Ready or Not!

I've thrown surprise parties, I've been to surprise parties, and I've even had people surprise me. Yesterday was the first time I got a surprise party! Not only was I overwhelmed with love and gratitude, but I also learned some stuff along the way!

The day as I knew it had two parts. Part 1 was the Apple Annie Craft fair at my church with my aunt Susan (my sisters and I call her DeDe). The transition was to be picking up my new Christmas tree from my friend Marcia!!!  From there I was having my friend Cindy over to help me decorate my first adult Christmas tree, make Christmas cookies, and watch Christmas movies!!! It was going to be great! 

Yesterday morning my friend Jess texted me inviting me along to her Christmas decorating day. She even said she was going to bring me a wreath! You're thinking this was part of the surprise, right? Nope! That was just got icing the cake! I'm unceasingly blown away by the generosity of those around me. 

DeDe and I were having a nice time at the craft fair, buying some sweet gifts. There were some decorations, but I felt very strongly that I wanted to have my tree be the start and go from there. I didn't want to overdo it. Ha!

It was time to pick out the tree. More generosity. My friend Marcia got a new tree and wanted to let me have her old one! Wow! Abundantly blessed. We get to Marcia's and her daughter helps us get it in the car. I can tell DeDes worried about getting it up the stairs. She says we should wait for Cindy. At one point, Dede pulls Marcia over to the side. I was suspicious but figured it was just that she had lots of decorations for me. Like I said I didn't want to overdo it. 

Next we hit the Dollar Tree. We are moving at a snail's pace. DeDe knew I was irritated. Cindy would be getting there soon! Didn't she get that?

We get to my apartment. Take up the bags. Cindy texts that she's here. Great! I knew DeDe was worried about the tree. The Three of us get the tree upstairs. I see a bag that I've been suspecting. Then DeDe says, "Well it's from your mom and Leigh Anne..". LEIGH ANNE? How does she know Leigh Anne?!!!! Cindy then tells me they're surprising me and that Leigh Anne and her mom are outside!!! They tried to get other friends to come too, but no one else could make it. I am BLOWN AWAY!!!

In come Lil and Leigh Anne with more surprises and decorations. The pictures say so much. Awe and amazement and joy! 

So began ornament crafting, tree assembly, trimming, love, and laughter. Lil was kind enough to get extra supplies and food!

Jess, who like I said knew nothing of this, came by with my beautiful wreath, which added to my merriment!

So what did I learn along the way?

1. Don't be so quick to rush the moment. I was getting frustrated with DeDe when she was trying to stall to bless me!

2. It's okay to overdo it sometimes! Um, Alison, you overdo it a lot! You're right, but I don't always receive others overdoing it for me!

3. "But I don't have food to serve them!" This is what I thought as the reality of yesterday's surprise set in. Hey! That's ok. See, I've been dying to have a housewarming party. But I've been waiting for it to be JUST RIGHT. First I needed to get settled. Then I needed stuff on the walls. Now I want my balcony set up. You know what? I can't wait for it to be totally ready. There will always be something. Yesterday was perfectly warmed!!! It was the tree trimming, housewarming with people that I love dearly! So incredibly blessed and grateful. 

Yes, there will be more gatherings, ready or not! That's the whole point of me living here!

Traditions

If you've ever been to a college football game, especially in the SEC, you know it's steeped in tradition. So am I!

I took some friends to their first University of Georgia football game in Athens! We were all excited! I told them about the Dawg Walk before the game. That's when the Redcoat Vand makes two lines and plays while the team runs through the tunnel of people.  As we walked up to the stadium during pre-game, I stopped them to listen to the Battle Hymn, a trumpet solo played in the Upper Deck, for all of the 92,000 fans during pre-game - a moment that still gives me goosebumps. 

Traffic and the need for food kept us from those moments this time, but those moments still filled the air and electrified the city of Athens, just like they always do!

The weather was PERFECT weather for a Fall football game! Chilly and sunny with beautiful colors on the trees!

