It's a typical Wednesday night: sitting in my room listening to music, just got done watching American Idol. But it's not really a normal Wednesday because I actually had something to do, and it's also my last night of unemployment and lameness (well, maybe not so much the lame part, but we're working on it).
I'm super excited because I got a call from Target yesterday, confirming that I FINALLY start job orientation there tomorrow at 3. All I can say is, thank goodness. Because I was seriously starting to get frustrated and antsy. But she called and told me I start tomorrow, so I'm super thankful and ready to get started. Gram and I went into town yesterday afternoon so I could start looking for red shirts and khaki pants. Since I don't have much money right now, I got a couple shirts from the thrift store (and a sweater I just couldn't resist buying), and bought some khakis from Ross. It's a start, and I'll be able to buy more once I have more money. I'm really going into this job with a positive outlook. At the very least, it is an opportunity to save up some money and get started on paying fora car. Hopefully some cool coworkers and friendships will come out of it. That would be a nice plus. And I'll continue to search for something more permanent and substantial. So excited for my first day, though!
Tonight I went back to the Methodist church. One of the girls I met on Sunday, Lee, has been texting me some throughout the week and invited me to help her with the youth tonight. Well I got there, and she was running late, so I had to call Woods and ask him to help me find out where I was supposed to be going. I got up to the youth room and it was slightly awkward because I hadn't met any of the kids yet, and I was just the random stranger sitting there while everyone else has known each other since they were in diapers at Sunday School. However, a girl invited me to sit at a table with her, and she is a couple of years older than me. Her name is Norrel, and she was super nice. I found out that she was a Music Ed major, which is awesome because all of my friends from school are. And she is the music director at the church. She was so nice and gave me her number, insisting that we get together for lunch sometime next week. I'm telling you, Prattville has some nice freaking people in it. We ate pizza and had drinks, then sang a couple of worship songs and watched a brief video. Then the kids break up into their small groups, where a leader talks with them about the message and they just chat and things like that. Lee still wasn't there, but Molly, an older lady with two teenage kids, invited me to come with her to Lee's group. She and Lee lead the female 11th and 12th grade group. There were four girls in there tonight, and they were all nice. Rachel and Hannah are both blonde, and girls that if I were in high school, I would have hated... Because, ya know, we make judgments about people before we know them. Elizabeth wore her hair curly today, and I told her I liked her hair. She said it was the first time she'd ever worn it curly, and someone at school told her she looked like a wet dog... I didn't really know what to say to that. Eliza doesn't talk. She sat in the corner with her oversized sweater and giant bun on the top of her head, and ate her pizza silently. She intrigued me the most, of course.
The message was about cruel temptations. In other words: the fact that it is so easy for people to be mean and judgmental towards others. We discussed why people are so cruel, why we pick on each other, etc. The girls were slow to talk at first, but I initiated the discussion and just jumped in there. I quickly realized that Hannah and Rachel are not as annoying blonde as they seemed. They are both going to Auburn University in the Fall, both make great grades, and are both totally immersed in the Lord. It was awesome. I also found out that last year, Elizabeth struggled with self-harm and was hospitalized for it. That really struck me, because it's something I have dealt with in the past and will always have a place in my heart. I hope that once I start going and being around them more, I'll be able to talk with Elizabeth about that. We discussed how, as girls, it is so easy for us to hate on other women because we are constantly insecure about ourselves. We use it as a coping mechanism, but at the end of the day- we still go home hating ourselves. These girls were really smart and had a lot of good things to say. And I think they valued what I had to say, almost like a big sister. I thought it was crazy that this was the message tonight, because I was just talking with my friend Brandie the other day about how we never know what someone else is going through. We made a pact a couple of nights ago to really try not to talk about people and hate on them, especially for things like their outward appearance. I shared this story with the girls and they seemed to really enjoy it.
Overall, I had a great time getting to know these girls and am very excited to keep working with them. As I was watching American Idol tonight, Norrel texted me and asked me about my experience. She sent me a picture of herself when she was drum major at AUM, and it was hilarious. She also reminded me to text her my schedule so that we can make plans for lunch, and wished me luck for my first day. It's incredible how nice some people are. It's inspiring and gives me a desire to be even nicer than I already try to be. It really is true, that if we treat people the way we want to be treated- the world could be such a better place. I'm going to work on that, and share this experience with Brandie. God is really speaking to me right now, and it's awesome.
In a week, I'll be packing my stuff and getting ready for the 16 hour bus ride to Cullowhee. I'm so stoked to get up there and see my people again. But for now, I'm trying to just focus on where I am here and now. Can't hold myself back. Gotta be fierce and go after life and live in the moment. Because it's happening, with or without me.
Click this link:
How He Loves; David Crowder Band
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