a night in grant park

i didn't plan on going...a ten page paper and an eight page paper-both due monday. i am still getting over being sick...but last minute i decided to go
just for a little while
and ended up staying all night

it was the global night commute to raise awareness for the children in northern uganda who must commute into the cities every night for fear of abduction
the purpose of thier abduction: to fight in the Lord's Rebel Army

some stats

1.7 million displaced
20-50,000 children abducted
some as young as five
some told to kill thier families
all told not to cry or show emotion

it rained all night, and the little tarp that we had over our heads didn't do much to keep the rain out
we stayed up all night talking, hanging out with others who were there...almost 2,000 of us
prayed together
cheered together
and all of us wrote letters
to the president
to the state senators
and tomorrow-monday morning-all of those letter will be sent out
we are asking that northern uganda get humanitarian aid
we are asking that there are steps taken to end the war

worldwide there were over 50,000 people participating

one of the children was in chicago with us-a child from across the ocean who i'm sure was overwhelmed and amazed to see so many people coming together
he has had to commute-in fear for his life

we were soaked to the bone by morning, and it was rather cold
to end we had a group picture taken, and a crane was used for the video camera. we held signs that will later be used in the finished documentary...

www.invisiblechildren.com

where will you be tonight?

global night commute

in whatever circumstance

i went to starbucks tonight
working on a exegetical paper on a few verses in philippians
drinking my nice hot tea
wearing my nice comfy hoody
adding honey to my tea
laughing with friends

walking back to school
stopping at walgreens to buy chocolate

we walked through a park on the way back to school...how quickly what i have immersed myself in only moments before vanishes from my mind.

philippians 4
"being content in whatever circumstances"
i walk through the park
i am content
i have so much
more than i ever needed
i walk through the park and see
a
man sleeping on a bench
no blanket
just an old coat
worn jeans

i laugh with my friends
eating the chocolate covered almonds and caramels we have just bought
we stand and talk only a few feet away from the man

i glance over at the man on the bench
he is asleep
arms crossed to hold the warmth in
alone on the bench
alone in the park

i take a bag of chocolate covered peanuts over to the man
he doesn't stir
his breathing is heavy, consistent...
his shoes are neatly placed under the bench
clean, polished shoes
i set the bag of peanuts down by his shoes
as i reach down i am closer to him
and i feel as though in that moment i have tried to grasp what it means to love your neighbor
and this half-eaten bag of peanuts is my feeble attempt at something that i don't truely understand

i almost want him to wake up
to share so much more with him than a walgreens brand bag of candy
but i dread him awakening as well
because i would have to explain myself
it is easier to have less interaction
easier...but less rich
less deep

he continues to sleep
i pause as i leave, unsure if what i have just done is absurd or good or not likely to make a difference.
my friends and i walk back to school

i don't give the man on the bench a second thought
until now
i am the only one awake in my room
with heat in the dorm, my computer, a fridge of food
my comfy hoody
my warm bed

and tomorrow when i wake up
i will write a paper
on being content in whatever circumstances
"for i have learned in whatever situation i am to be content. i know how to be brought low, and i know how to abound. in any and every circumstance, i have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. i can do all things through him who strenghtens me..."

tomorrow i will write a paper...i will do word studies

and try to understand what it means to be content.

in whatever circumstance.

my favorite place in chicago

i have a new favorite study place that is not often frequented by "moodys"
it is unique, small, easy to pass on the street
french algerian combination
food
coffee
mediterranean
cilantro
tomatoes
basil
avocado
olive oil
crepes
tea
algerian rugs on the wall
pictures of france, the eiffel tower
grungy-but not in a bad way
earthy
inexpensive
decorative
reds, browns

betcha want to know where it is, don't you? i'll try to keep it little frequented by moody's, but if you ask, i just might tell you...

doors closing

i walk down chicago
get on the red line to go south...
sitting on the "el" across from a man
he looks tired
he looks hungry
he nods in and out, his head moving with the swaying of the train
i can't help looking at him, his baggy grungy clothes
but there is something more
i feel compassion
but i don't know how to do anything
say anything
as if i would break that sacred silence on the train
that silence that cries out to be broken
more and more people crowd in at each stop
but the only voice is that of the sound system
"thank you for riding the cta. doors closing"

the man is holding tightly to a plastic bag
he opens his eyes and i get a closer glimpse
bloodshot eyes
tired eyes
hopeless eyes
i avert my gaze, staring at the ad above him as if it is the most interesting thing i have read all day
each stop rotates people in
more get on the already crowded car
a few get off
and i sit in my seat
staring complacently above everyone's gaze
looking down at everyone's feet
and i feel the pressure of the silence
as i breath that same polluted air
and walk on those same polluted streets

