I can't wait until Easter!

This was the profound, stimulating conversation in the kitchen this morning:
Me: "This not drinking Coke is about to kill me....esp. with pizza....I can't wait until Easter!!!"
Mom: "What's Easter got to do with it?"

Not to sound self-righteous....but I have "given up" all pop for this Lent (we call all pop Coke here in the South). Mom had forgotten that, although I have been mentioning it FREQUENTLY....guess I'm not much for the secret closet approach. Anyway, it's not that I even drink that much Coke...and when I do it's always Diet and usually one of those mini cans. But even that little bit provides enough of a "pick me up" to make a difference. And it's alarming how quickly we can become "hooked" on something.....or maybe it's all in my head....just like a little child feeling like I HAVE to have the very thing that's forbidden (plus thinking about it all the time). This has been my chosen item for Lent several times now...because it always seems effective (and also because there is no way I could give up my coffee!)....and by effective I mean actually helps me to think about what season we're in...and to keep my vision looking toward that day of all days in the Christian faith. Our faith...and really life itself...means nothing without the truth of the Resurrection! I like the concept of remembering and preparing myself spiritually...not just floating along in cantata practices and Easter candy. And it can't hurt to practice some self-discipline. I have also been appreciating again the book Reliving The Passion (Walter Wangerin, Jr.) It's such a great book that it doesn't get old no matter how many times it's read. So, seriously, I look forward to celebrating Easter....(and not just for the Coke:)!

Afraid...

I was afraid this would happen...that my obsessive Neuenswander genes would kick in and I would wind up "over-blogging"...two days in a row now! But these have been interesting days....been worried and thinking about my dear, courageous friend Sonja and her current health issues. Heart surgery is just not "supposed" to happen in your 30's. (There's that script thing again.) This has also had me thinking about fear in general.....we can so loftily sing "because He lives, ALL fear is gone"....and certainly He has conquered death and sin (the true source of all our fears)....but it is much harder to live out those words daily.....to face our fears without falling apart. And I don't believe not being honest or "real" about the questions we face does anybody any good....and may in fact contribute to us shielding ourselves from "feeling" and sympathizing with the pain of others. I don't have any profound conclusions for these musings....I just know I honestly try to deal with fears (today about a couple of friends...everyday about my family....my future....etc, etc.) and I am so grateful for the peace and strength that comes through the grace and goodness of the Lord. The words to this old Gaither song (written in my brain almost from birth) have been playing for me in the last several weeks:

Lofty words-

Pious repetitions-

Phrases great and grand

Are not what He demands....

Open hands are more than just a gesture

I bring all of me and He brings all of Him.

Sweet communion : I hardly know

Where He stops and I begin

Sweet freedom: there's no price too high;

It's been worth it all to know I'm clean within!

I will praise Him

Knowing that my praise will cost me everything!

I will praise Him.

Praise Him with a joy that comes from knowing

That I have held back nothing

And He is Lord!

"Cockfighting the Target"

...this is what I heard on the New Orleans news last night.....(and yes you have to laugh!) Yep, we here in La are the LAST state (NM just outlawed it) that legally allows cock-fighting....and , believe me, we wear this as a badge of honor! I anticipate this being a huge political issue this fall (not that we should be discussing a myriad of other things....like say, levees/destroyed homes and cities/the wetlands and oil industry/the war/etc, etc.)....but anyway I'm sure THIS will be the topic to watch! One person on the news pointed out (very reasonably) that perhaps this type of thing portrays us as "backward" when we are desperately needing national support....Ya Think?! Apparently another legislative attempt to outlaw cockfighting for good will happen in a couple of months in our illustrious La Legislature. My favorite opposing politician's quote from the last attempt...."I'd rather be a rooster at a cockfight than a chicken at Winn-Dixie!" Gotta love La politics!

