Bad Blogger

Sorry I haven't been keeping up with my usual posting frequency. I would like to attribute this behavior to a wild and distracting summer vacation, but....

Here are some recent goings on in my life.

A close friend of three years told me he no longer saw the point of our friendship. "We rarely talk and I hate all your friends, so there's no reason to ever hang out." I replied with the mature, acceptable answer of "Asshole."

My best friend has been gone for three weeks and recently lost a very close relative to lung cancer.

I have had summer-long bedtimes and wake-up calls mandated.

I have had my interests insulted.

I have been badly sunburned, thus increasing my chances of acquiring skin cancer by 13%.

I am looking forward to...my youth group missions trip in three weeks. The week after, 8AM to 4PM everyday marching band practices. Then Band Camp, then redoing my room, then flying to California, then the beginning of my second year of high school. Okay, so, I'm looking forward to half of that.

Here's to getting out of the house as soon as possible.

Oh yeah, and I'm learning how to drive, so I can't yet do that by myself. Bicycle rides are a bitch.

Take Me Back

I was wrapped tightly in a ball, my head down, arms around my knees. This fetal position had become very familiar to me. I floated up and up and up, blindly and without a sense of direction. Suddenly I stopped and felt a presence. He watched me and waited. I lifted my chin and glared sorrowfully.

"Take me back," I pleaded.

He gathered me in his palm and watched knowingly, patiently perhaps. Slowly he pushed me back down to Earth with his index finger. The sheer force unfurled my body's tight form.

I landed feet first and looked to the sky for remnants of this encounter. There were none.
...


...
A cancerous spirit began to leave its body. It passed through the Holy Spirit and continued to rise, newly healed. Suddenly the spirit was brought back into its body by an unseen power, powerfully enough for onlookers to credit... gravity? or a black hole?

The spirit was rejuvenated, left to live the rest of its healthy life.

This mother's body's doctors were dumbfounded. To no avail, they attempted to attribute the miracle to scientific probability.

A Love Rock for Grandma Jo

Shortly before she passed away eight years ago, we took Grandma Jo to the park. Jack and I took turns wheeling her around; Skye was too small. I suppose I was eye-level with her sitting figure at the age of seven and remember discussing rocks. I would pick one up, and she would tell me what the shape reminded her of. There was a boat, a leaf, and a heart. This last one we argued about for a bit. She would turn it clockwise and tell me it was an "L"; a Lucy rock. No, Grandma, it's a heart...for love!


I found our heart rock yesterday evening and began to cry. My last memory of her is withdrawn; she began wearing wigs to hide the chemotherapy's effects. Her battle was with ovarian cancer. She would remove the wig when home, as it was itchy and uncomfortable. I hated seeing her bald. She's my grandma, she should have white, fluffy hair. 'Imagine her like a baby - babies are bald,' my dad would tell me. I couldn't bring myself to do so. I felt the baldness embarrassed her and was embarrassed for her. I was watching television in her home when she, wigless, brought me a blanket to wrap up in. I didn't even look her way -- I was too afraid! I know I was little...I tell myself she understood. It's hard, you know, when my memories of my mother's mother include rudeness and a rock. The rock, I will treasure forever. Lucy's rock. Grandma Jo's love rock. I miss her every day and wish emptily that I had more than a heart-shaped rock.