...but i have hope

and yet i hold it so closely
so possessively
as if i had earned it
found it
or deserved it

i get up from my seat as the "el" arrives at my stop

"...doors closing"
that mechanical voice follows me as i walk past a car full of people

spontaneously predictable

so, i went home for easter-and it was so amazing...it had been several months since i had seen my family
it is amazing how much that small town doesn't really change
and yet, the most spontaneous things happen

spontaneously predictable

a friend and i arrived home late thursday night-and the major issue of the hour was:
who is going to drive who's car?
"mom has the truck"
"dad has my car...wait, i need my car"
"dad's car is at grandpa and grandmas"
"is it broken?"
"no"
"why is it there?"
"justin was working on his car, and had to borrow dad's car"
"but now, justin's car is fixed"
"what about the other truck?"
"eats gas"
so...like usual, after about an hour long discussion and every possible combination, our car shuffling came to an end and we all had vehicles in the morning...i don't know why it always is so hard...especially since it is 5 cars and 4 people...

the next morning it was time for the annual pilgrimage to the horse auction...my friend and i were awakened by what sounded like thousands of people in the downstairs of the house starting at 6am and going until about 7:30...
"WHO'S HERE??!?!?" shouted loudly from outside my door

"SHHHH MARY and HER FRIEND ARE SLEEPING!!!!" shouted equally as loudly from nearby...

items purchased at the auction:
a lamb
a horse

the next day we went horseback riding, through the vineyards...
it is a beautiful place

if your brother has a speck in his eye....

it was typical late night on the floor...or maybe it was atypical-because there were about 5 of us in the lounge letting our creative juices flow-inspired by one of my lovely roommates...who had an amazing idea for a drama. so, instead of doing homework(joni brought a book into the lounge to multi-task study and watch the drama: my response was, "why did you bring your book?") instead of doing homework we developed a drama, acted it out, and i even videotaped it so it can be used later. We finished around 1 am. i still had to read an article and write a short paper on it. As i was working, my other roommate came stumbing in from the other room. I didn't know what was wrong, other than that she was in great distress. I asked her if she was alright...a moan.
"mar, i have something in my eye..." ok..i swallowed and built up courage. For those of you who don't know, i am petrified of seeing people touch thier eyes. I can't stand watching people put contacts in...but for my roomie, i would try. she sat on the couch and held her eye open..
now, we have all experienced the occasional "speck in eye" but this was out of control.
do you know that feeling when something is in your eye and it won't come out, and it hurts like crazy, whether you blink, open your eye, close your eye...the pain is still there.

multiply that by 10...and you will get a picture of my roommate....now, you have to imagine me, petrified, dumping saline solution in her eye, it is around 2am, and neither of us function well when we are tired. so in the midst of this horrible dillema, we are laughing hysterically (if that is possible while you are crying from eye pain...)
i looked in her eye for a good 10 minutes.

nothing.

not even a little tiny indication of anything.

a ghost speck.

"are you lying?" (joking)

now, a battle like feeling came over me, and i knew that to ease my roommates suffering, we would have to locate this "speck." but i needed reinforcements.
unfortunately, even in a college dorm, it is pretty quiet at 2am...except for one girl who was sitting in the lounge.

reading.

her name: basma.

upon explaining the situation she immediately dropped what she was doing and came to the aid. i had acquired a flashlight, and basma held it while we looked again in my roommate's eye.

nothing.

not even a speck.

as i looked in her eye, it appeared as though it were inflamed. i began to think that our problem may be bigger...

it had now been almost an hour.

"i'm taking you to the ER" i said.

"no," she replied..."it feels fine now"
as she began wincing in pain again from head to toe...


we called her dad, got the insurance info, and were getting ready to leave when she looked at me, and appeared to be in less pain...
although, i did not know if i could believer her...i mean, who wants to go to the hospital at 3 am to get a speck out of thier eye? but i didn't know what else to do...
but maybe she was better....
nope...it began hurting again. as i was looking at her, i noticed a tiny glint that seemed abnormal in her eye

"don't move"

basma was immediately ready with the "speck extracter" aka toilet paper
and i held her eye open and....

got the speck out!!!!! it was sooooooooooooooooo small

in our joy we thought about framing it, although it is almost invisible to the naked eye...
good thing i have the eyes of an eagle..............

we went to sleep,

3:30...
and i definately slept through my 8:00
and 9:00....


if your roommate has a speck in her eye...believe her.