Skip to main content

Unintentional


Last week I was gripped by an urge to use the rest of my emusic downloads to get some Dar Williams songs. I was in love with her in college, but had felt vaguely ashamed of this since I moved to California. Sometimes I suffer from the burden of coolness and its a heavy one. On to the point! Hearing her songs again after so many years made me realize how much her music had to do with my faith. Her music isn't explicitly Christian, but her music is incredibly honest about herself. Her honesty encouraged me to be authentic with myself which in the end led to being authentic with Christ. It began to make me wonder what other people or things had unintentionally shaped my faith life.
Unintentional Disciplers :
1) Ms. Baird my sixth grade teacher who taught me to be unafraid. She was the first single woman I met who lived in Seattle with a roommate. I loved her for that independence.
2) The song "Baby Blue Sedan" by Modest Mouse taught me that "its hard to be a human being, its harder as anything else".
3) "Heartburn" by Nora Ephron drove home the hard truth that even if I am good other people may not be good to me. I can't earn love, least of all God's. This lesson came only after reading this book about 100 times in high school. I carried it around with me like a security blanket my whole senior year.
4) Jack White taught me that God is the essence of creativity so in art all we create should be in the image of our creator.
5) "Northern Exposure" stressed that you need to open up to people and invite them into your life. Also that you can never really leave your home. Oh and about love's selflessness.
6) Aimee Mann in all her work instilled in me the value of accepting the junk you are given and how to move through it.
7) Emily of New Moon and Opal Whiteley taught me about the sacredness of the mystical and natural world.
8) Mr. Ries, my coworker, is the essence of servant leadership.
9) George Tooker.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Good

I got word today that my old coworker is pregnant. This is good. A little background: My first year of teaching was atrocious for two reasons. One being that I am not suited to teaching Kindergarten. The second lay mainly in my working relationship with this woman. She was very particular about how everything must be done, from where the scissors went to making sure the crayon cups were in the right order. While she was upfront about how picky she was, she was also completely inflexible and made it clear I was the one who was going to have to change. I like to think her private motto for me was "That's nice you want to do it that way Megan, but adjust or die." Once she bribed my students with candy. Both classes were there because it was a short day. My kids were sitting at the tables, talking and giggling as they got ready to go home. Hers were being angels on the rug. So, to make a point, she told my kids if they were quiet during dismissal she would give them all candy...
1 comment
Read more

The Shirt

I was going to write chronologically. Forget that. Memory is not chronological and to make it so would require me getting paid to do this. Also today I put on a shirt that is a loaded gun of memories about one student in particular. When he was placed I was told he was a major behavior. He didn't like female teachers, in part due to his own mother's erratic behavior. In fourth grade he practically lived in the office. I had a strategy with kids like this that worked about half the time, give them space. I figured if a student was having a hard time in me class it was my responsibility. With potentially explosive students I would make it my goal to be as non-reactive as possible. Sometimes this worked, but took so much emotional energy I ended up being super reactive with other students in the class. I would learn later how to be a non-reactive teacher in general, but this year was really a teaching class for me. This child taught me the most. I will call him Frank for the...
1 comment
Read more

And

I need to add to the list of things that could incite the world into peace. 3) Tortilla soup. The best I've ever had id a Guasalmex over on Holt. There may be other places that make as good a or better Tortilla Soup. God Bless Them. This soup may have been the only thing my ex-boyfriend and I agreed on. He liked it so much me went home and tried to make it from Campbell's tomato soup. The soup is made fresh each day (this is what the owner says at least, in his best "I'm telling you something very secret and important" tone) from fresh chickens that are stewed with spices and onions until they fall apart. When we asked what they did next we were refused. Whenever I feel sad or angry or lonely or sick this soup cures and comforts. I wish I has a picture to show you just how amazing it is.
1 comment
Read more