Phenomenal Woman

My friend, Heidi, introduced me to this poem.
I love it. And I love Maya Angelou.

Phenomenal Woman

Pretty women wonder where my secret lies.

I'm not cute or built to suit a fashion model's size

But when I start to tell them,

They think I'm telling lies.

I say,

It's in the reach of my arms

The span of my hips,

The stride of my step,

The curl of my lips.

I'm a woman

Phenomenally.

Phenomenal woman,

That's me.

I walk into a room

Just as cool as you please,

And to a man,

The fellows stand or

Fall down on their knees.

Then they swarm around me,

A hive of honey bees.

I say,

It's the fire in my eyes,

And the flash of my teeth,

The swing in my waist,

And the joy in my feet.

I'm a woman

Phenomenally.

Phenomenal woman,

That's me.

Men themselves have wondered

What they see in me.

They try so much

But they can't touch

My inner mystery.

When I try to show them

They say they still can't see.

I say,

It's in the arch of my back,

The sun of my smile,

The ride of my breasts,

The grace of my style.

I'm a woman

Phenomenally.

Phenomenal woman,

That's me.

Now you understand

Just why my head's not bowed.

I don't shout or jump about

Or have to talk real loud.

When you see me passing

It ought to make you proud.

I say,

It's in the click of my heels,

The bend of my hair,the palm of my hand,

The need of my care,

'Cause I'm a woman

Phenomenally.

Phenomenal woman,

That's me.

by, Maya Angelou

Rainy Days

I finished The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett.
It was 973 pages packed with captivating adventure, trial, heartbreak, tyranny, injustice, triumph, betrayal, tears, schemes, laughter, and enthralling medieval characters that will make you scream and cry and shout for joy. 973 pages that I could not pull myself away from.

I first heard of this book watching "Oprah's Big Give 2007" and she said she could not put it down and gave everyone in the audience a copy and could not give it enough praise...and I couldn't resist the temptation to see what all the fuss was about.

It literally took hold of my life and I spent every waking moment wondering and thinking about what would happen next and how it would all turn out.

Now that I'm done with it I find myself missing the characters. After 973 pages I feel like I walked a journey with them feeling their heartaches and triumphs and I'm left wanting to spend more time with them! Seriously, if you are looking for a great, captivating (and definitely rated R) book. Read Pillars of the Earth (just make sure you have time to devote to reading it straight through because you just can't put this down!)

Inbetween reading I've been watching the Olympics - those athletes amaze me and I love to watch them and envision the effort they throw into these games. I think I love the tradition too, because they began in Athens so many thousands of years ago and while it looked a little different it has evolved into 10 hours of coverage blaring the Olympic theme song in nearly every living room across the world. It's uniting to know that there are so many countries in one place competing with the same passion and sweat.

My dad and I watched Cars tonight and Disney's genius amazes me. They continually develop these Pixar movies that enrapture kids and bring them laughter and keep their attention while challenging the adults who accompany the kids (or avid Disney fans like myself) with a "moral of the story" that strikes a chord that the kids may overlook. I feel like I've learned more about the beauty of life and what the important things are from Cars, Finding Nemo, Wall-E, Meet the Robinson's (and many many more). So Disney...you're genius and I'm feeling sentimental.

Be Excited

102 days...
the countdown begins.

Colorado: "The Construction State"

Construction turns even the best of drivers into raging, horn-blowing lunatics. Of that fact I am sure. I know my blood pressure rises and my patience and tolerance completely evaporate.
I just wanted to get to Union. So I mistakenly thought I should take Woodmen (now is it Woodman or Woodmen?? I've been here 20 years and I don't know. That's probably part of the problem...) Anyways. I'm following the train of cars through the maze of orange and white barrels and trucks and the stifling asphalt smell when the construction worker a few cars ahead holding the "slow" or "stop" sign keeps switching. Like he's bored and thinks the cure to his boredom is to twirl the big pole that happens to be attached to his hand. Or maybe, since he is bored, he does this on purpose thinking an accident in an already crowded construction zone might add some spice to his day. Either way the confused cars in front of me decided the twirling sign meant "slow." So on we proceeded.

I survived the construction zone and am a few cars back sitting at the red left turn arrow trying to turn onto Union. And we sit there. And I sing along to Carrie Underwood, then I sing along to Blake Shelton, and then I sing along to Diamond Rio and half way through Diamond Rio I'm thinking...hmmm each song is probably 2 to 3 minutes. Have we really been sitting at this red light for that long? The agitated cars in front of me had had enough of being skipped in the light cycles so they began to turn left on the red arrow and now it is my turn. The car behind me is about ready to drive over me if I don't hurry up and turn left on red. A big flashing neon sign screaming "moral dilemma" is blinking in my mind. I know just as soon as I turn it will be the one millisecond a cop arrives and guess who will get a ticket...me. So instead I dove into the empty right lane, went straight through green, flipped a u-turn and finally turned right onto Union. My goodness who knew driving in this town was such an operation. I think I'm just going to stay in the driveway from now on.

Brand New

I finished reading Velvet Elvis last night. It was really thought provoking and I definitely recommend it.

Rob Bell is the founding pastor of Mars Hill which originated in Michigan.
I attended Mars Hill a few times in Seattle and everyone at campus seemed to have an opinion about it - they either love it or hate it.
I didn't mind it, I didn't see anything that stuck out as crazy and blasphemous, but I suppose its all in the politics. Mars Hill is supposedly with a new group of churches called "the emerging church" which is a new outward focused idea.

To the extreme I think it wants to revamp the idea of church...instead of what can I do for my church its what can my church do for the community and the world? Bell talked about not always focusing our attention on: "how do I get to heaven" but instead the goal should be: how to get heaven here. As we live today and go about our own business Bell pointed out that many around the world and even our neighbors live in "hell on earth" and challenges us to think how we can help change that.

"True spirituality then is not about escaping this world to some other place where we will be forever. A Christian is not someone who expects to spend forever in heaven there. A Christian is someone who anticipates spending forever here, in a new heaven that comes to earth.
The goal isn't escaping this world but making this world the kind of place God can come to. And God is remaking us into the kind of people who can do this kind of work" (Bell 150).

I went to the Renaissance Festival with my mom yesterday and I bought a new ring. I spent forever picking it out and got my mom's expert opinion and now I am completely satisfied. It's that feeling when you get something new. Don't you feel energized? More empowered, confident...everything seems a little bit brighter? Maybe its just me, but especially when I get a new ring or a new hair style its excitement...renewal from the routine. I was thinking of this while reading Bell's chapter titled "New." He talks about how we are a new person when we submit to following Christ. How each day I can wake up and no matter how I messed up yesterday or strayed from the path I am brand new today in Christ and I'm going to try again. It's like getting a brand new ring everyday. I love that feeling.

"It is not that we are perfect now or that we will never have to struggle. Or that the old person won't come back from time to time. It's that this new way of life involves a constant, conscious decision to keep dying to the old self so that we can live in the new. Paul describes it as Christ being our lives" (140).