4th Quarter begins : Bulldog style! A stadium full of hands fly into the air, holding up 4 fingers. The fans drifting into boredom or food and beverage comas become alert. You can hear the finest band in the land playing "Krypton", the Superman fanfare. The crowd is PUMPED! One of my friends says, "What are we doing?" In an impatient moment, I respond with, "Just hold out a 4 in the Superman pose!" Well, that didn't clear things up at all! I explained it to her later. 

A Traditional nomad for Thanksgiving...

One of my favorite vocabulary words I learned in school was nomad: a person with no permanent home who moves place to place. I connected it with some of my family in the military. I've been a nomad for Thanksgiving for the last 4 years, since I moved cross country, back to Georgia, and my parents are in San Diego. For the last 3 Thanksgivings, I've gone to a different house. I've been abundantly blessed to have friends and family welcome me into their homes and to enjoy their traditions. I've felt like part of the family, been allowed to share my pumpkin pie (with only one hiccup). I've played in an annual

Kickball game. I've even gone to the same friend's house for weekend leftovers! 

Despite the beautiful gifts, I haven't had the opportunity to cook with my mom while watching the Parade. I have been Black Friday  shopping, but it wasn't the same. 

Only 1 of the 3 years were there Turkey Notes. WHAT'S A TURKEY NOTE? Excellent question. 

Turkey Notes go back to when my mom had Thanksgiving as a kid. Her parents and her 7 brothers and sister would each read a little note for them around the table. Back then, in its purest form, Turkey Notes read like "Turkey Red, Turkey Blue. Turkey says I love you. As the kids grew and evolved, so did the Turkey Notes. Quick poems grew into satirical verses. Content centers around that personality or an event that the person experienced that year. I've had Notes about tv shows I've loved, my weight loss journey, and even my Facebook activity. I've written some stellar ones too!

Anyone who comes to our family Thanksgiving gets a Turkey Note. You're part of the family! I once had the guy I was dating over for Thanksgiving, and to this day, he still talks about his Turkey Notes with gratitude. 

For both of the Thanksgivings in the last few years where I was at a friend's house, I've considered bringing Turkey Notes to the table. In both cases, there were too many people I didn't know to write a Turkey Note for each person. That didn't stop my family from sending me one!

Whether it is missing the Dawg Walk at a Georgia Game or not having Turkey Notes around the table, it doesn't diminish those experiences! I've made new memories! I get to do life with the best people, as messy as it is sometimes! The thing about traditions that I've been reminded of this week is that while they are an important part of us and our history, we have to focus on the gifts we are receiving in that moment! I wouldn't trade the experiences of sharing the Georgia Game Day experience with those ladies. I wouldn't trade the friendships that so lovingly opened their Thanksgivings to me! I'm hopeful for the Thanksgivings to come and the traditions I will start with my own family one day! There are plenty of tailgates and Turkey Notes in my future. And if you come to my family Thanksgiving, you too will get a Turkey Note. 

Speaking of Turkey Notes, time to go write some! Have a blessed, abundant, and grateful Thanksgiving!

Hang in There

This was the theme of this Sunday at Church, to go with the Gospel of Luke's parable of the Persistent Widow. As soon as I heard Fr. Joe Aquino mention the theme, I knew in my heart it would become a blog post. Jesus tells this parable:

 “In a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor cared what people thought. And there was a widow in that town who kept coming to him with the plea, ‘Grant me justice against my adversary.’"  (Luke 18:1-8)

I'm known for busting barriers, not acknowledging limits, and being an overcomer. Like the widow in the Gospel, I too am persistent. 

Earlier this year, I got to fulfill a decade-long dream of completing a high ropes course and power pole. I trained for it and I was ready. I did well on the first 7 elements. Then came the 8th, a series of swinging 2 x 4s. Fatigued and tired, my weaker left hand had a hard time holding onto the rope, my right side was fatigued from dominating the balance, and I couldn't stabilize myself. At one point I fell and started crying....not for falling, but because I was afraid they would make me stop and I had my heart set on finishing. My sweet friend Harry picked me up and hoisted me back on the platform to try again. Still struggling, I had a ropes facilitator in front of me, friends cheering below me, and a Coach looking out for me...which got me a SECOND ropes facilitator helping me FINISH the ropes course!

