Aftermath

The ruins of Hurricane Katrina are all over the news and papers. I must admit that I keep the tv tuned to MSNBC to watch all the developments. I cannot comprehend what the La and Miss residents are going through. Apparently the refugees that were in the Superdome are now being bused to Houston, where they can stay for MONTHS if needed. Can you imagine living in a sports dome for months???

The United Methodist Committee on Relief (www.umcor.org) is a reliable site in which to make donations of supplies or money. Please give.

Up, up, and away!!

Gasoline prices jumped today because of the hurricane (Katrina). I swear I saw gas for $2.50 on Sunday and then today it was $2.75. Isn't that gouging or something??

Community

We had three people join the church today--is always a blessing when people want to formally align and walk in faith. In the United Methodist Church, we have a short ritual/set of questions that are asked when a person comes to join. After one has answered the questions of intent and faith we, as a congregation, respond with the following:
We give thanks for all that God has already given you and we welcome you in Christian love. As members together with you in the body of Christ and in this congregation of the United Methodist Church, we renew our covenant faithfully to participate in the ministries of the church by our prayers, our presence, our gifts, and our service, that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. Amen.
I've said this statement many, many times over the years and it flows easily from my lips. I love this renewal of the vows I made to the Church many years ago and how United Methodists everywhere have a common bond through this witness of faith and action. This is community.

Three to tangle

YES, i know the expression is "it takes three to tango" but "tangle" seemed so much more appropriate for this entry.
tonight my friend Dwayne came in from Arkansas for the weekend. he thinks Oklahoma City is more exciting than Fayetteville...he's probably right. he's become pretty good friends with two friends of mine, whom i'll call James and Danny. so, Dwayne and I had dinner at James' and Danny's and then they had a little cocktail party with several ppl. Afterward, we all went out to The Copa to dance and whatever. It was a busy night at the club and we actually had to stand in line to get in. I should have some sort of Diva VIP pass. I mean, me--Rachel--standing in line with all the common people?? Please. Oh wait, I'm off topic.........so we danced for a couple of hours at the club and stayed until closing. Dwayne was going back home with James and Danny and I'm not sure i want to know any more than that.....like I said, it takes three to tangle.
Boys.

remembering mom

today is the 4 yr anniversary of when my mom died. needless to say, i miss her. i am very glad that i just spent the last week with my brothers because it helps connect us all.
my plan is to keep myself busy at work today and then have some down time tonight, relaxing, praying, and remembering. forgive me if i seem emotional or sappy today. it comes with the territory. my mom was a wonderful woman and we all miss her. i cry not because i'm so down or disrought, but there's just so much to miss. yes, i remember lots of good things and they make me smile or laugh. mom loved music and singing. we used to sing rounds in the car. she would wake me up in the morning by singing (loudly....and high pitched). makes me smile just to think about it.

what i keep repeating to myself is that THESE are the memories that sustain me. they make her feel closer. i remember because i love her and miss her.

time for me to make my annual donation to the American Cancer Society. this also helps me (constructively) memorialize her. the painful memories linger in my mind but they aren't what controls me. i admit that sometimes they get the better of me but mom was so much more than her cancer.

thank goodness for my faith, which mom and dad instilled in all of us, to give me strength and peace.

in memory of my mom.

She sells sea shells

So, for our vacation this year we went out to the lovely village of Montauk, on the Eastern tip of Long Island. It was the whole family, minus Doug and his crew. This was one of my favorite spots for vacation I think, because we still had access to stores and technology yet were secluded enough to not be consumed by any of it. Well, I do have to recount our first day in Montauk....see, my steppappy loves coffee. He drinks it day and night. So, while we were driving out to Montauk he pointed out every single Starbucks that we passed. So, our first morning he wants Starbucks. Ok, we're on vacation, I can dig that. So, we set out for the nearest one but don't really remember where that is. Yeah, turns out its like a 20 minute drive away, two towns over. Crazy. All this for coffee?? It was amusing. He's so easy to please. Give him a cup of coffee and a NY Times and he's happy. For the most part we spent the week sleeping late, eating seafood, catching up with the kids, and enduring the cold ocean water. That's my kind of vacation. I actually didn't find any seashells but I did bring home a few rocks. (what happened to seashells at the beach?? is global warming destroying all the shells?) As stupid as it sounds, I kept hoping to see a shark in the shallow water near the beach. Yup, I've been watching too many movies.