(Blogging Update: Enjoying it so far....love the comments, but haven't totally figured out how that system works, so not sure how to respond to the comments. I've never been a commentor on others' blogs, so please feel free to read and NEVER comment if you want!:)

St. Patrick's "Great Grace"

Happy St. Patrick's Day....the most we did to celebrate was eat our steel-cut oats/ Irish oatmeal for breakfast....as usual it was so delicious:)....and I encourage everyone to run to your closest Whole Foods and buy some....so good for you, high in fiber and other great stuff (surprisingly that is the cheapest place to buy what is otherwise fairly expensive.) So there's my tip for the day:) I was able to read some info. on the Internet about St. Patrick that I never knew or had forgotten...for instance, that he was kidnapped as a teenager and taken to Ireland...escaped, then returned to evangelize there. Thomas Cahill (author of How the Irish Saved Civilization) has some really good insights:
As a result of his enslavement, "Patrick grew into a man that he truly would not otherwise have become. So you would have to say that Patrick's kidnapping was a great grace, not just for the people of Ireland, but for all of Western history." Had he never been kidnapped, it seems quite likely that it would have been decades, probably centuries, before Ireland was converted. It certainly would not have been in a position to "save civilization," as Cahill so dramatically puts it in his book when the Roman Empire crumbled and literacy was lost—lost, that is, by all but the Irish monasteries planted by Patrick and his successors.
Not surprisingly, his own experience in captivity left Patrick with a virulent hatred of the institution of slavery, and he would later become the first human being in the history of the world to speak out unequivocally against it.
"The papacy did not condemn slavery as immoral until the end of the 19th century," Cahill says, "but here is Patrick in the fifth century seeing it for what it is. I think that shows enormous insight and courage and a tremendous 'fellow feeling'—the ability to suffer with other people, and to understand what other people's suffering is like."
In fact, although he is renowned as the patron saint of the country and the people he evangelized, a better advocate than Patrick cannot be found for anyone disadvantaged or living on the fringes of society.
This challenging info. goes so well with the inspiring movie I was able to see this weekend...."Amazing Grace"...I highly recommend this as well (so there's my 2nd tip of the day:)....what a story! The ugly stain of slavery and racism still cripple our society today....I believe we are still shadowed by the pain of past and current sins in places like New Orleans (historically a slave port.) It's shocking to me how feelings of prejudice are even "acceptable" in some religious circles...that may be the problem...."religion" is not the answer! Only the great grace of God can bring the change we need. And how we need it...in our everyday lives...in the sickness and struggle all around us....to move forward in hope as we become the change we seek.

Off and Blogging...

Well...I have finally decided to take the plunge and enter the blogging world....I have enjoyed being a viewer for awhile....so after this 3rd attempt to actually post something and a visit to my young cousin's tonight to snap a pic. with her digital camera, we shall see how this process goes! I am very nontechnical and understand very little about how blogging works, so this should be an adventure. I have been intrigued by the evolution of this new form of communication...why would we want to share so much of ourselves with virtual strangers? But I have also been struck by the many similarities among the various blogs I have read...among people who on the surface seem to have little in common. Maybe that's the motivation...sharing our stories and making connections along this pathway of life.

As for my blog's title...it's taken from the dedication in one of my newest favorite books An Uncommon Correspondence (by Ivy George and Margaret Masson....an awesome book on friendship, singleness, and relationships in general). I believe there are many forces attempting to affect the scripts of our lives....our families, churches, peers, media, society in general. Some motivations are certainly worthy...others obviously not honoring to God. What really matters is how the scripts we write of our lives line up with His truths and plan for living. But so many times we are pressured to fulfill the expectations and scripts of others. Those who know me best see my resistant tendencies....sometimes beneficial...other times just a bad habit:) Having a fighting spirit can be a positive....in advocating for children as a therapist, working for my mother's best care, and hanging onto faith in tough times....but it can also lead to risks of self-reliance and independence. Whatever the case, I hope to keep working and trusting that the script of my life will honor and please the God who knows me best. I hope this blog will be a part of that ongoing effort....so come along....and with any luck I will survive the journey!