Lately, I've been making this the bar for challenges. I wonder if I had the heart, determination, and will that I did that day, then why can't I channel that now to accomplish these goals?!

Fun. 

I have friends that would run all day long if they could. No thank you! I would rather do a ropes course than run any day and twice on Sunday. My favorite training equipment is the TRX. Now, that doesn't mean they are always available to me, but the Fun Factor is Real. 

Focus

I think back to the day and every feeling and every thought was aimed at conquering that ropes course. I didn't have my phone. I wasn't distracted by life's concerns. My focus was entirely there. I was ENGAGED in the exercise. 

My Coach and friend Danny Cahill (You might have heard of him...Winner, Biggest Loser, Season 8) and many of his fellow contestants talked about the opportunity they had on the show to solely focus on themselves and getting healthy. They didn't have to worry about their jobs or feeling bad about the time they were losing with their families, because they were gaining their life back!

Jesus doesn't mention all the other things that widow might have been doing while she was pleading with the judge. That's where her focus and her energy were placed. 

Another inspiration to me is Financial Health expert, Dave Ramsey. He advises people to go after good health with "gazelle-like intensity". 

Whichever image you like, the pole, the ropes, the Biggest Loser ever, or the gazelle...

"So long, status quo. I think I'm letting go. You make me wanna be brave."  Nicole Nordeman 

Hasty Reading

As an Elementary Special Education teacher, I see a LOT of difficulties in reading, whether it's in attacking a word, reading fluently, or comprehending what they've read. Today, I had my own reading troubles...

Last night, I posted a simple question on a Facebook wall. Today, I got the notification of a comment, and the first words I see are: Patience is a virtue. I was ticked!

I threw my phone back in my bag. I know patience is my greatest strength, but from my perspective, my post did not call for a reminder of patience.  Besides, I was being helpful! Fine! I won't be helpful. Yeah, thats productive. If I had left it there, I would have missed some crazy blessings, and shortchanged both of us.

I went back a few minutes later, and saw that I had let anger take over and missed the rest of the post. It was delightful!

My kids do this too. They omit words, skip entire sentences, or even pretend to read, and then their comprehension suffers. My comprehension suffered because I didn't read through or hear the person out!

I proceeded to eat some humble pie and apologize to the person. Would they have known I was mad? Not initially. They may have wondered why they  weren't hearing from me. Through this, God granted humility, forgiveness, and the opening of a really good conversation!

Anger closes doors. Joy, love, and forgiveness open them. 

Two Wrongs Don't Make it Right

I am the Go To Girl on Uber. People know that I use it all the time, they have heard my stories about various Uber drivers, and most importantly, they see how much it's helped my independence and livelihood in getting from place to place in the last year. I've taken it to grocery stores and concerts. doctors appointments, friends' houses, and work-related meetings. I took it to work every day last year. I have taken it across state lines and even in Oklahoma! Enough about my Uber resume though, I want to share what I learned this week. 

There are different kinds of Uber cars. The basic is UberX, but you can get larger and more luxurious depending on how many riders you have, how many suitcases, and your business needs. Because I use it as much as I do, I have VIP status! Don't get too excited, it just means I save about 12 cents on the dollar.  

The Uber types are at the bottom of the app, and you slide a cursor to the kind you want. Mine stayed on UberX until I made VIP. I actually first discovered these options after getting an "UberSelect" car one, a nice BMW and a chivalrous driver. Great, but not necessary to get to work for $50! I was confused, because I hadn't accepted a Surge fare (they up the rates during peak times, but you have to acknowledge and accept the higher rate).  It was then that I learned about the different options and to be careful not to "pocket slide" (think pocket dial) the Uber choice. 

 

The other day, I took the Megabus from Athens to the downtown Atlanta Civic Center MARTA station. It was pouring down rain. I requested an Uber and was thankful he was only a minute away. I've learned in crowds to call the driver and tell them what I'm wearing and that I don't see very well so they can find me. He found me easily and I got in his car, I think it was a Suburban. This should've been my first clue! But it was raining. He asked me how many riders...SECOND CLUE! But nope, only getting in the car out of the rain was on my mind. 

