I'm in Kentucky with my family, visiting my sister's family. So many interesting things to photograph here! Pictures of the nephew to come later. :)

listening, reflecting

Thanks to reading (and discussing with a great group of people) Jesus Wants to Save Christians, I've been thinking more about hearing the voice and the cry of those around me. That's what my bus trip in July did for me. The people I met broke through my walls and got to my heart. That's what talking to the homeless (on a day when my defenses aren't too high) will do for me, too.

I went to Church Under the Bridge yesterday and spent most of the time talking to a homeless guy who I usually see at the ARCH. He loves to talk, to joke, to relate to people. He talked about how the people are so grabby with the free stuff (they were giving away mittens, hats, etc.), so we talked a little about how change in people's lives only really comes through relationship. He said, "You're right. You've got to listen a lot." He's a hurricane Ike evacuee who's only been in Austin a little while. I wanted to take him to coffee, but everybody else I knew had left at that point and I was so cold all I really wanted to do was go home. I leave encounters like that knowing I've got to respond, but I'm still unsure of (or perhaps unwilling to recognize?) the next step.

Some other things that I've been reflecting on the past few days:

• My friend wrote about being in the defrosting (what I'm calling listening) stage she's in on her blog.

• Sojourners has a list of ideas for a peace and justice Christmas.

• Another friend linked to this photo Advent calendar from the Hubble telescope that will leave you in awe.

• And this Mankind Is No Island video I saw on another blog is a must see.

a random list of things

• There is a car wreath (a car that has a wreath on the front) that I see frequently on my way home. As a rule, I think car wreaths are tacky, but they still make me smile.
• On Thanksgiving day, I took a morning walk and saw a couple getting ready to go somewhere on their motorcycle. They had their chihuahua ready to ride in a little jacket and pink goggles. Not kidding.
  
• I laughed til I cried a few times over Thanksgiving and it was great.
  
• My grandmother can't remember how to say "latte." I made my sister one while she was visiting and Mimi asked her how she liked the "lotta." Laura had no idea what she was talking about and I had to translate.
  
• I asked Mimi for WD40 the other day to fix the squeaky door and she said she didn't have any, but she did have some 409. I explained what I needed it for and that 409 wasn't going to work. She then remembered what WD40 was and found me some.
• Even though I write down funny things about Mimi, I do think it's amazing that she still does everything she does at 87.
  
• I called Pep Boys last week to get a rebate situation worked out and got a guy that had some sort of British accent! He was super kind and called me "madam." I loved it.
• Rachael is probably the reason I make lists like these on my blog.

photos from the road

I already posted these pictures to facebook, but I thought I'd post them here too. They're from my trip to Abilene and the Whitharral farm over Thanksgiving. I always tell myself I'm going to stop and take some pictures along the road, so this time I stopped at a few places. The top two are from the family cotton farm.

This weekend was full of fun holiday gatherings - a pancake lunch at "my" house, watching Love, Actually with good friends and holiday drinks last night, and the church Christmas potluck/ornament making party tonight. I am enjoying the season!