve, but in a way, I could not find enough time to do so on my own.

First Day of College Jitters

To all of you starting college for the first time in a couple of weeks, you know how I feel.  This is no kindergarten, middle school, or high school jitters.  We are entering an entire different chapter of our lives.  There are so many questions and concerns.  How am I going to make friends? What if I get homesick? What if I am late to my classes or what if I change my idea about what I want for my future? These questions are on constant replay in my mind.

While I am writing this, I am watching (or really listening to…) Joel Olsteen.  Joel is a TV evangelist and I’ve been watching him since I was in grade school.  He’s talking about being positive and keeping negative thoughts at bay.  It’s hard to stop negative thoughts because that’s purely human. But he says that if you verbalize your negative thoughts, you’re keeping yourself from a blessing.

Making The Decision

I'll admit, it was a hard decision   Even though I was in love with Northern the second I stepped on campus, I  was mostly afraid of what others would say when I said I was going there.  I worried endlessly about "selling myself short" and "pleasing my parents".  When you get the vibe that the people around you want something different than you do, it gets harder and harder to speak your own opinion.  I felt like I was suffocating.  My parents were pushing one place (though discretely I picked up on it after a while), a family friend was pushing me another place (someplace I didn't even apply), and my mind was pushing me in a completely different direction.

One of my recent works of art

Hi…

I’m Autumn, and I’m HAPPY

Can’t you tell?

But it’s a struggle every day

I always feel like something is missing…

And I can never figure out what

Then I realized…

I don’t feel special

I feel like just another fish in the sea

How can I stand out?

I’m not superior at anything…

Nor am I mediocre at everything.

I have no special or weird talents…

And I can’t play a sport to save my life

I feel like such an outcast

So what is my purpose in life?

Well…

Thanksgiving Thoughts

Happy Thanksgiving! These two simple words bring so many different things to mind.  It's not only a day for stuffing your face with delicious food, but it is also a day for spending time with family, and actually realizing what you are thankful for.  We have so many things to be thankful for; sometimes it’s hard to put together a real list.  One thing that we all can be thankful for, no matter the situation, that we are alive.  As long as we are living and breathing there is always someone else that has it worse.  So before you say that your life sucks and you have nothing to be thankful for, remember that you are alive. 

Culturizing America

"God Bless America", why on earth are we deserving of a blessing from God?  Not only do we infect other countries with our sometimes odd customs, but we refuse to take on the customs of other countries, at least not without modifying them greatly.  We are becoming a country of exports only.  When immigrants come to America, we expect them to know our language, and learn our customs, and yet when we go to other countries we still expect them to know our language and customs.  Almost all European countries have a higher rate of bilingual citizens that the U.S.  Shouldn't we be a bilingual country?  Why do we shy away at other customs?  Why is it so odd for someone to be different? Isn't that what America is about?  Shouldn't we be encouraging diversity?