Good ride home, about 20 miles. I checked my phone so I could check the fare and put it in the budget: $117!!!!

I got to Athens cheaper than that using Uber once, and that's more like 70 miles!

I looked carefully at the app. The position where the VIP choice used to be was now where the SUV option was, hard to see there at the bottom, especially with low vision. 

My first thought was "Don't freak out. Just move some funds around." My second thought was to let Uber know so they could be aware of such a problem, but I still didn't think I was just in seeking reimbursement. It was the third thought later that convicted me to seek reimbursement for the error, explaining that I couldn't see the options and the change in position on the app led me to choose the wrong one.  Yes, I chose wrong, but they changed things on me that led to my wrong. 

Two wrongs don't make it right. 

If Uber were to look at my history, they would see that I'm quite the consumer of their service, that I have a superior rider rating, and that I've never needed an SUV. They could also see that their app changes could account for my mistake. I'm not cheating the system, but seeking what is RIGHT. Leaving it alone and accepting an exorbitantly high fare for myself when my own physical limitations led to the error would NOT have been right. 

Have you accepted something because you didn't want to ruffle feathers? Has someone else's mistake stopped you from pursuing what's right just because they imposed something on you? I didn't stop with those first thoughts of letting injustice go. I asked for understanding and grace! 

Uber did in fact credit my account. Together, we RIGHTED the wrongs!

 

Zoom In

I didn't know what to expect to see in Florence, Italy. We had tickets to see The David, but there was a timing mix-up. I also knew we were going to see plenty of leather goods and eating great Italian food!

After lunch, we had multiple personalities leading our family tour of the city. Equipped with a map and a highlighted route of suggestion, we spent much of the time trying to get to the highlighted portion

We finally came upon a recognizable Florence landmark, the Cattadrale di Santa Maria del Fiore, or the Duomo as it is known. We stopped to take pictures. As we kept walking, we noticed the building kept going..on and on...We finally made our way to the front. WOW! What a sight!

It just kept getting BETTER AND BETTER!

They say wine gets better with age. How often do things get better the longer we enjoy them, pursue them, or spend time with them? Isn't that the sign of a good Netflix binge? I've heard countless couples say they are more in love today than they were on their wedding day. I have read plenty of books that start slow, but by the end, I can't put them down! When I get up for a morning workout, it is awful until I get started, and then I'm glad I'm doing it. Then, I feel great! Better and better!

My family was kind enough to point out the fantastic entails and carvings on the front of the Duomo. They saw God looking down as well as Jesus and Mary in the middle of the 12 apostles. I came to call it the Sistine Chapel of Florence! 

I took pictures for the sake of having photographs, but I also did it to employ a strategy I learned a number of years ago. I've found that by taking a picture and zooming in, I can see a magnified version of a subject I can't see with the naked eye. I saw the carving details for myself! 

It all becomes clear when you look at something from a different perspective. 

What in your life needs more time to get better and better? What needs a magnified view for a better perspective?

Ebbs and Flows

"Everything has its rise and fall until the return of the Son of Man." Father Tim Hepburn said this at a conference 12 years ago and it has stuck with me. Every ministry, every job, activity, even their relationships have their highs and their lows, their ebbs and flows. When water ebbs, it drains away from the shore. When it flows, it rises up!

I got to thinking about mountain top experiences, those experiences that put you on a high like being on top of a mountain. I remember when I first went on church retreats, I loved the feelings they brought and it was hard to leave.

Water ebbs and it flows. It doesn't do one and not the other. Neither can we just stay on top of a mountain. We have to come down from the mountain. 

When I was on Summer Staff at Covecrest, a Catholic youth camp, it was one of the best summers of my life, and it was literally in the mountains. As the end drew near, I was having a hard time with the idea of leaving this holy and heavenly bubble of love to go back to the secular and tempting grind of college. What I came to realize is that I HAD to come down from the mountain and leave the bubble so that I could live out Gods calling for me on my college campus!

The other importance of coming down the mountain is greater appreciation for the mountain top experiences. How much more beautiful is a view we don't see all the time? I know people who live in the mountains who have to come down for a change. 

One of the reasons I love my job so much is because of the valley from which I came. I have a heightened appreciation!

