Tuesday, May 25, 2004
Winning the Lottery
Today is my 29th birthday. I've spent some time reflecting on past celebrations of this fun day. My childhood parties were all in the backyard of Dills Bluff Road, complete with cookouts and plenty of water skiing and skurfing, when that became the cool water activity. The greatest part about it all were the great people who came, many of whom I still keep in contact.
College was no different, sans the backyard. My college friends (SLAM) did the birthday thing RIGHT. They learned quickly that LeAnn's birthday closely resembles a Polish wedding, thus we all began observing the holiday on May 1. The good fortune of wonderful friends followed me to Birmingham.
From college on, the birthdays have become less Polish and more focused on the day itself. Ha. Really, sometimes I have to pinch myself and wonder, "Does everyone have friends this great?"
Take today, for instance. At 7:45AM, three friends were waiting for me at work, balloons and coffee cake in tow. One of them decorated my door, and while she was doing that, a co-worker/friend walked in with a cupcake arrangement that closely resembled a caterpillar. Yummy, I promise.
One of the things I've liked most about this birthday is proof of the influence Frederick Buechner has had on my life. The day was full (and I mean full) of "normal every day" activities of a CPS worker. At the same time, it was seasoned with well-wishes and special sercies given to me by some of the most important people in my life. Freddy B. insists that miracles come in the "clack-clack" of life. So it is.
On my birthday, I was able to testify AGAINST a woman who gave her 14 month old Vicadin to get her boyfriend back from Iraq. After that, I testified FOR a recovering Methamphetamine addict to be able to see her kids more often. After court, I traveled to a nearby city to observe a visit between a man who has molested the four daughters he has brought into the world.
Now, I am back in my comfort zone, in a house full of the people I love the most in this town. My cup overflows. My home base is my friends, my peeps. Without them (YOU), this day would not be worth celebrating. It is a celebration because of the people who surround me to make sense of this thing we call living.
Thank you. I love each of you. I have chosen the winning lottery ticket!
College was no different, sans the backyard. My college friends (SLAM) did the birthday thing RIGHT. They learned quickly that LeAnn's birthday closely resembles a Polish wedding, thus we all began observing the holiday on May 1. The good fortune of wonderful friends followed me to Birmingham.
From college on, the birthdays have become less Polish and more focused on the day itself. Ha. Really, sometimes I have to pinch myself and wonder, "Does everyone have friends this great?"
Take today, for instance. At 7:45AM, three friends were waiting for me at work, balloons and coffee cake in tow. One of them decorated my door, and while she was doing that, a co-worker/friend walked in with a cupcake arrangement that closely resembled a caterpillar. Yummy, I promise.
One of the things I've liked most about this birthday is proof of the influence Frederick Buechner has had on my life. The day was full (and I mean full) of "normal every day" activities of a CPS worker. At the same time, it was seasoned with well-wishes and special sercies given to me by some of the most important people in my life. Freddy B. insists that miracles come in the "clack-clack" of life. So it is.
On my birthday, I was able to testify AGAINST a woman who gave her 14 month old Vicadin to get her boyfriend back from Iraq. After that, I testified FOR a recovering Methamphetamine addict to be able to see her kids more often. After court, I traveled to a nearby city to observe a visit between a man who has molested the four daughters he has brought into the world.
Now, I am back in my comfort zone, in a house full of the people I love the most in this town. My cup overflows. My home base is my friends, my peeps. Without them (YOU), this day would not be worth celebrating. It is a celebration because of the people who surround me to make sense of this thing we call living.
Thank you. I love each of you. I have chosen the winning lottery ticket!
Monday, May 03, 2004
With Tears and Great Laughter....
I have a passion for children. This passion has led me to the job I currently hold, but has taken me down other paths as well. One of them was working with adoption, which in turn gave me a heart for a population to which I had not given much thought....the infertile.
My internship last Spring taught me much about the struggles of the childless-- the loss of control, the frustration with people always shouting "WHEN ARE Y'ALL HAVING KIDS?", etc. Something that is taken for granted--reproduction-- is a daily struggle for those who often dish out thousands of dollars to try to make it happen.
Not only do I have a passion for children, I have a passion for good stories. My brother Greg and his wife Ellie have one of the best love stories I have ever heard (worthy of its own blog). After going separate ways for over 10 years, they reconnected and have one of the most amazing marriages I have ever seen. Sensing it was time to share their love to a little one, they tried getting pregnant. And after much frustration, we all began to lose hope.
I'm ashamed to say that I had stopped praying. I was mad at God for giving 14-year-olds babies and withholding a baby from Greg and Ellie who are, in all ways, ready for the challenge of child-rearing. Many tears have been shed.
Fortunately, God doesn't stop working and moving when I stop praying. Even though I had shoved my hope to the side and began praying instead for their hearts to heal and/or adoption to become an option, God had other things in mind.
Yesterday, I had to pull off the side of the road because I was crying so hard. Greg called me to tell me that they were pregnant, and not with one baby, but with TWO!
The story of Abraham and Sarah's laughing makes sense to me now. Just when it seems impossible, a miracle happens. Someone said to me this morning, "LeAnn, it's a miracle." Indeed it is.
So, keep growing, little ones, and may you always know how prayed for and wanted you were. May you never stop praying for the impossible and never be shocked when it happens!
My internship last Spring taught me much about the struggles of the childless-- the loss of control, the frustration with people always shouting "WHEN ARE Y'ALL HAVING KIDS?", etc. Something that is taken for granted--reproduction-- is a daily struggle for those who often dish out thousands of dollars to try to make it happen.
Not only do I have a passion for children, I have a passion for good stories. My brother Greg and his wife Ellie have one of the best love stories I have ever heard (worthy of its own blog). After going separate ways for over 10 years, they reconnected and have one of the most amazing marriages I have ever seen. Sensing it was time to share their love to a little one, they tried getting pregnant. And after much frustration, we all began to lose hope.
I'm ashamed to say that I had stopped praying. I was mad at God for giving 14-year-olds babies and withholding a baby from Greg and Ellie who are, in all ways, ready for the challenge of child-rearing. Many tears have been shed.
Fortunately, God doesn't stop working and moving when I stop praying. Even though I had shoved my hope to the side and began praying instead for their hearts to heal and/or adoption to become an option, God had other things in mind.
Yesterday, I had to pull off the side of the road because I was crying so hard. Greg called me to tell me that they were pregnant, and not with one baby, but with TWO!
The story of Abraham and Sarah's laughing makes sense to me now. Just when it seems impossible, a miracle happens. Someone said to me this morning, "LeAnn, it's a miracle." Indeed it is.
So, keep growing, little ones, and may you always know how prayed for and wanted you were. May you never stop praying for the impossible and never be shocked when it happens!