Family vacation 2005

Just got home from the annual family vacation. we went out on Long Island this year, to the lovely village of Montauk. it was a good time. we spent a lot of time on the beach and playing in the ocean and i got a lovely, painful sunburn. ah, memories. i am so proud of my nieces and nephews....6 of the 8 were on this trip. they range in age from 5 to 17 and it's so amazing to see watch them grow into their own sense of self. they are good kids. funny. witty. polite. bitchy. loving. smart. i expected them to be all those things but it's still amazing to watch the process (of growing up) unfold. i'll post more about the vacation later...i'm too tired now to do it.

Chills

Today the 9/11 Commission started releasing various text and audio transcripts from their post 9/11 inquiries. the NY Times online has posted most or all of it for the public to browse through. i listened to quite a bit of audio today and you can't imagine the chills it gave me. it's powerful stuff....go to www.nytimes.com to view/listen. you have to register with the online site but there's no charge and you won't get spammed.

role models

I just returned from our Young Democrats of America convention in San Francisco, CA. It was a CRAZY busy week but I had a lot of fun. The best part was seeing friends from all over and being able to spend time with liberal, like minded political hacks. My term as the Vice President of Programs is over and I am relieved to not be an officer again. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed what I did but there's too much bull that goes into running for YDA office. This was the first time in like 10 years that there were contested elections and they were NASTY. There were two teams competing for the 9 offices and dirty, shady, underhanded politics occured all week. People's jobs were threatened back home if they didn't vote one certain way....reputations were trashed, rumors started, voters intimidated, voices suppressed....Hard to believe this is an organization of Democrats! When it was all said and done only a few people that I liked were elected, Lauren Goode and Rob Dolin. They will be the voices of reason and sanity to a control freak of a president. My state president, Kathy North, lost her race for the vice president of development but i am very, very proud of her. she didn't compromise herself, cut deals, or sell out our state. she was one of very few people who can say that. she had a hard race to win and she did the best she could and i couldn't be more proud of her. it's going to take me some time to recover from this convention. i love young democrats but i have never seen a race within an organization get so nasty.

Remembering

I'm in San Francisco right now, attending the national convention of the Young Democrats of America. It's a great time & I am loving seeing friends and political buddies.

I was so busy today with our Platform meeting (I'm co-chairing the platform development process). Then, something tonight clicked in my brain and I remembered that today would have been my father's birthday. Dad would have been 71. It all kind of runs together these days. So, once I remembered Dad I stopped and said a little prayer for him, for me, and for my family.

I don't dwell on these sort of anniversaries, at least I don't anymore. They used to really bother me but as time as gone by I have evolved in my reactions. I miss him for other reasons, not because it's his birthday. I guess I should remember to stop and pray a little more, I don't need a reason like an anniversary/birthday/etc to do that.

In memory of my dad...............

love,
rachel

Caution: Donkey Crossing

Tomorrow afternoon I leave for San Francisco for our Young Democrats of America convention (www.yda.org). I am really looking forward to seeing a bunch of folks, hanging with friends for several days, and seeing all the crazy cat-fights that I predict will happen. For the past two years I have served as the Vice President of Programs for the Young Dems and while it's been a good time I am ready to give up my crown. I didn't accomplish everything I wanted to accomplish but I don't think my time has been wasted in the organization. There are two people vying to replace me and I like both of them. No matter who is elected they will do a good job representing the organization.
I think it's great we are going to San Francisco--I mean, what better place for a bunch of Democrats to hang?? I hope to have a little free time to roam the city and see some of the sights I didn't get to see the last time I was there. I'll have e-mail while I'm there but if there's not much posting or emailing from me don't be surprised......Go Democrats!