Covecrest is gorgeous, but I know that if I lived there all the time, I'd want a different view. 

The Mass never ends. It must be lived, whether it's a morning weekday Mass Iran Easter Vigil. 

After all, the disciples too came down from the mountain. 

Contentment of a Tortoise

We all know the moral of the Tortoise and the Hare right? Say it with me: Slow and steady wins the race. I said that a lot this weekend as the bulk of the race was ahead of me...thinking back to another time when I was at the back of the pack...

I loved school, but there was one day every year I wanted so desperately to be absent: the day of the mile run. 

I can still see it in my mind. Everyone else literally on the opposite side of the track, waiting for me to finish. I remember feeling so incapable and low. I couldn't really run. I wasn't even a fast walker. As a result of my prenatal stroke, my left foot dragged, leaving my right side to carry my body. As much as I'm not a quitter, running was never a chosen activity. 

I could run in bursts. I played tennis for a number of years, and I would run and tackle my grandparents (once in the parking lot and once that wasn't my Grandpa!) My motto became "I only run at people." The closest I came to a race was manning a water station at Mile 11 of a half marathon in San Diego. I made an AWESOME cheerleader!

The painful memories came flooding back and the tears manifested when I watched Season 8 of The Biggest Loser on their first challenge.  Straight off the bus on the first day, these 16 people that brought me so much inspiration and motivation had to do a mile on the beach. A lot of things about  that season made me tear up, and that challenge was no different. It was one of those moments that took me back to that miserable childhood experience. The sand was the pavement. The struggle to run was my struggle. Then there was Tracey Yukich. She was taken away by Medic and couldn't finish. I wasn't passed out or taken away, but that mile run test sure made me avoid running like the plague. 

By Tracey's big reveal, she was running, fit and unstoppable. That motivated me. I needed to overcome this fear of running. 

Some friends helped me do just that. In 2011, my friend Gleva told me about a 5K for Autism. Talk about pulling at your heartstrings! A group of us signed up, I, though filled with anxiety, trained a little, and with my SpunkyFriend Sara by my side, I did that 5K!

What I wasn't expecting was the challenge of navigating the crowd. I found it hard to keep a steady pace that was fast enough to be considered running. I did it though, springing to the end and Sara concluding I had a lot more run in me. I could not have done that run without my SpunkyFriend by my side!

I always love to add my celeb-giddy. I wrote about this victory on Danny Cahill;s Fan Page. HE RESPONDED and told me Great job! I was over the moon! Oh the path God was preparing for me!

Years later I found another friend with a passion for running, my Carla! It so happened in a God-incidence sort of way that I was visiting her the same weekend as the Anniston Lions Club 8K for Sight! How could I say no to that?! Full disclosure, I thought I would be walking the whole thing and letting Carla run ahead. The doll she is, she said she would stay with me, along with her beautiful 11 year old granddaughter...and that we would in fact be running some! Oh dear!

As we started jogging, we had a lot more space than the first race. The distance between the fast and slow was much greater. I turned on some music, which helped. Carla running with me was awesome. Our sweet young running mate started to lose her endurance, and I'll be honest, part of me saw that as an easy out. I as a momentum shift. I continued to press on, even when I wasn't giving it 100%. I find that pacing is really hard for me. If I'm going to run, I want to RUN!. I know this would change if I trained though.

There's that pace car behind us. But my mentality was 180 degrees from when I was a kid. We may have been at the back, but we were doing it. I was running more than I have in an endurance manner in my life. I was still doing better than the Alison who wasn't trying or the Alison that could only walk so much without tripping and falling.

Grateful this moment was captured...May 21, 2016

As we ran, Carla and I had great conversations. Another source of gratitude: actually being able to talk and not just huff and puff! We talked about God blessing us with the ability to move.

Do I love running? No. I would take a ropes course any day. But I'm not AFRAID to run.

We knew we were going to run into the Finish Line, no matter what. We hit the stretch to run. Carla tells me to go. I bolt. Somewhere before the finish, I am overcome with tears of awe and joy. This crowd is cheering me on. Cheering I didn't get running as a kid. I'm running for SIGHT. Not only that, I told 5 or 10 people on the course what a big deal this was for me. As all of this is hitting me, the tears start to fall. Then I think of my Danny and his partner Liz...

