March 16, 2008

Hey everybody!

How are you doing this fine month of March? We've got some crazy weather, just like everywhere I guess. It goes between cold and rainy and cold and sunny and nice. Every morning I just watch tv to see which coat to wear and whether to carry my umbrella or not. It doesn't really matter too much as far as my day goes, but it will be really nice to see spring. Spring and Fall are my favorites.

It's Sunday afternoon and I am here at the Space. We had a renter who was pretty high maintenance so Mama Vickie stayed around to help smooth things out. It's a show with 40 kids. It's the first production in the theatre for the teacher/director. She was pretty overwhelmed with the whole thing. It finally went off pretty well.

One of our regular renters on Sundays is Mark Allen, also known as Boogie. He calls me Miss Vickie like in the south. He thinks I hung the moon and I'm very blessed to know him. He has a business that has many facets. One of which is a modeling venture that he holds auditions and rehearsals here. He called me a few weekends ago to remind me to change the time on our clocks so his rental time wouldn't be messed up. He mentioned that he was at the hospital with his mom who is very, very ill. He let me pray for him over the phone. I told him that our church would pray for him as well. That Sunday, we got to tell him that we were praying for his family. He came in the Space this week and he said his mom is doing better. She will never be well again, but he really appreciated our prayers.

Another guy in the Space a lot lately is Arnold. He is an actor and writer. He grew up in North Carolina. He was talking about what a nice vibe we have here and how he feels welcome. He said there is a light here that he doesn't see anywhere else. I told him about us being a church and he was very interested in knowing more. I invited him to church today. He wasn't here, but I kept him in my prayers this morning. He came in almost an hour late and said that he was fighting coming, thinking it would be like any other place, either too traditional or too edgy or too political or too something. He still felt drawn, so he stopped in. We were in discussion about quiet time with God and what He was revealing to each this morning. He joined right in and shared that he is searching for someplace without pretense which just searches God's Word, prays together and grows. He was so glad that he came. He said he'd see me in the Space again tomorrow. I think he'll be around for a while.

I sat on the bus next to a lady the other night on the way home. She was visiting NYC to hear a colleague speak. She asked if I am from the Midwest. I told her I was born and raised in Indiana, but most people notice an accent from me living in Arkansas for 17 years. She picked up on the Midwest sound since she was originally from Indiana, too. She now lives in New Mexico and looks like a nice grandma type of lady. We were sharing info about our vocations and she is a social worker specializing in sex therapy. I told her that I'm here working full time with a church. My stop was coming up, so I gave her my card. She mentioned that we would probably never see each other again. I told her to keep the card to remember me and know who was praying for her often. She thanked me. Please join me in praying for her to seek the Father and a good church home back in New Mexico. Her name is Harriet.

Kenneth (Lincoln Center guard) asks me almost everyday if I'm ready to go to the beach. We're both bundled in coats and scarves and hats. We see our breath as we laugh. Yes, it will be nice to have beach-type weather. I imagine in the hot summer we will joke about wanting to play in the snow.

Charmaine and Melina came over last night for a visit. It's the first I have seen them since the night be fore I left for Thailand. I gave them their little Thai doll keychains and some Thai candy. I had bought some cheap board games from Wal-Mart.com at Christmas time. They played Jenga the then Chutes and Ladders. Except for them screaming at each other at every move, I think they had a good time. I told them they cannot yell while visiting me. They tried watching it a little bit. I think they are starting to respect my home a little. I know it's not how they live at home, but I think they will be better for learning how to act in other people's homes. They are trying. I miss all the kids from FBCR, but I hope that my relationships these kids will grow in the future. It just takes time.

I guess you heard about the crane that fell off a building under construction. At first, they cut into programming and didn't make much of a big deal about it. Then on the evening news, there were people killed and hurt and missing. I am having dinner with some friends tonight over on the east side. I will have to alter my walking route because some streets are blocked off. I don't know if I'll get close enough to see anything, but I'll have my camera on me (as always) so I'll try to get a few pics. I can't imagine hearing that happen. They said it was like an earthquake or something. So far the two major things that happened have been on the East side (crane falling and steam pipe blowing) and I live on the West side. (The bomb on Times Square doesn't count, since it was so small and didn't affect many people.) There is always something going on here. Sometimes you hear about it, sometimes you don't.

Well, I had a good birthday last week. Of course, after the big 50, this year was a lot quieter. It was Sunday and we had birthday cake at church. Then a few friends took me to lunch at my favorite Thai restaurant. Then I had a home cooked meal at the Rourks and another birthday cake. Whew! Then Kristen (Scott's wife) and I went to a movie. I was so stuffed and sleepy! I walked quite a bit that day and evening, so that helped. I ate a salad for lunch the next day as penance for the birthday meals. Thank you to all who sent me birthday cards and money and best wishes. I am honoring this year's birthday by letting my hair go natural. The gray is coming in nicely. I'm glad not to have to buy hair color anymore. I even bought some shampoo and conditioner for graying hair. How liberating! (I know...you think I'm crazy!)