Danny and Liz were the last pairing standing in the Final Four. They got to run a MARATHON together. They had their struggles and their pains, but they finished...and they went through that Finish Line TOGETHER.

As the tears fell and I was so overcome, Carla saw me stop and thought I thought I'd crossed the Finish line! Understandably...humorous headline "Blind Girl Misses Finishes Line at a Run for Sight." No. Just as Danny and Liz crossed their finish line together, I came with Carla, Carla stayed with me, I was finishing that race with Carla. And I did!

I'm Alison and I inspire those struggling with limits to endure and overcome through the expression ofmy story. 

Fruit of the Facebook Fast: Giving Others a Chance

  What’s the universal rule in school if you want the chance to speak? Are you raising your hand? It is a daily, sometimes hourly occurrence on a weekday for me to remind my second graders to raise their hand, not only are they interrupting the speaker, but they are also taking the opportunity from others to have their turn and be heard. It is also not uncommon for me to question whether they realize I’m talking to someone else!

         I have to admit, sometimes the second grader comes out in me. It’s not that I’m trying to interrupt or disrespect someone. I certainly want to hear from others. I’m super eager to share! This, I acknowledge, is quite evident on my Facebook.

         Two and a half weeks into my Facebook fast, I’m experiencing many blessings. While I, like much of my generation, spend excessive time scrolling the Newsfeed, my bigger vice with Facebook deals with comments…who is or isn’t commenting on my posts and the time and energy I spend commenting on others, almost immediately upon their posting.

         God first convicted me that Facebook would be the ideal Lenten sacrifice. Then, He very clearly put on my heart, “Why wait?” Meanwhile, after my decision was made, God was confirming a lot through my mentor, Danny Cahill, about my Facebook behavior. Danny’s challenge to me was to deliberately NOT be the first to “Like” or “Comment” on a Facebook post. I knew this would be a needed and yet necessary exercise for when I’m on Facebook on Sundays and when I return at Easter.

         I’ve had to catch myself so many times on Sundays! Facebook even literally invites me to “Be the first person to like this.”

Patience is a virtue…

…Not one that I bear naturally…but with God, all things are possible! With this exercise, I press the PAUSE button (not to be confused with MUTE or VOLUME). I have the discipline to wait and not Like or Comment right away. 

         Like my second graders, I get xcited and sometimes wave my hands in the air when I speak…sometimes. I may even bounce a little bitJ. And like my second graders, I need to give others a chance to be the first to comment. It is beautiful to see what can happen through that. There have been times when I see a comment and think, “That’s better than what I would have said.” Another benefit of waiting is that it gives me the time to marinate on what I’m commenting.

Creating opportunity

        

         I’m a natural initiator. I am the social planner. I am often affirmed for the gift to stay connected to people by being the one to keep reaching out to others. The ramification of that though is feeling rejected when it is not reciprocated, or taking the opportunity from someone by doing it first.

         I was recently tagged on Facebook in a post that required a time-sensitive response. My email notification alerted me to this fact. My first thought was, “You know I’m not on Facebook. Was that just a blanket tag?” Well, lo and behold, a little patience would show that yes, I was considered, as I received a text a few minutes later! Had I jumped when I saw the notification, I would not have given another person the opportunity to reach out to me!

        

God’s perfect timing…

         How often do we pray for something and when we don’t see it answered right away, we decide God’s not going to answer it or isn’t listening? I experience this in relationships too – someone says that we will have an experience or a specific conversation, and when I don’t hear back about it a few days later, I decide they don’t really want to have the conversation. I’ve been learning a lot in the last year about NOT JUMPING TO CONCLUSIONS.  The Facebook fast creates opportunity to pause and give others a chance. I trust God and I trust those around me!

         Finally, by pausing before I share, I’m learning to wait for what I’m supposed to share, rather than just my initial instinct.

         Lent is a season of opportunity. We have the opportunity to turn away from that which keeps us from walking in the abundant life with Christ. What is holding you back from your opportunity?